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Aldi and Lidl provide quality products at affordable prices. That's why they succeed. That's the real lesson to be learned. It has to be good value, just being cheap isn't good enough.

Your Belle vues resident thicko fan and everyone knows it

I don't get this thing about banning GP riders. There was only due to be one GP riding here this year anyway, and he has never, as far as I can recall, missed a meeting because of it (unless you count getting injured riding in one). Now, with Swindon pulling out, there won't be any. It just turns into another witch hunt against Jason Doyle, who has always shown loyalty to the UK anyway. I don't see why any club should not be allowed to sign a top World Class rider who wants to ride here if they want to. How does this effect other clubs? If anything, it gives them an attractive opposition when Jason comes to ride.

Massive opportunity today to revolutionise speedway in the UK, get a proper all encompassing streaming service set up, race on the nights we want to with riders who will be fully committed to the leagues and their clubs with a fan base who are going to be desperate to see some speedway if and when it gets going this year.....but will they take it? How much faith have we all got in the folk running British speedway?

The quote of “details to be revealed in due course” really means " if and when we think of something we will let you know"

Ahhhh the good old “details to be revealed in due course” British Speedway classic. What a shambles

Sad news if Somerset don't reappear in 2022, I hope they will in some form. Starting the Cardiff weekend off at Somerset on the Friday, was one of the true highlights of the season, seeing those grass banks full of different team colours defined the sport as I new it growing up.

I think our Fortnum and Mason range left these shores a long time ago.. Get what you say 100%, but if ever there was a unique time to make 'real change', it is now.. Speedway followers will never have so much understanding and goodwill towards the promoters, and will accept a fair amount of radical change I would think given the difficulties we all know they face.. Going back to the examples re running a business model, the bottom line is that if your product availability, or your employee availabilty, means you have inconsistent, customer confusing openng times, or even worse cant even open at all when your customers want you to, then you have serious issues to overcome if you want to be successful.. No point therefore self inflicting these problems.... Especially now..

Interesting that the press release on the Somerset site differs from the one released on the BSPL site where they appear to have missed off the paragraph about not being guaranteed a full campaign. Classic case of BSPL burying their heads in the sand when something is said that they don’t like perhaps? As Lord General Godfrey keeps saying “Don’t believe what they say, let’s go racing!” I must admit, I don’t overly understand that part of the press release. If Somerset are concerned about running at a loss, then what difference does running a shortened or full campaign make? That doesn’t make any sense but backs up claims of growing unrest in recent weeks between different teams and promotions. I completely understand the impact of COVID on the Oak Tree Bar and Food outlets which obviously helps subsidise the speedway so not sure how or why a shortened or full campaign play a part in that? A sad day. I think one of the most disappointing things is there has been next to no communication to Somerset fans for months about plans and genuine news like other teams in the country have managed, bar some promises and “facts” posted on here... then on the day of the AGM they are dealt a sucker punch that their team is pulling out regardless of the reasons given. With concerns about running at a loss, it makes you wonder if we’ve now seen the last ever laps of speedway at the Oak Tree Arena. Over 2 years without racing will be incredibly hard to come back from.

British speedway needs to concrete on itself instead of being dictated to by other countries , It's never going to complete financially with poland etc . Like is being said it's a good opportunity to reset and make everything run at less cost , which would then enable lower admission prices . I'm sure clubs could attract bigger crowds and recoup finances steadily. Any rider out pricing themselves would like any business have to be sensible or be left without employment.

If what I am hearing is true, how many more clubs are going to finish up for 2021? Somerset and Swindon, there is bound to be a lot more. If I am being honest, all promoters who intend to run beyond 2021 should get together and plan a decent product for 2022. One league instead of two, which consists of mostly the same riders anyway. One big league. Do away with the knock out cup, premier trophy etc and have one big league campaign and top four to the play offs. Ban any GP riders or other high ranked foreign riders who only want to ride when they fancy it. You only see one team visit every year instead of 2/3 or even 4 times a year. It is clearly obvious nothing will be happening in 2021 apart from maybe a few meetings at the tail end of the season. The country is rife with this virus , its in complete lockdown near enough and there is no way in hell by even May you will get the green light to have as many fans as you want into a stadium. No matter what a few of the fans think, I have seen it happen in Australia. There are no new cases in Victoria or active cases, yet in 6 weeks the F1 opener has been cancelled already due to no fans being allowed in. And I read somewhere that the UK want to follow Australia and NZ's examples in order to get back to some sort of normality. So prepare for another cancelled season of speedway. Idiots like Godfrey will keep you believing it is going to happen, but it wont.

This has been the whole problem with British Speedway for the last three decades at least - Promoters seem to be only interested in what benefits their own team regardless of which level they race at. IMO the only way speedway in the UK is going to move forward is with the formation of a TOTALLY INDEPENDENT administrative ruling body working alongside a committee made up of Promoters, riders and fans from all levels of the sport. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen though.

Will mr godfrey be happy if plymouth ride home meetings on friday nights, it could effect his crowds

Chocolate digestives were sold out. Had to go with biscuit replacement instead!

Serious question Geoff.. Have you had the jab recently? If so, are these the side effects you've been demonstrating the past few days? If you have, and they are, I am not sure if I will have one now to be honest..

We literally know less now than before the statement! All it’s done is raise more questions and give zero answers.

Well that was well worth the wait. Ffs. No wonder the sport is on its knees in this country.

Former club manager Dale Allitt, working in an advisory capacity, said: “Whatever happens with the outcome of the AGM, I am confident Peterborough will have a side more than capable of challenging for the top four.'' As things stand, 4th would currently be 3rd from bottom...

Another serious body blow to speedway and I fear the way things are going it won’t be the last. So many clubs are in financial trouble you can not blame owners-promoters for taking these tough decisions.

Have they decided what 4 helmet colours to use this season yet?

Not all all, that was the situation at the time, and the information I gave you came directly from a member of the management team. Since then the situation for everyone has changed drastically and the club has quite rightly reassessed where it is & how to protect the financial future of the club, which is something it has always had in the forefront of how it operates. the likelihood of a full season in 2021 is very much in doubt, despite what some would like you to think. So, no, the facts were not fiction but the facts available from the club at the time but if you wish to try to score points, go ahead, it's no skin off my nose, as I know that what I posted was correct at the time.

Thing is regardless of our team affiliation we all know the sport is in disarray, so why not use the pandemic , brexit and rider availability as the once in a lifetime chance to press the reset button. Surely it is the opportunity the sport so badly needs for a period of time they have to put personal differences aside and vote for the good of the sport and not what's good personally

Don’t understand the continued reference to the Premiership and Championship. Surely the promotors should be looking at how to save the sport as a whole, singing from one hymn sheet. Internal divisions will not help the sport out of the crisis.

Well if the rumours of Newcastle signing Ben Barker are true it would suggest that you're very much correct.

I suspect that its Plymouth who want to join the Championship and that they will take on the fixtures that had probably been allocated to Somerset. This would make sense as its as difficult to get to Plymouth as Somerset on some days of the week. I have edited this as I realise I have used the word sense! Sorry!

Thoughts of Jitendra Duffill after the AGM today : http://www.redcar-speedway.com/2021/01/14/british-speedway-plans-for-2021/

Making it up as they go along

Typical BSPA AGM then.

No!! But it seems to be the year of u-turns by the government, so maybe Poole would do one of their own Until the league we are in is covered in the AGM then I am covering all bases!

I think Plymouth might well be in line to replace Somerset?

I started going in 69 so the 70’s were very good and following second division saw the rise of many riders who became stars. Supporters got to know riders much better than they do today and didn’t mind losing a rider if they saw him progress to the top league

Somehow in the past teams were put together without averages being used. Simply put it was 3 heat leaders 2 second strings and 2 reserves. If promoters can for once come together for the sake of the sport and put aside their own interests then maybe, if the season can start, get a semblance of a competition going. Who will really care who rides for who so long as it gets speedway going and I’m convinced people will want live entertainment after so long away from the sport.

My source tells they spent most of the morning debating whether it was plain digestives or the chocolate ones for morning coffee.

No he was one of the first ones I scrubbed...

Or to put it another way... I doubt Batch would want to ride for Buster at Kings Lynn

So much for his knowledge

What a choker, been there from the start. Really hope the Rebs are back in 22. I feel for the guys who have been there helping and running things right from the start. Tbf I can’t see there being any speedway in this country next year. Hopefully the GP’s will happen again.

Here is the full club statement, for those who have only read the British Speedway release................. CLUB STATEMENT: REBELS RELUCTANTLY WITHDRAW FROM 2021 SEASON Somerset Speedway has made the decision not to declare their intent to compete in the 2021 season, amidst ongoing concerns regarding the financial credibility of the club.Club promoter Debbie Hancock announced, "It is with a truly heavy heart that Dad, Garry and I have reached the decision to put our licence on hold, and we have informed our fellow promoters at today's Annual General Meeting of that fact."As a family-run business, we have always prided ourselves in ensuring all riders and suppliers are paid in a timely manner and not run up any debts, but our concerns are that our income streams could be tested too greatly for that to be the case in 2021. We have first-hand knowledge of how The Oak Tree arena operation has been greatly hit financially with no regular income as a consequence of the pandemic, and indications are that it will be a while yet before indoor functions are likely to be sanctioned again by the Government. So, from our own experience alone, we fear that there will be many other businesses with a similar story to tell and whilst some of our loyal sponsors have indicated their willingness to continue to back the speedway, it is all too evident that many organisations will have a different view on their sponsorship budgets. "The world remains very much in a perilous state right now and even though there are green-shoots of a health recovery by virtue of the vaccines that are being rolled out, we feel that there will still be too much uncertainty in respect of lifting restrictions sufficiently to allow a normal season to run."We respect the beliefs that a number of clubs hold for a return to a season of racing at some stage in 2021, but from our perspective, unless we could be assured of a full campaign, and it is obvious that nobody can give those assurances at this stage, then as promoters of Somerset Speedway we cannot commit to the risk of operating at a loss, and therefore have decided to withdraw and allow the riders as much opportunity as possible to find alternative team places."We must emphasise that this decision was not reached lightly and was the matter of great deliberation, not least because we really didn't want to let our fans down, but we had to face the hard facts and there can be no-one more disappointed than I am and I can only conclude this statement by saying a very big thank you to everyone who has supported us over the 20 years of racing that, both on and off track.

Yes- both would have gone skint !

Well said.. Basic Business Practice.. An example I can give where the UK's business plan was incredibly flawed was when the Aces had Matej Zagar.. The Slovenian Championships were ran over several Finals so Matej would miss several Aces meetings to attend.. (Coincidentally they seemed to always be meetings away from home, and usually on tracks he didnt like so they could bring a track specialist guest in!! Who mentioned credibility?) Anyway I digress.... If my shop sold Slovenian goods and I paid "top dollar" for them, but they were my best selling products, I would be pleased to carry on selling them as "it worked for me".. However, if my Slovenian suppliers told me that for several weeks of the year they were concentrating on other markets, and couldn't supply me, thus meaning I couldn't open my shop, thus pissing my customers off who subsequently went elsewhere, I would eventually have to face the facts that they had a far too unhealthy impact on my business, and source suppliers who could guarantee supply every single week.. Now, these products may be of inferior quality, but would still be 'pretty decent', and would be cheaper to purchase for me and therefore my customers. And may even be deemed better value for money overall with a better margin for me.. With obviously the biggest positive being that my customers could attend regularly due to being confident that (a) I was actually open and (b) that they could get what they wanted each time.. A Speedway meeting full of lads from the UK is as exciting as any other Speedway meeting using "international" riders.. The No1 aim of the BSPL, way, way above any other aims, has to be to make GB the best Speedway team in the World, as that is the one guaranteed way to increase the public profile of the Sport through wider media coverage.. Domestic Speedway can then subsequently feed off this awareness and reflect in its global success.. However to do this means UK riders getting scores of meetings to improve their capabilities, and the chances to earn the money needed to compete at the very top level.. Therefore, let's just create that opportunity for them...

Made up of who? Paid how much, and by who? And who gets rid of them if they are no good? Get real. Who on earth, who's any good at anything, would want to take on the job? How much money do you think promoters are willing to pay to people who may not have a clue about the sport only to have the clueless give them the orders about how to run their show? And when they screw up, then what? When you have the answers, why not go on Dragons Den and suggest it to some real business people, and see if you can sell your idea to them and get their backing for your plan. See what their reaction will be.

Spot on... The following season is affectively a free pass given to them from all the fans desperate to see some Speedway... They could have 'relaunched' the sport in the UK, with innovative, fresh, exciting, new ideas for the Sport in the UK.. Some which would work, some which wouldn't. . However, those that worked could then be built on for future success, and those that didn't replaced with other ideas... Going it alone was never more such a huge opportunity to be taken, becoming truly in charge of your own destiny, not being beholden to anyone other than their responsibility to FIM events.. Be interesting to see what innovative, fresh, exciting new ideas they have come up with with this huge opportunity for a reset and relaunch..

You always have the feeling at Speedway AGM's that even though 'The Success Of The Sport' is the only thing that they should focus on (and even more so currently), that "taking your bat and ball home" for some is never too far off the agenda.. Due to the Mickey Mouse rules they themsleves have implemented, it has pretty much devalued all their own competitions to not much more than a worthless' level, yet, for some, I would imagine, "winning" one of the Comps is still their overall objective, and "getting their way" at the AGM may just swing things in their favour to allow them to 'bask in the glory of victory' with a 'massed throng' of a few hundred people joining them... And all the while the Sport as a collective sinks lower and lower... Note to those in charge. . A great many fans of Speedway don't care who wins your Mickey Mouse structured Competitions... But a great many fans do care about the Sport they love...

It needs to be a brand new start - all about British Speedway, nothing else

To be brutally honest I don't have a massive amount of faith in the powers that be to come up with anything like a solution for the 2021 season, and have absolutely zero confidence in Rob Godfrey, as chairman, to lead the powers that be to anything like a solution for the 2021 season.

Some of the best racing I've seen in years was when coventry had meetings against cradley and Kent in the ndl.

My predictions are the outcome of the AGM will be: Season to start in February to squeeze all of the fixtures in 8 man teams to cover for injuries North and South split with the South division comprising of Somerset and Poole 42.50 points limit There will now be double double tactical substitute tactical rides. More info to follow in 8 months time. Purple helmet colour introduced. No teams other than Scunthorpe to ride on a Friday. Riders must socially distance at the starting tapes. And the finishing closing statement of “British Speedway is thriving and has never been in a better position due to the fantastic leadership of Chapman and now Lord General Godfrey. Let’s go racing.” Something like that anyway is what I’m expecting.... Anything different will hopefully be a bonus

If there is a Premiership this year i think its highly likely Doyle will be Stars No 1.

Back to the seventies it is then . speedway was fun to go to,two,too .! PRESS THAT RESET BUTTON NOW ............

Good night's racing,riders full of praise for the track particularly Richard Lawson who said it was better than the last time he came down to plymouth 4or 5 yrs ago hopefully championship next season and that standard of racing every week.