JamesHarris

I don't think it's dead but it does need to evolve. If I'm honest I haven't been to a meeting since the end of 2013 as I wanted a complete break from the sport. I am tempted to go and watch a meeting this year (probably at Leicester) but even though I am fortunate to be financially comfortable, I am still asking myself is it really worth it at £18 each and then £3 for a programme plus food and drink? If I was going to see some of the best riders in the World and be a part of a buzzing near to capacity crowd I wouldn't hesitate but deep down I know I won't be getting good value for that money. I could go out for a really nice meal and drinks for less. I could go down to my local non-league football club and watch a decent game with a decent sized crowd and have a good laugh for £7. For less than the two adult admissions and programme we could go to the cinema or the bowling alley and have a much better time. The promoters need to understand their audience and what their audience expect for their cash. You just can't take them for granted anymore. The days of opening the gates and expecting the same crowd plus more to come and watch more of the same are over. I've said before that speedway in the UK is mostly played to a die hard working class audience. One you price those loyal customers out then the game is over. The biggest problem speedway has IMO - you are basically seeing the same riders race all the time. Just in a different race jacket depending on what night of the week it is.

What's the traffic like around Perry Barr in the evenings? I've been there a few times recently in the day and it has been a nightmare with all the roadworks and building work going on. Surely that can't be helping?

Not read through all of the posts so sorry if I'm a bit late to the party here, but are admission prices extortionate? It's a hard one to answer. It's not as extortionate as say paying to watch Premier League football but it is a very expensive night out. The question you have to ask is are you getting value for your money? Sadly I think the answer to Speedway here is no! Speedway has always played to a selective typical working class audience. The demographics of that audience tend to be older people and die-hard supporters. What promoters risk doing is pricing those die-hard supporters out and then you are in trouble. Promoters have to cover insurance costs, medical cover, stadium rent, staff costs, rider wages etc, etc and also make a bit for themselves (it is a business after all). It's a very fine line but you do have to ensure that you are giving the punter a good night out for their hard earned cash.

Losing interest? Once a Speedway fan always a speedway fan or you wouldn't be bothering browsing sites like this. I've watched a couple of televised meeting now they are back on Eurosport and it's been a bit of a mixed bag. I enjoyed the Peterborough v Wolves match and was very impressed with Luke Becker. I watched a few heats of the Ipswich meet on Monday and turned it over because it was boring me. I think with the lack of foreign superstar riders over here now Speedway in the UK has a golden opportunity to re-set itself.

At the end of the day it's their land and they are entitled to do what they see fit. Business is business. However the loyal Somerset fans who have spent their hard earned cash at both the speedway and the clubhouse over the years deserve honesty. The Hancock's would have more respect out of this if they were just honest and said "look, we've had an offer on the land we can't refuse and have sold it". Disappointing yes but at least honest. Hiding behind the Covid curtain and blaming it all on that is just a blatant lie. I was in the area last month and went and had a nosey. The land was being dug up and most of the signs for speedway were being removed. It was fairly obvious what was happening. Honesty goes a long way.

Don't make any apologies for having an opinion mate. The social media "blackout" is just token bandwagon jumping. Some things do get very personal on here I agree and the perpetrators are a small minority of keyboard warriors. Criticism is a good thing as long as it's constructive. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it is becoming the norm now that you are not allowed to have one unless it is the correct one and on the approved playlist. Unfortunately everything now has to be this sugar coated world of unicorns and rainbows.

Cardiff is like the Monte Carlo of the Speedway GP - It has glitz and glamour. It is set on a waterfront. It is a temporary tight small circuit and just like the Monte Carlo of F1 overtaking is minimal and first out the traps usually wins. I'd love to see the GP return to Osdal. A proper big, wide, racers track. Maybe they could stage a Commonwealth GP?

I was in the area on Thursday and went to have a nosey. I drove past and saw the land around the arena was being ripped up. The arena is still there but if speedway was to continue i don't know where the parking would be. Also sign's for the clubhouse have been taken down. I think this is the end for Somerset speedway and the reason of the uncertainty of covid was just a cover. Saying that if you were in the Hancocks shoes and offered big bucks for the land what would you do?

That is true. But unfortunately I personally cannot support "ghost teams". The BSPA finally ran out of patience with them and when Cradley closed shop it finally gave them the excuse to remove that thorn from their side. Ghost Teams are run by enthusiasts that can't be denied. BUT there is a distinct difference between those that genuinely are seeking to bring back speedway to towns and those that are using a name from the past to play fantasy speedway without any intent of putting their money where their mouths are. Without naming names a very successful "club" in the early years of the MDL gave it large how they wanted to bring back speedway to the area. I told them how the owner of a certain greyhound circuit within a racecource was a motorsports fan and they should approach him. Said fantasy club were not interested. Enough said.

Just want to say a big thumbs up to Laurence for keeping this going. It may only be 3 teams but it keeps the league alive when it looked like it was dead. It will be 10 years in June since the MDL (MSDL) launched.

Sorry just had to start this thread.

Have you ridden a speedway bike before?

Fair enough if that's how you feel. I would suggest though that you put yourself forward, make an offer to the promotion and put your money where your mouth is.

Have you been to any speedway meetings in the last 10 years? There was this thing called the Midland Development League

Maybe Hans Nielsen has been approached about a comeback?

Well it's a bold signing that's for sure but one can't help think the owners are throwing their money around with more focus on winning a trophy than focusing on managing the finances. As someone else has pointed out Workington comes to mind. Very risky for a track that has been operating in the National League and still would be if it had not been for Somerset deciding not to run. I wish them luck but I really hope this doesn't end up being a reckless move that will bankrupt the club. British speedway has lost enough tracks over the last decade without losing any more.

Its Crazy isn't it. Can you imagine if in Rugby Union they said Wasps and Leicester Tigers couldn't play their respective home games on a Saturday because Leicester were the senior team and had priority. Or Even in football. It would never happen. Each team has its own support base. If Plymouth ran on a Friday night it would have no effect whatsoever on Scunthorpe's attendance.

Simple answer. The BSPA does not like what they refer to as "Ghost Teams" unless it suits them of cause. There have been a few such teams using such names operating in the junior leagues over the last few years but prior to the 2020 season the powers that be banned them. I think Cradley not running was finally the excuse they needed to remove this thorn from their sides. I think it got to a case where some of the people (not all I may add) running the ghost teams were nothing more than a bunch of glory hunters using defunct names to play real life fantasy speedway. The BSPA gave them a criteria that they had to show concrete proof that they had acquired land to build a new track in the catchment areas of the said defunct clubs but the reality of that happening is like Donald Trump becoming the president of Greenpeace. Things can change though and if Rob Godfrey ever decided it may be good business to run a second team in the National League as either Halifax Dukes or Hull Vikings the ghost team rule would change overnight.

It comes under Rugby council

You say it as it is and it is very true. Unfortunately British speedway will never change whilst it is run as a personal fiefdom by two promoters who only have their own interests at mind. This type of governance was ok back in the 1960's when we had competent businessmen running the show like Mr Ochiltree but it does not work in 2020. British speedway needs to move with the times. It needs to be run by an independent third party who has no financial or commercial interest in any club. Promoters could still have a say and voting rights of course but not the power that a select few individuals enjoy at the present.

I've said it once before and I'll say it again. Now is the perfect time to create one or two British franchise teams to race in the Polish League. Any smart business minded promoter would realise this. If Poland are going to call the shots (and who can blame them) it's better to co-operate than fight against it.

I bet his cell mate will be riding him into the dirt.

He's got plenty of years ahead of him. I don't think he's in the same class yet as the greats but we'll see

Must admit I was a bit bemused when I read about it earlier. He is British born I'll give him that but I have a very long memory and I remember him being interviewed when he won his first GP at Hackney in 1996. The interviewer made reference to his British birth and saying it was a home win for the fans to which Crump replied "your'e not having any of this one. I'm not bloody British". He was a youngster back then of cause and this year is just about getting a decent meeting on.

It would be the perfect time to start a British franchise team to race in the Polish League.