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Why shouldn't Glasgow be allowed to compete in the Championship? Tigers currently have wealthy promoters but that has not always been the case, in fact it's rarely been the case in our history. Moving up would eliminate any sort of local rivalry. And further reduces the number of teams to race against. Moving up would force Tigers to give up the Friday night that their fans prefer (by a significant margin over other times/days). More importantly, where would Glasgow get a non cannon fodder Premiership team from? (Never mind not being able to build the type of entertaining team that the promotion and fans want). A combined Oxford and Birmingham team from last year would still have finished miles off the pace. If rumours are true, Glasgow make a not insignificant loss every year, despite the promotions best efforts, in the Championship. Moving up to the Premiership would make that worse and might drive the Facennas away, quite possibly ending speedway in Glasgow. I think I speak for most Tigers fans when I say I don't want the Premiership.

Having worked in advertising for a number of years in the bygone era of magazines and then the digital age - it is all about numbers. If a magazine - it was the circulation or in the case of the website - page impressions or click throughs. If impressions or circulation faltered then it was about the quality of the audience (good for business to business magazines or websites }, demographic segmentation etc Speedway is an ageing demographic , the viewing numbers aren't high and the exposure is limited - thus any ad agency or brand manager is not going to spend amy budget on speedway. With no TV deal and no significant audience numbers , the sport will struggle to generate bluechip or new advertisers. The way forward would be to saturate the social media market - tik tok, iG and increase eyes ... publicise crashes , incidents like Wright vs Allen punch up to generate viewing figures. Sell your soul to influencers and let them film around meetings. Even get them om a speedway bike to generate views and build. A start would be to create an app like the Polish League with updates, live scores, interviews, video content and Fantasy League. Currently sport documentaries are massive - think All or Nothing , Hard Knocks, F1 and Netflix / Amazon with docs on NHL. NBA NFL, Football etc etc - Speedway is an exciting, adrenalin fuelled sport powered by pure alcohol - there is a story to tell - even to the uneducated. The process will be a slow burner but a speedway heat is 1 minute - it is the perfect timespan for social media - Just needs to be processed and promoted in the right way. For example - In a recent interview Jordan Pickford spoke about his love for MotoX - Immediately I would be thinking lets get him to a speedway meeting he loves motorbikes = Opportunity !! Unfortunately like a speedway AGM - rinse and repeat

I agree Glasgow should be in top league as facilities are fab, but the Faccenas didn't make their millions by being stupid, they want Glasgow speedway to make enough to be sustainable, and we are finally getting the numbers required. Moving to Monday or Thursday with increased rider costs, would be financial suicide, we would lose so many families, we have at least 100 kids racing roary on a Friday night. Would need a very good tv deal or other sponsorship to tempt us up a league.

Excellenf Post.... The modern world... And it doesn't have to cost much to get tremendous cut through if you use the modern digital platforms to regularly "bombard" those who get sent down the algorithmic "rabbit hole" to your "TV channel"... Just. Target your market... And saturate it with "content"... Just 30,000 per week extra out of a population of 80m, plenty of whom living less than 45 mins from a track, would deliver triple digit percentage growth... And, small numbers they may be, but, given the low starting base, in "real terms", these nunbers could transform the sport overnight... But it needs to be coordinated, nationally... Clubs giving stickers out from the foyer of a local supermarket is fine, but the whole sport needs to get itself recognised, as that will generate much larger, quicker results... Promoters collectively spend literally a seven figure sum on riders each season... Yet plenty of people living within a mile of some tracks won't even know the sport, never mind the track, exists... Maybe cutting that rider outlay back by say 15% and, instead, giving this cash to an experienced, professional marketing and advertising agency, who use modern day techniques, and have evidence of success in this field, would deliver much bigger crowds than any GP rider appearing at any UK track would..? Plenty can (and already should), have been done, given the clear and obvious results have shown the folly of doing the same thing over and over again... Staying insular in their own Speedway Bubble Echo Chamber won't help the sport grow, as has been proven, therefore, let's hope they are actively trying to bring in some quality people from outside the sport to drive their brand forward.... We take the p**s on here by saying each year that this is the most important AGM ever, ever, ever, etc, etc... But this year, it genuinely is probably true.. Let's hope those in charge can deliver the sport in a way that allows it to achieve the undoubted potential of its "raw materials"...

This isn’t true, Max is still racing next season

I have been called a lot of things, but that is the worst ever lol.

Riders giving fans, esp children, a quick wave after a hard fought race would be nice. As a neutral, a few times at Scunny I've seen riders from [name redacted], but one of the teams you always meet at the business end of the season, battle through from the back for a heat win - then disappear back to the pits without waving to their travelling support, which included children. I've pondered out loud "Well, I'd think twice about travelling circa 250 - 300 miles to support riders who find it too much trouble to travel (circa) 250 - 300 metres & give their fans a quick wave". Actually, being 'speedway - mad' (for which there is no cure !) I'd still travel support a team of my own & that I identify with anyway, but I'm sure I've made my point here....

Ipswich dropped down as they were in a bad place. Crap teams poor crowds. It was also the time that Louis junior took control. At the time he said it was done to stabilise the club. I think they got forced up when Chapman came a long and was going to buy the club. Subsequently thank god that fell though but Louis grasped the nettle to make it work. Louis has proved that with the right mindset & professional approach you can make top flight speedway work.

Matt Ford loves speedway but as a businessman also wants us to make a profit, shocking!!

Starting a new topic for the AGM as YouHave2Minutes seems to have had a nervous breakdown and changed their name and the titles of all of the topics they started.

That's good to hear, he's been doing laps from a very young age and riders like that shouldn't be scratching around for sponsorship while clubs are spaffing out money on here today gone tomorrow foreigners.

Meanwhile... if true, there's riders in the PL on guarantees who don't care one jot about British Speedway. While Trigger and Perry may not have been the next Bartosz Zmarzlik they could well have been the next Simon Lambert's and without them the sport is dead.

It’s not the first time he’s done it. He’ll be back….unfortunately. A bigger attention seeker than Phil Morris and Vinnie Foord’s family combined.

There is very little discipline in speedway with regards to riders and their demands, they ultimately push the price of things up themselves with vanity and the pursuit of speed and expect the fans to pay for it, does zmarzlik go to the FIM and say I want this much £ to ride in the GP ? No the FIM say this is what it is like it or lump it and this is what British speedway and polish speedway need to adopt, I’m frankly staggered what riders get these days compared to 20 years ago, then it was just the top riders, now it’s every top dick and Harry gets it, I don’t like to single out anyone because it’s a collective problem but I saw 1 rider selling a complete set of rear sprockets,half of them never been used because he wants a new different colour next year, that is pure vanity but he will argue how much the cost of things have gone up and demand more money/deals next season and ultimately promoters will give in and then the next does it and then the promotion has to put the price up to pay for it, I know it’s the GP at the moment but something I see and just think wa***er is the hat stand in the pits with 4 helmets on it or the little fridge for their cans of sugar in it, really ????

I'm afraid all I can think about is this. Having the money for something ≠ affording that thing.

Cash only... #cough.....

Has it not occurred to you that the life of the owner of Glasgow might not be reliant on speedway and if push comes to shove, he will just say I’m out of here. How would that sit with British speedway? You cannot hold a club owner to ransom relying on their passion for a sport where the most successful clubs do well to break even.

I'd like to see Promoters and the sport as a whole introduce some more flexible ticketing options in the future. I have a Glamorgan membership for 8 days play+ a free ticket for a guest for 1 day & free entrance at other county grounds (When Glamorgan aren't playing). This encourages me and commits me to going. Next year is £100, based on current season prices it would be £120 on the day. I've failed to use it to it's full potential every season (Think i've typically done 6 days play, never used it anywhere else). So they probably make a small upside on me. I think with modern fans being more likely to pick and choose, more could be done to get people to go maybe not to a full season but to a significant part of it. And i think for fans who travel away. There's a lot of fans who have lost there team, who still go and typically travel around to different tracks. I think the sport could be doing so much more in this area.

There’s the rub. Plenty of people know about the sport including many speedway fans and they cannot be bothered to come out and watch aside from BH or big ticket events. We need to change the racenight experience to increase interest. I’m a lapsed speedway nut with another track less than 30 miles away as the crow flies. I use to visit this track every meeting as they were my second division track. I stopped going as I got fed up with the entertainment on offer and the journey plus admission didn’t feel worth it. This thinking then gravitated over to Aces away meetings with my final one being mid 2022. The thing is if the sport cannot appeal to a speedway nut previously happy to take in 100plus meetings a season anymore, apart from a few at the NSS what chance has the current product got of attracting and KEEPING new customers?

thats the point I'm making riders would have to pay for their own tyre's insurances vans ect,. it shows a lot of money is needed and the public are not willing to pay it.

You’re missing out a lot of expenses. Riders and Public Liability insurances Tyres Rental of stadium - that can be over £3k Payment of referee and anyone else who is not a volunteer Paramedic attendance Track preparation Track preparation equipment Shale The list is pretty endless

I believe Workington are in talks with Dan Thompson

But the Oxford fans probably could afford but got sick of losing. That’s like saying people from London cant afford West Ham tickets… they can but they choose not to go due to the crap they watch. Nothing to do with affording anything. The same people probably go on holiday, go to other events, people can afford things but prioritise their money in things they prefer to do, unfortunately, and people seem to forget on this forum, people really don’t like speedway when you speak to them and they are aware of the sport, they see it as boring. That’s the sports fault, and not people lacking money to spend it. Create a better product and people will come.

Unfortunately U K speedway cannot compete with the rest of Europe to attract or retain the top European riders. Brexit has been one issue with others including the movement of machines, parts and riders themselves plus you need bikes and mechanics spread across three or four different countries which is adding to a riders costs pushing up the return the riders need and the demands from clubs to pay and then put yourself in a riders position, do you drive from Poland to Sweden or Denmark or faff about with flights at unsociable hours simply to top up the pension by riding in the U K. and rely on the fickle riders as to whether a meeting will go ahead because of grey clouds and drizzle. Then you have how the sport is portrayed and promoted. Take a look at the Polish Ekstraliga official website which is in English and has so much going on both with news, rider profiles, past year’s events etc and lots of YouTube videos and when you see how they deal with the sport is it any wonder the Poles have stolen a lead on the rest of the world. Whatever supporters crave, speedway in the UK as it stands cannot currently compete with the rest of Europe and just take a look at this forum. All who follow the top league are so insular with what they want and what everyone hopes for 2026 whereas those in the lower leagues are getting on with planning for 2026 with what they have. Poole Glasgow, Scunthorpe etc are just getting on with preparations and then you question why should those teams bail out a failing business model which is the top league in the UK. I doubt many on here have the financial wherewithal to put a team in the frame in the top tier of UK speedway and why should astute businessmen in the lower leagues risk all because five clubs want to chase the impossible. The only shining light is the return of Buxton. If you could get the Isle of Wight back then from small beginnings who knows what will come of it. The reality is that no one on this forum knows what is planned for 2026, whether a new TV deal has been done, what the team points limit will be, whether riders from the lower echelons of the sport will have any progress because they are blocked by the double uppers and the fact that Joe Public and the main stream media neither knows about the sport nor gives a toss. Speedway UK lost its way a good few years back and really needs to take a reality check. 2026 is a big question mark.

But the fans obviously couldn't afford it as they didn't turn up in sufficient numbers.. So the promoters couldn't afford it... Hence Oxford pulled their top tier team....

You talking from experience.

Im only Joking ladies and gents. Well, partially. Can't stand Plymouth as a track but I respect them for trying to change it. We even seen some passing on the track last season for once. I also feel the way Plymouth are being managed is the right way and will help the sport, and their club in the long run.

When Plymouth changed nights from a Tuesday to a Saturday, their crowds increased by several double digit percentages .. Mainly families... Which suggested these people knew about Speedway but were not prepared to have their kids (and maybe even themselves), out late on a Tuesday... There is a reason Poland use Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the vast majority of their meetings, and it isn't to allow all the GP riders there, as, if they ran on Monday and Thursdays only each week, the GP riders would still be there due to the money... However... The fans wouldn't be there in the same numbers, especially the kids who make a up a decent portion of each crowd in Poland.. UK Speedway simply cannot be ran like a "proper team sport" so why keep trying? (The evidence even suggests they don't)... The 2nd tier ran a semi final in their flagship competition, with one team having three guests, yet I suggest the crowd wouldn't have been that different if Glasgow turned up with seven of their own riders, therefore just try and run as many meetings on whatever your "best" night is... The Aces for example would 100% get more fans on a Friday or Saturday night than they do on a Monday, given more families would go... Long gone are the days when you could take what you are watching "too seriously" in the context of a bona fide team sport, yet the raw material of the racing is as good as ever for me, (from Div One to NDL), so just run on nights you find most of your customers want to attend... The Entertainment Industry lives or dies by what it takes at weekend, not what it takes on Monday and Thursday... Plymouth changed nights, not riders, and their crowds have been quoted as doubled, with not one GP rider in sight, and often not even all their own riders there!!

❄️ 2026 FIM Ice Speedway World Championship calendar announced! The FIM is delighted to confirm that the 2026 FIM Ice Speedway World Championship will be made up of three events. As well as the return of the FIM Ice Speedway of Nations. The single Qualifying round will take place at Örnsköldsvik in Sweden on Saturday 31 January, ahead of three deciding Finals. The first and second Finals will be held at Inzell in Germany over the weekend of 14-15 March, followed by the third Final at Heerenveen in the Netherlands on 11 April. All three Finals will count towards the overall championship positions. The FIM Ice Speedway of Nations will make its long-awaited return for the first time since Germany in 2020. The forty-third edition of the event will be held in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, on 12 April. 🇸🇪 31 January - Qualifying round - Örnsköldsvik, Sweden - SVEMO 🇩🇪 14-15 March - Finals 1&2 - Inzell, Germany - DMSB 🇳🇱 11 April - Final 3 - Heerenveen, the Netherlands – KNMV 🇳🇱 12 April – Nations - Heerenveen, the Netherlands – KNMV

Poole voted team of the year at the WSRA awards at Leicester tonight

this is why its in the mess it is.

Max Perry is not retiring. At least not according to his Facebook message today. Max Perry Racing.

Agree we don't want to lose the upcoming youngsters but also the reasons for there retirement could be absolutely nothing to do with any of the failings of the system

In the NL section of this forum

Would have walked if he could have found a buyer pitgate

Yes I know an amatuer rider who has this and he has his own FB page and if you didn’t know him you would think he was a real superstar and he has been riding about 30 years and still rides in novice class at amatuer meetings

I fully understand most of your points and the logic they hold. Just my personal opinion, I think Glasgow is a fantastic club that's very well run and to me they're competing below their level. In Football terms it's a bit like Newcastle United competing in the EFL Championship. In my opinion for British Speedway to move forward the whole outlook towards the Sport needs radical change, AGM's should no longer be based around what's best for me and my club only. They're all to pally pally for me and nobody wants to upset each other so almost everyone gets whatever they want to the detriment of the Sport overall. Ruthless decisions have to be made for the benefit of the Sport and squabbling over little things like Race Night's should no longer be given the time of day. Despite my opinion, Nothing will change at this AGM and Northampton will be sacrificed and it will be a very short lived return to Speedway and we will all be back here in 12 Months time back at square one.

Plymouth Speedway have just launched their new club app. https://www.facebook.com/plymouthgladiators/posts/pfbid034AG164mDv91agZUL3iUnnk1dwDemLftH9nUMLtDNpk19fzfPD4pXyxbgoDwVeu9nl

Still very good, with the added bonus of at least they will turn up every week

Fully aware we will Lewy, desperate times that one. Least the money coming through the club is legitimate unlike down your way.

Goes without saying all promoters want to make a profit, who wants 5 and 6 figure losses.

Sounds like the Monarchs are still trying to sign a number one for tuppence ha'penny and a couple of ginger bottles then

Think we can guess most teams Top 2 to be fair. I think the King/Nicholls combo is right up there with the eventual Harris/Howarth combo tbh. I'm happy for Plymouth fans that they're getting to see a proper spearhead who'll turn up every week and do very well for the Gladiators. Plymouth have had a rough couple of years with the Ed Kennett drama and Nicolai Klindt missing so many meetings.

Watching the Colts is akin to me watching United's U19 Academy team... And I wouldn't pay £15 to watch them... If you could get in for £15 to watch the Aces, with kids in for free, then you may have half a chance... Or maybe not...

And this is largely the sport's problem, and in some way a problem the country faces. A local journeyman in his late 20s is a lot cheaper than 'bang average rider from abroad' who needs to 'commute' and have a second structure in the UK (not to mention a wage to secure a visa and/or make it viable). We've spent decades importing labour for instant gratification rather than investing in our future. Replace the word 'speedway rider' with 'plumber' and you have the same issue. The sport can't now afford these riders. If the idea is to continue as a professional team sport, then it needs cheaper personnel and this is the problem as these personnel don't exist.

We can't afford it

Knockers keep knocking,we really dont give a flying fook😀

Speedway Updates is dying a slow death unfortunately and for the first time that I can remember they weren't able to cover every meeting last year due to a lack of volunteers. I feel something more modern is needed for speedway fans, an app along similar lines to the Polish one would be ideal.

I thought he only rode for Ipswich this year, unless I am going mad

Are all these returning GP riders going to ride for a lot less money, because if they don't we cant afford them