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There is a lot of talk about teams like Belle Vue and Ipswich (if they run) having to "drop down" next season, but, of course, if the Premier League as it currently exists is no longer, the new single league will, de facto, be the top league, so, actually, it is a matter of the other teams moving up! It's just that the standard won't be so good.

It was literally three or so weeks ago that Chris Louis and Ritchie Hawkins were on local radio stating the hard work was already underway to build another top challenging team for next year. So this isn’t something that has been brewing for a while, something has happened at the BSPL meetings very recently that has made him throw in the towel. Fans of other clubs have been very quick to stick the boot in on the bloke. But in Louis’ defence, he has stated quite clearly that he’ll be working “tirelessly” over the coming weeks and months to make sure the club is left in safe hands. After everything he’s done, he deserves that time, and the benefit of the doubt to see what exactly these “safe hands” the club has been left in, are. If we end up with no speedway at Foxhall in 2026 and the club left in limbo, then he’ll have tarnished the whole Louis legacy and I’ll be the first to criticise.

I, personally, cannot wait for one league... Loads of new tracks to visit, several weekends away... My concern is we end up with two leagues of Mickey Mouse, contrived, same old/same old, bollox.. Like we have had for 20 Years and more... What an opportunity for the sport to reset itself, relaunch itself, and make a UK Speedway Brand...

Finding out he's worky bound 😄

Possible disappointment

There is a cheaper alternative……..it’s called cycle speedway😀

As we have a chance for a major reset in UK speedway, I’d like to ask any mechanical boffins how easy is it to make the kit massively cheaper? You can’t just change regs overnight in a big way as that sees riders with expensive & unusable out of date parts but can costs be driven down with minor tweaks as time goes on? A speedway bike will always be a speedway bike but it would be nice to have a cheaper alternative to the highly tuned rocket ships currently blighting the domestic scene.

I personally have nothing but respect for CL he has been a wonderful servant to s/way as a rider and promoter ,I am certain in real terms owners /promoters in s/way do it for the love of the sport . I tried in the 70's to persuade my father to buy a speedway team (he was a massive fan of the sport) his reply was it is thankless and profitless passtime at best. Chris L has made a huge decision I would image it is one of the hardest things he's had to do in his entire s/way career .

I didn't say he had, I said that's what you don't do as a business owner... not if you want to realise it's full value. All we know at the moment is that he's "stepped down" from the club, whatever that means? He's perfectly entitled to put his business up for sale, continue running or close it down, that's his decision. But it's not just a business is it, it's a sporting club with a long and rich tradition that many people have a strong emotional attachment to and they've not really had a mention. ... So stick that in your "pipe" and smoke it

And he hasn’t done that has he Iain? You haven’t got the first clue what is going on so pipe down. It’s not your money or business at stake here. If Louis feels what is currently on the table isn’t something he wants any part with, he’s perfectly entitled to make that decision. His money, his business.

There's been better clubs than Ipswich that have failed to sell, what you don't do as a business owner is close that business down to sell it, you sell it as a going concern to realise the full value. Emotions are obviously running high down Suffolk way at the moment and I hope Mr Louis can find a way of collecting his toys up, putting them back in his pram and start acting like a true custodian of a Speedway club with a strong and loyal fan base.

Don’t think Guy Nicholls needs any tractors he has plenty of his own

Well this would be an interesting time for the fans to come good and buy the club 😉 In another sport - AFC Wimbledon announced recently that a fan owned model isn't sustainable in football at the level they operate at, I rather suspect it wouldn't in top tier speedway speedway either!

Fair play if he can afford to buy Poland just by pulling his sponsorship of Sheffield.

What Chris has single handedly done at the moment is seemingly closed his own club down, with no "assurance" that they'll be running next season.

And you still wouldn’t turn out for the “qualifiers” 😂

A K-Tel Hits of the 70's Album?

From Edinburgh/Glasgow, down to Poole/Plymouth, the league would cover a fair few conurbations, with several million people living in them, and look like it fully covered the country, pretty much from top to bottom.. "Northern Tours" for all last seasons Premiership teams' fans on Friday and Saturday may even get coaches and hotels booked and "supporter's clubs" could maybe rear their head again... Sheffield on a Thursday, the NSS on a Friday and "further up north" on Saturday would give the more southern based clubs' fans, even more of a "Northern Tour".. With the clubs in the further north all riding Friday and Saturday it would be perfect in getting a fair few away fans there from teams who haven't even been there in some cases, and not been there for a good while in others... Who knows, maybe clubs could package special offer reduced price deals to the away fans to encourage their attendance..? Ipswich on a Thursday and maybe KIngs Lynn on a Friday could also deliver some "East Anglian Tours"... Sheffield/Scunthorpe on Thursday and Friday could also get some away fan traction... And there will be many other "mixing" which could take place to "get an away crowd" there... There would be a big novelty factor which should be rode to the max, until it came to its inevitable end.. By which time, you would hope that the sport was on a clear upturn and big momentum was in place to keep it growing...

These days what do speedway clubs own if they are for sale. It appears due to rules the clubs don't own any rider assets they are just employed from march to October, most clubs only rent a stadium from a 3rd party. The only asset I can work out is the licence from the BSPL to run speedway, and as it stands unfortunately that won't be worth much the way them in charge are carrying on

The fans that Mr Louis neglected to thank while just about name checking everybody else in his self absorbed statement?

Pride of the East - Unofficial King's Lynn Speedway Podcast

The 3 meetings he turns up.

He has said he isn’t running in 2026 & the club is for sale 100% clear as day. If someone buys the club it runs if no one does then no speedway at Ipswich. Simples

Just to think 3 weeks ago we were all heartbroken because Emil wasn't coming back 💔 Have to say I'm absolutely devastated about this news, can't process it tbh. So if we can't sell and Sheffield can't sell what is the future for "top" speedway in 2026?