Speedway: Sheffield to face Oxford and Birmingham and a raised points limit in changes to Premiership

Sheffield Tigers fans will face trips Oxford and Birmingham next season, as the Speedway Premiership line up was confirmed.

Both clubs are stepping up to join Sheffield, who are the 2023 champions, in the top flight, in a division which will have seven clubs, and a points limit raised to 40 points.

The new clubs will replace Peterborough and Wolverhampton, who are not riding in 2024 after losing access to their tracks.

The Premiership points limit has been raised to 40 (for six riders), with teams to be completed by a Rising Star, and the league will continue to stage the KO Cup competition plus an unchanged play-off format.

In addition, there will now be no restrictions on the number of riders from the Polish Ekstraliga who can be signed by any one club.

The Premiership line up will be Belle Vue, Birmingham, Ipswich, King’s Lynn, Leicester, Oxford, Sheffield.

BSPL Chairman Rob Godfrey said: “It’s very sad for the Premiership to have lost two such well-established clubs in Peterborough and Wolverhampton given the circumstances at both, and we sincerely hope they will be able to return in the future.

“On the positive, it’s great to have Workington moving back into the Championship after what they achieved at the venue this year, and obviously the other main story is Oxford competing in both the Premiership and the Championship.

“Their return has been a huge success in the last two seasons, and they showed a real desire to participate in both top leagues in 2024.

“They are confident that their business model will work and that they will deliver a good product in both, and neither league will suffer for it.

“We also wish Birmingham well for their move into the Premiership and it’s very good to see the sport continuing at Perry Barr.

“Overall I believe we have worked together to make changes which will benefit the sport as a whole, at all levels, and we look forward to the new season starting next spring.”