KING’S Lynn co-promoter Dale Allitt has paid tribute to Stars owner Keith Chapman after he ended his four-year spell as BSPA Chairman at the conclusion of the latest AGM.

Chapman has overseen some major changes during his time at the top table of British speedway from the restructuring of the national team to the new five-year TV deal with Eurosport.

Allitt said: “I think Keith has done a fantastic job in the four years he was in charge. When he took over there was no TV deal and in the years following we have actually managed to find two new TV companies with BT Sport and Eurosport.

“It is a huge achievement and I think we’re certainly more streamlined behind the scenes and again, that is something that not everybody will see but there has been a lot of work gone into making us more streamlined.

“I think people within the sport will see that we’re in a better place now than we were four years ago with many, many things. I am sure that Rob Godfrey will continue to do that along with the directors that have been elected with him. It is always good to have new people with new ideas and a fresh outlook.”

The SGB Premiership will once again consist of seven clubs with the only change being Sheffield – who have replaced Poole in the top flight after the Pirates opted to drop down to the Championship in 2020.

Meanwhile, race-nights will again be on Monday and Thursday with the Supporters’ Cup also remaining in place with Peterborough joining the South group alongside Ipswich, Swindon and the Stars.

Allitt certainly feels that the restructuring of the group will add extra spice with more local derbies.

He added: “From a club point of view with King’s Lynn, the points limit we will work with and we will do our best to assemble a good competitive team. One thing I do like going forward is having continuity with riders.

“We have a slight change to the Supporters’ Cup group with Peterborough now replacing Poole which locally is fantastic for our fans. I have been involved with both of those clubs and there is a good amount of supporters that watch at both tracks.

“2019 has been a difficult one for me, but it has been a difficult one for the club too and I think as a team we are far better than what we showed at times. Results weren’t good enough and that doesn’t lie, everyone can see that. Ironically, our team average was pretty much a point over the limit which shows it wasn’t a bad team when you look at the rider averages.

“We will now go away and build a team as a club. Obviously, we have spoken to some riders already and again it is not a five-minute process, but we will be looking to announce our first signing in the near future. We have listened to the fans regarding team announcements and that will be slightly different this year.”