Time capsule to be buried on the start line of the new National Speedway Stadium
A ceremonial time capsule will be placed in the ground at the start (and end) line of the new National Speedway Stadium – a major development that is part of the Belle Vue Sports Village.
The time capsule – that will be dug up and opened in fifty years – contains objects and ephemera from the wide ranging partners involved in the development of the Belle Vue Sports Village as a lasting celebration of the project, and as a snapshot of the local area for future generations to uncover.
The full capsule was buried today and contained articles from each of the partners, including: Manchester City Council; The Belle Vue Aces speedway team; main contractor for the site, ISG; Eastlands Trust; Sport England; England Basketball; and St Peter’s High School.
Each partner chose objects that are special or important to their organisations’ history – or will be interesting to future generations as a symbol of the time it was buried.
Historically one of the city’s most popular leisure and tourism sites, the creation of Belle Vue Sport Village will revive the area’s standing as a major landmark in the city – with top facilities for both community and elite users.
The development will bring world class significant national centres for both speedway and basketball to Manchester – along with a new National Speedway Academy that will look to develop the next generation of riders.
The development will also see two new 3G artificial grass pitches and a programme of modernisation to the Belle Vue Leisure Centre. The improvements will support a new programme of community rugby league and football, as well as provide St Peter’s RC High School with state of the art facilities for curriculum and extra curriculum PE and sport.
The purpose built speedway venue – boasting a 1,842 seat grandstand –will be capable of hosting both national and international race meetings, attracting some of the world’s best riders to east Manchester.
The National Speedway Stadium will be a facility of national and international significance and will provide a new home to historic Belle Vue Aces, who currently share the existing track with greyhound racing.
The National Speedway Academy will also make Manchester a centre of excellence, encouraging grass roots development of new local speedway talent. This will include riding, technical and mechanical skills in both a practical and classroom setting.
The National Basketball Performance Centre will include three high performance basketball courts, including a FIBA standard show court with a capacity for 2,000 seats.