Conspiracy Theory (sky Meetings)

[ch958 2,398]

SGP ... hearing much the same as you.

 

Lots of merger talk regarding the EL and PL doing the rounds at Tuesday's General Council, especially if it helps to secure a TV deal. One thing is for sure... EL cannot carry on as it is, most if not all tracks haemorrhaging financially.

 

Talk is that the big earners and highest averaged riders will have to be sacrificed but where would that leave someone like Tai Woffinden. Would he be effectively barred from racing in his own country?

 

no not barred just riding for an affordable wage

if he can make more elsewhere - bye bye

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

PROBLEM not so much his wages but his ability... easy pickings in a combined league

[AndyJ 95]

Very unexpected news SGP and I can only hope that your sources are solid!

[Mike.Butler 601]

I think I read that Tai will be 'going home' to Australia when he finishes riding....

But that shouldn't be a bar...British and Colonial riders only in new league please..and only those who sign up to all UK fixtures. Applying that rule means we will be left with what we are left with; but no British promoters paying for flights, and no machines to maintain in other countries should immediately bring the cost of our admission down a quid or two..

If Scotty wants to ride in continental meets then he will have to sit out the UK.

The sooner we get riders having home meetings EVERY week from april-september in the UK the better...guarantee them 60 meetings a year and hopefully the choice for some will be easier..

It's a vicious circle at the moment..less meets because of rider availability means it's more likely they will need foreign leagues...Address point 1 and bingo point 2 disappears.

If any promoter thinks they can run 14 meetings a season then i'm sorry they are not guaranteeing british based riders a chance to make a living..so there should be no place in the short term for those tracks (except at NL level). If and when the upturn comes then they will be welcome back on the above terms. NO FULL SEASON, NO ENTRY!

Edited June 13, 2013 by Mike.Butler

[Shale Shaker 106]

One wonders that if a deal done with Sky on a merged EL / PL leauge would including financing of the Air Fences which will be mandatory for all clubs next year.

 

Or maybe this requirement is already pre-empting the merger of the leagues.

[Humphrey Appleby 13,977]

Lots of merger talk regarding the EL and PL doing the rounds at Tuesday's General Council, especially if it helps to secure a TV deal. One thing is for sure... EL cannot carry on as it is, most if not all tracks haemorrhaging financially.

 

Long overdue, but undoubtedly motivated by what will happen if the Sky largesse stops (as appears quite possible). Can't really see one big league being viable though - more like two equally sized leagues pitched somewhere slightly above and slightly below current BPL standard.

 

Talk is that the big earners and highest averaged riders will have to be sacrificed but where would that leave someone like Tai Woffinden. Would he be effectively barred from racing in his own country?

 

A business can only pay its employees what it can afford, and whilst you can speculate to accumulate in the short term, the experience of the past 20-25 years is that the 'top stars' simply aren't pulling the crowds and justifying their earnings. The sport simply won't survive if it continues to haemorrhage money, so sadly some tough decisions need to be made.

 

Personally, I always thought cheaper admission, a regular and more varied fixture list, and rider continuity from week-to-week would be a far better strategy for speedway than splurging money the sport doesn't have on teams of itinerant journeymen.

[Conkers in Gravy 120]

It was interesting to hear Tatum, Louis and Pearson last night talking up the Premier League meetings and admitting the EL matches had been pretty dull so far this season (not the exact words, but the sentiment was clear). Maybe we're being softened up for PL-only (or combined league) racing on Sky next season. On this season's evidence it's hard to argue that wouldn't be a good thing.

[The White Knight 9,039]

It was interesting to hear Tatum, Louis and Pearson last night talking up the Premier League meetings and admitting the EL matches had been pretty dull so far this season (not the exact words, but the sentiment was clear). Maybe we're being softened up for PL-only (or combined league) racing on Sky next season. On this season's evidence it's hard to argue that wouldn't be a good thing.

 

Let's hope so. :approve:

[Conkers in Gravy 120]

 

 

Long overdue, but undoubtedly motivated by what will happen if the Sky largesse stops (as appears quite possible). Can't really see one big league being viable though - more like two equally sized leagues pitched somewhere slightly above and slightly below current BPL standard.

 

 

 

 

A business can only pay its employees what it can afford, and whilst you can speculate to accumulate in the short term, the experience of the past 20-25 years is that the 'top stars' simply aren't pulling the crowds and justifying their earnings. The sport simply won't survive if it continues to haemorrhage money, so sadly some tough decisions need to be made.

 

Personally, I always thought cheaper admission, a regular and more varied fixture list, and rider continuity from week-to-week would be a far better strategy for speedway than splurging money the sport doesn't have on teams of itinerant journeymen.

 

Is there an opportunity for genuine promotion and relegation with two leagues of similar standard?

[SCB 15]

The viewing figures this year have been ok with Premier league racing more than holding its own and there will be more meetings during the season. What has been very good to see is how many people who are watching Speedway via Sky's on demand service with regular downloads of over 10,000 requests in the week it is on there.

 

As others have said the bspa need to decide what product they have to offer and what they can do to provide value for money on a tv deal.

Surely if Pl is holding it's won with the EL on Sky then the format next season is moot. The people just want speedway. I doubt if many people watcuing care where the teams are int he league, who they are, what riders it is as long as they see a good race. Most of the people wathcing Tuesday had probably not heard of Fricke, Neilsen and Tabaka but I bet they enjoyed the races they were in.

 

 

Lots of merger talk regarding the EL and PL doing the rounds at Tuesday's General Council, especially if it helps to secure a TV deal. One thing is for sure... EL cannot carry on as it is, most if not all tracks haemorrhaging financially.

 

Talk is that the big earners and highest averaged riders will have to be sacrificed but where would that leave someone like Tai Woffinden. Would he be effectively barred from racing in his own country?

It shouldn't be hard to work something out. Tais wnats to ride British League but he's too good, so give him the challenge of starting form 15 metres. The same could be done for any other EL rider with an average over 7.2. That way rider either ride on their PL average or they can ride on their EL average from 15 metres. So you could have Kennett on 10.5 from the tapes or 6.5 from 15 metres. Any rider with a fro the gate average of over 8 could be give the choice of starting 15 metres back on a reduced average. It also means that when Craig Cook is an 11 point man, rather than Edinburgh having to send him off to the EL, he can just ride for 15 metres for them on a 7 point average.

 

Surely the biggest issue is Eastbourne and Lynn only wanting about 14 meetings a season while Sheffield want 20+ Then saying that, it may work out better as Coventry, Swindon and Wolves (any EL club actually) can take part in the Premier Trophy which rather than being a pre-season thing could run throughout the season (up to the mid of July, with semis by mid August and final by the end of September).

 

The other issue is that riders could not double up and lower order riders are going to want to ride for the teams riding in the league and trophy and not just the league teams but I guess thats the incentive to ride both.

 

The issues can be over come and some sort of merging would, should and would have to work for both of the leagues.

[salty 2,208]

You mention Eastbourne and Lynn wanting 14 meetings, but that is with the current cost base of overseas riders and fitting in meetings around international fixtures.

You offer Buster, Dugard or whoever a league comprised of domestically domiciled individuals available every Saturday and Sunday and then Eastbourne and Lynn would probably be quite happy holding weekly (probably weekend) Speedway again.

[Humphrey Appleby 13,977]

Is there an opportunity for genuine promotion and relegation with two leagues of similar standard?

 

I think finances in speedway are too fragile to go down that route. Promotion and relegation only really works where there's more demand for places in a higher league than can be accommodated, and where there are sufficient replacement teams to replace any that financially fall by the wayside.

 

Speedway teams need to be able to race at the level most appropriate to their economic situation - the sport can't afford to lose any unnecessarily.

[manchesterpaul 447]

I had opted out from speedway for over a decade when the last merger occurred so not sure what caused it to fail. I think i remember reading something since about self-interest in rider reallocation or something? However i so long for the leagues to be united as one - in a non-geographical divide.

 

The current handful of same old, same old teams on Sky each week must be a little puzzling and tiresome for general sports viewers, even speedway fans. So long as rider resources are shared fairly and TV income likewise then i think it would be a great boost. Only trouble is if we have to have the pitiful, shameful and farcical 'pick and choose' fixture set up we have now.

 

A full home and away schedule would mean just over 20 home meetings a year. Now some tracks who in recent years pulled out of the KO Cup etc because they can only afford to run a skeletal fixture list will have to hope that 22 meaningful matches without seeing the same opponent more than once will bring the fans in to cover the few extra meetings they'd have to run. At the end of the day you sign up to compete in the sport and the full league programme or you don't.

[Grand Central 2,654]

I had opted out from speedway for over a decade when the last merger occurred so not sure what caused it to fail. I think i remember reading something since about self-interest in rider reallocation or something? However i so long for the leagues to be united as one - in a non-geographical divide.

 

The current handful of same old, same old teams on Sky each week must be a little puzzling and tiresome for general sports viewers, even speedway fans. So long as rider resources are shared fairly and TV income likewise then i think it would be a great boost. Only trouble is if we have to have the pitiful, shameful and farcical 'pick and choose' fixture set up we have now.

 

A full home and away schedule would mean just over 20 home meetings a year. Now some tracks who in recent years pulled out of the KO Cup etc because they can only afford to run a skeletal fixture list will have to hope that 22 meaningful matches without seeing the same opponent more than once will bring the fans in to cover the few extra meetings they'd have to run. At the end of the day you sign up to compete in the sport and the full league programme or you don't.

 

I think you are both right and so, so wrong all at the same time.

 

I thought that 1995-1996 was a brilliant time for watching Speedway, for all the reasons you say. And more.

But truthfully it did not work at all.

Trying to amalgamate so many different 'wants' of promotions, riders etc etc under the one umbrella was completely impossible.

 

And I bet it will prove to be again. Even with some Sky dosh (hopefully) to paper over the cracks.

I am genuinely sorry to say.

 

 

 

[luluthetiger 221]

The Premier clubs will have nothing to do with the Elite League if they know what's good for them,if it was nearly financial suicide in 1995 it may well be even worse now

 

Go back further.

 

Nearly sixty years ago, the top league ran aground, and incorporated the lower division into 'one big league'. It didn't work, and the sport had to be saved by the arrival of a new lower league in 1960.

 

In 1963, the top league was in disarray and tried to 'promote' Wolverhampton against their will -- result was a year of rebellion and total divorce of the two divisions, ending with the virtual capitulation of the top league.

 

In 1990 the top league was in trouble (again) and totally conned the lower division into surrendering five clubs to prop it up.

 

In 1995 the top league was wobbling once more and forced lower-league clubs into that financially-cripping 'one big league".

 

Three years ago the Elite League was in a panic, and bribed Lynn and Birmingham to move out of the PL to prop it up. That's worked, hasn't it? Or maybe not.

 

We must await the next six months with interest.