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Newcastle Speedway reveal new co-promoter: Long-time Diamonds' sponsor, Dave Tinning. Photos: Steve Brock Photography Everyone who has visited Brough Park for speedway action since 1997, will have undoubtedly heard announcer, Barry Wallace, say every week; "This heat sponsored by Dave Tinning, painter and decorator," well now the local craftsman has whipped out his rollers and emulsion to help renovate Newcastle Speedway behind the scenes along with Newcastle Speedway's owner, and co-promoter, Rob Grant to help promote the club he has supported through thick and thin. Grant was keen to bring new blood having worked out a survival package and plan which has kept the historic club rolling into its 93rd year next season, and indeed beyond, saying: "Dave has been around speedway at Brough Park for many, many years and has supported this club as a very valuable financial sponsor for around 25 of those years, and once we got talking, it soon became apparent that bringing Dave onto our promoting team, he being steeped in Newcastle Speedway, could only benefit this club of ours massively, not just for 2022, but for many years to come. He knows this club well and I can't wait to get started working with him and planning for the future of Newcastle Speedway." When asked about his appointment Tinning said: "I've been working closely with Rob and helping throughout what has been a very difficult season, and I've seen how much work it takes to run a meeting each Sunday. The opportunity then arose to help out Rob with the day-to-day running of Newcastle Speedway, and as such Rob and I both decided that I should apply to be a promoter with the BSPLtd so I can help out even further. "I've run my own business as a painter and decorator for over 30 years, and from this I can bring the experience of running a business into my new role as a co-promoter. I'll be continuing in the roles I have undertaken for the past few years , such as looking after the entrance gates, and I will start to help out in the office. I will, as the name of the position suggests, be helping with the vitally important job of promoting the Newcastle Diamonds to other businesses in the area. "I won't be afraid to get my hands dirty either, as I will help out on the track as well as the pits where necessary. I hope to attend as many away meetings as possible to represent the promotion of Newcastle Speedway, and again assist wherever I can."

Depends how you look at it ,. imo is the the uk should have one big league and you should only be allowed to sign for one uk club and not join any outside the uk .. meaning we can run 7 days a week with no double up riders etc . Surely thats the way forward .

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. CVS has said on numerous occasions that he will not race in a 6 team league. A shortened fixture list has worked this year beacuse of covid, but long term it is unviable. CVS knows the fans won't support it and the lack of variety is awful. He want's a bigger league which would be beneficial to everyone, simple as that really.

Steve there are no secrets as far as I am concerned and never will be; furthermore if it was to be a secret there would not have been an open invite on here and on other media channels such as Facebook and Twitter; then if you consider how fast Rob Grant put his statement out on Facebook you can see there was nothing secret about the meeting or its content as Steve Pate (Team Manager) was in attendance I guess as Rob's (eyes and ears) representative although he did not contribute to the meeting whatsoever. The meeting was pulled together by Steve Brock and the venue booked when we were under the impression that the club had gone and was closing following comments made by "The Promotion" (I will use this phrase rather than put names down). I was told by "The Promotion" that if I didn't buy the club (with an associate) that the club was gone as the "Stadium Owners" would not accept just any person coming in to promote the club and there would need to be many hurdles to get over before we could run and both "myself and my colleague" were in the opinion of "The Promotion" the "only people" who could take the club forward and who would be an acceptable alternative. Therefore we were in the process of pulling a package together to rescue the club which would have included input from the fans... Now these things do not come together overnight however we were systematically working through the process when low and behold "The Promotion" had a change of heart and decided to run. Great... As I have stated as an ardent supporter of Rob Grant the Rob Grant is the best person to promote Newcastle Speedway (for many reasons previously outlined) So we were then asked by "The Promotion" if a Trust could be pulled together to support the club following the season "The Promotion" had just endured... because as everyone was aware the club was on the brink of collapse right from the start due to the VAT fiasco and "The Promotion" were telling us continually right throughout the season how bad a state the club were in financially and I for one took it upon myself to religiously and sometimes vehemently support "The Promotion" and give relevant information on here on how precarious the financial situation was... Which brings me onto a conversation I had with "The Promotion" on the Friday prior to this meeting where I was basically told by "The Promotion" all they wanted was a Trust like Edinburgh to do similar things like "they do" "up there" and I pointed out to "The Promotion" that this would be fans money and in effect "The Promotion" could not been seen to have anything to do with the Trust and it would be the Trust (Fans) and their committee who would decide what and where any monies would be spent but it would always be spent to the benefit of the club. However "The Promotion" was not happy with this and stated there was new money coming into the club and when I pressed "The Promotion" as to how much they were expecting from this new money the figure I was quoted was "in excess of £50K" and then I stated to "The Promotion" that did they think it fair to ask fans to put cash in if the Business as a whole was making profit... I didn't get a response and I added if there was profit in the pot at the end of the year did "The Promotion" expect another 10 or 20 grand hand out from the fans which in essence would just be a gift to "The Promotion" for running a business and I did not get a response... I was told it had nothing to do with the fans if "The Promotion" were making a profit and "The Promotion" stated that they would not divulge what the financial status of the company was like... then when I pointed out that "The Promotion" were happy to divulge figures that showed the company were making a loss and it was imperative that fans put into a "Go Fund Me" or that it was critical to the clubs finances that Fans had to attend a double header or the club would fold that this was acceptable in those instances but not if the business was being successful... "The Promotion" reiterated that this had nothing to do with the fans however it was pointed out that the company would be posting financial information on to the Companies House web site and the information would ultimately be available "The Promotion" made no comment... This brings me on to the meeting itself... We looked at three options to support the Club and "The Promotion" and these were 1. A supporters Trust... and in running a trust it was envisaged that this would give the Fans a vehicle to support the club financially which came with certain tax breaks and benefits because if you are a charitable trust and donating through Gift Aid it means means charities and community amateur sports clubs ( CASCs ) etc.. can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give. However prior to this meeting we found out that you can not support Motor Sports through a "charitable trust" as it is not allowed legally under current laws and regulations in England and Wales governing trusts and we were asked how do Edinburgh do it and the very short answer to this is; they are covered by Scottish Law and it is different. So whatever they do up there is totally irrelevant to what we can do down here so a Trust was a non starter unfortunately following on from the legal advice we received. 2. A Community interest company... A community interest company is a type of company introduced by the United Kingdom government in 2005 under the Companies Act 2004, designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good; now again this cannot be used to run a motor sport business however it could be used to support that business by other means which we were told we could legally do... Such as purchase a venue and rent it back to the club at a potentially peppercorn rent on say £1:00 per meeting. This was discussed due to the fact that "The Promotion" had expressed at the start of the season that it was imperative that we got out of Brough Park to assist "The Promotion" and their business plan to run training meetings and get free access to the track to allow for pre meeting track prep which was creating problems at Brough... I will add to this regarding the track below. For the CIC to operate we were looking at a larger investment of say £1000 per year per person for 3 years and investing this cash which would have raised interest on the investment which could have been given back to the club for capital investments such as Air Fence; Tractors; Bowsers; Plant and Equipment. Furthermore this capital would have been used as collateral to open up further funding streams to get the new venue off the ground with the guarantee that all monies paid by each person would be handed back to investors in full as a minimum at the end of the loan period of say 3 to 5 years. Legal documentation would have been drawn up to underwrite these investments and due to the complexities involved this would form part of a three to five year plan to support the club and "The Promotion". More on this later... 3. The Friends of Newcastle Diamonds Speedway (FONDS)… which in essence is a beefed up supporters club but with a constitution and a set of articles to operate by and to; that would give the Fans the comfort in the knowledge that their cash was being spent wisely and that everyone who contributed to the fund would be able to at least have a say at a group meeting and to put proposals forward to allow a democratic vote on where the monies were going... I now believe with the Facebook "Important Statement from Rob Grant" this if anything is the way the fans should go... There will be the need for a Secretary, Treasurer and Chair Person and a couple of committee members.. and the Chair Person would liaise with "The Promotion" and "The Promotion" could advise where the help is/was required or the FONDS (depending on available funds) could sponsor say the Medical Cover and Ambulance that runs to around £600:00 per meeting or the Referee costs to around £200:00 per meeting depending on how much revenue they were bringing in... We have an offer to set up the rules governing the FONDS; the terms of association and the constitution to give people the confidence that any monies raised are spent wisely... Steve Brock coordinated this meeting and took some names at the end of it with fans prepared to commit to such an entity like the FONDS and he would be an ideal person to chair this group and would get my vote... So there you go Steve no secrets hopefully the brief outline and precis above gives you some ideas as to what was discussed at the meeting and can I also add my thanks to everyone who attended (just under 70 souls) on an absolutely awful night weather wise and for all the PM's I have received offering support over the last few weeks... there should be more coming out on this for further discussion... Also Steve if you wish to take any of this and put it on Facebook I would not have any issue with that... On this statement from "The Promotion" I find this personally very disappointing; no one is disputing whose business it is and as such we can all mind our own businesses to be fair if that makes "The Promotion" happy... however at the start of the season I was asked by "The Promotion" to put feelers out on here to see what the appetite would be for moving to a New Venue and this was the case right up to the final few weeks of the season and my enquiry provoked a great deal of emotion from various fans and I sincerely apologise for this upset to those who are most loyal to Brough Park however I was operating under instruction from "The Promotion" and it was only mentioned at the Gosforth meeting because of the continual insistence that we had to get away from Brough Park... However miraculously the position seems to have changed... Yep... press release and feelers out everywhere with site visits to look at new venues the lot... Durham Northumberland Newcastle North Tyneside Blyth Valley et al... meetings with planners and councillors the whole shooting match; however two meetings with over a thousand in and a big hard on because there would be no need to supplement revenue streams with paid for training and practice session... As I have always said I have supported "The Promotion" with not only unwavering passion and loyalty (sometimes going over the top) and I have backed this up with financial support... "The Promotion" have all the tools to make Newcastle Diamonds successful at Brough Park they have the additional revenue streams with the food franchise and the backing of the stadium owners which is vital; added to which some fantastic and innovative ideas on how to promote the team the sport and the business in the North East... if anyone can make a success out of this club it is the current promotion... When I was being courted and actively encouraged to take over the club I was told by "The Promotion" that ARC would be open to possibly looking at a two year lease if certain criteria could be met and in my subsequent discussions with "The Promotion" following their decision to run for "one more year in the memory of Dave Tattum" in 2022 and not fold the club and that the promotion were potentially looking at 1; 2; 3; 5 more years (not sure why 4 years was missed but there you go) and during this conversation with "The Promotion" it was intermated that there could be 5 more years at Brough Park so roll on we may even see a 100th birthday celebration... However whilst I agree with some of your sentiment the stadium owners have stated on more than one occasion that they will only allow certain compliant promoters who they vet and approve to use the facility at Brough Park so what happens in 1;2;3;or 5 years if "The Promotion" decide to walk away again where does that leave anyone else coming in... shafted I would suggest and its starting to look like a Catch 22 situation in that you cant look for somewhere else for fear of upsetting where you are now but if you do upset them or cant meet their requirements you are out on your neck anyway with nowhere to go. Why laugh because that is basically what was said to "The Promotion" "‘look we don’t really want you here" and it has been said on more than one occasion; however "The Promotion" do currently have a fantastic relationship with ARC that has to be pointed out... Correct... we have been told for many a year now that our time is limited at Brough and what did ARC do with the option given to Bellway for the site and what happens if this is still standing and if Bellway offer ARC a new purpose built dog track somewhere else in the city? would the speedway be accommodated? also can I add that I do not deal in rumour and if it is a rumour I will point that out... however I also agree (Jesus twice in one post... I will be getting talked about) that there is a great deal of rumour and fiction posted onto this site but rest assured everything I quote and everything I have posted in the past have and has been in consultation and in full agreement of "The Promotion" sometimes even dictated word for word... Yes now that the Diamonds are having new money pumped in and from one source alone to a tune of £50k which makes my £3700 contribution last year pale into insignificance... and as I now have next years company sponsorship fund of £20k to consider and not touched yet and a major slice of that (if not all) was earmarked for the Speedway but even that figure does not look very impressive against someone weighing over £50k... So it looks like my cash is no longer required and as I dropped my Season Ticket for St James Park in 2015 when they got promoted to the Premiership which was also the last time I sponsored the Toon (not only the match ball twice that season but the programme as well) which gets you 4 corporate tickets for the full experience and on the premise that I would never go back as long as Ashley was in charge... well now that is looking like it will change very soon I think I will be going to B&M Bargains buying a pack of three of those checked tea towels getting me self some string and fashioning me own Arab ghutra and agal rope for me napper to pay Homage to our new prospective buyers... looks like the sponsorship cash will be going on watching football again next season and at least I will have a list of clients; staff and friends wanting coming to those events unlike me two spare speedway tickets that I cant give away for love nor money... Never mind good luck to "The Promotion" in 2022 and especially Dave Tinning who is a great guy and not only to Dave but his whole family who all will give 100% to the cause that is for sure.... Finally can I add I think much of the good will and genuine support for "The Promotion" that was there from the fans has taken a bit of a bashing over the last few months with the treats of pulling the plug and the haranguing about the financial mess the club found itself in... and to the final track walk where many of these fans shed genuine tears at what they thought was the loss of there club that the "Important Statement from Rob Grant" post was not necessary in the slightest and there needs to be a concerted effort from "The Promotion" to re-engage with the fan base going forward and especially in 2022... Regards John

So basically they are saying Kerr at no 2 is better than utilising Harris, Nicholls, Andersen, MPT or Pedersen. That just doesn’t make any sense to me.

A lovely tribute to Colin Pratt - brought a tear to my eyes. RIP

Sorry for that Your an irritatingly annoying wally. That's better go away you sad clown

The bit that worries me is if we make a loss we want your money, if we make a profit we want your money but don’t dare ask us what profit we made. I’m sorry but no way would I give to this.

Have you ever watched Simon and Danny trying to get around Brough?

Kent should never have been allowed to start the campaign in September. They shouldn't have been allowed to run NL

Why not? With pretty much every rider doubling up both leagues still need to avoid each others race nights.

Still think leicester will be at poole next weds

The future of the Diamonds is looking rosey. Rumour has it that a certain gentleman is confident of selling a nearby football club to an Arab buyer and is keen to maintain a sporting interest in the area by making Granty an offer for the club that he will not be able to refuse. Can’t say too much more at this stage, but the future ‘Sports Direct Diamonds’ are likely to be awash with cash and ready to recruit Europe’s finest riders. Team manager cannot be named, but we shall refer to him as ‘Brucie’, has no experience in the sport but has blagged his way through football management for years apparently. Box ticked. His tactical approach will be to aim for 3-3s in every heat and wait for the opposition to make mistakes to gain heat advantages.

Does seem a rather senseless comment.IMO.

Well done to Lewi Kerr, 9+1, was a great return, especially as virtually every Peterborough fan didn't want him as a guest.

I would prefer British teams to concentrate on the British leagues

Lewis Kerr wow

I apologise Lewis Kerr. I was wrong. Fantastic performance.

Get in Lewis Kerr.

Nah... It's all the idiots on here that make you feel that way! I'm only 59 and after an hour on here, I feel I'm going loopy!

I may be remembering this completely wrong, quite possible given my advancing years, but I seem to recall a Wembley WF with no British representation. It did not seem to affect the attendance that much. I am sure someone will correct me if I am spouting rubbish.

I take it you are bringing the loaves and fishes - after all you are the messiah aren't you?

Track situation sounds a bit reminiscent of our situation when Brian sands wanted ashfield as a training track. Owners of shawfield got wind of it, wanted the track for greyhounds, kicked us out of shawfield and as I remember kept all the equipment as well. It may have taken 20 years and significant investment of people not looking for financial return but we have a club, promotion, track and stadium to be proud of. Hopefully Newcastle can one day do the same

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the original decision to switch the meeting to West Row the good old BSPL are yet again the people sending the sport's credibility into the gutter. Both clubs were in agreement and it doesn't seem that any other club objected?. But instead of a potential title decider in front of a possibly bumper crowd on a Sunday afternoon that would have given Mildenhall a well deserved revenue boost it's back to square one.. After a season with so few home meetings for Mildy the sport's so called governing body shows interest in the NDL for the first time anyone can remember and says no because it would compromise the title race. So instead it's back to Kent on a Tuesday evening where far fewer people will be able to attend. For people like me who work in the media and try and promote a positive image of the sport we love, it's been another day of colleagues laughing and saying 'only in speedway' Sad thing is they are right.

I'll throw a wild prediction into the mix. Golden Heats on the night if Batchelor turns up in his Kent kevlars.

Respect please ! That "junior track" is probably, currently, the oldest operating track in the world having opened in 1928.............................................................. So every other track is junior.

Just done the score for each heat with no extra rides for either team and now predict a win for the Panthers 48-42. MPT 4, Lewis 2, Hans 11, Scott 9, Chris 14, Bjarne 6,Jordan 1. Chris and Hans in heat 15. I know it will not be entirely correct but was fun doing it. Bring it on.

Cheers John for the reply. My "is it a secret" wasn't really a dig at anyone, just I thought a bit more info on what was discussed/agreed, would have come out before now (like yesterday for example), but hey-ho, we know the situation now, so let's all "pull together" and make 2022 and beyond successful for the Diamonds.

Bjorn was class, Sverre was excitement. Custom House was the place for be mid/late 60’s. I can’t believe it has been 50 years either.

I have thought that recently! Just have the top 16 riders & no wildcards! If a country doesn't think it can draw a crowd to see Zmarzlik, Laguta, Woffinden & Sayfutdinov fighting for the world title - don't host a round!

Hopefully belle vue will ask for both legs of the final (IF we make it) to be at Peterborough. No stopping that happening now

It might not be such a problem if a league title wasnt involved, How can anyone take this seriously when an away team could get 4 points on there OWN TRACK, this is BSCL at there very worse

Get a neutral track did they ask any neutral tracks???

If there is a new promotion at Eastbourne I just hope the fans see it as a new start and their not tarnished by the previous management structure..

Wish you was looking in your rear view mirror Thursday when you were going like 20mph in a 50 zone ya slow bar steward meaning I had to overtake you, and then u had the nerve to flash me about 100 times, next time don't drive to Sheffield, stay at home

No they wouldnt....they have been awful all season!

Here at the EOEA and I've just taken a look at the track and I can honestly say that Bomber is going to steal the show tonight.

Think you will find Steve said no T/R IN THE PLAY OFFS.

If that's the case, then you also have to factor in any of the Wolves riders getting injured and therefore could pull out . Just as possible. Someone give this kid a lolly pop

Going by current averages. Wouldn't say it's right for a rider averaging over 5 to essentially take up 2 points for team building purposes. I guess it all depends how they recategorise them after this season, but based on last season's classifications they would be out of 3* grading. Again it's purely guess work and I think whole system should be binned.

I'm not sure that only 5 promoters would benefit from a bigger league but the top league must employ a further 4 clubs to make a viable competition. A 10 team league with 2 home & 2 away meetings with each gives all clubs 18 home fixtures. This has to be a more appealing season for any fan base. But of course there is the problem of where to find suitable riders to fill those extra 4 teams. I hope by next season travel will be much easier & Poland can relax their strangle hold on the Worlds riders.

Neither to me!!!! I can see Panthers losing the lead after heat 1. and never regaining it. Heat 2 pairing does not inspire confidence. Panthers will need to pull out all the stops to win this one

Can't see what the incentive is for the builders is to do that. I would imagine most land is much more valuable as housing than a greyhound/speedway stadium.

The challenge means a lot less now, it's either top 3 (or 4 if a GP riders qualifies) or bust! So 5th is no better than 16th in this meeting! I don't know why they have to "declare" GP reserves, just go in order of the GP challenge non-qualifiers! Would make the GP challenge more interesting, riders aiming to finish as high as possible even if the top 3/4 is out of reach!

It was and still goes to glasgow home meetings spoke to him the other week .

no neutral venue ?

The Leicester match is probably more saleable to fans, with the Thompson twins and a bigger named club. Realistically Kent know they’ll not run one home meeting so have picked the least enticing one on paper, and with zero chance of any away fans coming, to not run.

Which makes Rob Grants statement all the more weird.

It's a bit easier to find places for qualifiers and wild cards when you are talking about a tournament with 128 players compared to 16. If the US Open only had 16 places available, do you think that Radecanu would have got a place? The best years for introducing new riders to the SGP series were the years when there were 24 riders per event. 16 is just too restrictive.

Good crowd. Don't know if any of you are rugby fans, my cousin's son-in-law Scotty played for Worky, think he moved to Leeds? My rellies live in Prospect near Aspatria. One played union for GB students, one cousin coaches Wigton juniors RL. Remember when I lived there briefly that Cumbria was a League hotbed, apart from Carlisle which was football. One relative remembers going to the first speedway meeting at DP, 1970, hundreds got in for free across a pipe over the river. Next meeting it was greased so peeps fell in.