Kingsmead Stadium
| Location | north-east Canterbury |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°17'13.3"N 1°05'12.5"E |
| Opened | 1958 |
| Closed | 1999 |
Kingsmead Stadium was a greyhound racing and Motorcycle speedway track and Association football ground in Canterbury. It was host to greyhound racing, Canterbury City F.C. and the Canterbury Crusaders (speedway) speedway team.
The stadium was built on top of a rubbish dump site sandwiched between the Great Stour which flowed to the north and south of the stadium. Access was on the west side of the Kingsmead Road. It opened for football on 30 August 1958 and was also used by Canterbury City F.C., it also doubled up as an athletics track.
On 18 May 1968 the speedway track opened for business with the Canterbury Crusaders taking on the Belle Vue Colts. In 1977, the speedway promoters Johnnie Hoskins and Wally Mawdsley had to go to court in order to keep the track open after complaints of noise from local residents. However, the team were forced to disband on 31 October 1987 when the Canterbury Council refused to renew the lease.
The introduction of greyhound racing was problematic as the track encountered issues over the track surface. A wider 398 metres circumference oval was quickly constructed to replace the original track dimensions. The speedway had ended on 31 October 1987 and the greyhounds started just two months earlier on 28 August. The General Manager was Wally Mawdsley (also one of the speedway promoters) and the Racing Manager was Frank Baldwin (soon to be replaced by Steve Hibbard) when racing began.
The stadium applied and gained a National Greyhound Racing Club licence under the permit scheme. Race days were Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, trials were held on Monday mornings and the original circumference was 357m with distances of 400, 578 and 757 metres with an 'Outside Sumner' hare. There were kennels for 82 greyhounds and the public facilities included three bars, a refreshment room and a 150 seated restaurant.
The track experienced unprecedented success for a small track after recruiting Irishman John McGee Sr., McGee also known as Ginger McGee had worked for Fred Wiseman before taking out a trainer's licence and joining Canterbury. The McGee trained Hit the Lid won the 1988 English Greyhound Derby for the stadium.
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