TOP commentator Darren Fletcher is Peterborough’s latest big-name signing!

The BBC Radio 5live man is the new Head of Presentation at the East of England Showground.

And he has promised: “I want the fans to know everything that is going on during a meeting and why.”

Fletch, who is one of 5live’s leading football commentators and a presenter of both the Saturday afternoon 5live Sport and the controversial evening 606 phone-in show, is a long time speedway fan.

And he jumped at the chance to be involved with the Readypower Panthers in their 40th Anniversary season, which gets underway on Monday, March 15.

He said: “I can’t wait and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s such a big year being the 40th Anniversary season.

“I have always seen speedway from the outside and it’s nice to be seeing it from the inside.

“Peterborough is a fantastic race track, I think it will be fun.

“We will be presenting in a very professional manner and I won’t be the sort of person who says the first thing that comes into your head – you are better off saying nothing than doing that.

“I will try to be more informative, I will be trying to bring the Sky Sports concept to the club – they have shown what you can do and there’s no reason why you can’t have that approach every meeting for the fans who are there.

“I want fans to hear from the riders and the management – I want them to explain what has happened so that everyone knows.”

Fletcher, 38, went to his first speedway meeting at Hull in 1981 while on holiday with family friends and then became a regular on the terraces at Long Eaton in 1982.

He revealed: “I used to go regularly and I don’t think I missed a meeting when they won the Second Division championship in 1984.

“I can remember David Tyler took me round the track on the back of his bike and I’ve never felt anything so bumpy in my life.

“I kept going until they closed down and since then I’ve always tried to get to meetings when I could.

“I went to a couple of the Four Team Tournaments at Peterborough a few years ago and came over for a meeting last summer.

“It’s funny really because the first job I ever did as a radio journalist was the 1990 World Final at Odsal when Per Jonsson won.”

Despite his BBC commitments, Darren believes he will only miss the occasional meeting.

His biggest disappointment is that he won’t be available for the two big 40th Anniversary events.

He’s at Anfield covering Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Portsmouth on opening night and will be in South Africa at football’s World Cup – he has landed the plum mike job at the opening game – for the 40th Anniversary Festival.

He said: “Obviously I have to put my full-time job first but looking through the fixtures I think I’ll only miss around four meetings.”

Besides commentating on international and Premiership games on a regular basis he has also spent several weekends in America this winter as 5live’s leading NFL commentator.

The former Capital Radio man joined Radio 5live six years ago but has never severed his links with speedway and will be the major figure in a new-look meeting presentation at the Showground this season.


RELEASE DATE: Wednesday 03 March 2010