Top flight Cycle Speedway racing is all set to come to Birmingham in time for the 2009 season.

Bosses at the Birmingham Monarchs club, based at Perry Hall Playing Fields, Perry Barr, have this week made a last minute application to stage Premier League racing at the revamped track.

The Premier League is Cycle Speedway’s top level of league racing. Candidates for membership must meet minimum levels in a host of criteria, including venue facilities, club administration, match promotion and presentation standards.

Member clubs must also have competitive sides and the Monarchs, including home grown aces like British number 3 Marcus Wadhams, British Under 19s champ Chris Timms and rising star Nathan Groves, will be confident of challenging for honours.

In preparation of joining the top tier, the Birmingham club are poised to sign several top riders to augment their squad. It is also expected that Polish superstar Dominik Rycharski will re-sign for another year.

Birmingham club management are also expected to seek further support from Birmingham City Council in their efforts to join the Premier League. The club need to provide spectator facilities for home matches, such as toilets, and the Monarchs will be looking for grant aid from the Council to underwrite such costs.

The Monarchs will be hoping the Council will look favourable on further support. Birmingham City Council have provided terrific support over the past three years in transforming the Perry Hall facility. This support has seen a remarkable upsurge in the clubs fortunes and has seen riders like Wadhams, Timms and Groves rocket to national stardom.

If the Monarchs bid to join the Premier League is successful, top teams like Sheffield, who include the world champion in their ranks, British Club champions Ipswich, four times league champions Oxford and south coast glamour club Poole will all be in action at Perry Hall next year.

Birmingham Monarchs club spokesman Mark Winwood said “With so many top and emerging riders within our ranks, the time is right to step-up. We do need some support from the Council to achieve this move towards sporting excellence. The club are confident that their application will be successful”.