East of England Showground
AddressEast of England Way, Alwalton
Peterborough
England
Coordinates52°32′45″N 0°19′05″W / 52.54583°N 0.31806°W / 52.54583; -0.31806
OwnerEast of England Agricultural Society
Website
eastofenglandarena.com

The East of England Showground is a large showground area (667,731sqm) located on East of England Way near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The Showground is owned by Bellway as of around 2019 and the site currently includes the East of England Arena and Events Centre and a motorcycle speedway stadium.[1] In September 2021, EEAS entered into a land promotion agreement with Asset Earning Power Group (AEPG). The purpose of the agreement was to develop new leisure facilities on the site and further the association with the Anglia Ruskin University.[2]

Grimme GZ 1700 DL 1 potato harvester on display at the East of England Show, 2010

The showground was owned by the East of England Agricultural Society, formed in 1970 by the merger of several agricultural societies. Until 2012,[3] it was the organiser of the East of England Show held each year at the showground.[4][5]

East of England Arena and Events Centre

The East of England Arena and Events Centre hosts an array of various events throughout the year, including music and comedy events, exhibitions, trade fairs, vehicle shows, weddings and festivals.[6]

Speedway stadium (East of England Arena)

The Showground is also the home of the Peterborough Panthers speedway team who race in the SGB Premiership, the highest level of Speedway in the United Kingdom. The track is 336 metres (367 yards) long and the stadium has a 2,200 capacity grandstand along with grass banking on the back straight. The track record of 57.4 seconds was set on 13 May 2019 by Danny King.[7]

History

The venue first hosted speedway on 12 June 1970, when Peterborough competed in their inaugural season 1970 British League Division Two season.[8][9]

The Peterborough track was also the host of the 2002 Speedway World Cup Final which took place on 10 August. Australia, with Jason Crump, Leigh Adams, Todd Wiltshire, and Peterborough Panthers riders Ryan Sullivan and Jason Lyons, won their second consecutive Speedway World Cup defeating Denmark, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic. The Showground also hosted the 2001 Under-21 World Championship final won by Poland's Dawid Kujawa.

In 2022, by the owners Asset Earning Power Group (AEPG) that Arena would undergo redevelopment, which would include demolition of the grandstand and speedway track. Peterborough Panthers came to a short-term agreement with AEPG that it could be used until the end of the 2023 season.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Home". East of England Arena. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "East of England Showground announces new strategic alliance". Exhibition News. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "East of England Show ends after 200 years" BBC News 24 May 2013
  4. ↑ East of England Show preview Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 12 June 2008
  5. ↑ Preview: East of England Show 2009 Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 19 June 2009
  6. ↑ "Events". East of England Arena. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "CLUB DETAILS". Peterborough Speedway. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "Peterborough v Rayleigh Friday 12th June 1970 (British League Division ll)" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Speedway Racing Grand Opening meeting". Stamford Mercury. 12 June 1970. Retrieved 10 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ "Eastern Promise". Speedway Star page 8. 24 September 2022.
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