The Conference League

[Vince 9,458]

Personally I don't think that smaller engines are the way to go, standard engines, carbs, clutches and ignitions would be good but very difficult to enforce. There would also be the problem of needing extra equipment to step up a league.

Assuming that averages are coming in what about allowing one old hand per team on his straight average but then adding 0.5 per full year of any league experience up to a maximum of 6 years for every other rider with no minimum. So newcomers would come in at 0.5 which would make them a good option. Most riders who are still learning could expect to increase their average by more than 0.5 while riders who have come down from the Premier or spent years in the league would struggle to match their average, this would hand the advantage to improving riders where now it is definitly with the experienced rider.

[bowes 0]

I would have the stand alone clubs that can afford it, Mildenhall etc. run in the BCL even if it's only 6 or 7 teams they can play each other 4 times. The junior teams can run in a separate merit league (you play who you want and average points is the decider subject to playing, say, 6 fixtures), with more teams encouraged to run them, along with any new/small teams.

This isn't too far to what it was when I first started watching speedway with a 7 team BCL and a merit BDL

[greyhoundp 990]

The problems <financial> arise when teams allegedly go outside of the pay structure of points & travel expences.Some of the teams state they cannot survive in the Premier League yet go outside of the Guidelines for the Conference league,what is needed is perhaps for a league in between the Conference and Premier,the Conference to stay with an added Amateur Development League,and the new Conference league to pay slightly more than the current Conference pay structure.

So beneath the Conference League we would have the Amateur Development League, age and pay structure to be decided, but within the STRICT guidelines of Amateur ie expences only.

Bear in mind the lower League,s are not only to Develop riders but also to Develop New Tracks so that they to can progress through the various Leagues,for instance without the Conference League we would not have;Wimbledon,Somerset,

Isle of Wight etc. So with an ADL it reduces costs for a potential New Track to test the water. The new Conference structure would enable experienced riders to compete still with the younger riders who are stagnating by not getting Premier rides that they need,and have that natural development that is essential with a bit more pay in return,which is allegedly what goes on anyway with certain current Conference Tracks.

Edited December 27, 2004 by greyhoundp