King's Lynn Stars have appointed Dale Allitt as their new manager for the 2017 SGB Premiership season.

The move comes following a re-structure of the club which sees former boss Rob Lyon take on the day-to-day business at the Adrian Flux Arena while former chief Keith 'Buster' Chapman will turn his focus to his role as chairman of the British Speedway Promoters' Association.

After managing the Young Stars in the National League, Allitt is no stranger to the club and has a vast amount of experience to fall back on. He is confident he can put that to good use and says he's excited to test himself in the top tier of British speedway.

'Myself, Rob and Keith spoke at the beginning of the season and we discussed a few possibilities and it was always the plan for me to be involved a lot more this year,' Allitt said. 'I was at every Elite League meeting except one at Poole and I was very mindful of the fact that despite my year with Peterborough in the Premier League and my experience and relative success in the National League, I needed to mix it at the top to get used to being involved at that level.

'I've had a good apprenticeship with the Young Stars, basically running that team on my own for the last five or six years, and from that point it's a natural step-up.

'The role is obviously still very similar, you're just dealing with different people, different personalities and with the greatest of respect, different egos, attitudes and approaches. However, I have developed plenty of man management skills during my time at the club and managing in the top division is a role I'm relishing taking on.

'Shadowing Rob has been invaluable and I've certainly picked a lot of things up in 2016.

'It was a difficult year for the club and we had some tough calls to make but in the long run it could benefit me as I make the step-up to team manager in the top flight.

'I've had a few other options and opportunities in the last couple of years but King's Lynn is the place I've always really wanted to be.

'I understand there'll be some people who'll have reservations about me being appointed team manager in the SGB Premiership, however I just urge the supporters of King's Lynn to give us time, get behind the team and give everyone a chance to show what they can do.

'It's not like I'm a stranger coming in with no experience behind me; some people may actually be surprised with how heavily involved I've been over the years.

'I've always been involved to a degree with the Stars in the Elite League because when the Fast-Track scheme was introduced, as manager of the National League Young Stars, it was natural for me to link up with Lewis Kerr and Lewis Rose as well as Rob Lambert of course and be helping them at both levels.

'I've stood in for Rob Lyon on a number of occasions and even in the season just gone, I was there for that win we got away at Belle Vue which was probably one of the highlights of our season.'