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There must now be several speedway licences "on ice"  Hope the BSPA have a big freezer and dont suffer a power cut in the winter.

Seems to a be a stampede of "promoters"  wishing to leave or have left the sinking ship that is British Speedway.

Ford, Jolly, May, Douglas, Martin Dugard,  BMR racing at Rye , the Plymouth promotion.

Probably time for the resurrection of the Black and White helmet colour at the AGM ???

 

As for the departure of Stuart Douglas, would just like to say thank you for hte memories Stuart you certainly cannot be faulted for having a go at promoting in the  "Premiership" 

Lets just remember that the "promoters" are not to blame for this mess it's all caused by "the Fans"  who have let the club down by not turning up .   (No comment for reasons of public decency)

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1 hour ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

It was rumoured that Oxford would have been a viable spot to resurrect the sport possibly using the Lakeside licence, however you are moving further out of London and another 70 to 90 miles further away from Rye and Arena Essex, I am setting myself up here however is this a possibility worth exploring or am I being Totally Ridiculous?

Regards
THJ

Yes,  but not for the reason you have stated.

Word I have had is that the stadium is seriously dilapidated, with the developers doing all they can to make sure that sooner or later it will become an eyesore and they can knock it down and build houses. Apparently, its not much better than Coventry and will require serious investment to bring it up to scratch.

I am saddened but not surprised at Stuart Douglas' announcement. I don't think its much of a secret that he has poured a huge amount of money into Lakeside over the years and losing the stadium, and the manner of it, has probably persuaded him that now is the time to go.

Edited by Halifaxtiger
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1 minute ago, Halifaxtiger said:

Yes,  but not for the reason you have stated.

Word I have had is that the stadium is seriously dilapidated, with the developers doing all they can to make sure that sooner or later it will become an eyesore and they can knock it down and build houses. Apparently, its not much better than Coventry and will require serious investment to bring it up to scratch.

In a nutshell.

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I think I’m right in saying when NL Clubs we’re not allowed assets the Dugards moved all of there’s (and there were a lot of them) to Lakeside, Eastbourne  offered there Track to Lakeside for there end of Season Meetings, Jon’s 1st Job in Speedway was at Eastbourne,

Eastbourne have just done the Double so there’s no way they can improve next season in the NL more I think about it it’s Lakeside at Eastbourne in the Championship 

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Argos ,

Yes I agree it would all seem to fit  EXCEPT for the recent statemnt in the Speedway Star from Martin and Connor Dugard raising doubts over the financial viability of Eastbourne moving to the Championship, and their enthusiasm to continue operating a sppedway track. .  It would seem that although a succesful team , crowd levels in the NL arent  great. Where would any extra support come for a Championship side - I cannot see a huge number of fans venturing down to EB every Saturday evening/Sunday afternoon ?? from the Essex area.

Unlike Stuart Douglas,, who has clearly brought financial backing to the Lakeside Hammers,  I am uncertain what Jon Cook brings to the party for Eastbourne, other that being a friend of the family ?

 

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I dread to think just how much money Stuart has pumped into Lakeside. He makes light, in his comments, of the 'battles' he has encountered during his spell of ownership (in fact he is quite restrained) and it comes as no surprise that he is calling it a day.

Thank you, Stuart, for giving it go at least and best wishes for the future.

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Stuart is/was the money man, Jon was just a paid employee who was named as a promoter, most promoters do not put money into the club, their title is for administration purposes only, without an owner it really is goodbye to any thoughts of even a track share.

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5 hours ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

It was rumoured that Oxford would have been a viable spot to resurrect the sport possibly using the Lakeside licence, however you are moving further out of London and another 70 to 90 miles further away from Rye and Arena Essex, I am setting myself up here however is this a possibility worth exploring or am I being Totally Ridiculous?

Regards
THJ

Jon Cook has been sniffing around Oxford for some time now and still hasn't been able to crack it.

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I doubt that very much Whisperer, it would be too far for him to travel.

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Wow. I expected far more reaction to the news about Stuart Douglas. Just goes to show how jaded the fans of the club are, I suppose, and who can blame them? Whilst I think that is the final nail in the coffin, he is right that a Lakeside out of Essex isn't Lakeside at all.

I've always had a lot of time for Stuart Douglas. I think when someone stays in the background so much it's easy to forget the input they have in keeping the club going.

That he is still talking about pouring heart, soul, and money into getting a new track in Essex after all the trials and tribulations over the years, that his heart is still set on not only chasing, but catching that dream, shows the total dedication and commitment of the man. The class and humility in his statement speak volumes. There aren't enough good words I can say about him, but "gentleman" is  one that will suffice for now. Thank you for everything you did for Arena, Stuart.

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Stuart used to post on here when he was just a sponsor before he took over the club, so if he does still look on here I want to tell him thank you for giving me a team to support for all these years and thanks for the memories. 

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No criticism intended but when people talk about Essex are they thinking south or north of the county.

Would former Lakeside fans travel to say to Colchester or Clacton(I am not saying any land is available) which is a fair way off the original patch.

Rayleigh fans travelled to Rye House and probably more latterly to Lakeside (or Arena as it was in the early days) but where is the real catchment area.

It is important to find somewhere with little in the way of local entertainment and build on the fact that people can readily relate to supporting local sporting heroes and the entertainment is at a price point where people are prepared to spend the cash.

I sincerely wish that the sport could find a home in Essex but my gut feeling is that with the demand for housing etc, south of the county is going to be a difficult nut to crack and perhaps any would be track owner/promoter needs to look at less densely populated areas of which you still have some in Essex albeit access is on B class roads. 

Good luck and let’s hope that another team is not lost to the sport.

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17 minutes ago, Hawk127 said:

No criticism intended but when people talk about Essex are they thinking south or north of the county.

 

South of the county, but I do wonder whether a track near Clacton/Colchester may work? I know Ipswich is sort of up the road, but there is a psychological barrier for Essex/Suffolk folk to cross the border! Many people who live in Clacton are ex London, who may have watched speedway at the London tracks. I accept a number of those will be getting on a bit now. Clacton doesn't have a lot to offer in the way of entertainment, apart from being a seaside town. There is a lot of rural land between Colchester and Clacton. I always thought Arena Essex would be 'safe' when it opened in 1984. I wonder what Chick would say?   

Edited by Ray Stadia

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