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No surprise for me. Still feeling a great loss though.

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That's me done with live speedway then. I don't have a car and the effort and expense required to get to the nearest tracks on public transport makes it a non starter for me. I'll maybe make one or two trips to meetings during the year, but after 45 years I'll no longer have a team of my own to support.

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17 minutes ago, Bryce said:

That's me done with live speedway then. I don't have a car and the effort and expense required to get to the nearest tracks on public transport makes it a non starter for me. I'll maybe make one or two trips to meetings during the year, but after 45 years I'll no longer have a team of my own to support.

Same mate having no team to support is a kick in the nuts but to be honest I felt like that once Lakeside moved, today is the final nail in the coffin. Such a shame after all these years.

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1 hour ago, liam said:

The statement says two clubs from national league will be moving up to championship, maybe Kent with Jon Cook?

..or Eastbourne but both clubs are rather remote as far as the Championship is concerned.

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I feel same as Liam, the match against Glasgow was the real goodbye, I will still watch the sport on the tv every now and then but live no thanks, it’s Arena Essex Hammers or nothing at all, that’s my team.

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On 5 November 2018 at 5:35 PM, marko said:

..... if only a few more of these Johnny come lately's turned up on a regular basis this place would not be facing closure.

The crowd sizes for events at Arena have absolutely nothing to do with the stadium closure.  The event organisers paid the rent to a private company regardless of attendance.  This is completely down to acquiring land for even more housing in South Essex.

The Government had earmarked the land for a Compulsory Purchase Order years ago.  Some Hammers riders back in 2008 told me that Stuart & Jon had been looking for a site for a potential new stadium in areas like Basildon as the Thames Gateway housing plan was going to claim the large Arena Essex plot of land sooner or later.  

I did hear some rumours that the ground couldn't be used for housing due to issues from it's former quarry days, but that seems untrue or to have been overcome.

Let's just hope we all see an Essex Hammers team in a new stadium very soon!

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6 hours ago, Cliv Clav said:

The crowd sizes for events at Arena have absolutely nothing to do with the stadium closure.  The event organisers paid the rent to a private company regardless of attendance.  This is completely down to acquiring land for even more housing in South Essex.

The Government had earmarked the land for a Compulsory Purchase Order years ago.  Some Hammers riders back in 2008 told me that Stuart & Jon had been looking for a site for a potential new stadium in areas like Basildon as the Thames Gateway housing plan was going to claim the large Arena Essex plot of land sooner or later.  

I did hear some rumours that the ground couldn't be used for housing due to issues from it's former quarry days, but that seems untrue or to have been overcome.

Let's just hope we all see an Essex Hammers team in a new stadium very soon!

Didn’t the people renting the stadium have a two year lease and decided not to take up the second year due to poor crowds? Think it was more to do with the four wheeled events but Iam sure that’s what they said, they also said poor crowds at the speedway but Cook said they get the same money from them regardless of the crowd.

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a lease is a lease . if you sign a lease for any given time . you pay for the duration of the lease . even if you dont use it ! they could have been in on a licence .

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3 hours ago, jenga said:

a lease is a lease . if you sign a lease for any given time . you pay for the duration of the lease . even if you dont use it ! they could have been in on a licence .

It was a one year lease with the option of a second which was not taken.

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On 11/15/2018 at 1:25 AM, Cliv Clav said:

 Some Hammers riders back in 2008 told me that Stuart & Jon had been looking for a site for a potential new stadium in areas like Basildon as the Thames Gateway housing plan was going to claim the large Arena Essex plot of land sooner or later.  

So that was 10 years ago.....obviously without any success............not giving much confidence for the immediate future is it?

It's just sad to see clubs disappear, and hopefully someone can eventually find land to run speedway within the London area........hope they are still trying.??

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4 hours ago, singy13 said:

So that was 10 years ago.....obviously without any success............not giving much confidence for the immediate future is it?

It's just sad to see clubs disappear, and hopefully someone can eventually find land to run speedway within the London area........hope they are still trying.??

There is a lot of land around the A13 area, around Rainham and towards London. I think some of that land is not good to build on as it is marsh, but could be ok for a track? Maybe? As for Basildon, I doubt it, all land around there is grabbed for housing. Mind you, there is Watt Tyler Park? Lot of land there! 

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Guest Ozzy15

Sorry to hear the bad news. Hope to see the Hammers back on track in the future.

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The aim should be to keep any new facility as close to the river crossing (or the new one) as possible to maximise the catchment area.

 

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There will be no new track it’s never going to happen, Grays Athletic are still waiting for a new football stadium to be built 8 years later, Thurrock Council couldn’t give a toss about sport.

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On 15 November 2018 at 8:02 AM, liam said:

Didn’t the people renting the stadium have a two year lease and decided not to take up the second year due to poor crowds? Think it was more to do with the four wheeled events but Iam sure that’s what they said, they also said poor crowds at the speedway but Cook said they get the same money from them regardless of the crowd.

I think was more to do with the food outlets and shops. The rent they paid  the stadium owners was absolutely exhorbitant. With falling crowds overall in both Speedwáy and stock car the shops weren't making so much money which meant the stadium owners couldnt screw so much rent out of them. I noticed towards the end of the season that two or three of the shops weren't even bothering to open.

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