In 1928 the new sport known as dirt track arrived from Australia and a speedway track was constructed around the football pitch at the
Stamford Bridge Stadium, home to
Chelsea F.C. The first fixture was held on 5 May 1928. The following year a team was created known as the Stamford Bridge Pensioners. The team were one of the pioneers of British speedway, entering and winning the inaugural
Southern League championship in 1929. The track was made from black cinders and was also used as an
athletics track, and after speedway finished it was used as a
greyhound racing track. The team became the first champions of the United Kingdom when they won the
1929 Speedway Southern League, alongside
Leeds Lions who won the
Northern League. The league winning team included their captain
Gus Kuhn, one of the early stars. Four seasons of league speedway were held with riders such as
Frank Arthur,
Arthur Warwick,
Dick Smythe and
Wal Phillips impressing. The team disbanded after the
1932 Speedway National League season, when a greyhound racing track replaced it due to the profits being established by the totalisator takings at greyhound tracks. == Notable riders ==