Newcastle vs Redcar SGB Championship 29th May 2022- 4pm

[lisa-colette 6,032]

1 hour ago, szkocjasid said:

That can work both ways, say there's a poor weather forecast, 50 fans decide to stay at home & watch the stream (maybe 30 sales), but if there was no stream maybe only 25 fans would give it a miss & the others chance it is on?

Streaming would help a club if a fan decides not to go in bad weather, but not if they would have gone if there was no stream to watch!

Yes, would be interesting to know how much streaming has affected the gate/admission, especially clubs like Poole, Plymouth, Edinburgh and Scunthorpe who do it weekly.

[Fortythirtyeight 841]

12 minutes ago, Sings4Speedway said:

Ssshhhh....don't mention Flat Track. If any promotor stopped and thought about riders turning up and paying them to ride they would shut up shop in an instant. Very easy to see that pay to ride, practice days, amateur events can all generate a decent income for a venue (that has sensible out goings)  clearly wouldn't work everywhere but suits some. 

The issue with amateur/individual based is that you just won't get the attendances of riders or spectators in sufficient numbers over a sufficient amount of weeks. Interest might peak early on but will be very quiet before the season is out (and thats based upon happening on an appealing race day like a weekend) . The IOW are making it work but they have an exceptional team and ethos and the levels they put in would simply baffle most promotions.

As Flat track events are run at a lot of current speedway tracks who hire out their stadium to the organisers what’s your point ?

The IOW make ‘ it work ‘ on a very small scale, riders pay to ride, they get a very small paying crowd, so it works on a very small and occasional scale, it’s not a full time business. Good on them for doing it but it doesn’t baffle anybody. 

[Fromafar 10,370]

50 minutes ago, MRA said:

The Problem with speedway is that the premier and championship leagues comprise of the same riders (44 riders out of 51) are championship riders riding in the premiership. There is no easy route for young riders to progress which means the sport will stagnate and will only survive by loosing one or two team per season. I have seen the sport decline season by season from the 1980s. The problem is the biggest gang of promoters sets the rules each season. Last year young riders were brought into the league but it had minor problems like Leon Flint staying at reserve on a seven point average. Instead of amending this to say any riders gets over 5 must go into the main body of the team for x number of matches. It was scrapped. Every season the rules change which will always be detrimental to the sport.

I’m not sure that you are correct about Flint ,think he finished up in main body of Team.

[cinderfella 865]

3 minutes ago, Fromafar said:

I’m not sure that you are correct about Flint ,think he finished up in main body of Team.

Has the fact that reserves are now considered part of a team a problem compared to the 'old days' when a team's reserve had to ride for his place week in week out against the other novices/juniors at their chosen track.

Certainly reserves back then wouldn't have been trying to make a full time living from the sport but it kept young riders on their toes looking to break into a team

[Fromafar 10,370]

1 minute ago, cinderfella said:

Has the fact that reserves are now considered part of a team a problem compared to the 'old days' when a team's reserve had to ride for his place week in week out against the other novices/juniors at their chosen track.

Certainly reserves back then wouldn't have been trying to make a full time living from the sport but it kept young riders on their toes looking to break into a team

Well remember the “ Vulture” races at Old Meadowbank.It was still difficult to get Jimmy Tannock out of the Team though.!!!

[Shadders 4,135]

19 hours ago, lisa-colette said:

There was talk of them coming back not too long ago. Do you think they will? 

You’re always hopeful, but I have my doubts 

[Shadders 4,135]

1 hour ago, Fromafar said:

I’m not sure that you are correct about Flint ,think he finished up in main body of Team.

He certainly did 

[mikebv 10,290]

22 hours ago, Jaizer said:

You don't improve a product by reducing the quality to the lowest denominator. That's a recipe for disaster quicker than British speedway is going already. 

I think sedgys form so far in comparison to the 2 names aforementioned would be very desirable. As I understand the rules can apply for visas after 12 months, Grant's been in charge for far longer although I know some dispute with this being a new company I've read elsewhere might be why taken so long.

Even that situation, look at Birmingham. They've used belle Vue to sponsor Pearson and Glasgow to sponsor sedgy. There are way around it if you wish to find them.

I mean what do we do next season if a club decided to build 3/4 points below that points limit? Just keep reducing it? Here an idea, put bonus points back in GSA's. Job done

One of the main issues facing the sport is that the Championship is too strong...

For example. Too many Div One HL's means it is too big a jump for Div 3 riders...

Which means they will have to find a way to reduce the standard, or run the same standard but with less teams...

There is zero point in running a match featuring a team with three Div One Heat Leaders against a team with none, as no one "wins", (especially the brand)...

The biggest challenge will be though how to reduce the level to make everyone competitive, whilst still giving Div One HL level riders plenty of rides in the Championship, whilst also charging circa twenty quid at Tier 2 level for the privilege to watch...

However that is the challenge that was obviously coming from the moment the double up/down floodgates were allowed to be opened, and a challenge that has so far been steadfastly avoided to be taken up...

Ironically the "lack of variety" Premiership is the one league of the top two that actually is competitive, so a reduction in teams in Div 2, (say eight?), maybe would deliver the same? 

With the rest forming a "decent level" 3rd Tier...

Less teams per league means more riders available to cover injuries and fixture clashes without using guests from the same league, which can only be a good thing to give the currently lacking in kudos leagues some real credibility..

Personally those teams that have taken advantage of the rules by upgrading at home, and also dont bother getting in guests away from home, deserve some credit for taking the advantage given by such a ridiculous situation of such an uncompetitive league being allowed to happen, especially when it was crystal clear the season would unfold exactly as it has..

Edited May 30, 2022 by mikebv

[Shadders 4,135]

2 hours ago, MRA said:

The Problem with speedway is that the premier and championship leagues comprise of the same riders (44 riders out of 51) are championship riders riding in the premiership. There is no easy route for young riders to progress which means the sport will stagnate and will only survive by loosing one or two team per season. I have seen the sport decline season by season from the 1980s. The problem is the biggest gang of promoters sets the rules each season. Last year young riders were brought into the league but it had minor problems like Leon Flint staying at reserve on a seven point average. Instead of amending this to say any riders gets over 5 must go into the main body of the team for x number of matches. It was scrapped. Every season the rules change which will always be detrimental to the sport.

They attempted something in the second tier in 2006, British reserves stayed at reserve no matter their average during the season. Steve Boxall (Rye House) and Jon Armstrong (Mildenhall) averaged 7 at one stage which some promoters didn’t like, so that idea was dropped mid season

Edited May 30, 2022 by Shadders

[ruffdiamond 6,115]

1 hour ago, Fromafar said:

I’m not sure that you are correct about Flint ,think he finished up in main body of Team.

 

9 minutes ago, Shadders said:

He certainly did 

 

5 minutes ago, Shadders said:

They attempted something in the second tier in 2006, British reserves stayed at reserve no matter their average during the season. Steve Boxall (Rye House) and Jon Armstrong (Mildenhall) averaged 7 at one stage which some promoters didn’t like, so that idea was dropped mid season

Maybe the guy meant, that Flint was doing a rising star thing for a 2 pointer/whatever as a guest?,,,

but yeah,he ended up in the main body for his home team,,, seems quite bizarre really. 

[ch958 2,395]

for the guys worried about their earnings - one big league would give them 2ce as many meetings and they wd meet the top guys fewer times.

And before anyone says lesser riders will suffer, in the halcyon days - for every Ivan Mauger there was, e.g .a Ken Wakefield who could only dream of beating Ivan.

Many riders never rose above 2nd string level but were liked by the fans if they put the effort in. 

Then we could kiss DU/DD goodbye

[cinderfella 865]

7 minutes ago, ch958 said:

for the guys worried about their earnings - one big league would give them 2ce as many meetings and they wd meet the top guys fewer times.

And before anyone says lesser riders will suffer, in the halcyon days - for every Ivan Mauger there was, e.g .a Ken Wakefield who could only dream of beating Ivan.

Many riders never rose above 2nd string level but were liked by the fans if they put the effort in. 

Then we could kiss DU/DD goodbye

Can't agree with getting twice the meetings. Say 18 teams which would mean 34 matches where as at moment with 6 PL and 11 CL teams they would get 40 meeting plus KO Cup and play-offs.

[robbieblackadder fan club 145]

I’m afraid to say in the majority of sports poor teams generally means poor/lower crowds and speedway is no different 

[enotian 562]

8 hours ago, StevePark said:

 

 

He must also have meant that he tried to sign the above (inc Batchelor) before the season started and Batch hadn't signed for Oxford at the time of asking?

He tried to sign Batchelor before he decided to sign for Kent last season

[enotian 562]

20 hours ago, Diamond geezer said:

What I find puzzling with Rob Grants interview tonight (and for the record it was nice having a voice finally), was the comments about not being able to sign foreign riders - this linked to inability to apply for a sponsors licence (visa) following the liquidation of the original company he took over. 

 

I would love to find the quotes from him last season, think they could have been in the speedway star. But I am sure I have read that he tried to sign last season 

- Kenneth bjerre

- Martin Smolinksi 

- Troy batchelor 

then again this season, I am sure I have seen a quote saying he tried to convince bjarne pedersen of riding. 
 

one question - was that all bollocks then? 

I don't know if it was bollocks or not and as someone has said it's how hard you try that matters. Offering low terms would never attract those riders but you'd still technically tried, however futile that attempt was.

But to try and unpuzzle you, and I'm not an expert, but I think EU riders who have previously ridden in the UK were all able to continue to ride in the UK post Brexit. Either without a permit or are guaranteed a permit. Bjerre, Smolinski, Pedersen and Vissing all fall into that category. Not sure about non EU riders but the attempt to sign Batchelor was mid season when he already had a permit to ride in the PL.

What Newcastle couldn't do is sign new foreign riders because the promoters didn't have a sponsors license. If you think about the 2020 line up that never happened it was possible to sign Skorja and Smetaka as EU riders at that point but not for 2021 without a sponsors license.

Now even with a sponsors licence some riders Smetaka(?) might not be awarded a permit as they don't fit the criteria. Which is why he never got to be in the Poole team last season I think. 

In summary it was possible to sign those riders without a license last season, I think.