Theboss

Working on the basis that there is no £1million plus TV contract and reduced sponsorship due to the reduction in crowds (which have been reported across the country), I would estimate that 80% of all costs will need to be covered by ticket sales (ie paying public). So the reality is that if their is no reduction in costs in 2018 then to break even the top league promoters will need to double the ticket prices or hope to double their attendences overnight. Knowing the promoters as well as I do I wouldn't be surprised if they hedged their bets 50/50 and increased their ticket prices by 50% and expected the crowds to grow by 50%. And if a club goes bust don't forgot, the promoter will blame the fans for staying away.

Agreed Phil, a no-brainer in the words of Kevin Bacon

I would not call him a fool for seeking the advice of the vice chairman before making a decision.

The main expense is professional riders and they will not want to cut their costs as they need to ride the best machines and compete at the highest level, just as they do in every other country The reality is british speedway can no longer afford these riders and therefore needs to focus on semi professional riders.... Just like we had in our successful premier league days. However there are not enough of these to go around and their packages have reached a level far higher than it should be due to them trying to buy equipment that can match the top riders. An attempt was made to remedy the problem with double up riders but this has backfired and created its own monster, with many now deciding to become full time professionals rather than semi pros. The best days are behind the sport and now it needs to go backwards to try and rebuild with a long term plan rather than living hand to mouth every year. I would personally have only two leagues of 12 teams (one semi pro and one amateur). In the top league restrict teams from building with any riders over a 6 point average, no GP riders and no riders who ride in more than one other country. Put in place a total team spend of £5k per match and riders pay terms have to be registered with BSPA. Any clubs trying to get smart and work a way around it will be fined £10k. Riders will then have to cut their cloth accordingly but clubs will be able to survive and start to invest money into marketing which will drive growth for the future.

Again additional costs will be occured by the innocent party. Great shame it has come to this.

A riders remuneration package is usually made up of multiple factors with different rates for each. 1. A sign on fee which a rider may use to purchase equipment and get set up for season ahead. 2. Contribution towards travel to each meeting, including flight costs. 3. Contribution to accomodation costs ( sometimes required by the home office to obtain a work visa). 4. Guaranteed minimum earnings per match. 5. Tyre, oil and insurance costs 6. Contribution towards or supply of a mechanic 7. A fixed rate per point scored (including bonus points) which may increase or decrease based on team position. It may also have a step up in rate if the rider scores more than his average points. When all this is combined and spread out across the whole team it is fair to say that based on 50 points being scored each meeting (including bonus points) the average cost per point was around £200 when I was running the team in the elite league. Since I left this has increased significantly and I would estimate it is around £300 per point. This means each home meeting requires £30k of income (after VAT) to cover rider costs plus another £5k to cover rent and auxiliary costs such as paramedics. The sky money (which ceases to exist after this season) would probably cover 30% of that and gate receipts another 30-40%. Each club then needs to rely on sponsorship and generous beneficiaries to make up the short fall. That ladies and gentlemen is unfortunately why the sport is in the doo doos and I do not see how it can survive next year without a major revamp including cost cutting. Believe me the fixed race nights are the least of its problems.

I know and you are a long way out

Ouch, that will still hurt the sport especially with no sky TV money next year.

I would love to think you were having us on... however I know better from personal experience.

It was dropped to stop teams being built focused purely on home performance. For example lakeside.

Good news if the league has TV money to pay the points money required to get them to ride. If no TV money then what type of team would we build?

Whatever the number is I am sure it will be record breaking and back up what we all seem to now.... The sport is down a big hole and more guests is not the answer.

I like 6 man teams and these stats prove why they work. Good job

Not correct that 10 clubs have had no money because last I knew they all got a share of the TV money all be it not as large? Also what is the point of unscrambling the problems with double up riders if clubs can not afford to employ top riders.So for example Swindon with no Doyle would be a championship team, so what would then be the difference between them and a championship team? Surely that would mean one league would make more sense.... However we know that can not work because we don't have access to enough riders right? I believe no one, including yourself and your publication, is taking a helicopter view of the problems ahead without Sky TV money and what really needs to be done to rebuild a sport which can thrive in the long term future.

This is surely going to be the key focus in this year's AGM. Talking about fixed race nights is irrelevant as British clubs will not be able to afford any top riders. I would imagine a cap of £70 per point will need to be introduced to try and reduce the risk of clubs going bust mid season. At £70 per point you then have to wonder how many riders will be willing to ride so I would not be surprised to see a shortage of riders. Do you agree that the sport has huge hurdles to overcome if their is no TV money or am I missing something?

I agree, however this problem did not exist a few years back so what has changed? In my opinion the BSPA have become to lenient and also failed to recognise that by trying to keep hold of top level riders at any cost has allowed this 'British speedway is crap' attitude to filter down to riders who should be respecting the clubs and appreciating the support they get from fans. Time has come to start again and build the sport with fresh views and a long term vision. For fans and riders to be a part of the club and not made to feel alienated by the promoters and easily cast aside when it no longer suits. Just because they held a forum does not mean they had the intention of listening and implementing any of the ideas. From what I can see it was just a PR exercise which has not been repeated since. The question time through social media was also nonsense as questions had to be submitted prior giving the people in charge a chance to pre select the ones they wanted to answer. Some season ticket holders at Lynn have recently been ignored on twitter because they asked why they were financial worse off this season then fans who did not have a season ticket and wether the club would reimburse them. 'my ball my game' must surely spring to many peoples minds?

Post of the year!

No revelations apart from CVS implying kings Lynn did not ask the referee to cancel the meeting in the double header. Also the speedway star saying the sport is in the biggest mess they have known since being in publication, which makes them worried about their own future and the price has gone up by 10p. I personally have a digital subscription and must say that I think it provides good VFM.

You are correct, it was in the premier league days. I also allowed away fans to watch second meeting only at regular price but they could not enter stadium until first meeting had finished.

Wonders never cease, why can this not be cleared up by either club? Maybe no one can be bothered anymore, very sad affair.

Whilst I always wanted the club to succeed in his memory, I unfortunately never knew him personally so that question is particularly hard for me to answer. I have however asked his son Terry (my grandfather) and as you can imagine he is far from impressed and says Maury would be very disappointed. He was a true gentleman who treated fans, sponsors, riders, family and other promoters with the greatest of respect. Having known buster since he was a child he would also be surprised if he was/is to accept any accountability for the state the club is in. Been there, seen it and done it. It is definitely possible to make at least some preparations, but obviously they would not come for free.

I don't agree, the sport is bigger than the UK and quite clearly others have succeeded by having professionals in their camp. On a personal level I don't believe my influence or success can be questioned at the club, and within the governing body I pushed harder than anyone to make improvements, such as the Super7even. However their is only so many times I was prepared to be stabbed in the back.

Thank you for confirming and good luck with your retirement in France.

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.... Hindsight not needed!

I often battled for him to meet me half way but i was one of the very few and it was tiresome.