DC2 11,150 Posted August 1, 2019 This Eastbourne promoter thinks there is a 60:40 chance of one league next year: https://www.eastbourne-speedway.com/ian-jordan-reveals-the-ingredients-for-success/ 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craigACE 91 Posted August 1, 2019 Not enough teams who could compete with the ones who would be at the top. I have always wanted a European style comp. But it cannot happen because the riders are involved with 2 Clubs. That then brings you to , There are not enough riders. The good thing about a bigger League is the excitement of meeting different teams. I just do not know how i feel about it overall though. I think it will go-ahead. I will carry on following as ever. I have said it before, Speedway is a great Sport. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GWC 495 Posted August 1, 2019 Sweeping changes needed - In a league of 16 teams, assuming that is the level set, you could build a team of 5 riders to a total average of 28 from the current PL and CL. The reserves would not be signed to a team and be available as and when. The majority would have to come from the NL. An increased NL allowing part time & amateur riders with emphasis on rider development. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevebrum 6,824 Posted August 1, 2019 Under the current format it wouldn’t work with the current amount of teams as there aren’t enough riders to fill all teams. would need a radical rethink, 6 man teams would still be a push. Sadly the days of a strong top flight league look to be numbered. However can see more clubs closing and riders retiring because they can’t make the new structure work or pay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DC2 11,150 Posted August 1, 2019 1 hour ago, stevebrum said: Under the current format it wouldn’t work with the current amount of teams as there aren’t enough riders to fill all teams. would need a radical rethink, 6 man teams would still be a push. Sadly the days of a strong top flight league look to be numbered. However can see more clubs closing and riders retiring because they can’t make the new structure work or pay. You constantly say there isn’t enough riders when in fact there is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craigACE 91 Posted August 1, 2019 2 hours ago, DC2 said: You constantly say there isn’t enough riders when in fact there is. There are not enough riders. That is why they ride for 2 teams. As well as they do not get enough money riding for 1. And the gap between the top and bottom would be huge. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ch958 2,395 Posted August 1, 2019 there are enough riders - the same claim was made in 68 and 69 as i have said before and lo and behold the riders were there. Its more a question of making it cheaper to race so they can earn something in the 70s when the big boys were posting averages of 11/11.5, how average do you think some of the riders across the league were that they couldn't actually beat them? There was an imbalance as there would be this time - no problem, it worked 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
startline sid 157 Posted August 1, 2019 12 minutes ago, craigACE said: There are not enough riders. That is why they ride for 2 teams. As well as they do not get enough money riding for 1. And the gap between the top and bottom would be huge. I am sure there will be few Swedish/Danish lads who would enjoy riding here - Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HGould 2,213 Posted August 1, 2019 interesting assessment from Eastbourne. I started a "One Big league" thread on News and Discussions back in May after an article by Matt Ford in Speedway Star. That has run and run with some very good and thoughtful ideas. This article is at least showing some Clubs are thinking ahead and not just burying head in the sand and also very realistic that they admit might be a year too soon for them. The current format seems doomed, something has to change. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DC2 11,150 Posted August 1, 2019 40 minutes ago, craigACE said: There are not enough riders. That is why they ride for 2 teams. As well as they do not get enough money riding for 1. And the gap between the top and bottom would be huge. There are plenty of riders. We went through that last year. There might be fewer riders this year because there’s no longer a clash of race days between the PL and the CL and consequently more riders might be doubling up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RS50 359 Posted August 1, 2019 1 hour ago, HGould said: interesting assessment from Eastbourne. I started a "One Big league" thread on News and Discussions back in May after an article by Matt Ford in Speedway Star. That has run and run with some very good and thoughtful ideas. This article is at least showing some Clubs are thinking ahead and not just burying head in the sand and also very realistic that they admit might be a year too soon for them. The current format seems doomed, something has to change. Trouble is, the way speedway is going, could be one big league next year, one small league in about 5 years, and then? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted August 1, 2019 7 minutes ago, RS50 said: Trouble is, the way speedway is going, could be one big league next year, one small league in about 5 years, and then? A sport staging spasmodic one-off individual events by a couple of promoters on an irregular basis at about four stadiums prepared to allow the sport to be used for it. Something akin to what is taking place in California, USA. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevebrum 6,824 Posted August 1, 2019 4 hours ago, DC2 said: You constantly say there isn’t enough riders when in fact there is. And I’ve provided the facts based on this years 2 league structure. There isn’t enough unless you use riders from the NL, and as evidenced this year alone some are already out their depth and have asked to be dropped. If you could provide me with facts that there are enough riders from this year to fill all teams next season then go ahead. There isn’t an abundance of riders wanting to ride here and those that do (eg Tobias Thomsen at Birmingham) some are out of their depth. Plus you have to factor in those riders who can’t make one league pay (the excuse that’s often pedalled out for reason why the double up) to retirement I ask you again - where are all these riders please? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DC2 11,150 Posted August 1, 2019 14 minutes ago, stevebrum said: And I’ve provided the facts based on this years 2 league structure. There isn’t enough unless you use riders from the NL, and as evidenced this year alone some are already out their depth and have asked to be dropped. If you could provide me with facts that there are enough riders from this year to fill all teams next season then go ahead. There isn’t an abundance of riders wanting to ride here and those that do (eg Tobias Thomsen at Birmingham) some are out of their depth. Plus you have to factor in those riders who can’t make one league pay (the excuse that’s often pedalled out for reason why the double up) to retirement I ask you again - where are all these riders please? I did it last year and I can’t be bothered to do it again. Just count the number of different riders who rode in both leagues. I recall it came out sufficient for 17 teams, so about 120 riders. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g13webb 4,254 Posted August 1, 2019 I for one would welcome a single league, with riders attached to only one team. Looking back as I often do , part of the enjoyment was the riders formed the backbone and strength of each team. Although the riders knew each other well, they would never be team mates within the team structure, and were looked upon as the enemy. My take these days is because the riders ride for so many teams they have a job to know who their own supporters are... But we mustn't think changing to one league would solve our all our problems, it would be just the start. We need to run British Speedway as it's own entity . Race on nights that suit each club and not be bothered about clashes with other countries or competitions. We want tracks that are uniformly prepared so to ensure decent racing. We want new rules to excite the racing and not be a hindrance or a time factor. No going back to the pits when the ref decides to call them back. So what if someone anticipated the gate. if a riders does wrong, let the race continue and exclude at the finish. They'll soon get use to the rules and the meeting would flow much better... I wouldn't stop the top riders from racing, but they race at our convenience not just on a night that suits their schedule... WE need to start again from the beginning to grow into a sporting occasion that people want to watch, and not live on past laurels... 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites