2 Leagues Next Year

[Matousek 0]

I'd imagine it would entail running the BEL (or top league) at a level closer to the BPL. Perhaps something akin to the level of the BPL circa 1995/96.

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well i will admit that wasnt every1s cup of tea, and for some a financial flop, but 95/96 was my best years in all 16 years ive been going.

[Kevin Meynell 2]

well i will admit that wasnt every1s cup of tea, and for some a financial flop, but 95/96 was my best years in all 16 years ive been going.

 

I think the sport experienced a bit of a mini-revival for the couple of years the single league was in operation, which demonstrates that variety is preferable to supposed quality. Unfortunately, the league proved too expensive for some of the smaller tracks who ended-up closing, or who would have closed had it continued.

 

Of course, the original BPL was still pitched as a league featuring all (or most of) the top riders, but the current BEL is in a much more precarious state. Clearly one big league still wouldn't be viable, but there are 10 more tracks now, so a two league structure isn't out of the question. The main issue is whether the BEL is prepared to 'lower' its standards to make it viable for 4 or 5 current BPL teams to move-up.

Edited July 29, 2007 by Kevin Meynell

[Matousek 0]

I think the sport experienced a bit of a mini-revival for the couple of years the single league was in operation, which demonstrates that variety is preferable to supposed quality. Unfortunately, the league proved too expensive for some of the smaller tracks who ended-up closing, or who would have closed had it continued.

 

Clearly one big league still wouldn't be viable, but there are 10 more tracks now, so a two league structure isn't out of the question. The main issue is whether the BEL is prepared to 'lower' its standards to make it viable for 4 or 5 current BPL teams to move-up.

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I think that the bigger clubs have got to lower the standards to keep british speedway going, otherwise you will have like people have said, a 4 team tournament. Well that would be a no go so somethings got to give.

[eric i 617]

They would need to take some sort of international agreement, and I doubt that will happen.

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They wouldn't need to take some sort of international agreement, they could just not let riders ride in britan if they are riding in two other counties already.

Edited July 30, 2007 by eric i

[MARK246 243]

They wouldn't need to take some sort of international agreement, they could just not let riders ride in britan if they are riding in two other counties already.

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And trust promoters to play fair ?

[Vic Ridgeon 13]

I've posted some thoughts on the future for speedway on the Wolves v Racers thread and wondered if what I have said there is compatible with the dicussions your having here?

 

http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/ind...30entry989548

[Kevin Meynell 2]

They wouldn't need to take some sort of international agreement, they could just not let riders ride in britan if they are riding in two other counties already.

 

I think you just need to couch it in terms of "you must be available for every British fixture". The issue is more the number of times riders are competing in other countries (and when), rather than the number of countries they compete in. For example, riders might just be riding in the Italian and German leagues which only have a handful of fixtures that are ridden on Sundays.

[roo 384]

On plant speedway there were talks of only having 2 leagues next year with the wealthier PL clubs joining the EL. I think this would work if they also did the following….

1.Only let riders ride in two countries, so there would be less use of rider replacement and guests.

2.Reduce the points limit in both leagues, so teams would be more even.

3.Set the admission prices for all clubs in the EL to £12 adults and PL to £10 adults.

 

The leagues would probably look like this.

 

Elite league

1. Poole

2. Coventry

3. Belle Vue

4. Arena Essex

5. Eastbourne

6. Ipswich

7. Wolverhampton

8. Peterborough

9. Reading

10. Swindon

11. Birmingham

12. Kings Lynn

13. Oxford

14. Sheffield

15. Stoke

16. Rye House

 

Premier League

1. Workington

2. Glasgow

3. Edinburgh

4. Berwick

5. Newcastle

6. Redcar

7. Mildenhall

8. Somerset

9. Sittingbourne

10. Plymouth

11. Scunthorpe

12. Weymouth

13. Newport

14. Isle of Wight

15. Buxton

16. Exeter (hopefully

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Are you on glue? If attendances/wealth are anything to go by Workington would certainly be in the top tier. Stoke???!!!!

[roo 384]

They would take some sort of international agreement, and I doubt that will happen. However, there's no doubt the Elite League needs to cut costs, so some of the top riders will have to go.

Elite and Premier are silly meaningless superlatives anyway. I can understand why you might not want to use Division 1 and 2 when they're effectively separate leagues, but what's wrong with 'League One' and 'League Two', or even 'British League' and 'National League'?

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Probably because Elite and Premier are snazzy and Americanized.

[Kevin Meynell 2]

Probably because Elite and Premier are snazzy and Americanized.

 

Although the two most successful US leagues are just called the 'American League' and 'National League'.

 

For that matter 'National Football League', 'National Basketball Assocation' and 'National Hockey League' are pretty mundane. It's only 'Major League Soccer' that has any sort of superlative in its name, which is ironic considering how 'unmajor' that league actually is.

[marron 7]

Are you on glue? If attendances/wealth are anything to go by Workington would certainly be in the top tier. Stoke???!!!!

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Same as Redcar. They get more than Stoke too.

[Matousek 0]

Same as Redcar. They get more than Stoke too.

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Whats redcars and stokes crowds like this year?

[Brian Hamilton 1]

On plant speedway there were talks of only having 2 leagues next year with the wealthier PL clubs joining the EL. I think this would work if they also did the following….

1.Only let riders ride in two countries, so there would be less use of rider replacement and guests.

2.Reduce the points limit in both leagues, so teams would be more even.

3.Set the admission prices for all clubs in the EL to £12 adults and PL to £10 adults.

 

The leagues would probably look like this.

 

Elite league

1. Poole

2. Coventry

3. Belle Vue

4. Arena Essex

5. Eastbourne

6. Ipswich

7. Wolverhampton

8. Peterborough

9. Reading

10. Swindon

11. Birmingham

12. Kings Lynn

13. Oxford

14. Sheffield

15. Stoke

16. Rye House

 

Premier League

1. Workington

2. Glasgow

3. Edinburgh

4. Berwick

5. Newcastle

6. Redcar

7. Mildenhall

8. Somerset

9. Sittingbourne

10. Plymouth

11. Scunthorpe

12. Weymouth

13. Newport

14. Isle of Wight

15. Buxton

16. Exeter (hopefully

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I dont think it would work really and with respect I doubt whether Stoke or Rye House would ever be equipped for Higher level speedway.

 

Also, the standardisation of Entry Fees would be unworkable as each Club has a differing level of Costs.

 

Brian

[Kevin Meynell 2]

I dont think it would work really and with respect I doubt whether Stoke or Rye House would ever be equipped for Higher level speedway.

 

If there were radical changes, I'd guess a more likely line-up for top-flight might be the current 10 BEL tracks, plus Oxford, King's Lynn, Sheffield and Birmingham. The remaining 12 BPL tracks might be joined by Plymouth, Scunthorpe and Weymouth (and possibly Exeter).

 

What kind of crowds are Workington and Redcar getting these days? Perhaps they might be candidates for the top flight as well.

 

I'd guess there would still need to be some sort of Conference League involving Buxton, Sittingbourne, Boston and BEL/BPL second teams.

 

A 14-team BEL would mean 26 league matches, and probably 12 more league cup matches (2 groups of 7), for a total of 38. A 16-team BPL would mean 30 league matches, and probably 6 more league cup matches (4 groups of 4) for a total of 36. Then there's the various KOC and 'playoff' matches to factor in as necessary.

Edited August 1, 2007 by Kevin Meynell

[Matousek 0]

If there were radical changes, I'd guess a more likely line-up for top-flight might be the current 10 BEL tracks, plus Oxford, King's Lynn, Sheffield and Birmingham. The remaining 12 BPL tracks might be joined by Plymouth, Scunthorpe and Weymouth (and possibly Exeter).

 

What kind of crowds are Workington and Redcar getting these days? Perhaps they might be candidates for the top flight as well.

 

I'd guess there would still need to be some sort of Conference League involving Buxton, Sittingbourne, Boston and BEL/BPL second teams.

 

A 14-team BEL would mean 26 league matches, and probably 12 more league cup matches (2 groups of 7), for a total of 38. A 16-team BPL would mean 30 league matches, and probably 6 more league cup matches (4 groups of 4) for a total of 36. Then there's the various KOC and 'playoff' matches to factor in as necessary.

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I think it depends on what happens in the winter personally, but there must be something in the wind if kings lynns jonathon chapman has said he would seriuosly think of taking kings lynn back up, considering what happened before. I think they may try to make it more like the old true premier league of a few years ago, where as its more like conference league now.