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Fast Freddie Lindgren turning out for this one, thought it was worth a mention

Wow ....And and there,s a Man Utd shirt.Probably not been within 50 miles of Salford in his life.Support your local team,anyone can be a glory hunter.

Me too, absolutely no way I could attend Speedway at the worst track in British Speedway. However, I’m pleased there are Wolves supporters that do. Small track Speedway is not for me. Each to their own.

And before Oxford came back, saw a couple regularly attend Poole in 2021.

100% out of the question for me - and I live half way between Saddlebow and the Eoes but it’s Panthers since 1970 or NONE for me as can’t stand the place. Ipswich too far and awful track so that’s another definite no. Other people may think differently as you suggest but thought I’d give my view.

Not if the 4 or 5 of you Poole supporters do it like I told you last year.

If Panthers going to be under the points limit with Andersen I think the club might as well roll the dice and take a gamble on a new young rider from Europe least it’s building a team with the future in mind - Hans sadly is a spent force a shadow of his former self .

They need to make money somehow... And if travelling from Kent to Edinburgh once a week (not to mention any away meetings in the likes of Manchester) isn't financially viable, they would be dead in the head to accept it, there's no money in speedway and it's not worth financially crippling yourself for years for the sakes of one season in the NL

Yeah I agree with your last sentence. I'm a fan of both RL and Speedway and have missed my fix of Comets action. My niggling worry regarding Comets is the stadium is not as amenable for 'walk up' support as Derwent Park is/was.........and all the years experience of following both teams tells me Worky folk like 'home comforts' as it were..........hopefully they'll prove me wrong. UTT and UTC.

And yet another in the know enters the ring and comes out swinging!

Singy13 will agree to agree marra, but blokes at work who go to town matches all the time said crowds were well down !! Hopefully the comets will have the best crowds in West Cumbria

Because when they diluted the league a couple of seasons ago they have ended up with a fair proportion of "second string/third HL level" riders on quite highly inflated averages due to riding against much weaker opposition at the bottom end of teams?

And he's alot older ....

You sure its a HIM

Armadale Devils becomes the Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway Academy. A good change from the club, this gives a proper pathway for younger riders to develop through the academy and also allows a fresh start to the NDL as recent seasons haven’t been great. Looking forward to 2023, it should be a very competitive league.

Yes totally agree - I went to the cricket at Chelmsford for a 50 over match in September. It was a match with nothing riding on it and started during working hours (2pm) - several thousand in attendance. Good facilities, players accessible for signing autographs etc, picnics on pitch between innings, £15, plenty of the 'grey pound' being spent there. I took my kids to see 'you tubers' boxing on Saturday, thought when I got tickets for them for Xmas 'who will want to go to see that?'. Turns out it was a 13,000 full house, with many unable to get tickets.

Panthers or nothing for me11

Would rather keep Ben cook, batch is also a spent force

Who? How Many? I doubt it's a "Good Few" as these kids want to ride... travel may just be an excuse not to come rather than cite the real reason of not wanting to ride for a team!!! Regards THJ

Panthers are likely to be at the showground for at least one more year after this but they're awaiting it in writing from the relevant authorities. I think this is part of the ownership hold up

Video just released from the BBC Archives about former Monarch (1960) and crooner(!) Reg Luckhurst during his last season in speedway. A genuine character who started out in 1959 and is still alive and well at the age of 87. Check out the fashions too! 1975: Reg Luckhurst - SPEEDWAY RIDER | Tonight | Classic BBC Sport | BBC Archive - YouTube Your Cheatin' Heart Reg Luckhurst - YouTube

Just the usual,I’m afraid.

You're so right with a good perseived product in whatever league you start/ end up in, get that right and people will come. Also as an away fan always preferred going to an out of town venue rather than a town centre type ( being an Eastie fan I suppose). Went to Tralawney a couple of times on holiday when they were running, that really was remote in a disused china clay pit, but had a pretty good track, a young Chris Harris and pulled in good numbers. Your new track looks to be a winner so sure you'll do fine.

What future?

Absolutely, rather give a young lad a go with some fire in the belly

Masarnas has received some funds from Avesta municipality (kommun) that covers some, but not all of the economic deficit Masarna have. The funds are conditioned to that Masarna have to be able to cover all of the debts + have a complete squad by end of February. Me thinks it will be very hard and that there is a risk that Masarna begin the season only to bail out in the middle of the season. Which rider would dare to sign and know before hand that they might not get paid? It would probably be a weak team which would loose most of their meetings meaning that spectators stay at home meaning less income for the team.

I don't actually think the team looks bad, in fact replace Andersen with another heat leader that team can challenge the favourites. It boils down to Andersen or someone else, if it's budget tell us and explain why.

need to go bigger to accommodate the t!ts in charge.

Agreed. Should be docked points and fined for fielding a weakened lineup

Did you see the state of the 2022 team & that's not a dig at the riders as they are worth there wage packets After every meeting if they win or loose

That's a fallasy too as I know a couple of riders who are prepared to travel and have been told they live to far south and the travel expenses would be to high... Regards THJ

Just not plenty of riders willing to travel for one.

Not sure on averages but when there is riders of this calibre missing out how can the argument of not enough riders of heat leader level be substantiated. I also believe it's a strong competitive league and thoroughly looking forward to it.

The ignore button no good if people quote him though!

Try using the ignore function. "People" like Trackrat will eventually go away when everyone ignores them http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?/ignore/

Alfie is a good lad,he will get dialled in at home and score good points, does struggle away tbh not through lack of effort more to do with finding the right set up imo. I think he would have been retained at Plymouth but possibly the thinking is we are strong enough at home and Paul starke will score more away.

Do you ever learn you're as bad as him if you respond.

As Flagrag suggested previously the suggested date for the Leicester v Poole meeting is Easter Saturday 8th April. Potentially the return at Poole would be Wednesday 12th April. Both dates are unconfirmed at the present time whilst rider availability is sought and confirmed.

Need to give the lad a chance, change will do him good and he’s also young and improving.

I've heard from a reliable source it's still going to be the Jubilee Cup held for King Charles silver jubilee, assume that'll be 2048 I suppose if he makes it to then, otherwise will probably be posponed.

Workington Town RLFC season 2022.........Total attendance for 14 home games at Derwent Park = 13,303..(for confirmation pls see RL Record Keepers site). Which by my reckoning = an average of 950 per home game............................quite close then to 1,000.........would you care to agree marra? (Town won twice in 2022, three if you count Ike Southward Trophy). I would just love, love it, if Comets had similar attendance figures this season. See above H20...................cheers

As I've said communication is key with your customer base even if there's stuff going on that's being sorted tell us. It's not exactly difficult to do, keeping people in the dark is not a good way to treat customers who they want to buy tickets, it's not a good way to promote the club and it actually comes across as arrogance. Is there a problem? If so tell us, we actually be able to help or know someone who can. That isn't solely Peterborough Panthers either that's many other speedway clubs and thousands of clubs in other sports to who are stuck in the 1990's. The fanbase is your community, keep them in the dark they become disengaged or disillusioned. Learn from the fanbase, not every comment with be helpful but listen to it, it's free advise. Lose your fans, you may never get them back.

All teams need to be supported. I feel for the club as no one wants to put out a weakened team and be whipping boys. I hope the Brum fans stick with their club during these tougher times and the club goes from strength to strength. Not turning up to support their team leads to only one outcome.

Wouldn't bring me in,,,

How is failing to make former favourites welcome logical or sound business practice? On the contrary. It's obvious that that vast majority of ex-riders wouldn't pay to get in anyway, so the promoters would lose nothing financially. But then consider the potential positives from their presence on race night . . . As Steve has previously tried to explain, there is anecdotal evidence that a number of supporters, both existing and past, enjoy meeting up with old faces who remind them of their younger days and a better time for speedway. Let's face it, too many speedway meetings drag on so long these days that a friendly chat with an ex-rider will often be the highlight of that fan's night. If he or she leaves the stadium feeling good, or at least believing that their time and money showed some tangible reward, then they are more likely to return. Think of the goodwill factor, too. Does it do any speedway promoter good to make ex-riders even slightly unwelcome or made to feel like parasites? If a track's legends and former favourites help spread the word about their local former track it can possibly lead to newer fans coming along - and help to keep some who are in despair and thinking of abandoning the sport. Imagine the fan's thought process: "I can't really be bothered go to (insert track name) tonight, its cold and damp, I'll be waiting around for ages between heats, fuel and admission costs have gone up . . . but, then again, I KNOW I'll enjoy meeting and speaking to my old heroes, so, sod it, I'll go." Whether you agree with PC's stance on passes or not (he and I don't agree on everything he has written about every subject in the book), it doesn't do Belle Vue or any other track any good to have this perpetual public debate. It's a needless negative for the best racetrack in the UK where, by general consensus, average crowd figures for domestic meetings were poor last season in relation to the success achieved by the Aces. I'm not suggesting that letting 20 ex-riders into the NSS every home meeting will make much difference to the paying attendance, but it certainly won't do any harm. Some promoters 'get it' (Berwick gave Craig Pendlebury a life-long stadium pass even though he rode so little for them) but they all need to dig their heads out of the sand on this and many other issues. British speedway needs all the goodwill it can possible muster. It should look at the bigger picture.

Are there enough gaps lol,and if you don't progress in cup tough £hit.

...well the narrative on the forum is always that it's "oldies" who attend speedway so why not engage with them? I knew someone who hadn't been to speedway for years but word got out that Arne Pander was to make an appearance at Cowley and he went along to acknowledge his hero from the past and liked what he saw and became "hooked" all over again. Trying to attract a younger audience is another problem and requires a different mandate and which has been discussed time and again and there's no quick fix unfortunatey...and yes we know that it's past team members but a previous post that instigated this debate appeared to refer things were somewhat different? Just correcting that little observation to make it clear.

No, it doesn't depend what my interpretation is, it's up to the individual business owner who the feel would bring, say, minimum of the £20 entry fee worth of value by their presence. But you knew that I guess. I would hazard a guess that letting a TikTok/ social media influencer in for free would generate more financial value, but that wouldn't fit the narrative would it? Let's keep talking about the 'good old days' No need to keep repeating yourself, everyone knows that it is past team members (former self employed workers under previous owners).

So this is again all about the dictatorship of the Poles and ceases to be about the stance against the war. If they were continuing to make a stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and banned all Russians from riding anywhere including Poland then fair enough. But effectively banning them from riding anywhere but allowing them to ride in their own league again is a complete nonsense.

Including the predictions for Peterborough & Ipswich's final spots 1. Peterborough (Holder, Tungate, Iversen) 2. Ipswich (with Emil) 3. Sheffield 4. Belle Vue 5. Wolverhampton 6. Leicester 7. King's Lynn