I got hooked in 1964.   Speedway, of which I new little or nothing, arrived in Sunderland in 1964. The Sunderland 'Saints' were born. I attended the first Meeting not sure what to expect. From the first race I was captured by the noise, the smell (Castrol 'R') the excitement, the thrills and the spills. What a Sport, I thought - this is for me. Nine weeks later it was all over. Granted the weather was not very kind to us, however we had no rain offs. The 'Saints' closed because of weather and lack of support, so the Promoters  said. However, the Gates were not that bad - I know because I was there at all of the Meetings. The Promoters though had a hidden agenda. Newcastle 'Diamonds'  who were third in the League took our Ken Sharples and the Wolverhampton  ''Wolves' who were bottom of the League acquired Jim Airey, Gordon Guasco, and Colin McKee. That Season, Newcastle finished as League Champions with Sharples scoring well for them and Wolverhampton finished in third place thanks to getting our riders. Promoters Bridgett and Parker claimed that the crowds were too low. The penultimate Meeting had an attendance of 6,000 (source - Sunderland Echo). No, it wasn't crowds or weather that closed Sunderland, it was the fact that both Promoters wanted to strengthen, what they regarded as their premier Teams. Sunderland was sacrificed purely in the interests of Newcastle 'Diamonds' and Wolverhampton 'Wolves'. Am I bitter - well the answer to that is a resounding YES. Even after fifty six years, it still leaves a sour, nasty taste in my mouth.

Exactly why it’s important these young riders have someone to help them build the right mindset rather than break their existing one down. I’d argue mindset mentorship as opposed to skillset mentorship would be more beneficial to those naturally talented youngsters.  The current Rushen or Cairns debate is interesting. Of course it’s natural to discuss who is better, who will be better etc. on the forum and social media, wouldn’t it be great to see both make the absolute most of their potential though. They can learn from each other now and push each other through their careers if they have the right mentorship. We’ve all been kids of that age, there can be a certain end of the world feeling to even the most minor of setbacks. That’s where they need an arm around the shoulder to tell them it’s all about the experience and to keep their feet planted and chins up. That goes for all young riders.

Thats social media though.This a Forum so nothing likely to change.Thats Life these day in any form.

Make that the "1 Big League" then. Leave Belle Vue, Ipswich, Sheffield, Leicester & King's Lynn to come up with their own NEW format for a potential "Super League." What I would like, it's inventive:- 5 man teams for the regular season, home & away x2. Now, the invention 😬 An "All Team Tournament" x2 at each stadium, where a 'World Cup' style format can be used & the points also count towards the league table. Points can be standardised, like: Regular League: Win 3pts, Draw 1pt, Lose 0pts ATT: 1st 6pts, 2nd 4pts, 3rd 3pts, 4th 2pts, 5th 0pts

indeed, there are certain posters on here who cant help but have a dig at Boughen. 

Social Media can massively mentally impact these kids today... Resilience and a "who gives a f**k what you say?" attitude are in much shorter supply these days given the kids are exposed to non stop feedback and, sometimes, trolling... Getting things "too easy" in life can also dilute ambition and sacrifice, which can also prevent growth, desire, and development... Any semi decent kid seems to be the "next Woffy" according to too many, with the reality being that to get to World Class level, by the age of 18 to 20 you are usually beating World Class riders if not regularly, then at least more than occasionally... It sometimes appears that any 16 year old kid that can beat riders of the same, or similar age, gets expectations well above what his level truly will be... Which can only put unrequired pressure on... Joe T in the play off final is a clear example of pushing these lads into top tier team places that they are not ready for, and can do nothing for his confidence, however, hopefully he will put it into context and continue to show gradual improvement to reach a decent level in the sport...