Oxford back Are there any chance of other defunct tracks returning

[uk_martin 1,606]

17 hours ago, mikebv said:

minimally  restricted DU'ing...

Minimally???  I don't think there were many more than half a dozen riders in the PL last year that didn't double down with the CL. Some teams were completely made up of double-downers. How is that "minimally"?

Edited March 7, 2022 by uk_martin

[mikebv 10,273]

13 minutes ago, uk_martin said:

Minimally???  I don't think there were many more than half a dozen riders in the PL last year that didn't double down with the CL. Some teams were completely made up of double-downers. How is that "minimally"?

Wasnt it just over 8 point averages not allowed to DU? 

ie Minimum restrictions.. 

 

[Falcon1983 557]

If you get a few teams back in 23 then you weaken both the prem and championship and just have two leagues

The prem should become what the championship is now ans the championship should be something between what it is now and the National league

[frigbo 518]

There are already too many teams...

[proud panther 1,505]

16 minutes ago, frigbo said:

There are already too many teams...

Surely there can't be too many teams. We just need to set the standard of riders to what the teams can afford to pay them. 

[mikebv 10,273]

9 hours ago, proud panther said:

Surely there can't be too many teams. We just need to set the standard of riders to what the teams can afford to pay them. 

3 Leagues, six man teams, or maybe five if needed to provide excess riders for replacements.. 

Div One - Fully Pro.. 

Div Two - Semi Pro..

Div Three - Old Heads/New Riders/Paid expenses to cover running costs.. 

Clear demarcation within the leagues to drive aspirational growth and ambition..

Guests allowed (if needed), but not within same league, only up or down leagues..

As a rough rule of thumb.

Fanbase 1000+ = Div 1

Fanbase 600 - 1000 = Div 2

Fanbase <600 = Div 3

With the number of teams per league set structurely according to income based on fanbase/sponsorship.. 

No cherry picking what league you want to ride in so you can use riders which are "too good" for that level...

And start delivering leagues that actually mean something to win, and encourage growth and development for both riders and teams, and, ultimately, the sport itself..

Edited March 8, 2022 by mikebv

[uk_martin 1,606]

5 hours ago, mikebv said:

Div One - Fully Pro.. 

Div Two - Semi Pro..

Div Three - Old Heads/New Riders/Paid expenses to cover running costs.. 

Clear demarcation within the leagues

So where would the likes of Jason Crump, Bjarne Pedersen and Rory Schlein fit in? You don't get older heads than them. Imagine what their running costs would be.  Anyone capable of fiddling an expenses claim would have a field day.

5 hours ago, mikebv said:

Fanbase 1000+ = Div 1

Fanbase 600 - 1000 = Div 2

Fanbase <600 = Div 3

Fanbase or attendance? Fanbase is vanity, attendance is sanity. So who has more than 1,000 people coming through the gate every week? You're going to end up with one hell of a huge Div 3 and a tiny Div 1

[ch958 2,395]

I think what has been suggested is radical and workable. It might not be perfect as a plan but we can't go on like this. Its easy to chip away at posts like this, but how about coming up with a better solution instead of why this may not work. Not so easy

[brianbuck 928]

Going back on topic, if speedway is to come back to Bradford, I'd suggest that the stadium owned by Bradford (Park Avenue) Football Club could be a much better option than Odsal. Bradford PA are amongst the strugglers in the National League and their attendances are quite low, so they would probably welcome additional income from the speedway. Photographs of the stadium show it to be small, but quite modern, and there is already an athletics track surrounding the football pitch. 

That's about the limit of my knowledge of the venue, but perhaps someone living in that neck of the woods could give a better opinion?

I think personally, that it would be very difficult to get an atmosphere in a stadium as big and sprawling as Odsal, so perhaps the football club could be a better proposition? (I'm told also, that former Bradford Speedway promoter Allan Ham is now one of the football club's directors!)

[mikebv 10,273]

3 hours ago, uk_martin said:

So where would the likes of Jason Crump, Bjarne Pedersen and Rory Schlein fit in? You don't get older heads than them. Imagine what their running costs would be.  Anyone capable of fiddling an expenses claim would have a field day.

Fanbase or attendance? Fanbase is vanity, attendance is sanity. So who has more than 1,000 people coming through the gate every week? You're going to end up with one hell of a huge Div 3 and a tiny Div 1

Old heads would be those like Tony Atkin who still slide a bike...

The riders you mention would be Div One or Two..

And if Div 3 is the most viable for the most teams then that would be absolutely fine...

As water finds it level so should UK Speedway...

Then build from there...

[marko 956]

Last I heard Arena Essex was being used as a covid test centre so I still don’t know if any building work has even started yet, I bet the track is still there though, such a waste, the sport could have carried on there for at least a couple of seasons.

If it ever comes back to Essex and I doubt it now, most former fans would have been lost to the sport because once something is gone, it takes a lot to get it back.

I hope Oxford does ok because it’s been a long time since they last rode and people would have moved on.

[Triple.H. 1,986]

It has to be remembered that Oxford City Council were fully behind retaining the Stadium for sporting and leisure use,also our former local MP Andrew Smith along of course with the Committee formed to save the stadium. 

Other areas aren't as lucky with having the local council on board. 

[Derrickn 56]

On 3/8/2022 at 3:27 PM, brianbuck said:

Going back on topic, if speedway is to come back to Bradford, I'd suggest that the stadium owned by Bradford (Park Avenue) Football Club could be a much better option than Odsal. Bradford PA are amongst the strugglers in the National League and their attendances are quite low, so they would probably welcome additional income from the speedway. Photographs of the stadium show it to be small, but quite modern, and there is already an athletics track surrounding the football pitch. 

That's about the limit of my knowledge of the venue, but perhaps someone living in that neck of the woods could give a better opinion?

I think personally, that it would be very difficult to get an atmosphere in a stadium as big and sprawling as Odsal, so perhaps the football club could be a better proposition? (I'm told also, that former Bradford Speedway promoter Allan Ham is now one of the football club's directors!)

Without taking out the athletics track,there is no way Horsfall stadium could be used for speedway.Another problem is the football pitch is of the synthetic 4g variety,so defiantly no bikes allowed on that surface.Interestingly,Bradford fc 's former home at Park Avenue staged noise tests for speedway,just before the stadium closed,but nothing came of it.

[arnieg 3,638]

44 minutes ago, Triple.H. said:

It has to be remembered that Oxford City Council were fully behind retaining the Stadium for sporting and leisure use,also our former local MP Andrew Smith along of course with the Committee formed to save the stadium. 

Other areas aren't as lucky with having the local council on board.

Reading did, but what they also had was Gaming International.

[noaksey 345]

47 minutes ago, Derrickn said:

Without taking out the athletics track,there is no way Horsfall stadium could be used for speedway.Another problem is the football pitch is of the synthetic 4g variety,so defiantly no bikes allowed on that surface.Interestingly,Bradford fc 's former home at Park Avenue staged noise tests for speedway,just before the stadium closed,but nothing came of it.

It's in a residential area isn't it?