Speedway: Sheffield to announce fixture list on Friday as Northampton join Premiership
Sheffield are set to announce their 2026 speedway Premiership fixtures on Friday, after Northhampton was confirmed as a sixth team.
And it means there will be a change in the Knockout Cup format this season.
Confirmation of Northampton’s inclusion means six clubs are competing in the Premiership, so the play-offs will revert to their normal format featuring the top four teams in the league table.
Each club will meet twice at home and twice away during the regular campaign.
But the Knockout Cup will operate on a mini-league group format at the start of the season, with the Northern group featuring holders Leicester, Belle Vue and Sheffield, whilst Ipswich, King’s Lynn and Northampton will compete in the Southern group. The group winners will meet in the Final.
Sheffield said in a statement: “We are delighted to welcome Northampton into this year’s Premiership and look forward to doing battle with them both home and away..”
Newcomers Northampton are based near junction 15 of the M1 near the village of Brafield-on-the-Green, at an already an established motorsports site.
Northampton International Shaleway has hosted top level stock car racing for over 50 years, previously as a tarmac circuit.
It was converted into a shale track in 2018, offering the potential for further modifications to enable stock car racing to run side by side with speedway – with the sports having operated successfully together at several other venues in the past.
Premiership chief executive Phil Morris said: “I would firstly like to thank all supporters, and the other clubs, for their patience whilst we worked on bringing Northampton into the league.
“We were determined that the Premiership would feature six teams if at all possible, and with the opportunity to include what is effectively a completely new club, I do feel it was correct to push the time window to give it every chance.
“We now have a six-team league and I’m sure there will be a lot of interest in the new venue, along with the new ownership at Ipswich who I know have some exciting plans.
“Our thanks also go to Deane Wood of Spedeworth, the landowners of Northampton, for their willingness to accommodate speedway racing at their stadium.
“There is still a substantial amount of work to complete, and this is why Northampton’s home fixtures will commence slightly later than the other clubs, but we are confident this will all progress on schedule.
“The people in charge of Northampton will make their own announcements in the near future but I know they have been talking to riders, and they now have the certainty to be able to complete their team plans.
“We now look forward to the fixtures being released on Friday and this is certainly now a time for positivity as we look ahead to the new season.”