The Master Promoter Ian Hoskins has died

NEWS Tuesday 7th September 2021, 9:48am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

We have heard from New Zealand that Monarchs' promoter of the sixties Ian Hoskins has passed away at the age of 97. It would be hard to imagine that anyone ever had a greater influence on the sport of Speedway in Scotland, or even the UK.

Monarchs' chairman Alex Harkess recalls Ian Hoskins from his days as a schoolkid on the Old Meadowbank terraces. "He was the man who put Speedway on the map in Scotland, at Edinburgh and Glasgow. It was his methods that really made it attractive in many ways. We can look back and have a good laugh at some of the things he got up to. He laid the foundations for Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway club."

The story goes that Ian's father Johnnie invented Speedway, and you can make a strong case for it even though the precise beginning is not easy to pinpoint. But there is no arguing the part Ian and his dad played in the great days of the sport in Scotland.

It may have been that the Glasgow Tigers and the Edinburgh Monarchs would have come into being without them, but Ian Hoskins was instigator and promoter of Glasgow in the 1940s, and brought the Edinburgh Monarchs back in to the sport in 1960 for a glorious decade of fun. Many of the older supporters of today owe their interest in speedway to Ian Hoskins.

He also liked to let people know that it was because he flew over Edinburgh in a plane in late 1947 that the potential speedway venue at Old Meadowbank was spotted, at a stadium then used as the Leith Athletic FC ground.

He was in close partnership with his dad throughout his time in the sport, starting as what always appeared a rather over-sized mascot at the London tracks in the pre-war years. After the war he obtained an early release from the RAF in 1946 (aged only 22) in order to take over Glasgow speedway at White City, where Johnnie had re-started speedway operations the year before.

He firmly believed that Speedway was more than a sport, it was a night out of entertainment, and this underpinned all his efforts. White City saw boom crowds especially in the 1940s, and Hoskins' programmes of the time are works of art packed with interest.

Things became much tougher for the sport as the television era arrived, along with the dreaded entertainment tax, and Glasgow closed in 1954. Hoskins briefly revived Motherwell in 1958, but his real return came in 1960 with the birth of the Provincial League and the return of the Edinburgh Monarchs.

Throughout the sixties Old Meadowbank was a fun palace, and the fact that Monarchs didn't win very much was never a concern. It was just great! Hoskins looked for characters for his teams and made stars of many.

During his time as the boss, riders like Tommy Miller, Junior Bainbridge, Lowther and Crowther, Gordon McGregor, Ken McKinlay, George Hunter, Doug and Willie Templeton, Wayne Briggs, Bert Harkins, Reidar Eide and Bernie Persson came to the fore. He loved unusual characters who may not have been especially good, such as Whaler Joe Ferguson and the Austrian Champ Alfred Sitzwohl.

He had involvements at other tracks, including Cowdenbeath in 1965, Newcastle in 1970, in Rhodesia and at Son Pardo, Mallorca! But Hoskins needed to make a living out of speedway, as he undoubtedly had done, and he didn't see the same opportunities from the 70s onwards. His energies turned to other ventures.

He was always interested in drama and even acted in TV productions. This came across in his promoting style. Everyone remembers the ritual burnings of the Hoskins' hats by the riders. He was also an author, amongst his books being "History of the Speedway Hoskins".

Ian always said that his dad was the greatest promoter-showman there ever was. It is hard to make the comparison all these years later, but many would want to give that accolade to Ian himself. Most people would have expected him to reach 100 years old, just so he could make a drama out of it, but it was not to be.

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