Play Offs Should They Be Scrapped.?

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

No such thing in the top sporting league in the country - football's Premier League. In the lesser divisions maybe, but not at the top. It takes a season to win the Premier League title, not a couple of lucky matches at the end after finishing third or fourth.

 

They're becoming the exception though and, as you say, they do have play offs in lower divisions.

 

There's no doubt that they make sure interest - and through that attendances - is maintained. Both the EL & PL play offs have gone to the wire this season and there's every chance the titles will too. The best match I have ever seen - Mildenhall v Scunthorpe - was a play off final match and a huge chunk of what made it my best ever was the fact that it was a play off.

 

I wonder how big Swindon's gate would have been if they had lost the first match by 6 or 8 ?

 

Personally, I do think league winners should be league winners but I really don't think speedway is in a position to abandon anything that creates interest and revenue.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Halifaxtiger

[SCB 0]

Play off champions would be a title neither fans, riders or clubs would have any interest in winning and no one would go to watch them.

 

There is nothing to sort out, the play offs are one of the few good things to come out of the sport in the last 15 years, they need leaving alone

You have it the wrong way around. People want the title that will make them "Elite League Champions", that would be what you get for winning the play-offs as now. What you could then have is the Craven Shield that is awarded to the team that finished top of the league but would not be League Champions.

 

Im not sure if it was last year or the year before where I proposed that the fans got together and bought a trophy for the league winners to have each season. I had about 3 positive responses. Clearly people are not that bothered!

[oldace 1,678]

You have it the wrong way around. People want the title that will make them "Elite League Champions", that would be what you get for winning the play-offs as now. What you could then have is the Craven Shield that is awarded to the team that finished top of the league but would not be League Champions.

 

Im not sure if it was last year or the year before where I proposed that the fans got together and bought a trophy for the league winners to have each season. I had about 3 positive responses. Clearly people are not that bothered!

 

 

That was the point I was trying to make. Silly made up titles "unofficial world champion" "play off champions" etc are of no interest to anybody. The only title that matters is Elite League champions and the play offs are a good money spinning way of deciding that. To start giving silly names and inventing competitions within competitions would be silly.

[Panthers89 1,922]

I say whoever tops the league, is league champions, then create a tournament from the play offs, as like or loathe them, play offs are good income for the clubs.

[Vincent Blachshadow 2,934]

That was the point I was trying to make. Silly made up titles "unofficial world champion" "play off champions" etc are of no interest to anybody. The only title that matters is Elite League champions and the play offs are a good money spinning way of deciding that. To start giving silly names and inventing competitions within competitions would be silly.

There is a perfectly good way of deciding 'league champions', a way that has been used in sport for well over a hundred years (and, in the world's top spectator sport, still is) - accumulating more points than every other team and finishing top.

[SCB 0]

I say whoever tops the league, is league champions, then create a tournament from the play offs, as like or loathe them, play offs are good income for the clubs.

But if the play-offs only win a play-off title and not a league title nobody goes and nobody cares. It was tried for years, it was called the Craven Shield.

[TheReturn 1,724]

Play off champions would be a title neither fans, riders or clubs would have any interest in winning and no one would go to watch them.

 

There is nothing to sort out, the play offs are one of the few good things to come out of the sport in the last 15 years, they need leaving alone

Not if it is marketed right, I dunno, call it the 'super cup' and the winners get big money (get Sky to stump up) then everyone will be going for it! Qualification is top four in the league.

[Vincent Blachshadow 2,934]

They're becoming the exception though and, as you say, they do have play offs in lower divisions.

Yes, but not for a league championship. Football has yet to devalue a season-long series of league matches by turning them into qualifying games for a four-team Championship play-off

Edited September 24, 2015 by Vincent Blackshadow

[KIRKYLANE 537]

if there was a separate play off trophy perhaps sky could put up some serious money for those taking part.

 

They get Speedway on the cheap compared with what they pay other sports

[Blazeaway 1,501]

if there was a separate play off trophy perhaps sky could put up some serious money for those taking part.

 

They get Speedway on the cheap compared with what they pay other sports

 

SKY have shown no interest in showing arguably the most exciting meeting of the season (The GP Challenge) why would they want to chuck money at some tinpot trophy to appease the speedway dinosaurs?

 

As for comparing speedway to football that is just plain ridiculous.

[SCB 0]

As for comparing speedway to football that is just plain ridiculous.

Exactly! The Johnson Paint Trophy probably gets more people watching. What do Sky pay for that? Sky may not pay much for speedway but not many people watch it either.

[stratton 1,491]

There is some irony in this.

 

Most of those who complain of the whole league season coming down to just one meeting at the end of the year being unfair and it should be best team over the season wins invariably are the same ones who think best rider over a season shouldn't be world champion and it should come down to just one meeting at the end of the year

The World Championship is DIFFERENT,and in this day/age why couldn't we have both? the series and a one off final the reason is money and looking in just a few people creaming it in taking everything out and no money spiralling down for speedway to develop.Funny thing is when the series came in why didn't the public get a say? odvious really just a few greedy people bulldozed the idea through therefore destroying speedway certainly in England.Look i like the series it has modernised speedway,but it has not been GOOD for speedway it has killed England as a serious league also people can say what they want the series is a closed shop for just few.

Yes, lets scrap the only decent thing to happen in British speedway in the last 15 years!

You are kidding right?

[sparkafag 746]

The World Championship is DIFFERENT,and in this day/age why couldn't we have both? the series and a one off final the reason is money and looking in just a few people creaming it in taking everything out and no money spiralling down for speedway to develop.Funny thing is when the series came in why didn't the public get a say? odvious really just a few greedy people bulldozed the idea through therefore destroying speedway certainly in England.Look i like the series it has modernised speedway,but it has not been GOOD for speedway it has killed England as a serious league also people can say what they want the series is a closed shop for just few.

You are kidding right?

 

 

Due to the risk of the public wanting a one off world final to remain and one meeting with an attendance of 40,000 when it could run 8/10/11 with an average attendance of 10,000 at each?

 

The idea that the GP alone is what has “killed” speedway in this country is nonsensical there are 100s of contributing factors at play that have led to dwindling crowds, the vast majority of which aren’t even the fault of the sport, we live in an interactive age and era. There are so many more things for people to do now than attend speedway tracks every other night of the week.

 

To say "people can say what they want" yet then burry ones head in the sand to what people are saying which happens to be that any rider can actually qualify for the GP, which is fact, an actual genuine tangibile valid thing, makes it absurdly difficult to afford any validity to what you are saying.

Edited September 24, 2015 by sparkafag

[chucks 63]

should play off,s be scrapped imo yes they should ,all season ive folled edin/mon every home meeting ,also every glas/edin away berwick,new.c redcar workie. seffield,for myloyality edin .also glasg ow have put up prices , although im on computer, i dont own one,have to use this one when i ger a chance ,also not got credit/debit card so booking pre meeting is out of my choice,some loyality for folling speedway and having only have cash.so in that frame of mind edinbugh .monarchs did win the league

[AJK86 180]

I would prefer the Rugby League System of the team who finishes top gets the League Leaders Shield, then obviously crack on with Elite Playoffs for the usual Elite League Champions.

In Premier League it is a mess because still have KO Cup to be decided and the League Cup, which means could be lucky to get all playoff meetings done by end of October, not ideal !