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Has it ever been any different? I remember when I first went to speedway in the 60s my old Dad telling me that the racing was much better "before The War"!! As was football, cricket and virtually everything else as well!! The only difference was that unlike now, there was a few more folk watching! Remember.....Nostalgia ain't what it used to be!!

Its true that the sport as a whole cannot afford the top boys BUT there is a handful of clubs who could afford some of them so why not go for one big league (of approx. Championship level) and allow the handful of clubs to also run a 'Super League' set up if they can afford it and reckon they can attract the crowds? The likes of Wolves, Poole, Rye House, Glasgow, Sheffield etc are backed by a combination of successful businesses and sponsorship and could easily operate a top league on a set night and also run a Championship-level team in the bigger one league? It could be the best of both worlds.

Everyone would love to see a last heat decider with four top class riders battling it out but fans and promoters have to see what the reality is and the fact is British Speedway CANT afford to try and use the big earners. Crowds are vastly down in most cases so the revenue has gone and with the lucrative TV deal money now all dried up, clubs are now getting towards a six figure sum less than a decade ago. With riders we want to see race here earning wages in excess of £3,000 a night at least, it takes the first 200 (300) through the turnstiles just to clear that issue and you still have the rest to pay plus expenses and running costs. However the idea of one big league at a lower level would considerably lower the wage bill and give tracks much more variety to promote on a more weekly basis. Current Championship tracks don't want to move up or be forced to sign stronger riders, but if they carry on as they are or at a slightly lower level, they would get more meetings and matches against local rivals that are currently in the other division. So while it's fine saying we want to see the big names back in Britain, these fans have to see the facts that they have outgrown this country and working abroad is the only way to make serious money and chase the big rewards and sponsors. Fixed race nights were bought in to stop fixture clashes and not entice the big earners back but having these two race nights can be seen as some as a possible way of getting good track time like Vaculik has and maybe even another possibly on his way to make a return to Britain. Bit the future of British Speedway has to be with British riders getting chances to develop and more riders given team places and at a level that the low turn out of fans and no TV deal can afford to give this country a marketable product for everyone. One Big League has to be the way forward soon before the lights go out

Somerset are really lucky, they have many volunteers doing a great job.

Thanks for your interest Gustix. Somebody belatedly just pointed me in the direction of this forum, so I joined. I'm alive and well, living in a small Yorkshire village looking after birds (feathered ones), growing roses, being belligerent and generally enjoying life in my late 70s. Sadly, no other family members (four sons, two grandchildren, have any interest in speedway). I still enjoy watching the GPs and WC on tv. Not so sure about the Elite (Premiership) coverage where incredibly boring processional racing is 'excused' by Mr Tatum waffling on about a 'Technical track'. I have no post Speedway Mail contact with speedway other than occasional correspondence with Mike Patrick whose company I always enjoyed in the old days although we were on 'rival' publications and a few contacts from the good old 1960s days in Poland. Nothing much changes - Split Waterman and Briggo were always the masters in my book (starting watching at West Ham in 1946). Glad to see you are a New Cross fan - always loved the visits to the Frying Pan.

It would be more than worth the risk seeing/hearing Trees shout for Nicki again though

Surely with the lack of any TV money, the days of being able to afford the GP riders is upon us, and must be faced up to. Because the top riders kept moaning about 'too many meetings', we now have a top flight league that can only offer 14 home meetings in a speedway season that starts in March/April and in theory goes on until October. Now I believe we have a Championship that is offering only 10 home league meetings! How does that square with a season of at least 29 weeks? Do the fans want alternate week home meetings? Many are drifting away, having lost the habit. The majority of riders need more meetings (hence doubling up). How many meetings do the majority of promoters want to make their business viable? How do you please riders, fans and promoters alike? 2019 must be the season when when the powers that be allow one big league, initially split into two regional leagues, ( helping to reduce costs) with the top 4 from each racing off for the title, and the remainder racing in a supplementary competition/cup, thereby ensuring that each club races around 20 home meeting. The second half of the season would see north v south matches. It may be best to go with 6 rider teams initially, but I believe that would soon revert back as the new young crop of riders develop. It might even be possible to then add a genuine knock out Cup competition, run on the same lines as the FA Cup - fixed dates for each round, preliminary rounds perhaps for the National league clubs with the top 2 then being drawn at home v the top boys and the chance of a giant killing even! That would give most riders enough meetings - without the dreaded doubling up; allow the fans to have more regular, varied, meaningful meetings and hopefully give the promoters a more attractive offering.

Where did it go wrong? Probably in the golden 70s and 80s when crowds were notably better, we were on terrestrial TV with national sponsors and the promoters actually made money. That was the point to invest, take full ownership of and modernise the facilities and the experience. Instead British speedway sat back, promoters pocketed the cash and watched whilst the rest of the world went by. Our stadiums were sheds, that was okay then, because it was the norm for all sports. Today’s facilities for not just football, but rugby league, rugby union, cricket and horse racing - even the cinema - are a world away from what they were in the 70s and 80s. Ours, with a couple of exceptions, are the same standard. Now, largely as tenants and without a pot to pee in, British Speedway can’t do much about that. As a consequence, the product itself - certainly in the top league - has also suffered badly. What promoters need to do collectively, is really think what the product is they are actually selling to the public and give them value for money. I posted on here a few years ago that the sport needed to cut its cloth and have appropriate outgoings for the riders and associated costs to give them more financial freedom to make the overall entertainment package better. This included ditching GP riders, a regional league structure culminating in the Northern Champions facing the Southern Champions in a play-off final. The promoters needs to forget about the GP and it’s riders and treat that as the separate product it is. At the moment the sport is paying out top dollar for GP riders. For what purpose? Have the stadiums been rammed when Tai Woffinden or Jason Doyle visited? The use of top international riders is actually hindering British Speedway to provide a credible spectacle. We all get our knickers in a twist over guests and doubling up. These silly rules are only the result of clubs trying to be competitive because of the unnecessary high calibre of riders that do not bring in the crowds to league speedway. What good is it having a GP rider on show if it means teams requiring guests and double up riders, excessive costs, money pouring into the pockets of riders and tuners, whilst the fans watch uncompetitive racing, riders with other priorities, competition with no credibility and have to pee against a wall in the dark. It makes as much business sense as having lobster on the menu in Macdonald’s. It’s about value for money. League speedway needs to think about itself as Macdonald’s serving cheap, cheerful, reliable and consistent offerings. I went to two meetings last year, the Cardiff GP and an Elite League match between Somerset and Belle Vue. Cardiff was a premium product, great stadium, top riders, every rider gave it everything and the racing was good. It cost a fair whack, but I got value for money. I’ll be back. At Somerset, the Aces had 5 riders, including a guest and doubling up riders and also rider replacement, racing was reasonable and my mum fell over on the back straight grass terracing in the pitch black. It was about a fifth of the cost, but I didn’t feel I got value at all. You are being pitched something that is elite, but is patently not. Time to strip it back, remove the excessive costs flooding out to top riders and deliver a cheap and cheerful offering with affordable riders who are fully committed to British Speedway. Borrowing from another thread, I also wonder if speedway should explore going the extra mile and collaborate to deliver a multi-sport offering. Could we partner with other sports like stock car racing, sidecars, shorttrack, even greyhound racing and deliver a better all-round evening or afternoon’s entertainment for a broader range of punters? I’m sure there will be reasons why these are logistically difficult, but surely not impossible.

I don't think that's what is holding it up. It's all to do with Chris Holder I think. Read Skidder's post on the Poole thread, it makes the most sense imo.

Yes,very good Just have to look jealously on at the weather.Crisp and cold,unlike our winter here in north Germany has just been wet and grey and now all the rivers are flooding.bah!!!

If Drozdz does end up as a 5.00 - i wouldn't mind the following team :- Cook 8.45 Fricke 7.39 Holder 7.16 Tungate 6.18 Drozdz 5.00 Bewley 4.71 Shanes 2.95, 41.84.

When did Swindon sign him? Somerset maybe!

My sentiment exactly. its not about, not wanting to see the top riders, its about the affordability of it all. The sport does not generate the support to continue the present ways.. The sooner the Powers and the Fans realise this then, then decisions can be initiated to create a firmer footing of the sport.

Yeh make my day Marra

What about the other 14

Who cares. Peterborough didn’t give Swindon permission to steal Batchelor. About time their pathetic oneupmanship was exposed.

Poole got the Rick Frost's assets.

If Kus and Jordy are 2 of the 3 remaining that would leave us with around 5.80, why go with Tobi on 4.66 and waste over a point when we could have someone like BWD, could of had Ellis back aswell, british lad, most improved rider in 2017, and now ditched, looks like we got what we needed from him last year and then tossed him aside 1 british lad in the team this season compared to last seasons 5, what happened to bringing the young brits through?

Whilst I don't disagree with what you are saying it's not about doing "worse"............. its about doing better! My earlier somewhat tongue in cheek post was aimed at those who have shown so much negativity whilst spouting just how easy communication between club and fans could be. Well.................. here's their chance!!!!!

It's fascinating to see the cynicism of Premiership fans here, and quite simply breathtaking arrogance that they are superior beings whose needs must be met. The second division was shafted by such arrogance in the nineties and you can understand a certain wariness now. In some ways you can draw parallels with the National League/Provincial League in the sixties when the dying NL acted as if it had the right to force Wolverhampton to join them. Their arrogance failed and the merged league that brought so much success was forged on the second tier's terms. The same is needed today but our 'elite' promoters and fans won't accept that, crying 'watered down' and demanding everyone spend money they haven't got like they do. A merger will only come after a genuine crisis. We're not quite there yet. Perhaps an acceptance that we're all just one small sport fighting for survival might be a starting point, and an understanding that just because your team is in the top division it doesn't make the management and fans some superior race.....

So you should when you are allowed to build to 44 points rather than 42.50 like every other team

After all the moaning on here I would expect it to be one of "those" particular members of this forum........... they can then set about delivering what they have claimed should be "easy"!!

If the BSPA were shown a scatter graph they would take one look at it and scatter !!!!!!

Would have Alfie in before tom he has came on leaps this year and having ridden all championship tracks will give him confidence next year 100% effort from him every meeting

That is no surprise, if people will watch Eastenders they'll watch anything.