Glasgow Tigers (speedway) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glasgow Tigers
Club information
Track address	Ashfield Stadium Possilpark Glasgow
Country	Scotland
Founded	1928
Team manager	Cameron Brown
Team captain	Chris Harris
League	SGB Championship
Club facts
Colours	Red and White
Track size	306 metres (335 yd) (pre 2011 302 metres (330 yd))
Track record time	55.08 seconds
Track record date	21 May 2021
Track record holder	Scott Nicholls
Current team
Rider CMA Chris Harris Steve Worrall Leon Flint James Pearson Paul Starke Lee Complin Ace Pijper
Major team honours
League (tier 2) 1993, 1994, 2011, 2023 Knockout Cup (tier 2) 1993, 1994, 2016 Pairs champions (tier 2) 2005, 2006, 2011, 2019, 2023 Scottish Cup 1953

The Glasgow Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team from Glasgow, Scotland. They were started in 1928. The team got their "Tigers" nickname in 1946. Today, they race in the British SGB Championship. The Tigers race at Ashfield Stadium and celebrated their 75th birthday in 2021.

History of the Glasgow Tigers

How it all started: 1920s and 1930s

White City Stadium, where the Tigers began

Speedway racing began in Glasgow in 1928. The first races happened at places like Nelson Recreation Ground and Celtic Park. The Glasgow Tigers team started at White City Stadium on June 29, 1928. At first, they only had open races.

A team called Glasgow White City raced in a few friendly matches in 1929. Then, they joined the Northern League in 1930. Their first league race at White City was on April 22, 1930. The team finished tenth in their first league season. However, they stopped racing halfway through the 1931 season. Speedway racing then stopped in Glasgow for seven years. It returned briefly in 1939 with a team called 'the Lions'.

The Tigers are born: 1940s

The team raced as the Tigers for the first time in 1946

More races happened in 1940. But then, World War II caused the track to close for five years. Speedway racing returned in 1945. In the 1946 Speedway Northern League season, the team officially became the 'Tigers'. Will Lowther was their top rider.

Even with new riders like Junior Bainbridge and Ken McKinlay, the White City Tigers didn't have much success. They finished the 1940s in eighth place.

Ups and downs: 1950s

The 1950s started well for the Tigers. In the 1950 season, they finished second. They were just one point behind Norwich Stars. New rider Tommy Miller joined the team.

Tommy Miller was the best rider in the league in 1953. The team also won the Scottish Cup that year. But things got difficult in 1954. The club stopped racing in the league because they were losing money. Speedway racing then stopped again for ten years.

Moving around: 1960s and 1970s

Jimmy McMillan joined the team in 1966

The White City track reopened in 1964. Trevor Redmond raced for the Tigers that year. He then became the team's promoter. The team finished last in the league in 1964. Jimmy McMillan joined the team in 1966.

In 1969, the Tigers moved to Hampden Park. This was because White City stadium was going to be knocked down for a new motorway. The club then had to move homes many times over the next few years.

Cliftonhill Stadium

In 1972, a sad accident happened at Hampden Park. Rider Svein Kaasa was involved in a racing incident. Because of problems at Hampden Park, the club moved again in 1973. They went to Cliftonhill in Coatbridge and became the Coatbridge Tigers.

In 1977, the team had to move again. They went to Blantyre Greyhound Stadium in Blantyre. Fans were happy when the club brought back the name Glasgow Tigers. Riders like Steve Lawson and Kenny McKinna joined the team.

More moves and first big wins: 1980s and 1990s

The Blantyre stadium was knocked down. So, in 1982, the Tigers moved to their fifth home, Craighead Park. The team didn't win any trophies during these moves. In 1987, things got even stranger. The Tigers moved to Derwent Park in Workington, England. For a short time, they were called the Workington Tigers. This was the only time they were based outside Scotland.

Shawfield, the seventh home of the Tigers

In 1988, the club returned to Glasgow. They moved into Shawfield Stadium in Rutherglen.

In the 1990s, the team started to get much better. In 1991, James Grieves joined the club. The team finished second in 1991. Then, in 1993, Glasgow won their first major trophies! They won both the League and the Knockout Cup. The team included riders like Shane Bowes, Mick Powell, James Grieves, and Róbert Nagy. The next year, 1994, they won both the League and Cup again!

After this success, the top two British leagues merged. In 1996, the Tigers and Edinburgh Monarchs teams joined together for a short time. They were called the Scottish Monarchs. Later, the Tigers and Monarchs went back to being separate teams.

The 1990s ended with the club moving again. They moved to Ashfield Stadium, which is where they race today. The speedway track replaced an old greyhound racing track.

New home, new wins: 2000s and 2010s

The team had some tough years at Ashfield at first. But in 2005, Shane Parker and George Štancl won the Premier League Pairs Championship. The Tigers won the Pairs event again in 2006 with Shane Parker and Danny Bird.

Before the 2011 season, the club made big changes to the Ashfield track. They made it longer and wider, especially the bends. This was to make the races more exciting! The changes worked well. The Tigers won the league title in 2011. Riders like Joe Screen, Josh Grajczonek, and James Grieves led the team. Joe Screen and James Grieves also won the Premier League Pairs Championship that year.

In 2015, the stadium had a big makeover. In 2016, the Tigers won the KO Cup final against Newcastle Diamonds. In 2018, Craig Cook joined the Tigers. He became the Riders' Champion and helped Glasgow finish second in the league.

The 2019 season saw the Tigers finish second again in the SGB Championship. They reached the play-off finals but lost closely to Leicester Lions. However, they did win the Pairs Championship with Craig Cook and Rasmus Jensen.

Recent success: 2020s

The 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 and 2022, the Tigers finished second in the SGB Championship league. They lost in the play-off final to the Poole Pirates in 2021.

In 2023, the team finally won the league title! They won the play-offs and got their revenge against Poole. They had already won the Pairs title with Chris Harris and Benjamin Basso. A new rider, Vadim Tarasenko, joined late in the season. He helped the team win the play-offs, beating Oxford Cheetahs and Poole to claim their fourth ever league title.

Season summary

Notable riders

STARs Hall Of Fame

These riders are famous for their time with the Glasgow Tigers:

• Steve Lawson - Inducted 2011
• Jim McMillan - Inducted 2011
• James Grieves - Inducted 2011
• Shane Parker - Inducted 2012
• Jimmy Beaton - Inducted 2013
• Charlie Monk - Inducted 2013

Other famous riders

Club honours

Division Two league winners

• Champions: 1993, 1994, 2011, 2023.

Division Two Knock Out Cup

• Winners: 1993, 1994, 2016

Pairs champions

• Champions: 2005, 2006, 2011, 2019, 2023.