SarahLapworth 79 Posted August 7, 2014 Whilst I can put my hand up and say I have had little involvement in speedway this year and have not attended any meetings I have observed with interest the current crisis if you will with the Elite league in its present state. I hope you don't mind me sharing my views. So what is wrong with the Elite league? Well its hard where to start really. I don't wish to jump on the perennial doom and gloom bandwagon but we have to admit this year the product has not been good and we could be seeing the beginning of the end. Birmingham have closed down and Eastbourne look set to go at the end of this year (Mr Dugard has stated that the regular crowd is only 700). The main thing we have to ask ourselves now is are we getting value for our money - the simple answer is a big fat NO!. Crowds are going down because it is simply too expensive for a family now to attend on a regular basis. Wages have not increased for ages and the cost of living continues to rise yet we are asking folk to part with their hard earned cash to pay upto £18 each week per person (excluding kids of cause). Now lets face it people don't mind paying this is they are getting value for their money (football is well attended at roughly the same price or more) but the Elite League is a watered down product compared to what it used to be. People want to see the best riders in the world if they are paying top dollar - thats why Cardiff is so well attended but we can probably count on one hand the amount of GP riders that race here and maybe on two hands the number of truly world class riders. When I first started going to speedway back in 1993 each team had 3 world class heat leaders and the second strings were knocking on the door. Fast forward to 2014 Each team probably has a 1 top rider or maybe 2 if your lucky, the rest is made up of premier league regulars. Doubling up between the leagues seemed a good when the idea was first conceived, you would have the best riders in the premier league slot into the reserve spots in the Elite. It was like a natural progression. What has happened now is that this system has got out of control. The Elite league is full of riders that also race in the premier league. Supporters can no longer associate a rider with one team. You can watch an Elite league match at Belle Vue on a Monday and then go and watch premier league at Somerset on Friday. chances are you will see 60% of the same riders you say on Monday. A case of the same riders wearing different race jackets. This means that in effect the Elite League is just a glorified Premier league with a few top riders thrown in. As for the fast track system for British youngsters - This may have seemed a good idea but has become a total farce. It has weakened the Elite league and was almost certainly brought in as a cost cutting measure. Most of the youngsters are struggling and after a few meetings are dropped. The club then has to take on the next rider in line and so on. Tai Woffinden has stated that the league has to change if he is to ride here next year. I have always said that if the league is to move forward and attract the best riders in the world again we have to have a set race night. Promoters are stuck in the past if they think they can still expect to run on any night they want and the riders have to revolve around that. If the BSPA insist on continuing the status quo maybe the only way forward is to combine the 2 leagues again? At least the fans would get the variety of seeing a different team each week and each team would have different riders to the other as there would be no need for doubling up. Whatever happens the Elite league needs to change! Kelvin Lapworth 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moxey63 1,785 Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) Good post Kevin In my view, all British speedway is closer to Premier League standards these days. I don't know if the promoters have purposely done this to cut costs, but what better chance than now to sort out the league set-ups over here. We should concentrate on a competitive and professional product, perhaps even promotion and relegation - cut out the stars who are threatening to quit - and make it an all round enjoyable being. A season-long battle for promotion or fight against relegation is more mouthwatering than keeping a few big names. I know there'll be cries of "It won't work!" but it has never been given a real opportunity. A team that gets relegated wouldn't have to make wholesale changes (losing star names, world stars) and perhaps could keep the basis of the side to try and make a quick return. Just an idea. Edited August 7, 2014 by moxey63 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ColinMills 1,728 Posted August 7, 2014 said exactly the same for ages.. play offs at top, relegation battle at bottom would keep season long interest. promoters wouldnt just let the season drift that way. the leagues have never been closer, so this COULD work, and would give the sport, just a bit, credibility 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SarahLapworth 79 Posted August 7, 2014 said exactly the same for ages.. play offs at top, relegation battle at bottom would keep season long interest. promoters wouldnt just let the season drift that way. the leagues have never been closer, so this COULD work, and would give the sport, just a bit, credibility This would only work though if doubling up was scrapped to an extent. It would not be credible if the same batch of riders raced for the bottom 2 teams in the Elite and the top 2 in the Premier. Promotion/Relegation would be a good idea if it was done properly. We had the Promotion/Relegation play offs for a couple of seasons in the late 2000's but that was just a big farce 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moxey63 1,785 Posted August 7, 2014 Too right Colin And we could re-introduce a Cup competition, involving all clubs (who'd be of similar team strength). It is quite an exciting prospect, but we are just daydreamers. The men with the power seem to have been more interested with driving stars and fans away (don't know what came first). But surely they know it makes sense. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ColinMills 1,728 Posted August 7, 2014 absolutely, really really dislike this rider sharing, a team must be a team, not mix n match. the last attempt at promotion/relegation was farcical, sky never took any notice of it either! Too right Colin And we could re-introduce a Cup competition, involving all clubs (who'd be of similar team strength). It is quite an exciting prospect, but we are just daydreamers. The men with the power seem to have been more interested with driving stars and fans away (don't know what came first). But surely they know it makes sense. and get the ko cup final this time of year, school holidays, it just seems obvious, but the people that run this sport just seem intent on killing it! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moxey63 1,785 Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) They say promotion and relegation wouldn't work. They spout off every year about losing thousands of pounds on the team they've fielded. What have they got to lose? I recall the 1991 Promotion and Relegation season, the likes of Oxford and Swindon and Eastbourne coming to Belle Vue and really trying to stave off bottom place, and automatic relegation. It was a different scenario, more exciting than the current Play-Off set up we have. It would work. Two leagues, paying bread and butter guys.. it is possible. Let the stars go off and play ball elsewhere. A believable product... speedway could be that... finally! Edited August 7, 2014 by moxey63 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ColinMills 1,728 Posted August 7, 2014 im sure it would be a newsworthy move, and come relegation time, im sure you would see more inches of coverage in the press Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MattK 3,447 Posted August 7, 2014 and get the ko cup final this time of year, school holidays, it just seems obvious, but the people that run this sport just seem intent on killing it! Fans didn't turn out for the KO Cup. OK, you could argue that it was treated with contempt by promoters (which it was), but the simple fact is there's no point in flogging a dead horse. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ColinMills 1,728 Posted August 7, 2014 Fans didn't turn out for the KO Cup. OK, you could argue that it was treated with contempt by promoters (which it was), but the simple fact is there's no point in flogging a dead horse. the ko cup used to be a great competition, until yet again, the powers that be, changed the rules of it... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MattK 3,447 Posted August 7, 2014 the ko cup used to be a great competition, until yet again, the powers that be, changed the rules of it... How did they change the rules? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ColinMills 1,728 Posted August 7, 2014 wasnt the tactical rules tampered with? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moxey63 1,785 Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) The KOCup had that Man-O-Man race introduced. Think it was that Jon Cook's idea. Blame him. Also remember rider bonus points were sneaked in during the 1995 competition. The KOCup gradually lost its true meaning and attraction when the Play-Offs were introduced, the promoters in their wisdom having two aggregate competitions within days of each other. A KOCup Final could be staged in July or August. Belle Vue won the 2005 KOCup, their first in 30 years, but it was completely overshadowed by defeat against Coventry, the previous week in the Play-Off Final. Was a bit like the let down everyone experiences after that Lord Mayor's shindig thing. Edited August 7, 2014 by moxey63 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The White Knight 9,039 Posted August 7, 2014 said exactly the same for ages.. play offs at top, relegation battle at bottom would keep season long interest. promoters wouldnt just let the season drift that way. the leagues have never been closer, so this COULD work, and would give the sport, just a bit, credibility I was with you until you mentioned THAT!!! :mad: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
john birch 85 Posted August 8, 2014 (edited) A set day (Monday) is an absolute priority. It feels like Bees have had about one home match since who knows when. World cup would only effect one week and there would be no doubling up or international absences. Teams could race each other home & away on Bank hols. inc Easter Sunday.We don't need 5 GP riders per team but not the ludicrous fast track either. You only really get 12 heats for your money now with not only ht 2 + 9 a joke but the ludicrous heat 5 which must have resulted in home 5:1's in about 50% of meetings. Set a sensible points limit and have 3 GB riders per team. Get rid of the farcical tactical ride. Instead allow team 6 points down choice of gates and leave the current match points scoring system to do the rest. And for pities sake scale back aforementioned doubling up - for the umpteenth time this is the real reason Team GB are so bad. No one since Bridger offer than Woffy and Lambert have gone full time EL. It' s not rocket science! Edited August 8, 2014 by tiberon 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
