Edinburgh Monarchs played their part in speedway boom and will again - Liam Rudden

Right now, having lost an entire season to the pandemic, British tracks are looking ahead and trying to do the impossible, predict what form any racing in 2021 might take, if indeed there is any in light of the restrictions imposed in the wake of Covid-19.

Speedway has other issues that need addressing too, everything from dwindling attendances to visa complications inflicted by Brexit and new regulations introduced by the Polish league that restrict top riders participating in the Ekstraliga to riding in just one other country - in previous years some rode in three or even four different national leagues.

All of which is once again focusing the minds of the sport’s hierarchy and creating debate among fans during the close season. Is introducing six-man teams the answer? Should the current leagues be combined into one big league?

To be honest, as the number of clubs competing each year seems to lessen each year, speedway in the UK has been teetering on the brink for some time now. It's amazing to think that it is now 43 years since 10,000 people packed Powderhall Stadium to watch Edinburgh Monarchs return to the fray in 1977. Any club would sell their soul for such numbers these days.

That said, a crowd of 10,000 pales in comparison to the numbers the sport attracted at Old Meadowbank in the 50s and 60s. There's an argument UK speedway has always been fighting for its survival.

That was brought home to me as I read a stunning new book by Phillip Dalling and John Sommerville. Saving Speedway: The Provincial League & The Southern Area League transports the reader back to the mid-50s and charts the decade-long recovery of the sport as a small group of promoters re-opened long closed venues to form the brand new Provincial League, of which Edinburgh Monarchs were one of the founding members in 1960.

In his book, lavishly illustrated with a wealth of rare and insightful photographs from the collection of Somerville, Dalling meticulously pieces together the fascinating tale of the sport's revival as the post-WWII boom speedway had enjoyed began to fade.

For Monarchs fans, there's plenty of interest including the sad tale of Ron Johnson, who was signed for Edinburgh's first Provincial League team at the age of 53.

This glossy, hard-back, annual-sized publication, however, is not just for Monarchs' fans, it's a labour of love that should be on the bookshelf of every speedway fan.

There might even be some lessons to be learned from the past in these very different times. The introduction of the Provincial League doubled the number of the speedway venues overnight and ultimately ushered in a new golden age of speedway, it's unlikely history will repeat itself in these difficult times but we can always dream.

Saving Speedway: The Provincial League & The Southern Area League by Philip Dalling and John Somerville, is published by Halsgrove in hardback, priced £19.99, and available from http://www.halsgrove.com/proddetail.php?prod=9780857043481

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