Jump to content
British Speedway Forum
Sign in to follow this  
Gunner85

MORE POLISH LEAGUE INTERFERENCE

Recommended Posts

This goes to show that short sighted thinking is a sport wide issue and not just a British Speedway thing. If Poland want to monopolise the sport, before long it will become a Polish only club and there won’t be a “World Championship” as such because the only people to the standard will be Poles. 

I could see advantages to riders only having one club if the other top leagues were strong as a Champions League style deal could happen. This hurts everyone long term though, even the Polish. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

This goes to show that short sighted thinking is a sport wide issue and not just a British Speedway thing. If Poland want to monopolise the sport, before long it will become a Polish only club and there won’t be a “World Championship” as such because the only people to the standard will be Poles. 

I could see advantages to riders only having one club if the other top leagues were strong as a Champions League style deal could happen. This hurts everyone long term though, even the Polish. 

And that's exactly how British speedway behaved in the 1970s, which is one of the reasons we got to where we are now.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 minutes ago, arnieg said:

And that's exactly how British speedway behaved in the 1970s, which is one of the reasons we got to where we are now.

Nothing like learning from history is there...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 hours ago, Ben91 said:

This goes to show that short sighted thinking is a sport wide issue and not just a British Speedway thing. If Poland want to monopolise the sport, before long it will become a Polish only club and there won’t be a “World Championship” as such because the only people to the standard will be Poles. 

I could see advantages to riders only having one club if the other top leagues were strong as a Champions League style deal could happen. This hurts everyone long term though, even the Polish. 

Indeed, will become just the same as the Superbowl champions being claimed as world champions, a pointless claim.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, arnieg said:

And that's exactly how British speedway behaved in the 1970s, which is one of the reasons we got to where we are now.

Polish Speedway is very very different to British Speedway of the 70's.

Everything from then to now is nothing of the same. 

For a start, Speedway was a hobby compared to today. So much money from sponsorship, TV, etc today where then it was heavily reliant on people through the turnstiles. 

Polish Speedway, like Premier League football have proven they can continue & adapted to less or no fans in the grounds. 

People talk about Speedway in Poland as some sort of new phenomenon but it's been massive their since the 70's too. What they've managed to do is progress & adapt to fit each decade.

British Speedway's biggest & the only thing that's killed the sport here was the selling off of stadia to greyhounds, stockcars, rugby clubs etc. This single handedly set the decline. Whereas Poland have managed to keep & build new stadia for themselves. Yes we have Belle Vue but that has come at least 30 years to late. 

British Speedway stadia has gotten so bad they're places today's people just don't want to be.

  • Confused 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 minutes ago, Daniel Smith said:

Polish Speedway is very very different to British Speedway of the 70's.

Everything from then to now is nothing of the same. 

For a start, Speedway was a hobby compared to today. So much money from sponsorship, TV, etc today where then it was heavily reliant on people through the turnstiles. 

Polish Speedway, like Premier League football have proven they can continue & adapted to less or no fans in the grounds. 

People talk about Speedway in Poland as some sort of new phenomenon but it's been massive their since the 70's too. What they've managed to do is progress & adapt to fit each decade.

British Speedway's biggest & the only thing that's killed the sport here was the selling off of stadia to greyhounds, stockcars, rugby clubs etc. This single handedly set the decline. Whereas Poland have managed to keep & build new stadia for themselves. Yes we have Belle Vue but that has come at least 30 years to late. 

British Speedway stadia has gotten so bad they're places today's people just don't want to be.

I've rarely read anything so littered with inaccuracies and falsehoods.

The one thing Polish Speedway always had was passionate fans.

The one thing it didn't have in the 70s was money and financial clout. Quite the opposite, go and study Communism and the Fall of it in the Eastern bloc.

There was no free Press, free Media, you'd struggle to find any Polish rider with anything but a factory Jawa and black leathers well in to the Briggo Manger Olsen era.

When Zenon Plech was allowed to go on one of the Mauger Briggo Troupe Tours all he could take was his handlebars.

If you are about 15 you might think Polish Speedway is the greatest thing on the planet. It may be now but that's a very modern phenomenon as the old timers before the end of the Communist era around  1990 and the dozens upon dozens of riders still owed fortunes by  Polish Clubs up to the very recent past will testify...it was anything but the jewel in the crown.

New Polish stadia to are a very modern phenomenon. Most are expensive returns paid for by local politicians keen to get reelected

It's also the case in the UK that as many if not more speedway tracks were added to dog tracks, than the other way round and similarly most tracks round football or rugby pitches followed the ball sports.

Purpose built stadia and those where speedway were there first is the exception over the past 50 years and not the rule.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
35 minutes ago, HGould said:

I've rarely read anything so littered with inaccuracies and falsehoods.

The one thing Polish Speedway always had was passionate fans.

The one thing it didn't have in the 70s was money and financial clout. Quite the opposite, go and study Communism and the Fall of it in the Eastern bloc.

There was no free Press, free Media, you'd struggle to find any Polish rider with anything but a factory Jawa and black leathers well in to the Briggo Manger Olsen era.

When Zenon Plech was allowed to go on one of the Mauger Briggo Troupe Tours all he could take was his handlebars.

If you are about 15 you might think Polish Speedway is the greatest thing on the planet. It may be now but that's a very modern phenomenon as the old timers before the end of the Communist era around  1990 and the dozens upon dozens of riders still owed fortunes by  Polish Clubs up to the very recent past will testify...it was anything but the jewel in the crown.

New Polish stadia to are a very modern phenomenon. Most are expensive returns paid for by local politicians keen to get reelected

It's also the case in the UK that as many if not more speedway tracks were added to dog tracks, than the other way round and similarly most tracks round football or rugby pitches followed the ball sports.

Purpose built stadia and those where speedway were there first is the exception over the past 50 years and not the rule.

Don't know how you got all of that out of what I've said. 

I neither said Polish Speedway was rich in the 70s, neither did I say anything about free press etc in that era. 70s Polish Speedway wasn't full of riches, but it was as is today full of spectators. It had, as it does today, have it's own stadia. 

I never even said EVERY track in British Speedway was owned by the Speedway but there was a significant number that were, now lost forever. 

Polish Speedway has gone from rags to riches, I've never said otherwise. What it's always done though is adapt & maintain the interest in the sport. Sometimes British Speedway has failed to do. 

Polish Speedway today bares no resemblance of British Speedway of the 70s - 80s what so ever. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
15 hours ago, Ben91 said:

This goes to show that short sighted thinking is a sport wide issue and not just a British Speedway thing. If Poland want to monopolise the sport, before long it will become a Polish only club and there won’t be a “World Championship” as such because the only people to the standard will be Poles. 

I could see advantages to riders only having one club if the other top leagues were strong as a Champions League style deal could happen. This hurts everyone long term though, even the Polish. 

I’ve read this a few times and I fail to see the logic behind it harming the Polish league. It can only be good news for them but bad news for everyone else.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, Najjer said:

I’ve read this a few times and I fail to see the logic behind it harming the Polish league. It can only be good news for them but bad news for everyone else.

It’s quite simple logic too. If Poland take the monopoly on the sport then ourselves, Denmark and Sweden will fall even further behind. Less fans means less future riders. A vicious circle which continues to get smaller. That means in 15-20 years a Grand Pix full of solely Polish riders with maybe the anomaly of a breakout natural talent from another nation (a Zagar, Vaculik etc.), but these anomalies will encompass the interest from the previously strong Speedway nations too. It no longer becomes a World Championship because the World is no longer interested, only the Polish. You and I might be interested still because we’re  already speedway fans but the next generation won’t be because they won’t have the same exposure to the sport here as have/had growing up.

Poland being the mega power closes the shop, if interest in the sport there wanes as as it continues to do here, for example, then the sport as a whole suffers. 

A slight tangent but look at darts, it was always a reasonably big concern in Britain, the sport has actively looked to increase its fan base abroad. That has led to more players from more countries, in turn leading to more interest, that means more tournaments in more countries, bigger sponsorship etc. A snowball effect. Whether you like the sport or not, darts is massive now in more countries than ever before. Speedway is currently doing the opposite.

Let’s not kid ourselves that the Poles want to have all of the pie for the good of the sport as a whole, they’re being selfish. As we can see from our own leagues, self-interest is one of the biggest flaws in Speedway moving forward. How it can then be seen as a good thing because it’s happening in Poland now too is short sighted. 

Edited by Ben91
  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It is time for Britain and Denmark to work closely together now and even have a single top level league, even better if Sweden comes on board as well.

Obviuosly pandemics and Mink not withstanding

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
23 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

I never even said EVERY track in British Speedway was owned by the Speedway but there was a significant number that were, now lost forever. 

 

Have you got a dozen or so examples ?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The sport in Poland has always been very supported and has manged to keep its self in the public eye, changing and adapting as time moves on to always stay relevant. 

The poles are trying to protect their product and in sure that it continues to evolve. 

The argument that if the poles monopolise the sport the GPS become nothing more than a polish championship and the world cup competition stops due to lack of competing nations probably doesn't worry them. 

The domestic league is far more important to them than the GPS etc these are just a sideshow in comparison. 

 

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
17 hours ago, Spl77 said:

The sport in Poland has always been very supported and has manged to keep its self in the public eye, changing and adapting as time moves on to always stay relevant. 

The poles are trying to protect their product and in sure that it continues to evolve. 

The argument that if the poles monopolise the sport the GPS become nothing more than a polish championship and the world cup competition stops due to lack of competing nations probably doesn't worry them. 

The domestic league is far more important to them than the GPS etc these are just a sideshow in comparison. 

 

Spot on..

Does anyone think that the top teams in the Premier League give a monkeys about the UEFA Nations Cup, The EURO's or indeed FIFA's World Cup?

They would gladly see them all scrapped tomorrow as it would mean "their" players only play for them, thus less fatigue and potential injury.. 

Poland's infrastructure, with TV companies out bidding each other for TV rights, and blue chip companies wanting to be associated with it so prepared to pay big money on sponsorship, will be protected at all costs I would think as much of its success is down to the very best in the world being there every week.. 

For some communities, Speedway is seen by them as the No1 sport in their area, so they too will expect their teams to do everything within their power to remain a powerful force..

If Jason Doyle and Jaimon Lidsey can't line up on a Thursday night against each other in a Swindon v Belle Vue meeting, no one in Poland will be losing any sleep over it...

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
18 hours ago, Spl77 said:

The sport in Poland has always been very supported and has manged to keep its self in the public eye, changing and adapting as time moves on to always stay relevant. 

The poles are trying to protect their product and in sure that it continues to evolve. 

The argument that if the poles monopolise the sport the GPS become nothing more than a polish championship and the world cup competition stops due to lack of competing nations probably doesn't worry them. 

The domestic league is far more important to them than the GPS etc these are just a sideshow in comparison. 

 

They may not care, you’re right. But it is short sighted if they don’t. That short sightedness and self-interest could come back to bite them. If Poland is suddenly the only country where the Speedway is good the knock on effect is that over time Poland will be the only country where people care about Speedway. It is easier to kill the popularity of something than increase it. 
 

They may have always been well supported but looking to the past is a sure fire way to ruin the future. Look at football, England won the World Cup using a 4-4-2 formation in 1966 and it tooK the best part of 40 years for the national team and those at club level to stop being stubborn and realise this wasn’t the only, nor the best way to be successful any longer. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I believe that their realisation of self interest and short sightedness only having a negative long term affect on Polish Speedway was the key reason they pulled back from this when they threatened to introduce iot a couple of seasons ago.

I'm sure there was a lengthy interview/article at the time in the Speedway Star with one of the senior Ekstraleague owners?!

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