FANS' favourite Josh Pickering has been named the brand new club captain of Sheffield Speedway.

The all-action Aussie takes over the role from Kyle Howarth who left to join Leicester during the winter.

It was Sheffield who handed Pickering his first top-flight team spot in British Speedway in 2021 before they snapped him back up part way through 2023.

He played a key role in the Tigers lifting the Premiership trophy that season before kicking on impressively in the second half of last year, where he also won his first major individual honour in the UK when he was crowned the Championship League Riders' Champion.

Team Manager Simon Stead has now picked 'Picko' as the side's new skipper and says everything about the 28-year-old suits the role perfectly.

"He's just a true captain in every sense of the word," Stead said.

"He looks out for the other boys in the team both on and off track, he's always been vocal, he's great for team morale, he always gives it 110 per cent, he always gets stuck in - he's just a dream from a team manager's point of view.

"Being a captain isn't new to him either; he's done it at Edinburgh in the Championship before and it's a role that won't faze him, in fact, I think he'll revel in it."

Meanwhile Pickering, who opted to base himself locally in Doncaster a couple of years ago, says he's pleased to be asked to take on the captaincy of a club he feels well and truly at home at.

"I love Sheffield, I love the track, the fans, the promotion - everything that makes up Sheffield as a whole," he said.

"It's just effortless and it's cool and nice to say that I am the captain of such a great, prestigious team.

"The last couple of seasons I've been vocal in the pits anyway, so that's not going to change and it's not going to change my direction in the pits at all.

"I'm really hoping that we can collect some more silverware this year - and once it says that Sheffield Tigers are the 2025 Premiership Champions, then that's when being the captain will feel even better!"

Sheffield's Pre-Season launch will take place at Owlerton Stadium next Thursday (March 27) with free admission to the public from 6pm.

Their first team fixture of the season sees them host Birmingham in the Steel City on Thursday, April 3 (7.30pm).

Click play button below to watch a full interview with Josh Pickering: