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I have long followed speedway from the bike in the back of the boot days and stopped going in the mid 80’s.

On my return in 2004 I couldn’t believe how more professional the sport had become with vans mechanics and 2 bikes for each rider.

That mirrored our society then with greater wealth per person. Sponsors were happy to invest in riders and teams as times were good.

 Then came the crash in 2008 money tight sponsors disappear and speedway in my opinion has been on the decline since.

The sport needs a backer for all the leagues but all we have is BT in the Premiership.

A few thousand pounds going to every club in the lower leagues would probably make a world of difference. If those clubs then give it to the riders in higher wages then we’re back where we started!

A free for all system doesn’t work so restraint needs implementing.

 

 

 

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13 hours ago, Jayne said:

Two or three years ago the NL agreed to do just at the AGM that but it went out of the window as soon as everyone left!!

:rolleyes:

Just about sums EVERY league up Jayne.....

I find it incredible to think the Promoters try so desperately to out do each other to try and win competitions that due to their own very own Operating Model are seen by followers of the Sport as worthless...

Maybe if all Promoters made trying to bring credibility and integrity to the Sport as their key objective, rather than trying to win competitions hardly anyone cares about, the Sport would be in a much more healthier position...?

If there are to be three Leagues then there needs to be a clear difference between them...

Entry level, semi pro and then professional...

With the financial renumeration to match their standing...

Speedway in this country may just have enough teams able to run ONE fully professional league, it certainly doesn't seem to have enough to run more than that..

Sometimes I truly do think it is the egos of some Promoters which stands in the way of reality ever hitting home....

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If your paying riders more in line with Championship rates, you should be in the Championship and not polluting our waters?

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On 6/16/2018 at 7:45 PM, ouch said:

If your paying riders more in line with Championship rates, you should be in the Championship and not polluting our waters?

Who is doing that?

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On 6/18/2018 at 5:00 PM, *JJ said:

Who is doing that?

Birmingham, Cradley, Eastbourne 

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1 hour ago, phillipsr said:

Birmingham, Cradley, Eastbourne 

That's known for sure then? I've kept away from this discussion, but taking Eastbourne, we started with Baseby at no 1, who I can't believe is anywhere near the same cost as say somebody like Clegg or Roynon,  think we had some luck with Edwards with Lakeside going up, but believe we enquired about Kemp first but we're out bid, Powell, Brooks and Woods were scouted from grass track , would we be paying them championship rates, I dought it leaving Brennan and Dugard who came through the youth system, in fact I remember Mark Baseby riding the second halves years ago. There will always be teams with a slightly bigger budget, ours due to no part of aquirering a fantastic headline sponsor,  which not all clubs seem to do, I do think because of the Dugard heritage they are in a position to provide more help with machinery etc but we've also a good record with bringing in new untried talent. I suppose we're lucky to have a well run club, I don't think it's down to the amount riders are paid, although I agree 2 leagues is really the amount our sport needs, but that's not likely to change I imagine. 

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1 hour ago, gazzac said:

That's known for sure then? I've kept away from this discussion, but taking Eastbourne, we started with Baseby at no 1, who I can't believe is anywhere near the same cost as say somebody like Clegg or Roynon,  think we had some luck with Edwards with Lakeside going up, but believe we enquired about Kemp first but we're out bid, Powell, Brooks and Woods were scouted from grass track , would we be paying them championship rates, I dought it leaving Brennan and Dugard who came through the youth system, in fact I remember Mark Baseby riding the second halves years ago. There will always be teams with a slightly bigger budget, ours due to no part of aquirering a fantastic headline sponsor,  which not all clubs seem to do, I do think because of the Dugard heritage they are in a position to provide more help with machinery etc but we've also a good record with bringing in new untried talent. I suppose we're lucky to have a well run club, I don't think it's down to the amount riders are paid, although I agree 2 leagues is really the amount our sport needs, but that's not likely to change I imagine. 

one of Eastbourne,s riders was asked to guest for a team last year and the deal he wanted and would of got(meeting rained off) was far and beyond acceptable for NL and it wasn't just the money but the point of all this is the bigger picture, it all good Eastbourne bringing on these riders if the league folds because of the "we are alright jack attitude" what happens to these riders then ? where do they learn ? people including riders have got to look at the bigger picture and see where the sport is heading and it has to be soon

Edited by THE DEAN MACHINE

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It'll become an mdl/sdl league, they won't learn what they can in this league with the current competition, but as I said it does need restructuring, with the likes of Buxton running in an mdl type league , with the top league being slightly above championship level, followed by a league somewhere between championship and nl for the likes of Eastbourne and Birmingham. 

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7 minutes ago, gazzac said:

It'll become an mdl/sdl league, they won't learn what they can in this league with the current competition, but as I said it does need restructuring, with the likes of Buxton running in an mdl type league , with the top league being slightly above championship level, followed by a league somewhere between championship and nl for the likes of Eastbourne and Birmingham. 

Please explain what they are learning as the league is now that they wouldn’t if everyone was on £15pp? What they are learning now is that they expect to earn a living as soon as they get a bike now , this is not just me who thinks this, it is a wide spead belief around speedway and while we all agree riders should earn millions, the money isn’t there, there are not enough fans coming to watch and everyone who try’s to justify riders pay in all league is just making it harder to get things to change, I’m not sure how much longer we need to say this before people get the message but we are dying as a sport and we are causing the death ourselves 

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23 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Please explain what they are learning as the league is now that they wouldn’t if everyone was on £15pp? What they are learning now is that they expect to earn a living as soon as they get a bike now , this is not just me who thinks this, it is a wide spead belief around speedway and while we all agree riders should earn millions, the money isn’t there, there are not enough fans coming to watch and everyone who try’s to justify riders pay in all league is just making it harder to get things to change, I’m not sure how much longer we need to say this before people get the message but we are dying as a sport and we are causing the death ourselves 

Egos...

Simply too many egos...

Some promotions heat up the salary market for every team by paying daft money to riders to try and win competitions, which because of the lack of credibilty of the Leagues, hardly anyone actually cares about...

The end game of course is that when there are no teams left to ride against then that team will be the Champions of their very own League...

Hurrah! Yippee! A Nation Rejoices etc etc etc..:rolleyes:

Edited by mikebv
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when i was on a bike i was living the dream, the money side of it really wasn't an issue, and when i rode in the first team i didn't have a clue what money i was on i just wanted to get out there and ride.

when i was at Canterbury they rode Saturdays so i just didn't work that day, and when at Exeter (3 hrs each way) i just took half day holiday from work on a Monday (BT) and took the bike in to work on the back of the car and left it in the BT yard ready to drive straight down.

away meetings were holiday from work unless it was Wimbledon which was 10 minutes from me.

at times i'd take 2 bikes on the trailer but it was very rare.

basically what i'm saying is that now it just seems to be nowhere near that, even for MDL or whatever, it's all moved into being a business and self-employed and not about getting out on the bike

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3 minutes ago, stevehone said:

 

basically what i'm saying is that now it just seems to be nowhere near that, even for MDL or whatever, it's all moved into being a business and self-employed and not about getting out on the bike

I agree with that point it is about money but most of the NL riders are not self employed and wont declare the money they get 

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Sounds to me as if most of the writers on this column condemn riders for getting too much money.  Yet I will bet that the vast majority, if they rode a bike, would

try to get the best deal for themselves.  That is human nature.  It is up to the promoter to run his business in such a way that people actually WANT to watch it.

Then he is able to pay the riders a decent wage and everyone is happy.  But then we'd all find something to moan about.  Speedway is still the greatest sport

and always has been.

 

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4 minutes ago, East End Fan said:

Sounds to me as if most of the writers on this column condemn riders for getting too much money.  Yet I will bet that the vast majority, if they rode a bike, would

try to get the best deal for themselves.  That is human nature.  It is up to the promoter to run his business in such a way that people actually WANT to watch it.

Then he is able to pay the riders a decent wage and everyone is happy.  But then we'd all find something to moan about.  Speedway is still the greatest sport

and always has been.

 

Brilliant mate , totally oblivious to the state speedway is in :(

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people aren't fighting to get in the stadium before the "full" signs go up, so to have a future there HAS to be an element of back to basics in this country.

the old NL (1970s/80s) was predominantly British/Commonwealth riders, most of those riders also had jobs outside of speedway yet it ticked along nicely and gave us some great entertainment, this is what we need to be seeing again, cut the cloth accordingly

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