Leaderboard

Have the bspl become so desperate and tunnel visioned in their quest to get Northampton running they have forgot what their actual job is ? They have practically isolated and ignored the fans and even the other 4 teams to a degree since November to the point now where even the most loyal fans are getting fed up and if like me thinking is it worth it anymore, this winter has been one of the most damaging to its credibility winters the sport has ever had

We must surely be approaching the point where they say it's too late to get this done. This waiting isn't fair on the riders, it's not fair on the other clubs who have declared they're running but can't get properly organised, and most importantly it's not fair to the supporters who can't be blamed if they decide that after the farce of this winter it's finally the time to walk away from the sport. I hope Northampton do start. The circumstances in which it happens isn't ideal but it would still be exciting to see a new track enter, and wouldn't it be great if we were all here in 7-8 months time looking back at a successful first season. But you can't keep everyone waiting around forever, there has to be a deadline.

The sport is more of a hobby for too many to ever be taken seriously.... Winning at home (by a narrow margin) and getting hammered away is almost utopia for some... These promoters don't have any burning ambitions to win things or, if also in the second tier, move into the top league, and are quite content on funding their hobby through affordable losses, or other businesses contributions.. They run their team pretty much for themselves and the riders, who often need two jobs in the UK to justify their outlay on machinery... With the two jobs meaning two teams share the costs which then makes it cost effective for both clubs.. The clamour for "Team Six" isn't to make the top league look "relevant", (even 20 teams couldn't do that the way the sport is ran), it is simply to ensure another seven slots are available for riders, with four or five of those slots being so riders can double up.. Neither league has authenticity given the operating model (196 guests last season), therefore "Team Six" won't make a jot of difference to the way the sport is viewed by so many fans, and, (more importantly), literally thousands of "ex fans"... In short. Nothing changes because the majority of those running it have a lot of their boxes ticked due to the way they do run it, hence they are content with things... And as long as fans only slowly dwindle away, the losses won't become too big, too quickly, so the whole nonsense can continue on.... Until, of course, inevitably one day given its inexorable decline, it doesn't..

Have had BSN for my elderly parents for the last 4 years and can't fault it for the cost, yeah had a few teething problems with some streams from time to time when it first came along but its got better year on year tbf, my parents who are both 85 love their speedway and have been going regularly to local tracks since the Norwich speedway days, and were season ticket holders at Ipswich, Lynn, P'boro and Mildenhall for many a year before Covid stuck, it's just an easier option for them these days then driving to a meeting and having to sit about in all weather's at their age.

Ipswich were more than happy to take Tom off Birmingham and see them “make up the numbers”. Tom had ridden part of their season at number 1 after we released him. When you consider the top two the witches had in place, tapping up Tom seemed unnecessary if looking at the bigger picture. It did however achieve what Louis wanted with his league win, and that’s all that mattered to him.

Now posting as tapewrecker

I don’t buy that. The vast majority of fans switch off at the end of the season & come back at the start of the new one. It’s only us on here that get our knickers in a twist, a small percentage of those who actually attend. If the side ends up getting beaten week in week out then yes the attendance will drop, but the goings on this winter won’t make much difference to the attendance at the start of the season

Fortunately there is absolutely nobody looking, outside of the Speedway bubble

The 4 team league to be run in September & October with the top 4 going to the semi finals

I look at streaming as an opportunity to see away meetings. I’m self employed so taking a whole day plus fuel to attend an away meeting is quite costly. Streaming has its place, I don’t think I can justify travelling away but I’m happy to pay to watch it on my tv.

I think he's sponsored by Thames Water.

Stifles aspiration, and ambition,and is clearly open to manipulation.. If must be quite annoying for a rider to miss out on a team place by a few decimal points, knowing one of his team mates last year let him finish in front of him, which, ultimately put his average "too high"... Even more so if a "bonus point king" gets the place he could have had!!!

I hate the averages system and also the idea of not having riders as assets. It kills the motivation to develop young riders as if their average gets to high, you have to lose them for nothing or lose another top rider. It also doesn't really keep teams that fair either

They stopped this test 2 years ago, now they hold out a fifty pound note and which hand snatches it first is the predominant hand.

Problem is the play offs are at the wrong time for mainstream broadcasters as in September and October the Premier League and EFL is in full flow and the European Champions, Europa and Conference League has just started so they have plenty of content. I did make the suggestion back in December when it became clear they had no Premiership broadcast to BSPL that maybe they would be better to look at running a short separate SuperLiga series of matches just one Home and Away . This needs to take place late May until end of July then Sky and Others would be interested in broadcasting it Maybe also may attract more GP stars for a short period season. This needs to be a more modern format with DJs, lights , smoke , Cheerleaders etc However this suggestion was turned down as promotions didn’t want to clash with Euro football games as thought attendance will be down but they will whichever way and also had concerns that fans would not attend the Premiership fixtures at start and end of season instead just going for SuperLiga matches . This is exactly how Cricket has moved forward clubs make big money and attendance for 20-20 and the Hundred during peak summer which purest supporters don’t like but they can get their traditional cricket early and later on the year

He was fantastic wasn’t he? Had an aura, the X factor. His form dipped in his final year here by his high standards but it wasn’t through lack of effort or commitment. I’m sure I wasn’t alone when he first signed wondering how many meetings he’d miss and how much effort would he put in, but I needn’t have been concerned! Class act.

Santa Claus you c#nt , wheres my f@cking team Kevin Bloody Wilson

A sport, in the UK, simply set up for a few dozen riders so they can earn money... And set up so some people, with enough money, can have an expensive hobby which they love being a central part of... The fans being invited along to help subsidise the costs, and keep them within reason for the person whose hobby it is... UK Speedway is no more than this.. The BSN package looks excellent value for money for "generic fans", who just enjoy watching Speedway without bothering too much who wins and who doesn't.. Hope they have a good season with plenty of subscribers.

Which shows how quickly any agreement can change/disappear Until the announcement nothing is guaranteed Whilst I expect it to happen I'm almost of a mind that it may be best that it doesn't so that the whole house of cards collapses and forces a real reset

It's not his team to announce though is it! If you were negotiating a sale worth tens of thousands of pounds to you would you be disclosing the planned new owners team against their wishes? That doesn't seem the best way to conduct the process to me....

Whoever wins the "league" there is no kudos to it is there? I think attendences are going to be woeful after this close season, its difficult to see how the sport recovers from this now.

Seems to me that Plymouth have gone back to "grass roots" Speedway, the type a lot of us were brought up on before the Sport decided to take itself far too seriously and tried to be something it's not and probably never will be... a Professional sport. They're probably only a 2nd half away from getting back to the night out that most of us yearn for. Keep your flashy TV contracts etc. That's been and gone and we blew it.

It is a bit curious though, isn't it? The last time i went to Cardiff I paid £18 (early bird price). And the place was more than half empty which lead to no more GPs there. I have to say though that I went to the Friday meeting at BV last year and as we left I did say that the meeting we'd just seen was a real candidate for the best GP ever. Perhaps real fans want to see real racing eh? [edit] P.S. I've just bought two day tickets for this year.

A bit harsh.... He was only one month out.... Not a bad effort really when it comes to the history of Speedway promoting in the UK.....

The Lemon who sent an email out advertising the sale of GP tickets on the 27th of March instead of 27th of February? 😮

Shame can't be said the same for you then 😂

So.... Basically, promoters thought that an authentic and relevant league, that had some resonance, and ran during the warmer months, would negatively impact their unauthentic, and largely irrelevant league, with minimal, if any, resonance, (that they would still run), using the colder months too?... In summary... "This product would deliver what many fans want, and would engage them to attend, but then they wouldn't turn up to watch the usual contrived stuff we cobble together each season".. They probably wouldn't be wrong would they?

Are any of fhe riders mentioned left handed? I think there may be a sub reg which allows a further reduction in averages of left handed riders... Just as long as they can a) prove they are left handed and b) prove it by the end of February.. All that needs to happen is for a BSP Official to hand the rider a pen and see how he writes with it... Mickey Mouse has just looked at his BSP watch that he got for Christmas off Minnie, and confirmed officially that today is the 26th of February, so still time left...

Rip off

Agree with the ‘live’ sentiment but that is becoming increasingly more costly and those with limited disposal income will forsake that and frankly with the way some meetings are drawn out, I would suspect many would rather be at home than standing on a chilly terrace in stadiums with poor facilities, expensive food and drink plus toilets that are some of the worse you can find and you can have all that for an entry fee of £20+. That’s probably why some people no longer attend because the supporter is a secondary inconvenience to the people who run the sport. Just look at the way they have conducted themselves in the close season.

Yes, King Edwards just about sums that team up🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔 😂

The fact someone is signing Scott Nicholls in 2026 in a “Premiership” team says everything really. That’s no slight on him either. He’s been a fine rider for many years but come on now the bloke is on the slippery slope to 50 and just spent nearly a year out injured. It’s all a bit desperate.

Speaking as a speedway fan and not the parent of a rider. I would not be attending a meeting this year. To be left in the dark to this extent yet expected to pay my hard earned and turn up to watch god knows who on a random date yet to be determined…. I’d have found another sport to follow weeks ago.

Let’s get things in perspective, he’s been around British amateur meetings for quite a few years, rode in a few second halfs and would struggle to hold down a NDL team place so let’s not call in Trumps ICE army just yet.

been away for a few weeks .... any nes on Ipswich new owners ??? Any team news ??

Still fully committed every time he goes to the tapes ,we should make the most of him hope he has safe and successful season .

You do have to wonder what the hell is going on, the silence is worrying, have both deals fell through and they don’t have a league ? Mayfield for me are doing themselves no favours if they are taking over Ipswich and in the GPs and the silence from the bspl is staggering,this can’t drag on any longer it needs sorting now, despite all the issues involved in getting it to work they should of gone one big league this year

Did they replace them with "Guests"?

Definitely that no one has heard of it. I think the only people that knew about it when I was at school was the people I forced to come along with me, most of whom never went again

They could just go along to a track and enjoy the speedway and ignore all the "faff" around the sport. It's still 15 heats (weather etc permitting) 4 blokes (typically) doing 4 laps (typically) and the team with the most points at the end wins.

I put the first idiot on block as it was tedious and is good since people stopped quoting him. Haven't got any issues at moment with other but if I do they will go on block

Congrats to Drew Kemp for winning the Argentina Championship.Think most fans would have liked him back at Shielfield.

Assuming it is a guy... like I said, the ignore feature is an option for those it irritates so much. I don't use the feature myself, even though I'd be well justified with some of the abuse I've copped on here, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day 👍

The Witch is Back... maybe... perhaps... one day.... "I'm a Witch, I'm a Witch and I'm better than you".... or at least I was last year....

In a "normal" season would any other club starting out be given this much time weeks before a season starting , I think not. Only because of the lack of teams in the Premiership is so much leeway been given to Northampton.

Fair point,but its the old "duffers" as you put it who keep the sport going, year on year more old "duffers" stop going and the aint no younger generation to take their place so it'll go twit's up eventually attendance wise sadly.

Yet again, you reply without quoting ...

Not a lot to report from the STAARS meeting. Ipswich and Northamton, there are daily zoom meetings. Sheffield are not having a headline team sponceer but teaming up with the Childrens Hospital to promote their chatity. This was well recieved. Talk of setting up a proper supporters club to try and ge better away suport. Meetin concluded with a fantastic race night put on by Ryan. Meeting very well atended and a good night had by all.

I predict the draw for the PL Cup will be made...