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Thank you.

Sorry for your loss.☹️

It is, and has been for a long time, a "chicken and egg" scenario... To gain major investment from outside the Speedway Bubble, they need to ensure they deliver a credible sport, with each meeting actually meaning something, and an ultimate prize which generates interest... To deliver a credible sport, with each meeting actually meaning something, and an ultimate prize which generates interest, it needs major investment from outside the Speedway Bubble already in place to achieve it... Basically. Neither can be achieved without one or the other already being in place.... And that is a huge challenge for them...

The latter is now impossible sadly.

All 100%, however, the same has been glaringly obvious for well over a decade yet "zilch" has been done about it... Literally millions and millions and millions have been spent using TV money, sponsorship, and crowd admission money over the past two decades or so... And all for what exactly??...

Until speedway has a credible product it will be difficult to get the tv coverage it needs. You won’t attract a decent sponsor until the tv deal is in place. we need two equal sized leagues with promotion and relegation so all meetings are relevant. Champions of the league decided by who tops the league and play offs for promotion and relegation. for this to truly work it must be run by a independent board with financial backing for the teams getting promoted to not only survive but to actually compete with the others

1. "f*** me! This is boring" - Newcomer after only 3 heats and 1 hour into the meeting. 2. "We're not getting value for money" - Disgruntled regular who leaves after heat 14 even though there is a junior second half as well and then has a whinge about promoters not doing enough for youngster on the forum when they get home. 3. "It's all fixed for Poole to win everything" - Everyone else apart from Poole Fans 4. "Come on' Bomber!" - Most speedway fans cheering on a popular British rider as he's usually racing for their team. 5. "Hit Him" - most speedway fans whenever any riders/officials have handbags next to the pit gate. Doesn't matter who they are (hey they could be team mates for all we care) but someone's having a scrap!!

Is it a reality that the sport in this country can no longer afford to run at the top level because the lack of major broadcaster airing the sport to a wider audience, the falling level of income from punters, owners and sponsors meaning financially it is simply not enough to cover the outgoings. A new business model needs to be adopted that allows clubs, after financial scrutiny, to run at a level which is affordable. I am sure most people would rather see tracks remaining open and providing a level of team racing given that the alternative could be that the venue closes with little chance that the relevant club will ever make a comeback. At this stage we have journeymen using the top league to top up incomes whilst plying a far more lucrative trade in the likes of Poland. Good luck to those riders who can afford to do that as no doubt the investment required in terms of machinery etc is far higher giving the demands imposed by the Polish clubs. The UK scene does not currently have the right finances in place to compete or even offer like for like terms and the sport needs a measured adjustment in order that it has a future and one day can offer/attract the calibre of riders that compete solely in mainland Europe.

It'll be interesting to see how the Wroclaw "partnership" with Ipswich goes, maybe other Polish teams will be interested in something similar?

I guess Simon Lambert turned them down …

I now have no local track This season I've been to 2 Northampton meetings (3 hour round trip) with a further one planned plus 1 visit to Ipswich (2 and a half hour round trip) That's my lot and will probably remain so each season under this format

Ultimately though, it all goes back to the lack of any major prestige, publicity and financial rewards for winning any of the competitions... If the "size of the prize" was massive, so would the crowds be... If winning really meant something, people would attend... The crowd numbers reflect the apathy that UK Speedway engenders by being so (almost), irrelevant within a sporting context... How do they get that major financial backing?.. With such poor "optics" across a breadth of issues, when looking into the sport from the outside, I am sure it must be truly difficult, if not maybe impossible, to deliver that game changing, fundamental to success, major backing...

3 things can happen Sheffield can either get sponsorship.and investment externally, they can accept that Speedway in 2026 has to be owner funded or they can pack up No doubt they've done their best to arrange the first one and are still trying, the second one is ongoing which leaves.....

I guess Simon Lambert turned them down …

All these reasons that are being said are truly valid and obviously costing speedway a lot. I go to Redcar regularly, but it is becoming a luxury. The working man’s wage just hasn’t risen with inflation over the past X number of years. In 2024 I went to Berwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Worky, Scunny, Oxford, Cardiff and more. Never been to an away match since May 25 so far. Moneys tight, fuels expensive, admission high but not excessive. All reasons the fan has to contend with. Missed 4 home matches early this year so I could go on holiday, extra £200 to spend in the sun. All coming down to priorities now I’m afraid🤷‍♂️

Tell me who has shown you the 2027 plan??? This was marked "Top Secret"...

👋 Surely the likes of Dan Thompson can't make a living from watching Speedway sat in the pits in Poland? And he needs to remember that when signing his contracts.

exactly this, last year the top four were decided by May what was the point in waiting months for the play offs, it turned 75% of the season into dead rubber meetings.

It’s a combination of all of those where Ipswich is concerned. Doyle and Sayfutdinov were incredibly popular at Foxhall. To lose not just one but BOTH in one hit, and promoting your third heatleader to number 1, is a really hard sell I’m afraid. The new stream has compounded the issue. £15 to watch with your feet up at home, or £25 to travel to the outskirts of Ipswich after a day at work? 🥴

Crowds will probably return for the pay offs (the effort matches)... and who can blame them? Where's the jeopardy in the rest of the league meetings when the top 4 in a league of 6 qualify🤷‍♂️ It's truly laughable! Although, perversely, the injury to Jack Holder has probably made Sheffield's season a bit more interesting with King's Lynn on their heels for the final pay off slot.

As someone else mentioned on the forum if you factor in the loss of the tv deal and main sponsor pulling out they were possibly 100k down on 2025 from the get go, plus it seems some promoters helped get Northampton started if Sheffield chipped in that could be another 10-25K ? (guessing). Throw in all the problems over the winter making it nigh on impossible to plan things also, I do also remember someone saying the Bates main business was also struggling so wouldn't be as much money available to bail out the Tigers. Really hope they can pull through but looking at the above there's a lot of headwinds now really hitting speedway and the possible saviors are thinner on the ground than twenty years plus ago.

Problem is, We won't just be waving goodbye to your GP riders, It's now riders like Dan Thompson and co as well. Think we're in a lot of trouble now tbh.

He's had a bit of a nibble 🤬

Sounds Great!!! Ticks almost every box!!!! The last box to tick...??? They just now need to advertise it across Gtr Manchester, to the Three Million people who all live within a 45 min drive of the NSS, letting them know when the meeting is taking place, and how much to get in, (things like that).. Do that well, and the place could be rammed... Who knows? If it works, they could then do the same advertising when the Aces are racing.... (Maybe not every box will get ticked then eh?)