Ex-Eagles’ Riders Association to be Formed

An association for former Eastbourne Eagles riders is being established.

The aim will be to welcome as many as the club can to Arlington in 2020 with the hope of having a major gathering at one meeting later in the season.

Eastbourne Director Ian Jordan has asked Ken Burnett, John Ling and Kevin Ling, members of the club’s media team, to assist.

Former riders Gordon Kennett and Colin Ackroyd have agreed to help set things up.

Ian said: “We want to welcome any former Eastbourne rider to Arlington at any times as our guest and the idea of an ex-Riders’ Association seemed like the best way to facilitate this. 

“These are guys who have given everyone great entertainment over the years and deserve our utmost respect and recognition.

“We are doing a lot to attract and encourage new and younger supporters to Arlington and there will be a lot more news about this in the coming weeks.

“However, it is very important that we don’t forget our wonderfully loyal, long-term supporter base, without whom we would have no Speedway, and we hope that this initiative will prove especially popular with them.

“I’m absolutely delighted that Gordon and Colin have agreed to help to set this up.

“Gordon was and still is one of my all time Speedway heroes and I spent a great season at Oxford in 1982 with Colin whilst on the spanners for one of his team mates [Bill Barrett] and I’m sure both will be of great assistance to Kevin, John and Ken in setting the association up.”

The club will be launching a limited-edition enamel badge for supporters to purchase to commemorate all of the old riders over the past 91 years.

All of the  ex-riders who join the association will receive a special unique badge of their own as a keepsake. 

Full details will be announced in due course.

Any proceeds from memorabilia will be passed to the ex-riders’ association trustees to help finance any events they may wish to organise.

All Eagles fans who collected six programme vouchers from the final seven home meetings last season will get a FREE limited Edition Badge, together with some other perks, which will be fully announced in a few weeks’ time with news of the launch of the extended 32-page 2020 programme.