2021 Season

[Skidder1 7,633]

15 hours ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

Thriving is a word that can describe speedway in the uk in two categories only one been the youth series and the other been amateur racing. Think league racing will continue to struggle until the clubs embrace them. Two many clubs are not interested in youth riders until there old enough to sign and not enough cater for your weekend racer. Build form the bottom to feed the top 

All very well if you have access to your track/stadium at weekends??!!!

[Najjer 2,887]

19 hours ago, Tsunami said:

Several clubs have tried the £10 entrance at special meetings.

Only for one week or so. New or returning people then will object to the “increase” the following week as that’s likely one of the reasons they stopped or haven’t ever been before. It needs to be over a sustained period of time and actually just reduced full stop. Some tracks charging £18 is madness. 

[Ben91 1,743]

33 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

All very well if you have access to your track/stadium at weekends??!!!

This highlights every potential solution having an equally valid roadblock.

Perhaps this is where regionalisation needs to be considered. It’s a shame and an idea I have long been against but perhaps the way forward is one league split into north and south conferences as is the way in the major US sports. Each has a league winner, then there are also play-offs to crown an overall champion at the end of the season. 

With more local(ish) meetings riders would have to take less time off of work to race. Particularly handy for tracks that race midweek. 

[HGould 2,213]

4 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

This highlights every potential solution having an equally valid roadblock.

Perhaps this is where regionalisation needs to be considered. It’s a shame and an idea I have long been against but perhaps the way forward is one league split into north and south conferences as is the way in the major US sports. Each has a league winner, then there are also play-offs to crown an overall champion at the end of the season. 

With more local(ish) meetings riders would have to take less time off of work to race. Particularly handy for tracks that race midweek. 

wake up

 

That was the exact plan for the Championship in 2020.

6 in North 6 in South / Home and Away v each team and then another home and away v teams in your half then play off of top 6

[TotallyHonestJohn 3,078]

5 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

This highlights every potential solution having an equally valid roadblock.

Perhaps this is where regionalisation needs to be considered. It’s a shame and an idea I have long been against but perhaps the way forward is one league split into north and south conferences as is the way in the major US sports. Each has a league winner, then there are also play-offs to crown an overall champion at the end of the season. 

With more local(ish) meetings riders would have to take less time off of work to race. Particularly handy for tracks that race midweek. 

Honestly 

Been there and done that... also six man teams... some promotions liked the idea and others hated it... slight majority against but those were the bigger boys who ultimately held sway... and more importantly didn't want change...

I think it will be mid January before the mist clears and we see in what direction  the sport goes as there are still many unknown factors at present IMHO to say for sure what will happen...

If the past is anything to go by not much will change format wise and the sport will bumble along aimlessly as usual...

Hope I am wrong but don't hold out much hope...

Regards 

THJ 

[Fromafar 10,358]

2 hours ago, HGould said:

I think Speedway got to stop beating itself up on that score though as all Sports now same and many far worse.

my footy team (Villa), my cricket team (Bears) my rugby team (Worcester) all in far bigger debt and reliant on TV deals and benefactors.

 

 

 

Unfortunately there are no big TVDeals and Wealthy benefactors to help out Speedway.It’s like the secret service regarding TV money,where it goes and who benefits.

[Ben91 1,743]

57 minutes ago, HGould said:

wake up

 

That was the exact plan for the Championship in 2020.

6 in North 6 in South / Home and Away v each team and then another home and away v teams in your half then play off of top 6

What I said wasn’t the exact plan at all. I hope you get a dictionary for Christmas. Look up “exact” and “thriving” when you do. 

Edited December 21, 2020 by Ben91

[HGould 2,213]

5 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

What I said wasn’t the exact plan at all. I hope you get a dictionary for Christmas. Look up “exact” and “thriving” when you do. 

you'll mellow with age and stop being so needy ....happy christmas and stay safe.

 

[Ben91 1,743]

2 minutes ago, HGould said:

you'll mellow with age and stop being so needy ....happy christmas and stay safe.

 

You started it. And my dad’s bigger than your dad. Merry Christmas! 

[Fromafar 10,358]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all us Forum Fannies,(myself included)

[StevePark 2,780]

1 hour ago, Ben91 said:

This highlights every potential solution having an equally valid roadblock.

Perhaps this is where regionalisation needs to be considered. It’s a shame and an idea I have long been against but perhaps the way forward is one league split into north and south conferences as is the way in the major US sports. Each has a league winner, then there are also play-offs to crown an overall champion at the end of the season. 

With more local(ish) meetings riders would have to take less time off of work to race. Particularly handy for tracks that race midweek. 

Depends on where the riders live (obviously!!), they may not live local to their home track!!

[phillwhitewasmad 1,487]

5 hours ago, HGould said:

Youth Racing and the programme being led by Neil Vatcher and the GB Academy is excellent news for the future.

Not sure where "amateur" racing fits in, especially when one ex rider now in his 70's pointed out in the Speedway Star the other week; that Scunthorpe is full over over 50's riding every weekend.

That may be good for the pocket on the Chairman, not sure it benefits anyone else.

Speedway can't survive as a recreational pastime for a lot of amateur riders however nice it may be if you are one of them.

Hope surely lies with the youth programmes on the track; and attempts of some Clubs to bring youngsters in to watch the sport from the terraces, which works for Brummies.

 

As i see it if club owners are benefitting then clubs are helped with the finances . also if you look at the fields for the amateur riders at Scunthorpe yes there is a large proportion of competitors who will never race at any other level but without them competing the meetings wouldnt be viable , so in effect reduces track time for those who have a chance of making the level required.

also hope does lie within the youth system but if you look at all the amateur meeting lists lots of Neil Vatchers young lions are competing in them but without the hobby riders as well meetings wouldnt be viable

[Najjer 2,887]

5 hours ago, Ben91 said:

This highlights every potential solution having an equally valid roadblock.

Perhaps this is where regionalisation needs to be considered. It’s a shame and an idea I have long been against but perhaps the way forward is one league split into north and south conferences as is the way in the major US sports. Each has a league winner, then there are also play-offs to crown an overall champion at the end of the season. 

With more local(ish) meetings riders would have to take less time off of work to race. Particularly handy for tracks that race midweek. 

I think that ship sailed for the “South” when we lost Newport, Exeter, Reading, Trelawny, Plymouth, Swindon and even Rye House to an extent from the division  The old premier trophy meetings were always great season openers.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Najjer

[Tsunami 10,219]

4 hours ago, Fromafar said:

Unfortunately there are no big TVDeals and Wealthy benefactors to help out Speedway.It’s like the secret service regarding TV money,where it goes and who benefits.

Rubbish. The monies found from SKY were allocated to a 'finders fee' to Terry Russell who negotiated it, the rest was divided up by the number of teams in the Elite league, plus one share for the Premier league teams. The PL share was divided up be the number of teams in the PL.The PL money was a sop to the PL teams for giving them the guests to field full teams for the TV meeting. 

 

[Fromafar 10,358]

47 minutes ago, Tsunami said:

Rubbish. The monies found from SKY were allocated to a 'finders fee' to Terry Russell who negotiated it, the rest was divided up by the number of teams in the Elite league, plus one share for the Premier league teams. The PL share was divided up be the number of teams in the PL.The PL money was a sop to the PL teams for giving them the guests to field full teams for the TV meeting. 

 

OK ,you are obviously in the Secret Service