Graham C

To be fair to LR, I'm sure that he's been given a budget and has to work within that. Whether that budget is sufficient to put together a team that will, at least, maintain the crowd levels at Perry Barr remains to be seen.

According to Brum forum they have been in contact with Try booking and refunds are being arranged

Looking forward to seeing a full Brum septet again. Both Tom's looked comfortable enough during their aftermatch practice on Wednesday. Expecting a Brum win.

Have to agree. The crowds for even the least attractive NL meetings have been as good as the EL meetings, with the obvious exceptions of Wolves and Coventry.

Lots of people, myself included, were, either publicly or privately, very critical of the Birmingham management at that time - having witnessed last nights event, I would agree with GA, Brum made the right call.

In the five meetings between the two teams thus far, the "home" side has failed to win, so the answer to your question is "Yes", although it is unlikely.

Birmingham would be crazy to pick any team other than Cradley in the Gold Cup Semi-Final(if they have the choice). Guaranteed good crowd, plenty of "local" media interest, money in the bank - balance this against choosing any other opponents. You would probably get a "decent" crowd, but nowhere near as good as against Cradley, "local" media interest and money in the bank, would also be reduced. Given the choice Brummies should choose Cradley, with the 1st leg at "home", and, if we did happen to qualify for the Final see what we can do to maximise the interest from supporters and media alike, having already had a "Bumper" pay day in the Semi's!

Great result, well done Adam, fantastic race to get the better of Ashley Morris in heat 14. Well done to the Heathens promotion on putting together an excellent field for this meeting. Perhaps the day's of the "classic" individual meetings are not yet over! If you put on a quality meeting you will be rewarded with a massive (by todays standards) crowd. Hopefully Tony Mole will put together a similar, if not better, 16 riders to compete in the Joe Thurley Memorial Meeting for the Second City Trophy.

Having watched the Brummies at all three levels my views are as follows: Entertainment: In terms of Entertainment, I've seen both good and bad meetings at all levels. The major plus point for NL, as far as I'm concerned is that ALL the guys WANT to race - I haven't seen any rider who's has been happy to tootle around for appearance money. Value for money: £14 (inc Porgramme)for Adults, plus sensible, £2 admission for Kids, means that it is more affordable than last year and gives the club an opportunity to attract and, more importantly, keep the younger fans. Quality: I've been slightly surprised by the difference in ability between the top guys and the reserves (with a few obvious exceptions, Ellis Perks et al). I would suggest that the difference in ability is greater at this level than at any other. The races in Heats 13 and 15, however, (featuring the top guys) have been as good as anything I've seen at a higher level. Crowd Levels: With the exception of the EL meetings against Wolves and Coventry, I reckon that the crowd levels have been at least equal to those that were achieved for the majority of EL matches. On balance I would prefer Premier League racing, more variety in opponents and generally more skillful riders (who still want to race) BUT, the National League is not to be sneezed at, watching Seven guys who WANT TO RACE FOR YOUR TEAM is far superior to the EL.

Meeting Off - taken from Official Brummie website; birminghambrummies.co

Looks like the "Young Stars" should have a great chance then!

Perhaps there is another way to keep the Birmingham Speedway track (as opposed to simply The Brummies) in existence. I'm not sure whether this would be feasible or not (perhaps someone with "inside" knowledge could enlighten me), but, would it possible for a series of 5/6 "Top Quality" meetings to take place at Perry Barr? For example, Test Matches against Sweden, Denmark and possibly Poland. The SWC match, perhaps the British Final etc. If these were properly marketed surely there would be enough interest for the events to pay for themselves. What Benfits are there? The GRA would be paid the rent, and also have the opportunity (if they wished) to offer a more extensive range Catering (extra cash for them). The BSPA (because these would be shared events) would earn money from the takings plus, any sponsorship/tv money which may be forthcoming for the right events. A track in a "major" City is kept in use with the possibility that one day regular league racing may return there. The alternative is that NO SPEEDWAY at Perry Barr in 2015 (whether that be Brummies or Heathens or BSPA events) would mean the end of Perry Barr as a venue as I don't believe that there would be any chance of a resurection after a break of more than 12 months. Perhaps there is another way to keep the Birmingham Speedway track (as opposed to simply The Brummies) in existence. I'm not sure whether this would be feasible or not (perhaps someone with "inside" knowledge could enlighten me), but, would it possible for a series of 5/6 "Top Quality" meetings to take place at Perry Barr? For example, Test Matches against Sweden, Denmark and possibly Poland. The SWC match, perhaps the British Final etc. If these were properly marketed surely there would be enough interest for the events to pay for themselves. What Benfits are there? The GRA would be paid the rent, and also have the opportunity (if they wished) to offer a more extensive range Catering (extra cash for them). The BSPA (because these would be shared events) would earn money from the takings plus, any sponsorship/tv money which may be forthcoming for the right events. A track in a "major" City is kept in use with the possibility that one day regular league racing may return there. The alternative is that NO SPEEDWAY at Perry Barr in 2015 (whether that be Brummies or Heathens or BSPA events) would mean the end of Perry Barr as a venue as I don't believe that there would be any chance of a resurection after a break of more than 12 months.

Whether we (Brummies), or Cradley fans, like it or not, NO SPEEDWAY at Perry Barr in 2015 will certainly mean the end of The Brummies in my lifetime, and quite possibly the end of The Heathens as well. I can well appreciate the views of both sets of fans regarding The Heathens being at Perry Barr, but, as I've stated above, I believe that No Speedway at Perry Barr will certainly mean the end. Speedway back at Perry Barr in 2016, after a years break, - NO CHANCE whatsoever.

Excellent. At least speedway is alive and kicking in Manchester.

I'm not a Brum season ticket holder, but, "Well Done" Bees on this gesture.

Is Rafal the guy who also practised at Birmingham on Wednesday, wears Blue/white kevlars?

After the Chancellor has taken his cut from a £10 admission charge the business would receive £8.35 (give or take a couple of pence). For the business to receive £10, admission would have to £12.

I don't think any details have been announced by the club yet. I just hope that it doesn't turn out to be 12 riders (7 Brummies + 5 friends) in a meeting where you have 12 races to eliminate 4 riders! A quality line-up will hopefully encourage a decent crowd and get the season off to a good start, a "poor" meeting will cause more damage to the club than having no meeting at all.

"Looks like this year if the fans want it, they will have to pay for it" You're right there. The question for Birmingham is, "Will enough fans want to pay?"

"Filling the place with people who are so young they get in for free or only for £1 doesn't pay the bills." I don't think we need to worry about PB being packed with Free or Cheap Kids - £5 for ALL Kids, ages 5 - 17 means that there will be very few, if any, potential new long term speedway fans at Perry Barr this season. I know that "Kids For A Quid" doesn't pay the bills, but as others have said, they are usually accompanied by someone paying Adult or Concession rates. Also, if you don't let them watch the speedway for a quid they certainly won't bother when you try and ask them for £15/16/17 in a few years time - BAD MISTAKE - maybe there is only a short time left on the lease at Perry Barr and the "Promotion" don't need to worry about future supporters.

According to Graham Drury (November 2013?) your three heatleaders have to be at No's 1,3 and 5, although not neccesarily in average order, similarly your second strings can be at number 2 or 4.

Another Brum pairing, Doyle and Smolinski?

Jason Doyle - great signing for you. I wish we could have seen him back at Brum this year - our most consistent rider over the last season.