Edinburgh Monarchs
Sports club in City of Edinburgh, Scotland
title: "Edinburgh Monarchs" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["speedway-premier-league-teams", "sgb-championship-teams", "sports-clubs-and-teams-in-edinburgh", "sport-in-west-lothian", "1928-establishments-in-scotland", "sports-clubs-and-teams-established-in-1928", "organisations-based-in-west-lothian"] description: "Sports club in City of Edinburgh, Scotland" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Monarchs" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Sports club in City of Edinburgh, Scotland ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox motorcycle speedway team"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| clubname | Edinburgh Monarchs |
| image | [[File:Edinburgh_Monarchs_Speedway_2015.png |
| track | Armadale Stadium |
| Bathgate Road | |
| Armadale | |
| West Lothian | |
| country | Scotland |
| founded | |
| promoter | Alex Harkess & John Campbell |
| manager | Alex Harkess & John Campbell |
| captain | Paco Castagna |
| league | SGB Championship |
| National Development League | |
| website | official website |
| colours | Blue and gold |
| tracksize | 260 m |
| track record time | 54.0 seconds |
| track record date | 30 May 2014 |
| track record holder | Craig Cook |
| rider1 | ITA Paco Castagna (capt) |
| rider2 | SWE Jonatan Grahn |
| rider3 | ENG Dan Thompson |
| rider4 | AUS Kye Thomson |
| rider5 | AUS Justin Sedgmen |
| rider6 | AUS Mitchell Cluff |
| rider7 | AUS Jordy Loftus |
| rider1j | |
| rider2j | |
| rider3j | |
| rider4j | |
| rider5j | |
| rider6j | |
| rider7j | |
| honour1 | Premier League |
| year1 | 2003, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015 |
| honour2 | Knockout Cup (tier 2) |
| year2 | 1981, 1997, 1999, 2014 |
| honour3 | Premier League Cup |
| year3 | 2014, 2015 |
| honour4 | Premier Trophy |
| year4 | 2008 |
| honour5 | Fours Championship (tier 2) |
| year5 | 1981, 1993, 2013, 2015 |
| honour6 | Pairs Championship (tier 2) |
| year6 | 1986, 2014 |
| honour7 | Scottish Cup |
| year7 | 2018 |
| honour8 | Queens Cup |
| year8 | 1953 |
| :: |
|clubname = Edinburgh Monarchs |image = [[File:Edinburgh_Monarchs_Speedway_2015.png|150px]] |track = Armadale Stadium Bathgate Road Armadale West Lothian |country = Scotland |founded = |closed = |promoter = Alex Harkess & John Campbell |manager = Alex Harkess & John Campbell |captain = Paco Castagna |league = SGB Championship National Development League |website = official website |colours = Blue and gold |tracksize = 260 m |track record time= 54.0 seconds |track record date= 30 May 2014 |track record holder=Craig Cook
|rider1 = ITA Paco Castagna (capt) |rider1cma = |rider2 = SWE Jonatan Grahn |rider2cma = |rider3 = ENG Dan Thompson |rider3cma = |rider4 = AUS Kye Thomson |rider4cma = |rider5 = AUS Justin Sedgmen |rider5cma = |rider6 = AUS Mitchell Cluff |rider6cma = |rider7 = AUS Jordy Loftus |rider7cma = |totalcma= |rider1j = |rider1jcma = |rider2j = |rider2jcma = |rider3j = |rider3jcma = |rider4j = |rider4jcma = |rider5j = |rider5jcma = |rider6j = |rider6jcma = |rider7j = |rider7jcma = |totaljcma=
|honour1 = Premier League |year1 = 2003, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015 |honour2 = Knockout Cup (tier 2) |year2 = 1981, 1997, 1999, 2014 |honour3 = Premier League Cup |year3 = 2014, 2015 |honour4 = Premier Trophy |year4 = 2008 |honour5 = Fours Championship (tier 2) |year5 = 1981, 1993, 2013, 2015 |honour6 = Pairs Championship (tier 2) |year6 = 1986, 2014 |honour7 = Scottish Cup |year7 = 2018 |honour8 = Queens Cup |year8 = 1953
The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish speedway team based in Armadale. They compete in the SGB Championship, racing on Friday nights during the speedway season. The club is run by a board of directors, chaired by Alex Harkess and also runs a National Development League team called the Monarchs Academy.
History
Origins
Speedway in Edinburgh began on 19 May 1928, with an open meeting organised by the Scottish Dirt Track Motor Racing Club at Marine Gardens in Portobello. Several team challenge matches were staged during 1929, including visits to London and Newcastle.
1930s
The team joined Northern League for the 1930 season. Several open meetings were held in 1931 but speedway ceased. The Greyhound Racing Association secured a lease on New Year's Day 1931, which resulted in the disappearance of speedway for seven years until March 1938, when J. W. Fraser brought it back. In 1939, the team raced in multiple challenge matches and the Union Cup before the season ended early due to the outbreak of war.
1940s
Marine Gardens was used for military purposes during the war and never re-opened as a sports venue but the potential of Old Meadowbank, then the home of Leith Athletic F.C., was said to have been spotted by Ian Hoskins. The Monarchs (Meadowbank Monarchs) were re-established in 1948 by a consortium including Frank Varey, ex-rider and Sheffield promoter, and R.L.Rae, a local Edinburgh businessman. They applied to the Speedway Control Board to participate in the 1948 Speedway National League Division Two but finished bottom of the league that season. They did however improve to 5th place after Jack Young was signed to support Dick Campbell. Young would become twice world champion in 1951 ad 1952, the first of those titles was won as an Edinburgh rider.
1950s
The team continued to operate at Old Meadowbank in the National League Second Division, securing a 3rd place finish in 1951, with Jack Young setting the league's leading average. Mid-way through the 1954 season the club withdrew from the league citing financial losses and Frank Varey also resigned. Old Meadowbank Stadium had been purchased by the City of Edinburgh Council from Leith Athletic in 1956 and the track was used for practice sessions between 1957 and 1959.
1960s
With the creation of the new Provincial League in 1960, Edinburgh Monarchs returned to action under the new promotion of Ian Hoskins, following a six-year absence. New riders for 1960 included the Templeton brothers Doug and Willie, and George Hunter, joined in later seasons by Bert Harkins and Bill Landels.
Five years of Provincial league speedway brought little success but George Hunter did top the league averages during the 1963 season and the team retained the practice of employing primarily Scottish riders. The Monarchs raced in and were founder members of the newly created British League from 1965. The league was the highest division of speedway in the United Kingdom and the it was first time that Edinburgh had competed in the top tier. The Monarchs struggled somewhat in the division but did achieve a very respectable fourth in 1967 led by Swede Bernt Persson.
|width=160 | height=170 |align=right |File:George Hunter 1974.jpg |George Hunter |File:OW Bneg 10 Bert Harkins.jpg |Bert Harkins
In August 1966, Edinburgh won the bid to host the 1970 Commonwealth Games, which included plans to redevelop the site of the stadium and surrounding area. The Monarchs were evicted as speedway was not incorporated into the new Meadowbank Stadium plans due to the government of the day refusing to fund stadia which would be used by professional sports. The Monarchs moved en bloc to a new track at Cliftonhill, Coatbridge (nearer to Glasgow than Edinburgh) and operated as the Coatbridge Monarchs for the 1968 and 1969 seasons before the track licence was sold to Wembley by B.R. Cottrell and Trevor Redman.
1970s
Speedway returned to Edinburgh in 1977, with the Monarchs finding a home at Powderhall Stadium. The return after missing another seven years required significant changes to the greyhound racing venue and Mike Parker spent £30,000 on renovation. Bert Harkins returned as captain of the club
1980s
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Edinburgh_Speedway,Powderhall_Stadium(1982).JPG" caption="Speedway at Powderhall Stadium, 1982"] ::
George Hunter came back to the club in 1980 and Neil Collins was signed which led to a 5th place finish. The following season in 1981, the long wait for silverware ended when the team won the Knockout Cup and fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 26 July. Unfortunately, the only other success during the decade was winning the pairs championship in 1986, with Doug Wyer and new signing Les Collins.
1990s
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Les_Collins_winner_Potters.jpg" caption="Les Collins"] ::
The Monarchs enjoyed a better start of the 1990s with a 4th place finish in 1991 and a third in 1994. In-between the team of Les Collins, Kenny McKinna, Michael Coles and Scott Lamb won the fours championship final, held at the East of England Arena on 25 July.
During the 1995 season, the company operating Powderhall ran into financial difficulty, and the stadium was sold to a housing company for redevelopment. This meant the Monarchs were again evicted. In 1996, the Monarchs' rivals Glasgow Tigers closed down, so with a stadium not in use in Glasgow, and the Monarchs without a home in Edinburgh, the Monarchs' moved to Shawfield Stadium, Glasgow to form the Scottish Monarchs. Many Tigers fans refused to support what they saw as a team of old rivals, and although Monarchs fans initially travelled through to Glasgow, crowd numbers soon fell.
A fresh start arrived in 1997 when the Monarchs left Glasgow after gaining permission to operate at Armadale Stadium. The club signed Peter Carr and retained Kenny McKinna and Robert Eriksson, finishing 3rd in the league.
2000s
The Monarchs experienced a period of success, starting by winning the Premier League in 2003 with relative ease. Led by Frede Schött and Peter Carr, the team won with a nine point cushion from Sheffield Tigers.
Another Premier Division title arrived in 2008, which resulted in the Monarchs taking part in the first promotion/relegation play-off when they faced Wolverhampton. Ryan Fisher, Matthew Wethers and William Lawson starred during the season.
2010s
Edinburgh secured another Premier League title in the 2010 season, their third in seven years. They later won the Premier League Four-Team Championship, held on 14 July 2013, at the East of England Arena
The 2014 season was Monarchs best season to date, led by Craig Cook and Sam Masters the team won the treble of League, Knockout Cup and League Cup, while going on a 27 match unbeaten run. Masters and Max Fricke also won the Premier Pairs.
The success continued in 2015, when the Monarchs became the first team to win consecutive Premier League titles, by beating the Glasgow Tigers in the Grand Final. The Tigers held a 7-point lead after the first leg at Ashfield, but the Monarchs won 14 of the 15 heats in the second leg at Armadale, winning 99–80 on aggregate. It was one of three titles won by the Monarchs in 2015; in the Premier League Cup, the Monarchs beat the Tigers again, while the quartet of Cook, Masters, Erik Riss and Justin Sedgmen won the Premier League Fours. Changes due to points/averages restrictions resulted in a much quieter period for the team from 2016 to 2019.
2020s
Following a season lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Monarchs reached the final of the 2021 Knockout Cup and Sam Masters topped the 2022 league averages but issues surrounding their home venue surfaced. However, the team continued to race at Armadale in 2023 and 2024.
Season summary (1st team)
::data[format=table]
Season summary (juniors)
::data[format=table]
| Year and league | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Speedway Conference League | N/A | Armadale Devils, Cup semi final |
| 2004 Speedway Conference League | 4th | Armadale Dale Devils |
| 2005 Speedway Conference League | 5th | Armadale Dale Devils |
| 2021 National Development League speedway season | 6th | Armadale Devils |
| 2022 National Development League speedway season | 8th | Armadale Devils |
| 2023 National Development League speedway season | 5th | Monarchs Academy |
| 2024 National Development League speedway season | 4th | Monarchs Academy |
| 2025 | 2nd | Monarchs Academy |
| :: |
Previous riders by season
2006 team
2007 team
Also Rode
2008 team
2009 team
Also rode:
2010 team
Also Rode:
2011 team
Also rode
2012 team
Also Rode
2013 team
Also rode
Signed but failed to obtain necessary paperwork
2014 team
2015 team
2016 team
Also rode
2017 team
2018 team
Also Rode
2019 team
Also Rode
2021 team
2022 team
- (C)
Notable riders
- NZL Dick Campbell
- ENG Michael Coles
- ENG Les Collins
- ENG Craig Cook
- SWE Robert Eriksson
- USA Ryan Fisher
- SCO Bert Harkins
- SCO George Hunter
- SCO Scott Lamb
- SCO Bill Landels
- AUS Sam Masters
- SCO William Lawson
- SCO Kenny McKinna
- SWE Bernt Persson
- AUS Josh Pickering
- AUS Brett Saunders
- DEN Frede Schött
- SCO Doug Templeton
- SCO Willie Templeton
- ENG Dave Trownson
- ENG Chris Turner
- AUS Matthew Wethers
- GER Kevin Wölbert
- AUS Jack Young
Team honours
- Premier League Champions: 2003, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015
- Premier Trophy Winners: 2008, 2014, 2015
- Premier League Knockout Cup Winners: 1997, 1999, 2014
- Premier League Four-Team Championship Winners: 1981,1993, 2013, 2015
- Premier League Pairs Championship Winners: 2014
- National League Knockout Cup Winners: 1981
- National League Pairs Winners: 1986
- Scottish Cup Winners: 1951, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1977, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010
- Queen's Cup Winners: 1953
- North Shield Winners: 1951
Individual Honours
Championships won while an Edinburgh Monarchs rider.
- AUS Jack Young – 1951 – The first second division rider to become Speedway World Champion
Premier League Riders' Championship
- ENG Peter Carr – 1997
- ENG Craig Cook – 2012
Scottish Championship
- AUS Jack Young – 1949, 1950, 1951
- NZL Dick Campbell – 1952
- SCO Doug Templeton – 1960, 1962
- SCO George Hunter – 1964
- SCO Bill Landels – 1966
- ENG Peter Carr – 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002
- SCO Andrew Tully – 2012
- ENG Craig Cook – 2013
- AUS Sam Masters – 2014
- AUS Sam Masters – 2017
References
References
- "Edinburgh Monarchs Academy enter NDL".
- (16 December 2019). "Armdale Enter National Development League". Edinburgh Monarchs.
- (21 April 1928). "A 100% Thrill". Edinburgh Evening News.
- "1929 fixtures and results".
- (8 March 1930). "Marine Gardens in Northern League Section". Edinburgh Evening News.
- (4 March 1938). "Opening of Speedway". Musselburgh News.
- (10 January 1948). "Plan for 17 New Speedway Tracks". Gloucestershire Echo.
- "Rider averages 1929 to 2009".
- (5 July 1954). "Meadowbank closing down". Edinburgh Evening News.
- Henry, J.. (2001). "Speedway in Scotland". Tempus Publishing.
- (13 April 1960). "Speedway stage set". The Scotsman.
- (23 January 1970). "Keeter may not return to Lions". Leicester Daily Mercury.
- (13 April 1977). "KWhre speedway is out on front". The Scotsman.
- "1981 KO cup final".
- (27 July 1981). "Tigers miss the boat in four teams final". Cambridge Daily News.
- "1981 full season results".
- "1986 fixtures".
- (14 July 1986). "Speedway Pairs Out". Newcastle Journal.
- (26 July 1993). "Invaders can't take the heat". Derby Evening Telegraph.
- (6 October 1995). "Speedway Special". Daily Record.
- (25 September 2006). "Monarchs handed the title as Rebels fail at Birmingham". Edinburgh Evening News.
- (24 October 2008). "Edinburgh Monarchs | Official Club Website". Edinburghspeedway.com.
- "Match Centre".
- "2013 fixtures and results".
- "2014 Statistics".
- "2014 fixtures".
- "IT'S SAM AND MAX FOR THE PAIRS".
- (17 October 2015). "Edinburgh Monarchs retain speedway title". [[BBC]].
- Kinvig, David. (27 September 2015). "Edinburgh Monarchs cruise to League Cup Final victory". [[Johnston Press]].
- Brammer, Chris. (2 October 2015). "Ipswich Witches finish third as Edinburgh Monarchs win Premier League Fours title". Archant.
- "MONARCHS REIGN SET TO CONTINUE WITH ARMADALE STADIUM REPRIEVE".
- "STELLAR MONARCHS TO ROAR INTO 2024".
- (21 August 2009). "Edinburgh Monarchs | Official Club Website". Edinburghspeedway.com.
- Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. {{ISBN. 0-7524-2402-5
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