British Speedway Promoters Ltd has confirmed there will be a minimum of five teams in the 2026 Premiership, with champions Ipswich returning to the tapes and a sixth side still a possibility.
The future of the Witches was thrown into doubt after promoter Chris Louis put the club up for sale in November. With Birmingham closing and Oxford Spires withdrawing from the Premiership, this news left the top-flight season in doubt.
But BSP Ltd has confirmed Ipswich will join Belle Vue, Sheffield, Leicester and King’s Lynn at the tapes. It is also possible that a sixth club will enter the competition.
Clubs have already started announcing their line-ups, with the cumulative average for six riders set at 37.00. Teams will also track a Rising Star – a rider recruited from a list of up-and-coming Brits. Former SGP3 bronze medallist Will Cairns steps into the Premiership with Belle Vue. Jason Edwards rides for Ipswich, Jody Scott is at King’s Lynn, Dan Gilkes has signed for Leicester and Sheffield has recruited Luke Killeen.
Teams will race each other home and away twice. The first-placed side in the league table advances straight to the play-off Grand Final, with the second and third-placed sides competing in a semi for the right to join them. If a sixth club joins the Premiership, the play-offs will be expanded to four teams, competing across two semi-finals and a final, as in 2025.
The Premiership teams will also compete in a Knockout Cup, with a third competition being considered due to the reduced number of teams.
Belle Vue boss Mark Lemon and King’s Lynn chief Rob Lyon join the BSP board of directors, headed by chairman Rob Godfrey and also featuring vice-chairman Damien Bates and John Campbell. Edinburgh’s Alex Harkess retains his role as president.
Britain’s second tier, the Championship, sees all nine clubs return from 2025 – champions Poole, Berwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Plymouth, Redcar, Scunthorpe and Workington.
The team-building point limit is set at 40.00 for the cumulative averages of all seven riders, with each team limited to just one rider with an average over 8.00 in their initial declaration.
Clubs meet home and away once, with the top four sides advancing to the play-off semi-finals. The Knockout Cup and BSN Series will return, with dates for the finals of these competitions set at the start of the season.
Super heats will no longer take place if a meeting finishes in a 45-45 draw, with clubs simply receiving one league point each. However, a super heat will be held if clubs are tied for the aggregate bonus point after home and away league matches, or if they finish a two-legged tie level on aggregate.
In the Championship, returning riders can now apply for an eight percent reduction in their starting average for every season they have missed – a move to aid riders seeking team places after some time out of the sport.
Five clubs have confirmed their participation in the National Development League, with a further meeting set to take place later this month to confirm the final line-up for Britain’s third division.
Regardless of whether or not a club enters the NDL, all tracks must provide some form of racing opportunity at this level during the season.