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Hi guys, may be of interest for those that wasn't able to attend or view the live stream from this meeting.

For years now most teams have been living beyond there means and the Senior Teams have been surving mainly due to TV money, now Covid has brought up the inevitable Crow coming home to roost so to speak, the BSPL have for years avoided taking decisions that would help the Sport survive and maybe prosper, any household or business simply cannot go on year on year making losses and ignore the simple maths lesson of paying out more than what is coming in, how is it possible to employ foreign riders cheaper then british riders ?, answers on a postcard please. I dont know the answer but one thing is for sure things cannot carry on as they are, if it means going back to basics with Teams made up of british riders then thats the way we have to go short term loss for the long term gain, no Premier League just 2 Leagues with the NL being the second tier, and no stupid payments to riders.

I'm not a Diamonds fan, but I donated the cost of an adult admission. We can't afford to lose more clubs. Here's hoping the appeal raises more money in the coming days. Every little helps.

Something else probably!! I hope people realise if they are going to break the covid rules set by the council/stadium owners then it gives them a great excuse to stop speedway from running. But your choice!

Seems that Leon has been drawn to race in European Championship meeting at Divisov on the 26th.

Whooosh !!

Thats good news would be criminal to lose that trackn

Not until after monday night ok, when Panthers go top of league , then if no more meetings are run in 2021 champions declared

Well it entirely depends on what your outgoings are. If your outgoings are close to, or exceed your revenue, then survival is an achievement. I'm sure riders would generally also prefer more regular higher wages than an occasional prize fund when they might be injured and miss out. And 180k spread over 19 meetings is effectively 80 quid a point which is probably less than some would be on anyway. It's not a bad idea and I've had thoughts on similar lines myself, but I feel speedway has gone past the point of tinkering with race formats and novelty competitions. It's the image, presentation, stadiums, value-for-money, clientele and poor media profile that does for it. People actually have to know something is happening before they can be interested it, far less be bothered to turn up...

Polish Ref gives decesion to Polish world champ.... surely not. I thought Bartosz just got that

so did i

Light summer evenings at West Ham . You could see over the grandstands to the ships funnels in Victoria Docks , a quarter mile away. Looked fantastic with everything lit up. Great race track ( Barry Briggs favourite). The history came from the great riders of the past that had ridden there, Bluey Wilkinson, Tiger Stevenson, Split Waterman and above all the great Jack Young , and the great riders of the present especially the wonderful Hurri- Ken McKinlay, and Sverre Harrfedlt, then later Olle Nygren , who a I hated as a Don but became a favourite when he joined the Hammers. Then the sadness of the Lokkoren disaster, and the loss of such talent as Martin Piddock and Peter Bradshaw. I never really got over that. And finally in the closing days the amazing talent of Christer Lofqvist. Such a tragedy he died of a brain tumour at such a young age. I used to literally have dreams that I was still there on and off for years after it closed. Hackney was never quite the same although I did like it there.

Venue and meeting details to follow is the best we can do at the minute, it would be great to see the event return to Berwick again. A home track winner would go down very well.

Wimbledon and Wembley were far too posh. Watching speedway at custom House and Hyde road felt like being in a museum, you could feel the history. Just a personal opinion of course, everyone has their own favourite tracks and memories.

England's two most historical speedway stadiums for sure, and two of the greatest race tracks.

The real complaint is that the Euro fixtures have been known since February. So why schedule matches against them I the first place?

We've all been weaned off it Sid. Last year i attended 4 meetings, my lowest total since 1968, which was my first season. This year I've done 9, which includes 2 amateur meetings at Lydd and 1 on the grass. I really feel we are entering the last professional era for the sport in this country.

It really does. Almost like two different sports in a way Some of my most vivid memories are the queues, the packed terraces and trying to find a place to sit at some of the big meetings like the Internationale, Division 2 Riders Championship or one England v USA test. And of course the atmosphere when the lights dropped and the track was lit up, the colour of the fans with their rosettes, hats and scarves and flags. There was a buzz about the sport that made it feel important and you was part of something special There is none of that today. For me at least.

This thread makes me feel so sad. I feel honoured to have watched the sport in the 1970s and 1980s but it's so depressing to feel that those glory days are well and truly over and it's never coming back. At least I've got all my speedway magazines right back to the 1930s and can read about it at my leisure, but it was a massive part of my childhood and teenage years and I sort of feel a sense of bereavement about speedway as it is today.

Yes. Exactly that. I'd also like to add the magnificent, the unbeatable, Bjorn Knutson - class personified - and following the rise to stardom of Malcolm Simmons. Plus my old mate, Stan Stevens. And to the old timers, Aub Lawson.

You'd think, after tonight's game, that a lot of folks would be looking for something else to do when England play their next match.

Weather forecast it’s really good now

Rewriting nothing, it’s same old same old BSPL.

I'm a grass man and there are some fantastic riders who produce brilliant racing funded out of their own pocket. The problem is the fans turn up (that's if the stadium is open) week in week out and accept that the racing has to be done with foreign riders syphoning the life out of the British Leagues. While I accept the situation is very difficult the promoters should work harder instead of defaulting to foreign imports. There is nothing I'd like to see more than local riders doing something that they want to do and hopefully get paid doing it.

I’ve done the same. Good luck guys

Well if that is Scottish fans it shows why some parts of Scotland are on more sever restrictions then others, and like England their end of restriction date has been put back. If people want restrictions lifted they got to act responsibly to get figures down, just follow the guidelines. Easy

I don't think you understand the rule of 6 fully, it can be 6 people from 6 different households. The exception being that if 2 households add up to over 6 people, that too is allowed. That btw is for indoor mixing, and despite being a mostly outdoor location most stadiums have adopted this policy. So as long as groups are less then 6 people, or groups bigger then 6 are made up of two households then no rules are being broken?

https://m.vk.com/video246397852_456239946?list=63288b5c532057ea27&from=wall-53550004_32959

Can fit a hell of a lot of money in a space as big as that But seriously THJ is a godsend for any club... Brilliant of him to do what he's done, and we should all thank him for his efforts... But thanks to EVERYONE who donated, every little helps. I notice all the football teams were on Look North tonight asking for donations and going around with their donation buckets... And that's FOOTBALL, the game with the most money, who knows what speedway clubs are like right now, it's scary Next home meeting there better be some buckets going around, and the extra £3 everyone saved on their tickets better be going in... Please And who knows... Maybe I'll get my bikini and Finnish flag out just for THJ

Watching speedway at all the London tracks. Climbing into speedway at Blunsdon and getting money back on hubbly bubbly bottles. All my mates getting the special speedway bus. Rosettes, souvenirs. Big crowds, lots of teams, lots of away fans. Speedway on bbc and itv. Results and league tables in daily papers. Golden Helmets and individual meetings. Local heroes.

Well done - great effort.

He doesn't have an average as removing Newcastle meetings means he has only had 3 meetings. Established averages are given after 4 meetings. I suspect it will not change - just another rule that the SCB will not enforce. Personally think Mr Vatcher is too interested in the Youth setup to get involved in keeping to the rules

Stop it scoobydoo, it’s not a fair fight

Available on the British Speedway Forum Player, a steal at £9.99 per month. (Provide own commentary).

You are right Krompa. For all the issues the British leagues have, it is run more professionally than in Sweden, where everything seems too laid back. Sweden has a stronger league than the U.K. but the racing isn’t better.

Better start a 2022 thread then.....

Barrie can come on here and tell everybody it might be a sellout,yet won’t divulge the crowd limit.Typical of the way they operate IMO.The loyal supporters deserve better.They certainly don’t like criticism even if it is meant to be constructive in some instances.

I’d imagine you’d have to contact the club privately to find out such important information. They dont engage with fans on this forum, apparently.

I am hearing rumours that Leon Flint will not be available for this meeting can you confirm if this is correct or not please? Because even with Leon I think Glasgow will cut the Bandits a new ar**hole but it will be even worse without Leon. I dont mind getting beaten at home but not if it is the expected rout..

Running the NDL as a professional league isn’t viable for most tracks. It should be expenses only - but then most of the riders wouldn’t compete I guess.

We shouldn't forget the dominance that riders like Ivor Brown and Ivan Mauger enjoyed in the old Provincial League. Almost unbeatable at their home tracks of Cradley Heath and Newcastle and we all know what Mauger went on to achieve.

Interesting to see Eurosport trying to push their app on Farcebook. Response is fans of several sports including ours telling them to stick it where the sun doesn't shine and they're not paying more for their sub-standard and unreliable coverage. It's not just us.

Local derbies between Oxford, Reading and Swindon. Great rivalry. Second Halves at Cowley with the riders from Eastbourne & Peterborough taking part. Trips to Eastbourne on a Sunday afternoon preceded with a picnic at Beachy Head. Teams predominantly filled with English/British riders with the odd exotic foreigner thrown in. Trips to White City after school on a Wednesday much to the jealousy of some of my class mates..."What going to London tonight?" Being able to mix with the riders in the pits after the meeting attempting to collect autographs. Adding to my vast programme collection by visiting the souvenir shops on my travels. Riders in easily recognisable leathers, helmets, masks etc. Simple race jackets before they became emblazoned with sponsors etc. Bikes prior to silencers and that throaty roar and the smell of Castrol 'R'. Riders who became associated with a team before yearly 'merry go rounds' became the norm and averages dicatated the make-up of a team. Interval rides for children with their favourites. Telephone at the starting gate allowing 'interaction' with the referee in front of the fans.

Best things for me was.......I was young........and didn't have to pay for anything

Supporters club coach away trips (even the ones where we broke down) Foreign riders felt genuinely exotic (with the 70s seeing the Danes and Americans going from nowhere to world beaters in the space of a decade) Most of your team re-signing for the following season The roar of the crowd during an exciting race (as opposed to today when all you get is the tutting of your nearest neighbour on the terraces 10 metres away) The ability to go to a different track every night without travelling the entire length of the country (my 1974 holiday itinery - 6 tracks in 7 days all within an hour's drive of our Coventry base)

Yep. A strong programme board with a large bulldog clip was mandatory!!!

Disappointed Tiger heading home , but today is why speedway is the best sport in the world , the best two teams in the league served up a classic on a brilliant track .

This kind of thing never works . Seems a good idea on paper , but there is always a reserve who improves out of all proportion . I would imagine there will be a few instances this season where a number 7 will be " injured " just before a tough fixture . Smith's injury is a legitimate one as he crashed during the week , but I admit circumstances have fallen favourably for us .

Isn't there a "Briggo" track cover? He's missed a trick there

I think some councils see sporting events as a risk due to the possibility of the fans getting excited and shouting, which can then transmit the virus into the air... Obviously it would appear that a fair few councils haven't ever been to watch the Speedway served up at some of their local tracks.... Edit: Just had a brain wave actually.... The clubs could invite the local council leaders to a meeting and let them observe it... At the end of it the promoter could then say.... "See? No one shouted. No one cheered. And no one even moved their camping chair by so much as even one millimetre. In fact, the only time the crowd got excited was when we announced that the Bovril in the catering van was ready and that they could come and fill their flasks".... No masks the week after guaranteed..