shippy22

Scunthorpe won 1 match that season

In 2008 Premier League, Mildenhall lost all 30 matches. I think this is the only time a team has finished the season with no points.

Doubling up was only on a small scale, and usually the riders concerned, belonged to the top division club, and were loaned out to the second division team. Nowadays the Premier League teams are more or less a "Championship Select" team, plus 1 or 2 full time Premier riders.

Perhaps a better idea would be to go back to the squad system that the league used to have. The heat leaders currently without a place could share a position with riders who are also riding in the Championship and therefore will often miss meetings. Surely much better than using guests and forcing some riders into retirement. It is ironic that promoters state that they need doubling up between the PL & CL as there is a shortage of riders, yet several riders in both CL and NL, could retire if they are unable to get a place, meaning even less riders in the sport !

I think you have misunderstood my post. I was just wondering if there was any other team from 50 years ago or more , where the whole team were still alive today.

I got hooked on speedway after my first match of Rayleigh V Plymouth in 1968, 50 years ago. As far as I am aware the Rayleigh team of Geoff Maloney, Laurie Etheridge, Mike Gardner, Colin Tucker, Dennis Mannion, Terry Stone & Graeme Smith are all still with us. Unfortunately, many riders from that season, have since passed away. Are there any teams from longer ago, who are all alive today ?

All teams should have at least a couple of riders from the amateur leagues named to cover for missing reserves. Eastbourne were the worst culprits with official number 7 Matt Saul and then Charlie Saunders, only riding 1 League match between them all season. Birmingham also rarely had a proper number 7 available. it is a farce that riders like Alex Spooner, William O'Keefe and later in the season Jason Edwards and Drew Kemp rode for most teams in the League.

If riders reckon they cannot earn enough just riding for 1 team, how did riders like Scott Nicholls, Edward Kennett, Kevin Doolan, Aaron Summers, Tyrone Proctor etc, survive riding for 1 team only ? If doubling up is to continue, then it should be restricted to riders who only race in the UK. Anyone riding for any other team overseas, should only be allowed to ride for 1 team in the UK.

I hope that Sheffield win the championship, and then meet Leicester in the relegation battle. With 2 riders riding for both teams, surely this will bring home what a farce the doubling up system is !!!

I agree entirely. This is the main reason that after nearly 50 years of being a super keen speedway supporter, I have not been to a single match this year. If the promoters cannot be bothered to stage matches between 2 proper teams, then I cannot be bothered to give them my money. Most of the Premiership teams are nothing more than a "championship select team". Teams used to be mainly made up of local riders from that area, who were proud to represent their team. I can accept riders missing through injury, but not missing because they are riding for their other team. Doubling up also makes the injury situation worse, as when a rider is injured, most of the time it will affect 2 or even 3 teams, meaning they all have to use guests or rider replacement.

I agree 100%. After nearly 50 years of being an avid speedway fan, I stopped going to meetings last year, and havent been at all this season. I used to average at least 2 meetings a week, and hardly ever missed a Rockets home meeting. The main reason I have lost interest is because of doubling up. I can accept riders missing because of injury, but not because they are riding for another team. Doubling up should be limited to up and coming riders between National League and Championship teams only. No rider should be riding full time for a team in the Championship and another team in the Premiership. It is crazy that riders like Stefan Nielsen, Joe Jacobs, Matthew Wethers & Theo Pijper have not got a team spot, and others are riding for 2 or even 3 teams. These riders would all do a good job at Championship level, and if they do not get a place soon, could be lost to the sport. If riders cannot make the sport pay just riding for one team, then they can get a full or part time job. In the late 60s and 70s, it was only the top riders who rode full time. Most of the first division second strings and reserves and second division riders had their own business, or full time/part time jobs. Riders should realise that the crowds do not justify most of them making a full time living at speedway. Teams used to be mainly local riders who represented that area, and many had progressed from the second halves. Nowadays, teams are just a collection of riders, whos averages fit for the season.

The averages in the Elite League are a complete farce, and it makes no sense for FTR to move up to heat leaders based on averages obtained in protected races. I cannot believe that the promoters could not see what was going to happen. The most sensible thing would be to race the "B" fixtures using the race format used in the PL and NL. The reserves still get slightly easier races, and the heat leaders slightly tougher races.

The raiders are the only team not to have announced any signings so far. Would not be surprised if the team was something like : Benji Compton David Mason Luke Chessell Aaron Mogridge Danno Verge Adam Sheppard 3 point rider from training school. The above comes to just below the points limit.

That is what I am struggling to understand. Plymouth have stated that they wouldnt run in PL, if costs were not reduced. Scunthorpe have stated that unless things change 2015 would be their last season, and most tracks lost money last year. The BSPA have just tinkered with a few things, but done nothing to solve the main problems, ie riders costs, too many guest riders and long drawn out meetings. The costs have not been reduced. As usual, they appear to have buried their heads in the sand, and are probably blaming the weather, football world cup etc. for poor attendances last year, and think that suddenly the crowds will come back in 2015, and everything will be fine!! Very likely that come the end of 2015 season, most tracks will again have lost money, and some will be threatening to close again.

You have hit the nail on the head. There are too many riders trying to make a full time living from speedway. Back in the late 1960s and 1970s when crowds were much higher than today, only the top riders were 100% professional. Most of the second strings and reserves in the first division and I think all of the second division riders had other business interests or full or part time jobs. The crowds today are not enough to support so many full time riders. The only way speedway will survive in the long term, is to reduce the riders costs, which would enable the promoters to reduce wages, and also reduce admission costs.