Scunthorpe Saints - Not Entering N L 2013 :(

[EC Rides Again 143]

Sad day.

 

I hope that the Saints will "come marching in" once again in 2014. Maybe some Challenge matches on Bank Holidays will be arranged in 2013 just to keep things ticking over. Birmingham Bulls did this on and off for the last 3 or 4 years.

 

I think that finger pointing in this instance is a little unnecessary. There has always been an uneasy tension between the "stand alone" clubs and the "second teams". The Saints folding are just a very unfortunate symptom of that tension.

 

I really hope that Dudley find a permanent home ASAP and then they can take their "Elite" level support into the appropriate level of competition. Maybe they will then field a "Junior" team just like Scunthorpe have since 2008. Let's hope so.

Edited November 22, 2012 by EC Rides Again

[villiers210 61]

Sad day.

 

I hope that the Saints will "come marching in" once again in 2014. Maybe some Challenge matches on Bank Holidays will be arranged in 2013 just to keep things ticking over. Birmingham Bulls did this on and off for the last 3 or 4 years.

 

I think that finger pointing in this instance is a little unnecessary. There has always been an uneasy tension between the "stand alone" clubs and the "second teams". The Saints folding are just a very unfortunate symptom of that tension.

 

I really hope that Dudley find a permanent home ASAP and then they can take their "Elite" level support into the appropriate level of competition. Maybe they will field a "Junior" team just like Scunthorpe have since 2008. Let's hope so.

and I for one echo those thoughts completely. Even though we are delighted that Max has signed for us in 2013, trust me, we are depressed beyond belief that there will be no NL Scunny next year. This league cannot afford to lose ANY team. And, might I just add that regardless of the result, I really enjoyed my first visit to Scunny last year. Really hope that things get back to normal for you real soon.

[June 203]

Its got to be decided whether we ever want A british World champ again, as the way our sport is run without a training league I just cannot see it happening. I'm old enough to remember stadiums full and with plenty of good british riders to support. Nowadays some teams may have only one british rider. At the moment we have several decent youngsters coming through the ranks. Worralls Birks etc. those happen to have come through Scunny where they get loads of track time. I know there are some other tracks that give training but how long will they run, surely they are going to meet the same problems as Scunny. "From the first rung of every ladder you have to progress to next rung until you get to the top."... so call the league whatever you like but the first tier will always be the training league, whether you acknowledge it or not.

[lucifer sam 3,953]

I just withdrew a post as it was rightly objectionable, and possibly offensive.

 

Yes, I did see it before it went

 

EC and Villers are right - any arguments are pointless.

 

It does show that the National League does need to get its house in order, and sort out what exactly it is about (IMO a training league), and there also needs to be better protection towards the teams that have developed their own riders.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited November 22, 2012 by lucifer sam

[villiers210 61]

Its got to be decided whether we ever want A british World champ again, as the way our sport is run without a training league I just cannot see it happening. I'm old enough to remember stadiums full and with plenty of good british riders to support. Nowadays some teams may have only one british rider. At the moment we have several decent youngsters coming through the ranks. Worralls Birks etc. those happen to have come through Scunny where they get loads of track time. I know there are some other tracks that give training but how long will they run, surely they are going to meet the same problems as Scunny. "From the first rung of every ladder you have to progress to next rung until you get to the top."... so call the league whatever you like but the first tier will always be the training league, whether you acknowledge it or not.

i know what you're saying June, but surely the first tier these days isn't the NL, it's the amateur league. I have always had the greatest admiration for what Scunthorpe have tried to do - anybody who doesn't is a fool. I also had a real "eye-opener" at a visit to Northside last year. What they do and how they organise it there is top drawer. The biggest problem as I see it is that British Speedway should be pouring money into these facilities to develop the skills of all young British riders, not only those just starting out.

[berniev123 58]

My last two points are:

 

1............Please give this back to Scunny. They have lost a really good NL Team.

 

2............Can I ask a question? Is it not time to somehow restructure the NL & the AJL/MDL so that the Clubs who want/can run at a true 3rd Tier/NL 2013 Semi Pro League do and the others run at either 1 or 2 x 6 Heat Matches per night 4th Division/Amatuer League/Training League?

 

Please do not turn this into Dudley v the Rest of the NL..................Hope the Saints will be back sooner rather than later.

 

Mr. Godfrey/Mr Parnaby can you some how arrange to get the Saints or the Stags to Monmore Wood in an old firm Iron 'n' Steel Challenge Match in 2013?

[bamber 53]

Every couple of weeks or so i read somwhere that england/u.k./english call it what you will dont train the youngsters like the danes/swedes/poles now is the perfect time to change things..Scunny/Northside/Leicster/Buxton are all spread about the country. why dont the b.s.p.a. give money/grants or whatever to each track that runs training schools to make them better equipped with bikes,riding equipment etc...Northside just gets better everytime i go but it or they all need help to survive..a few years back we had Linlithgow,Felton,Darvel but they closed for whatever reading theres some great tracks and facilities out there they just need a bit help now and again to help them survive..The b.s.p.a. have given a donation or grant to the scolarship that sends riders to aussie every year nothing against that but i think we should be looking closer to home first and foremost....rant over.....

[cityrebel 2,960]

Every couple of weeks or so i read somwhere that england/u.k./english call it what you will dont train the youngsters like the danes/swedes/poles now is the perfect time to change things..Scunny/Northside/Leicster/Buxton are all spread about the country. why dont the b.s.p.a. give money/grants or whatever to each track that runs training schools to make them better equipped with bikes,riding equipment etc...Northside just gets better everytime i go but it or they all need help to survive..a few years back we had Linlithgow,Felton,Darvel but they closed for whatever reading theres some great tracks and facilities out there they just need a bit help now and again to help them survive..The b.s.p.a. have given a donation or grant to the scolarship that sends riders to aussie every year nothing against that but i think we should be looking closer to home first and foremost....rant over.....

don't forget sittingbourne and lydd, two excellent set ups down here in the south east!

[21st century heathen 220]

Ultimately we all want the same thing so it's a bit silly arguing amongst ourselves. All the clubs at all levels need each other to survive. Few, if any, clubs can cover all the bases from someone wobbling around for the first time to becoming a world champion. For example, take Heathens and Stoke out of the NL and overnight there will be 14 riders out of speedway for the coming year. Take the like of KL, Buxton and Scunny out of the NL and where are the riders going to come from to ride for the like of Heathens and Stoke? Each club plays a role in one way or another and all require the others.

[hunch 20]

Ultimately we all want the same thing so it's a bit silly arguing amongst ourselves. All the clubs at all levels need each other to survive. Few, if any, clubs can cover all the bases from someone wobbling around for the first time to becoming a world champion. For example, take Heathens and Stoke out of the NL and overnight there will be 14 riders out of speedway for the coming year. Take the like of KL, Buxton and Scunny out of the NL and where are the riders going to come from to ride for the like of Heathens and Stoke? Each club plays a role in one way or another and all require the others.

 

Its comforting to know that Scunthorpe were providing a service to Dudley and Stoke by training riders up for you,as your Chairman says in his press release re Max Clegg...he has been trained up on Scunthorpes mini track so should be well suited to our track...so glad we could be of service.

[lucifer sam 3,953]

All the clubs at all levels need each other to survive. Few, if any, clubs can cover all the bases from someone wobbling around for the first time to becoming a world champion. For example, take Heathens and Stoke out of the NL and overnight there will be 14 riders out of speedway for the coming year. Take the like of KL, Buxton and Scunny out of the NL and where are the riders going to come from to ride for the like of Heathens and Stoke? Each club plays a role in one way or another and all require the others.

 

Unbelievable arrogance.

 

And don't try to drag Stoke into this...

 

The purpose of the National League is to train riders for the Premier League and Elite League, not for other National League teams. No wonder British Speedway is an international backwater. We need to get our superstars of the future into the top leagues.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited November 23, 2012 by lucifer sam

[21st century heathen 220]

Dear oh dear. Don't you think every club, and many defunct clubs, would love to be able to offer training facilities, amateur league, NL and PL/EL if possible? I mentioned Stoke because it too is a stand-alone club in the NL and didn't Birks learn his trade at Scunny? If every club but those with training facilities closed tomorrow where would all the riders that would have filled positions in those clubs' team ride?

 

Quite how acknowledging the sport is stumped without the like of Scunny, and I'll add that I'm really rather envious of the set-up the club has, could be considered arrogant I really don't know. Surely it would have been arrogant had I said something like "Well we're al right, we don't need Scunny." but my feeling is quite the opposite. We, the sport in this country, desperately need clubs like Scunny and the sooner it is back in the NL the better.

[Damon 49]

My opinion on this is that, if the NL is purely a training league for the other leagues, then why should people like me pay to watch people training? In what other sport do the public pay to watch people training?

What I have seen of the amatuer league it serves a purpose, and allows some riders to ride against others, rather than just ride round and round after meetings individually. At least it has some structure, although the ones I have seen are always short of riders and are not run very well! however it is intersting to see the likes of Bailey, Grieves? and Whitmore get a ride and improve to hopefully get a reserve berth the next year. The main point here is I wouldn't pay to watch those lads training.

 

I would however pay and do so to watch the racing we have seen in the NL at times last season, usually when the teams are evenly balanced like Mildenhall, Dudley, Scunthorpe and Stoke at times.

 

IF the NL is supposed to attract paying public, then it needs to be of a decent standard, not purely a training ground for amatuers.

[lucifer sam 3,953]

Dear oh dear. Don't you think every club, and many defunct clubs, would love to be able to offer training facilities, amateur league, NL and PL/EL if possible? I mentioned Stoke because it too is a stand-alone club in the NL and didn't Birks learn his trade at Scunny? If every club but those with training facilities closed tomorrow where would all the riders that would have filled positions in those clubs' team ride?

 

Quite how acknowledging the sport is stumped without the like of Scunny, and I'll add that I'm really rather envious of the set-up the club has, could be considered arrogant I really don't know. Surely it would have been arrogant had I said something like "Well we're al right, we don't need Scunny." but my feeling is quite the opposite. We, the sport in this country, desperately need clubs like Scunny and the sooner it is back in the NL the better.

 

That's a much better post. 21st CH, just read your own previous post again. Whether you meant it or not, it read that the likes of Scunthorpe, Buxton and KL were there simply to service Dudley.

 

And Ashley Birks was a totally different matter. He'd already graduated to the Scunny PL team, so it made sense for him to ride for different PL & NL tracks last season.

 

Good luck to Max Clegg, a smashing kid with a lot of talent.

 

Meanwhile, the gulf between team in the NL needs sorting out. Yes, this league always has been a compromise between the "second teams" and the "standalones", but there should be greater protection towards the "second teams", because there aren't enough "standalones" if the second teams plus Buxton all pulled out. The standalone clubs should not be able to go and choose from the pick of the riders developed by the second teams - there needs to be something put in place to prevent this from happening again.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited November 23, 2012 by lucifer sam

[bamber 53]

Some of the N.L meetings are better than some P.L. meetings..