SPEEDWAY fans are being urged to lobby their councillors in an ongoing campaign to bring the sport back to Oxford.

During its heyday in the 1980s, more than 3,000 fans crammed into Oxford Stadium each Friday to watch the sport.

But earlier this year the Blackbird Leys stadium was included on an Oxford City Council list of options for future housing developments.

Now the Oxford Speedway Supporters Club (OSSC) hopes a campaign to being speedway back to Oxford will secure the future of the site as a stadium.

Its members are now urging fans to get their opinions across to councillors.

OSSC chairman Gavin Beckley said: “We need people to lobby the city councillors and politely let them know our views and opinions, in readiness for when they make their decisions.

“We do not want any redevelopment to the site of Oxford Stadium.

“The only condition where this would be acceptable would be if an alternative stadium which could incorporate both speedway and greyhound racing was built elsewhere within Oxfordshire.”

Decisions on the 70 sites contained in the council list are due to be taken early next year.

Mr Beckley said there were a high number of objections during a consultation on the idea of turning the stadium site into housing.

Speedway in Oxford was axed after 59 seasons when promoter Allen Trump and stadium bosses were unable to agree a rental figure for the 2008 season.

Fans were hopeful the sport could return, so were alarmed at the news the site could be turned into housing. Greyhound racing still continues there.

Mr Beckley said: “The more people who contact the councillors to lobby them over the future of the stadium, the better, especially those from within the city itself.

“For those from the rest of Oxfordshire and surrounding areas, it is probably best to contact either Val Smith or Rae Humberstone, who are the two councillors for the ward of Blackbird Leys.”

The Oxford Stadium was built in 1938 and opened in March 1939.

In July, organisers of the British Dirt Track Championship added their support to the threatened stadium.

Clive Feltham, chief executive of the Greyhound Racing Association which runs the stadium, was unavailable for comment.

But he told the Oxford Mail in June: “Although speedway was popular, it is past its heyday and while it is admirable that the fans continue to support its return, it’s a case of profitability and sustainability.

“We are not anti-speedway. We are anti-losing money.”

Oxford City Council spokesman Louisa Dean said the council was still considering the potential sites for housing development.