Jump to content
British Speedway Forum
Sign in to follow this  
HGould

One League - Matt Ford

Recommended Posts

I believe there will be a regional league/division structure before the sport goes to one league.

How about 3 Regional Divisions of 7 teams each (I'm assuming no more closures and 3 or 4NL clubs stepping up!)

Division A - North: Berwick; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Newcastle; Redcar; Sheffield;Belle Vue.

Division B - Midlands: Cradley; Wolves; Kings Lynn; Peterborough;Scunthorpe; Leicester; Birmingham.

Division C - South: Ipswich; Eastbourne; Poole; Somerset; Swindon; Plymouth; Kent (or IOW or Rye House).

Each division will ONLY race the teams in the other 2 divisions ( ie A v B&C home and away once giving each team 14 meetings.)  The match points gained from all fixtures will determine the top 2 teams in each of the 3 divisions.

Those 6 teams will be in the play-off semi finals. Based on their division points 1st v 6th; 2nd v 5th; 3rd v 4th; home and away.

The play -off final will feature the 3 winning teams from the semis in a mini league KO - the winner being the League Champions.

Maximum number of meetings for the top six = 14 + 2 semis + 4 Final = 20

Options for the other 5 teams in each division NOT reaching the semis -  A Divisional regional knock out comp, giving each division team 8 (4H&4A) local derbies OR a KO Cup  involving all remaining 15 teams.

Team composition - probably 6 man teams?!

Its all open for discussion. Thoughts?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

I believe there will be a regional league/division structure before the sport goes to one league.

How about 3 Regional Divisions of 7 teams each (I'm assuming no more closures and 3 or 4NL clubs stepping up!)

Division A - North: Berwick; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Newcastle; Redcar; Sheffield;Belle Vue.

Division B - Midlands: Cradley; Wolves; Kings Lynn; Peterborough;Scunthorpe; Leicester; Birmingham.

Division C - South: Ipswich; Eastbourne; Poole; Somerset; Swindon; Plymouth; Kent (or IOW or Rye House).

Each division will ONLY race the teams in the other 2 divisions ( ie A v B&C home and away once giving each team 14 meetings.)  The match points gained from all fixtures will determine the top 2 teams in each of the 3 divisions.

Those 6 teams will be in the play-off semi finals. Based on their division points 1st v 6th; 2nd v 5th; 3rd v 4th; home and away.

The play -off final will feature the 3 winning teams from the semis in a mini league KO - the winner being the League Champions.

Maximum number of meetings for the top six = 14 + 2 semis + 4 Final = 20

Options for the other 5 teams in each division NOT reaching the semis -  A Divisional regional knock out comp, giving each division team 8 (4H&4A) local derbies OR a KO Cup  involving all remaining 15 teams.

Team composition - probably 6 man teams?!

Its all open for discussion. Thoughts?

Nice try and innovative but I prefer ONE League - Home and Away with 14-16 Teams.

I'd only allow doubling up NL to OBL and insist No 7 was British NL and no 6 had to have ridden NL in past 3 seasons.

That way you'd have just enough for 14 x 7 man teams (I don't like 6 man teams just my preference for 7).

Would have a form of Rider Control to Grade defined "Heat Leaders / Second Strings" to make sure equality and once teams are all "staffed" would determine a points limit going forwards.

Would look a minimising movement by allocating currently doubling up PL / CL equally between OBL sides staying at one of their current teams where possible.

Would give riders choice of their current PL or CL Team or "going to the rider pool"

Would set maximum pay rates at £100 a point for Heat Leaders / £80 a point for second strings / £60 a point for reserves and would have them paid on that basis all season of -1-2-3 in averages then 4-5 in averages then 6-7 in averages.

Would allow Clubs to set a "match guarantee" of maximum of 10 point score for HL / 7 point score for SS / 4 point score for RS if they wished.

This would ensure more equal Teams and rationalise pay rates and would also have a transfer window (out side of permissible injuries) of "June" for any transfers and insist that any rider out for 28 days or less had to be covered by RR not a transfer.

 

 

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

pay rate agreements are great. They last 15 minutes tops then someone caves

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
16 minutes ago, ch958 said:

pay rate agreements are great. They last 15 minutes tops then someone caves

15 minutes would be impressive - Id be surprised if it was more than 15 seconds

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

"How about 3 Regional Divisions of 7 teams each (I'm assuming no more closures and 3 or 4NL clubs stepping up!)"

Massive assumption.

There will be less teams next season ( already two up for sale ) and which NL clubs do you think will want to step up?

Your pay rates are pie in the sky, only two clubs in the country pay that sort of rate to riders in the championship.

One Division it will be, regional league just doesn't work due to the logistics of where riders live. Most are midland based so they will a reluctance to ride in a northern bias division when they can base themselves nearer home when receiving less points money.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 7/8/2019 at 12:33 PM, mikebv said:

Something definitely to consider..

You do feel that it's only a matter of time before greyhound racing is 'hounded out':rolleyes: of existence given it's poor PR...

Definitely feels like an orchestrated agenda gathering momentum against the greyhound fraternity..

Not to mention the falling crowds it suffers..

Housing development is much sought after politically too by local MP's so they won't be too favourable towards the greyhound followers I would suggest..

I don't wish to be argumentative at all here but (as has been said many times)  Greyhounds are so badly treated -- do you really expect  an income to made from this barbaric sport? Stock cars has a great following and would attract many supporters = money.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, fliss44 said:

I don't wish to be argumentative at all here but (as has been said many times)  Greyhounds are so badly treated -- do you really expect  an income to made from this barbaric sport? Stock cars has a great following and would attract many supporters = money.

Unfortunately the dogs feelings don't come into it but money does.

Dog racing on Asian TV is massive and brings the G.R.A. massive amounts, lack of a crowd at the stadiums is not an issue.

Stock cars don't get a look in but I know it makes the few who host these meetings more money than any speedway meeting will.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Unfortunately the dogs feelings don't come into it but money does.

Dog racing on Asian TV is massive and brings the G.R.A. massive amounts, lack of a crowd at the stadiums is not an issue.

Stock cars don't get a look in but I know it makes the few who host these meetings more money than any speedway meeting will.

Each to their own.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The greyhounds are treated very well nowadays and there’s no ‘barbarism’.

But it is a dying sport with public opinion moving to get it banned.

If it moved to the Far East then I would fear for the dogs!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 7/9/2019 at 9:39 PM, Chris116 said:

To make the regional league system work if 14 teams were racing you could have two 7 team divisions (North and South). Teams could race teams in their own division home and away twice and those in the other division home and away once. That would give 18 home/18 away meetings. The top three in each division could then go forward to the league finals meeting each of the other five teams home and away before the top two teams meet in the League Finals. The points from all meetings up to that point would be added together to decide the top two meaning being top of your division would be worthwhile. The 8 teams who were not in the finals could be split into two groups of four (3 meetings at home and 3 away) with the top from each group meeting for the National Trophy. All this gives a full fixture list of meetings that all mean something with no need for any filler competitions and a mixture of local derbies plus the interest of having teams from afar visiting.

I sent in a similar proposal to Rob Godfrey in winter 2017

Run it at a Championship level with however many teams are running, split it into north/south and you race teams in your section twice home & away but also face the teams from the other region just once either home or away, so Sheffield (North) in 2019 take on Poole (South) at Owlerton, the year after it would be Sheffield who travel to Poole.

You get more local fixtures this way which is good for crowd levels in theory but you also create more variety by involving sides from other section as well but not over doing it and increasing costs to promoters and riders.

No doubling up (don't care how many riders in a team, just made the sport credible again by finding a format that works and is value for money) in order to find a way forward again instead of this constant downward spiral Speedway here is in.

If you are racing a team in your region and have injuries you can only get a guest in from the south region and if racing a team from other region you can only get a guest in from your region.

When it comes to end of season top two in each region face off for divisional titles and actually get a trophy for that achievement and then of course superbowl style final North v South which advertised well could be brilliant and of course bigger trophy at end of it.

With the right advertising and stripping the sport right back it can be great again, just got to be more radical this winter as they have just stuck with status quo for way to long now and it shows with how many people are rocking up to watch.

Not going to say this is perfect by any stretch of the imagination but BSPA have got to listen to all ideas and find out that can work for the future of the sport here, it really is that simple for them now.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It needs to be one big league.  It should have happened this year but it didn`t !    British speedway needs to be run on days that are best for each particular track and not to suit Poland.  We need to get back to the British League era.    Its a fallacy that we need the big names we don`t !  we need good racing.  The big names are riding in Sweden and I`ve watched a few on telly and the racing is no better than we have here...Let the so called big names ride in Poland if they want to but I think you will find a lot of them will eventually come back home with their tail between their legs when they`re dropped in a squad system...

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Maybe even run a four riders per team per match league?  Like the Danes used to do and the SWC runs..

£2500 max per team would need £12000 to pay all the riders on show and VAT..

£5k per match to run it ex rider costs, (is that about right?) And you'd need circa £17k..

Without any sponsorship, 1200 at £15 would bring £18k in, so would having three away teams worth of fans bring an average 1200 in if nationally ran to bring in some variety, and the odd 'regional week' where you race your local rivals..

16 teams would need 64 riders, with, per team, one earning £300, one earning £500, one earning £700 and one earning £1000 per night..

Complete all four fixtures in a group per week and that's £4k for the Number ones, down to £1.2k for the Number fours..

16 heats of racing where each No1, 2, 3 and 4 just race against their same numbers four times so each gets a gate position...

And all 16 races then have riders of roughly equal levels so hopefully decent racing...

Make the No4 position British U23 only (or over 23 but less than two years racing), and no rider at No4 can have an average over 4 at Champ level.

They get four races per night and can only get replaced in a team if not good enough by similarly classified riders..

And they stay at No4 all season, not earning a fortune for four nights but better than NL money (?)..

The other three positions in the team can be inter changeable using rolling averages, meaning if you improve over time you get more money, or vice versa should you drop performances..

No team riding maybe but then again, not much takes place now..

Grade the riders A to D, and use mean averages for each sector to deliver an overall team strength which will prevent any team signing the best of each sector..

Hopefully meaning close racing due to similar levels of rider per race, a fair share of gate positions to deliver an overall true picture of each riders capabilty, responsibility and pressure on each rider to deliver within their sector, you improve and you get more money, or vice versa,  so performance related pay is in place, three lots of away fans to hopefully bring in some money and create some atmosphere, a variety of teams to stimulate interest, a protected structure for young inexperienced British riders and hopefully several spare riders out there to bring in rather than using guests to cover injuries..

All ran at each track on the tracks own choice of race night due to riders only being allowed to come on board if they make themselves available when the sport in Britain dictates...

The actual amount of times each teams meet each other would need to be worked out and it may end up with more local teams meeting more regularly (hopefully those being the money spinners) but the US Sports show it can be done where you play some teams more than others..

24 weeks of racing would give 24 home meetings and, at four times per week, 96 matches per rider overall...

A chance to get and earn plenty of coin..

Radical but maybe the sport needs radical...?

 

 

 

Edited by mikebv

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Crowds of 1200???

90% of current clubs cant get anywhere near that now so how are they to double or even treble there crowds with a diluted product?

Two clubs are currently up for sale and rumours of another two/ three by the end of the season so 16 clubs looks a struggle.

whilst I welcome any ideas to save the sport simple facts need to be faced. Current crowds are around half of that figure in the championship and short of 1,000 at most Premiership clubs. Costs have to be cut by reducing wages, increasing major sponsorship for the whole of the sport as there is no title sponsor at present and by standardising the bikes being used that are now too powerful and too expensive to maintain.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
13 hours ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

and by standardising the bikes being used that are now too powerful and too expensive to maintain.

This is an essential but very unlikely to come about with the current BSPA "leaders" in place.

Stand down NOW Chapman and Godfrey ( even though it is too late to save the sport in the UK ).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
15 hours ago, Dornier fixer said:

Its a fallacy that we need the big names we don`t !  we need good racing. 

Some racing would be a start! But, Yes! we need to see attractive, close racing with passing or the likely possibility of it. If you get two 'races' in a match now you are lucky.

Two or three minutes of excitement is as far from VFM as you can get. At the moment it should be £2.50 to get in and 50p for a racecard. It would then approach VFM.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy