Yarmouth Stadium

Yarmouth Stadium is a dog track located at West Caister in the Borough of Great Yarmouth and English county of Norfolk.[1]


History


Yarmouth Stadium was founded and constructed in 1938 by Ernest (Ernie) Wedon and Len Franklin who were both keen greyhound racing enthuisists and professional punters. The stadium was effectively initially just a track in the middle of a field, but it proved to be a popular one.

During WW2 the stadium was closed for lengthy periods of time and re-opened again full time at the end of WW2.

Ernie became the manager of the speedway team 'Yarmouth Bloaters' throughout the 40's, 50's and 60's.

In late 1973 Ernie Wedon left Yarmouth Stadium to construct another stadium in Ipswich. Ipswich Stadium held its first Greyhound race on 2 February 1974 under the management & ownership of Ernie Wedon.

Yarmouth Stadium continued to be managed & owned by Len Franklin after Ernie Wedon's departure.

To this day the Franklin family still own and manage Yarmouth Stadium. Yarmouth stadium is currently run by Stephen Franklin, the grandson of Len, along with his wife Pamela and his sons Justin & Simon.


Yarmouth Stadium features greyhound racing on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday night.

A major competition in the greyhound racing calendar takes place at Yarmouth, it is the East Anglian Derby[2] and is currently worth £15,000 to the winner.

Stock Car Racing

The stadium has continually run Stock Car racing since the 1960s and boasted its own team in the 1966 and 1971/2 team leagues. The 1966 team were nicknamed the Bloaters whilst the later outfit were known as the Greyhounds.

References

  1. ↑ "Track Search". Greyhound Board of Great Britain. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  2. ↑ Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 07207-1106-1.

External links

Coordinates: 52°38′14″N 1°43′37″E / 52.6372°N 1.727°E