villiers210 61 Posted December 18, 2011 (edited) I just do not see the academy at all relavent in this argument. Kev - you make it sound as though Non Mildenhall supporters dont want an acedemy. From my part, you have made totally the wrong assumption there. I think the idea is wholly commendable, and its high time that British speedway took a leaf out of the book of the Danes and the Swedes etc,and operated a fully organised acedemy for British youngsters. I don't think that any right minded person would argue with that. However, that has absolutely nothing at all to do with this unpaid fee to the BSPA saga. Lets not start to throw up a smoke screen here. The fact is that Mildenhall ride in the British N.L., and as such they must pay their fees in exactly the same way as everyone else for the privelage of doing so. If they don't, then that is simply unfair on the rest of the clubs in the league, as they then have to bear the brunt of it, and again, I'm thinking here of not my own club, but clubs like Buxton who struggle year after year to make ends meet. That is simply not fair, and should not be tolerated. Please tell me, what makes you think that the likes of Buxton should have to "mop up" non payment from other clubs? First and foremost Mildenhall are a NL speedway team - first and foremost they should honour their obligations for that. Furthermore, I cannot believe for the life of me how these events have unfolded. If the BSPA didn't tell Mildenhall how last years unpaid fee should be paid, I find that very odd. What I find even more peculiar, is that if this was the case, then Mildenhall didn't ask!! And what I find absolutely mind-blowing, is that Mildenhall, knowing that they had unpaid fees that had to be paid back, then spent "thousands of pounds" on a completely different project, leaving them unable to repay their debt. Edited December 18, 2011 by villiers210 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
June 203 Posted December 18, 2011 Kev. Thanks for your reply. Firstly , I'm not on here to quarrel with you or any speedway fan. Were all in it together! You are talking in a different manner regarding the NL. though. No way could I and others get away with calling it a developement league last year, you just wouldn't have it. so you've softened a little . We at Scunny do nothing different to other clubs, excepting that, Rob Godfrey goes along doing his best to bring british youngsters on. That doesn't mean to say that as a club we have to use all british riders. Our Premier team has got to be competative like others. Rob is doing a great job trying to satisfy us fans who want the best of both worlds. can't be easy for him! As for your comment referring to the Aussies and we have one next year ( Tom Armstrong ) for the Prem team, come on, the difference in J Jacobs and the 5 or 6 others out there now compared to about 30ish to come into our leagues isn't exactly two way traffic. Befor everyone says I'm against foreigners, I'm not, just dont want our sport over-run with them. Just call me Patriotic! Would I go to watch an all foreign team of riders. Definately not! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norwichkev 66 Posted December 18, 2011 I just do not see the academy at all relavent in this argument. Kev - you make it sound as though Non Mildenhall supporters dont want an acedemy. From my part, you have made totally the wrong assumption there. I think the idea is wholly commendable, and its high time that British speedway took a leaf out of the book of the Danes and the Swedes etc,and operated a fully organised acedemy for British youngsters. I don't think that any right minded person would argue with that. However, that has absolutely nothing at all to do with this unpaid fee to the BSPA saga. Lets not start to throw up a smoke screen here. The fact is that Mildenhall ride in the British N.L., and as such they must pay their fees in exactly the same way as everyone else for the privelage of doing so. If they don't, then that is simply unfair on the rest of the clubs in the league, as they then have to bear the brunt of it, and again, I'm thinking here of not my own club, but clubs like Buxton who struggle year after year to make ends meet. That is simply not fair, and should not be tolerated. Please tell me, what makes you think that the likes of Buxton should have to "mop up" non payment from other clubs? First and foremost Mildenhall are a NL speedway team - first and foremost they should honour their obligations for that. Furthermore, I cannot believe for the life of me how these events have unfolded. If the BSPA didn't tell Mildenhall how last years unpaid fee should be paid, I find that very odd. What I find even more peculiar, is that if this was the case, then Mildenhall didn't ask!! And what I find absolutely mind-blowing, is that Mildenhall, knowing that they had unpaid fees that had to be paid back, then spent "thousands of pounds" on a completely different project, leaving them unable to repay their debt. Agree with a lot of that in principle Villiers, I took Mildenhall out of the equation to attempt to take tribalism out of the argument. Some like the idea of being Brit only & an NDL my view has always been it is the wrong vehicle we need to start from grass roots up - but at the moment all is fragmented and 12 months on we are no further forwards. Not a smokescreen either, listening to the radio link it would appear the Academy is genuinely under threat - what I, and presumably you, do not know is the details of how this situation has arisen and without apportioning blame presumably there has been a glitch in communication between both parties that needs a resolve ( quite possibly due to the late package rushed through to get Mildenhall running last year - in which the BSPA were a key factor in enabling that to happen and rightly recieved plaudits for ). As for the Academy from memory I think this was on the blueprint and business plan that was part of the reason for acceptance into the NL, so again am assuming that this is honouring the commitment. Have seen nowhere any suggestion that any other club is expected to "mop up" any monies, not sure where that one started from. Lets hope both parties can speedily agree a solution that works for both sides. Again from a non Mildenhall point would you not though agree that BSPA support and funding should be available to develop Acadamies? Kev Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Leslie 3,213 Posted December 18, 2011 However, that has absolutely nothing at all to do with this unpaid fee to the BSPA saga. Lets not start to throw up a smoke screen here. The fact is that Mildenhall ride in the British N.L., and as such they must pay their fees in exactly the same way as everyone else for the privelage of doing so. If they don't, then that is simply unfair on the rest of the clubs in the league, as they then have to bear the brunt of it, and again, I'm thinking here of not my own club, but clubs like Buxton who struggle year after year to make ends meet. That is simply not fair, and should not be tolerated. Please tell me, what makes you think that the likes of Buxton should have to "mop up" non payment from other clubs? First and foremost Mildenhall are a NL speedway team - first and foremost they should honour their obligations for that. Spot on. If you want to race in the BSPA leagues, then you contribute to the running costs by way of the fees. That's the plain and simple facts. Anything else is a smokescreen. The BSPA were very generous to the new Mildenhall promotion last season by allowing them to start their season first and pay their fees later (unlike every other club who had to pay on time). Having been given that generous concession it's disgusting that Mildenhall are abusing the generosity by still not paying up 12 months late. And claiming that the BSPA want Mildenhall to pay twice what every other club is paying is a downright lie. Wonder if Mildenhall have also told HMRC that they won't be paying their VAT bill because they want to spend the money on something else? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
villiers210 61 Posted December 18, 2011 Agree with a lot of that in principle Villiers, I took Mildenhall out of the equation to attempt to take tribalism out of the argument. Some like the idea of being Brit only & an NDL my view has always been it is the wrong vehicle we need to start from grass roots up - but at the moment all is fragmented and 12 months on we are no further forwards. Not a smokescreen either, listening to the radio link it would appear the Academy is genuinely under threat - what I, and presumably you, do not know is the details of how this situation has arisen and without apportioning blame presumably there has been a glitch in communication between both parties that needs a resolve ( quite possibly due to the late package rushed through to get Mildenhall running last year - in which the BSPA were a key factor in enabling that to happen and rightly recieved plaudits for ). As for the Academy from memory I think this was on the blueprint and business plan that was part of the reason for acceptance into the NL, so again am assuming that this is honouring the commitment. Have seen nowhere any suggestion that any other club is expected to "mop up" any monies, not sure where that one started from. Lets hope both parties can speedily agree a solution that works for both sides. Again from a non Mildenhall point would you not though agree that BSPA support and funding should be available to develop Acadamies? Kev Kev like I said, no right minded person would argue against an academy. I myself am 110% behind it, just as I am the Darren & Sharon Boocock acedamy in Oz that do brilliant work without one penny piece of funding from Britain. However, I maintain that this is indeed a smoke screen, because the academy and the BSPA fees are 2 entirely different issues. Any clubs first responsibility is to pay its way, and no club can be allowed to be a "special case" because of x y or z. To pay its way and stand up as an organisation that doesnt owe money is their primary duty. As far as other clubs "mopping up" monies, nobody said that before me. It is a simple case of mathematics. If the NL costs a certain amount of money to administer, and there are 10 teams in the league, all 10 pay an equal amount. If 1 team doesnt pay, then the others have an extra burden. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norwichkev 66 Posted December 18, 2011 Kev like I said, no right minded person would argue against an academy. I myself am 110% behind it, just as I am the Darren & Sharon Boocock acedamy in Oz that do brilliant work without one penny piece of funding from Britain. However, I maintain that this is indeed a smoke screen, because the academy and the BSPA fees are 2 entirely different issues. Any clubs first responsibility is to pay its way, and no club can be allowed to be a "special case" because of x y or z. To pay its way and stand up as an organisation that doesnt owe money is their primary duty. As far as other clubs "mopping up" monies, nobody said that before me. It is a simple case of mathematics. If the NL costs a certain amount of money to administer, and there are 10 teams in the league, all 10 pay an equal amount. If 1 team doesnt pay, then the others have an extra burden. Best we ask John Leslie then as he seems to know all the BSPA dealings as far as Mildenhall are concerned :-) maybe he can explain in depth the repayment agreement that according to some of the posts obviously must have been in place, then we can move on - although has made zero contribution as far as the way of Brit development goes which is the crux of the matter. Part of the problem, not the solution? Must have been a well thought out smokescreen though if the Academy launch was built into the original submission though don't you think? Are the NL finances seperate from the other leagues or all under the one banner? As for fees vs academy any business has one pot of money, and good business has a business plan with forward cash flow projections and run the business accordingly. Moving back to the point that has been overlooked should BSPA support and funding be available to develop academies? Kev Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
villiers210 61 Posted December 18, 2011 Best we ask John Leslie then as he seems to know all the BSPA dealings as far as Mildenhall are concerned :-) maybe he can explain in depth the repayment agreement that according to some of the posts obviously must have been in place, then we can move on - although has made zero contribution as far as the way of Brit development goes which is the crux of the matter. Part of the problem, not the solution? Must have been a well thought out smokescreen though if the Academy launch was built into the original submission though don't you think? Are the NL finances seperate from the other leagues or all under the one banner? As for fees vs academy any business has one pot of money, and good business has a business plan with forward cash flow projections and run the business accordingly. Moving back to the point that has been overlooked should BSPA support and funding be available to develop academies? Kev I dont think it matters one iota whether the NL finances are a seperate entity from the rest of Speedway or not, the pinciple is the same - if all teams don't pay their dues, it makes it harder for the rest of them. Our disagreement here seems to revolve around the issue that I do not see that the academy issue and the BSPA fee are at all related, and you obviously do. We are going to have to agree to disagree on this. I just hope that some satisfactory conclusion can be brought about to the agreement of everyone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
canaryboy1 0 Posted December 18, 2011 I dont think it matters one iota whether the NL finances are a seperate entity from the rest of Speedway or not, the pinciple is the same - if all teams don't pay their dues, it makes it harder for the rest of them. Our disagreement here seems to revolve around the issue that I do not see that the academy issue and the BSPA fee are at all related, and you obviously do. We are going to have to agree to disagree on this. I just hope that some satisfactory conclusion can be brought about to the agreement of everyone. I'm not going to get involved with "How/When any fees are paid,but I do think that 1 or 2 posters only come on here to have a "Pop" at Mildenhall. I for one think that Messrs. Louis,Lee & Jolly have done a first class job at West Row this season and also Rob Henry has managed the team very well,the trophies in the cabinet speakes for itself. If we are not careful then there will be NO speedway at West Row in 2012 and that will be very sad indeed,the NL needs clubs like Mildenhall,whether certain people like it or not. I hope the BSPA & Mildenhall Promotion can come to an aggreement. K.K. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhilK 150 Posted December 21, 2011 Taken from the Official Mildenhall website Further Update... Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:21 The promotional team would like to keep all Fen Tigers fans up to date with regards to the current situation. "We have worked very hard to re-budget and re-schedule our payments and have made a request to the Management Committee with regards to payment terms of the Promotional Rights and National League Entry Fees. We have requested a stage payment of the Entry Fee that would see the fee paid in full by the end of August and would certainly help the cash flow situation at the beginning of the season. We would like to stress that the club to this day has not defaulted on any payments and the entry fee is only relevant to new clubs and or promotions and is a one off payment. It would however delay our plans for the Academy but of-course the club and its fans are the most important elements at West Row. The fans have been so very supportive and 2011 has been so much fun for everyone at Mildenhall that we promise to do all we can to fulfil our long term goals at the club........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
berniev123 58 Posted December 22, 2011 Taken from the Official Mildenhall website Further Update... Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:21 The promotional team would like to keep all Fen Tigers fans up to date with regards to the current situation. "We have worked very hard to re-budget and re-schedule our payments and have made a request to the Management Committee with regards to payment terms of the Promotional Rights and National League Entry Fees. We have requested a stage payment of the Entry Fee that would see the fee paid in full by the end of August and would certainly help the cash flow situation at the beginning of the season. We would like to stress that the club to this day has not defaulted on any payments and the entry fee is only relevant to new clubs and or promotions and is a one off payment. It would however delay our plans for the Academy but of-course the club and its fans are the most important elements at West Row. The fans have been so very supportive and 2011 has been so much fun for everyone at Mildenhall that we promise to do all we can to fulfil our long term goals at the club........ Simples..............pay up for the 2011 Bond before the new season starts or close in 2012! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damo b 10 Posted December 22, 2011 Simples..............pay up for the 2011 Bond before the new season starts or close in 2012! OR you could ask for a deffered payment or staged payment for a few months to assist cash flow...no harm in asking....roll on 2012. Either way Im certain the Tigers will be racing in 2012, the crowds are to big to close. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fentigers79 6 Posted December 22, 2011 Maybe an idea for the promotion would be to advertise and sell season tickets, it would give a cash injection at the beginning ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lovey 20 Posted December 22, 2011 (edited) Joe Jacobs has sustained a broken left ankle, racing in Australia: http://craic-photogr...6941552_fkx3fNM Currently (22 Dec) in Joondalup Hospital (north of Perth) undergoing an operation on the damaged bone(s). More info via his Facebook pages. Edited December 22, 2011 by Lovey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damo b 10 Posted December 22, 2011 all sorted now with staged payments, and team should be announced before the new year !!! nice 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhilK 150 Posted December 22, 2011 all sorted now with staged payments, and team should be announced before the new year !!! nice Thats right mate, from the Official Mildenhall website - An Agreement Has Been Reached!! Thursday, 22 December 2011 17:28 The Mildenhall Promotion team and the BSPA have agreed staged payment terms that will see Michael Lee, Chris Louis and Kevin Jolly continuing at West Row. We are so relieved to get an agreement in place that finally enables us to finish our team building plans and build on what was a fantastic start to the project in 2011. With the 'Promotional Rights' bought and a payment plan in place for the National League Entry Fee, Fen Tigers fans can look forward to a more settled period in the clubs history and can rest assured, that we are even more determined than last season to bring pride and success to West Row. We intend to finalise the team as soon as possible and would hope that our fans will know the full line up maybe before the New Year. It's exciting times for us now that everything is in place and although the final agreement has delayed our Academy plans we are still keen to see it up and running during 2012 Merry Christmas 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
