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19 points
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If the Colts at the NSS were the "only ticket in town" for Speedway they would get very decent attendances... When they started at the NSS they got 800 and sometimes more at a tenner a time... And that was with the Aces getting around 1700 on average.. The sport is down very much to its "die hards" who will attend "any" Speedway locally... Oxford have shown by choosing to run in the 2nd tier, rather than the first, that the cost v return of the top riders doesnt make for a great business decision... And Plymouth have shown that running on a Saturday, with all the same riders in attendance, can circa double their attendances from a Tuesday night... Workington also changed their starting times on Saturdays and saw a significant increase. Same riders, just a more convenient time for fans to attend. I notice they didn't try and run Monday or Thursday afternoons... The Peterborough team involved in any possible comeback have said crowds were similar for them whether they were in Div 1 or Div 2... The unpalatable truth for some is that paying £20k out for two heat leaders for two meetings from your home meeting, (regardless of whether sponsors pay it or not), is simply ridiculous for a sport that, even in the top tier, can often deliver crowds of less than 1000, (and that alone shows their presence isn't pulling too many in)... It also massively reduces jeopardy in the league as those "few" who can pay that kind of money will always be in the play offs... (And that level of sponsors money would be better used marketing the club, and nationally, the sport)... Poole are the perfect example of a team that simply haven't missed the "top stars" and run on the night they need to, to deliver their best crowd level.. Speedway is a tiny, tiny sport, with my lad playing amateur/semi pro football in front of bigger crowds than many Speedway teams get.. You can see by the fact no one is willing to move up that the top tier operating and business model is not fit for purpose... To keep flogging a dead horse is madness...18 points
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Why do you think? Because clubs are for sale, clubs are closing for housing, crowds are down, riders haven’t been paid, the TV deal has gone, whilst promotors want to continue with the same structure, that quite clearly isn’t working and isn’t sustainable and that’s just the Premiership.17 points
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Only "superstars" can have top quality races??? Look up Heat 14 from the Glasgow v Edinburgh playoff semi (British Speedway Network posted it on their Facebook page on 27th September) It was a fantastic race between Perry, MPT & Flint swapping places. Then contrast that with the dross that was GB v Poland at the same track which had Bewley, Woffinden, Zmarzlik and Janowski, 3 of the 4 riders that had just competed in whatever they call the World Pairs final these days, and next to no passing all night. It was one of the worst meetings ever at Ashfield. The only worse ones I can think of were ruined by rain. Glasgow fans are very happy with the entertainment on show at Ashfield every week. Star names do not mean better races. Glasgow fans want to race Fridays, and the promotion fought long and hard to get it. They also have the derbies with Edinburgh and Berwick and rivalry with Poole, and to a lesser extent Redcar and Workington. They also have a competitive team. And they run with (what the promotion deem to be) acceptable losses each year. All of which would be lost propping up the failing Premiership. The Facennas are working hard to build up the speedway at Glasgow but that move would not make any sense and could jeopardise the future of the Tigers.10 points
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The riders can ask for more money but they most likely won't get it... They will then have four options... Give up speedway and get another job.. Keep riding and get more sponsors.. Keep riding and ride in other countries.. Get a job alongside riding Speedway.. I would suggest giving up Speedway would be very much the last option for the vast majority.. There clearly isn't any "best option" for the sport given the state it has been allowed to end up in, just the "least worst"... Having a top league of so few teams won't engage too many to keep turning up In reality, what do they have to offer? At least a six figure increase in costs? Restricted race nights which most likely will actually reduce crowd levels given the change of nights? An increase in admission fees for the fans to pay the higher costs?.. A chance to put an uncompetitive team together as other teams have already sewn up the most wanted "top riders"... "Top riders" who, after any novelty wears off, won't make much of a difference (if any), to the crowd numbers anyway.... Not exactly a "winning formula" is it? There is a perfect example of which level is more suitable for the current UK issues... Oxford.. They had plenty of World Class riders in attendance last season. but have decided to drop the top tier and keep their second tier position...10 points
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Whilst many advocate keeping today’s top riders gainfully employed in the UK at a cost that no club can afford without generous sponsorship, that is a questionable position hold in the overall scheme of things. All who dismiss the lesser known riders and those coming through the ranks at NDL level as not being worthy, please explain where tomorrow’s top star riders are going to come from. Doyle, Lambert, Bewley etc. will not go on forever so where are the stars of the future coming from in the UK. The sport in this country does not have the facilities that the likes of Poland have who are able to have a conveyor belt of talent. Something has to give as the sport means diddly squat to all but a few thousand punters, it does not make good live TV and from an investment aspect you have to be a raving lunatic to put money into a business model where the terms of running are dictated by people and factors over which you as the club owner rarely have control. The sport can survive and rebuild itself but it will never attract a mass audience in the UK to warrant big pay days for the top riders in the world so it needs to cut its cloth accordingly and all the banging on about the need to keep the top tier and top riders and TV deals are just topics that can be debated to death but the reality is that outside the loyal followers no one is interested or listening and while many ideas put forward on here have some merit it is it is not going to influence the way the sport is run now or in the future.9 points
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And both will be as well known as each other to the vast majority of the local population... Watching Dan Bewley fly around the fence at the NSS is great, however, watching him cross the finishing line as two rising stars are still getting around bends three and four doesn't make for much of a spectacle... Even four "Superstars" in a race, most times, ends up with the winner being half a straight ahead of fourth... At the NSS. You can basically pay £25 to watch the "Superstars" on a Monday or Thursday, deliver similar racing to what you can see the NDL lads do, for £15, at the weekend... With the vast majority of the local population not knowing their "Dan Bewley's" from their "Will Cairns'".. Or even who Belle Vue are, or what Speedway is... With any title victory for the Aces or the Colts meeting a similar level of recognition locally from the vast majority of the 2.75M who live within 45 mins of the track.. In any business, if you can find a way to deliver a similar standard of product, but for less cost, and then pass that saving onto your customers in a lower price point, then surely that has to be good for your business...? Or even use some of the cost savings to invest in marketing, to get what you sell out into the consciousness of those living within your catchment area...?9 points
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Britain competing PL on a Mon/Thu is a relatively new thing and has just about killed off the sport, and the PL in particular, in this country. I take it you're a relative newcomer to Speedway and Ipswich? Personally I think new punters are more likely to want to come and see young Johnny Local making his way to better things in the sport rather than Johan Foreigner who flies in for his pension fund top up.9 points
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And be 100% correct to do so..? A business is only successful when you meet what your customers want.... And isn't, when you don't listen to them and ride rough shod over their wishes... A sport is only successful when built on crowd sizes and atmosphere... So run it when the most people want to be there..9 points
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TTT this and almost all your other posts assume that prem Clubs have some cards to play, they really don't, they're almost in a beggers can't be choosers position.If belle vue/ipswich owners/promoters decide they'd rather sell then so be it9 points
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I agree... and as a Leicester fan I'd be more than happy to see us in the CL... the PL has failed9 points
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9 points
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As an Ipswich supporter it was great to win the league after so many years. However, based of course on endless speculation it would appear like the Premiership is acting like a playground bully. Unfortunately apart from Ipswich the business model would appear not to work, root and branch review will not work. The tree is dead. It requires chopping down and a new one planted.8 points
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8 points
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8 points
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You said that Tigers will not win any silverware with Cami Brown as Team Manager, I pointed out that they won with the Playoffs with him as Team Manager in 2023. They topped the league this season with him as Team Manager. And almost won the Playoffs this year with him as Team Manager. Basically, my point is that you're talking mince.7 points
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I think thats a big assumption that everyone arguing for one league is not a fan of the prem. I am, but logic and history dictates its not working and not affordable in the current climate, if and when it gets to a point that it is then more the merrier, i would like nothing more than two full leagues of teams but it just isnt managable.7 points
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Yes if he would ride for rising star money because his performances during his stint in the uk just about warranted them7 points
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7 points
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There was a classic example this season of how things need to change and it answers a couple of points too Oxford run a team in the championship with no tv money from TNT and break even, they run a team in the premier with TNT money and owe £1000s, same track one team is sustainable one isn’t, the one with the lesser riders got marginally bettter support, dispelling the point about the star riders needed, the lessen is all there to see, will the bspl see it ? No they have superheats and points limits to discuss7 points
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Interesting how so many Premiership team fans on here are convinced that if it went to one league, the Premiership teams would royally screw the Championship teams by hoovering up all the top riders and leaving the dregs for the Championship teams. And they wonder why no-one wants to join their failing league! The 9 Championship teams this year agreed to share out league strength by having only 1 rider over 8 points. This was to ensure that all teams had done strength after last seasons disparity. In one league of 14 teams, why would 9 teams vote to allow 5 teams to screw them over? Just to clarify, as I question the intelligence of some, 9 is bigger than 5. For 2 years the 5 "big" teams screwed the Spires and Brummies, and no longer have them in the league. The Championship promoters chose not to go down that route. Yes Poole, Glasgow and Redcar will be relatively weaker next season, but they chose the intelligent option of making sure that the didn't kill off the 'weaker' teams. If Chris Louis is the messiah like promoter some are holding him up to be, why didn't he and his cronies take their foot off the throat of Oxford and Birmingham before they killed them off? (Yes I know Brummies lost their track but for all the plans to keep the Premiership going, not one has been keep the Brummies going at another venue as the promoter walked away from the Premiership and the fans didn't support an obviously canon fodder team). IF the Premiership fails and joins the Championship, to make it one league, then the points limit and team building rules would be set at a level where the Premiership teams could not do that to the Championship teams because the bullying majority would be the minority.7 points
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I appreciate that but there's also option 4, racing part-time rather than expecting a living from British Speedway when the sport cannot sustain giving them that.7 points
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I suggested on here, (what seems a lifetime ago now), that the BSB model was "perfect" for UK Speedway.. I think It was around the time that Poland basically "took over".. I worked with Cadbury at the time, promoting their products in my stores, and got free passes to Oulton Park to watch the BSB and could see how professional and slick it was ran.. Shane Byrne and Leon Haslam were among the main men at the time and both went on to "bigger things" but left with the blessing of the BSB as they "knew their place" in the hierarchy of motorbike racing.. And ensured that they had plenty of "Shane Byrne's and Leon Haslam's" lined up to replace them... With both having good careers elsewhere before coming back to end their careers with the BSB... The UK promoters need to accept their place in the hierarchy and stop wasting "huge" resources for such a small sport, paying out up to £5k a night to a "World Star" and instead pay a grand a night to five young UK lads who just may come through and progress to a level on the World Stage, and then ensure they have another five to replace them when they move on... They "brought back" "World Stars" to "Bring the crowds back", without, (as far as I can see and know), any market research at all as to why crowds had dropped... And, once again, used a large chunk of TV money to do it... And all to deliver the current situation.. Truly. Incredible...7 points
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At the end of the day, whatever options are decided, they have to be affordable for all clubs - and fans! Unfortunately not all Clubs have the same cost base - some own their own Stadia, some rent from supportive landlords, some rent from reluctant stadium owners. Some (a few) have supportive corporate main sponsors, many do not! Clubs must be allowed to operate at their preferred level (financially) otherwise more Clubs will be lost. To be 'forced' into one league or another just to suit the few would be wrong imo. If every club operated from the same costbase it might be different, but they don't and it isn't!7 points
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Sorry but i think rather than moan we should be thankful. If ticket prices and Hotels prices are sensibly priced both night’s will sell out and provide superb entertainment.7 points
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So the bspl don’t tell the public the AGM isn’t happening till January until after it was supposed to happen yesterday even though through gossip we knew anyway, the contempt for the fans is off the scale with these people,over the last few month or so the governing body have really shown their colours, they don’t answer the phone, they don’t reply to emails and they don’t give support to clubs trying to come back or start up,they don’t turn up to the speedway show on Saturday even though it is literally peanuts to have a stand,I’m holding back here I could say more but I don’t hold up much hope for the future of my sport and yes every one of us own this great sport 🤢7 points
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7 points
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Bottom line is that British Speedway at senior level is equivalent of a big boat in the middle of a lake. On one side you have Premiership promoters rowing one way, with the championship promoters sat on the other side rowing the other way. Then you have Rob Godfrey and Phil Morris sat at the tiller scratching their heads wondering why the boats going round in circles.6 points
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As far as I am aware, the BSPL consists of a number of individual business's. If this is so, they cannot "force" Poole to abandon the Championship for a very uncertain future in the Premier League. Try to force that and I would guess that the Lawyers would be called in and Poole would take it to Court. I would if I was them, I would and I believe they would win. Oh well, that's all right then!!! You are 'all right Jack'!!! There is far too many of your Premier League people trying to close Championship Tracks for my liking. Wanting to sacrifice them on the altar of the Premier League. Not on I'm afraid. I am not being nasty, but your attitude is, prop up the Premier League at all costs and stuff the other Championship Clubs in this Country. Your League has caused all of the problems, and you expect to be bailed out as a right. That is a terrible attitude. I lost my Track fifty two years ago, so I know how it feels. I think you should wait and see what happens at the (rather late) AGM. On this particular matter you have got to me, I feel you are being very selfish and and entitled. Your position on this is dead wrong.6 points
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Sadly shows the state of play, the very best wishes to Mick and Co in their battle to get the panthers back but the fact the prem league is hammering on their door when they don't even have a track yet shows the level of desperation to find the sixth team.6 points
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I don't think it's a question of what team or teams will go up,more likely how many teams are going to go down to the championship!6 points
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But it’s blindingly obvious the premier league is unsustainable in it”s current guise so why force someone to go up if it can mean the end of a track. You only have to look at Oxford and see the damaged done by being in the top flight and then you here about losses made at other tracks and it’s bloody scary. British speedway needs to cut it’s cloth and run at a level that is sustainable and if it means the top boys don’t return and even some of the lesser riders go then so be it.6 points
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Don't see how you can force anyone to move up imo, unless the others are willing to pay for any losses that club has. Riders wages seem to be the biggest issue here. Sure i heard somewhere that Chris Harris would be on double what he is on in the championship. So no wonder why Glasgow don't want to move up! Just because their owners have a lot of money doesn't mean they want to lose some of it on a league that looks like it is crumbling. If they need a championship team to move up then they need to compromise on some of the deal breakers, if that is even possible.6 points
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This one? Something about not definitely yes but not a definite no. Sounds like they are looking into it. Interesting to hear that their crowds are the same whether it's championship or premiership.6 points
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You really are deluded. Bomber would always choose Glasgow first and as for finances,the Facennas have spent millions on Glasgow speedway, totally renovated the stadium, they sponsor team GB and other areas of speedway, they are planning another stand and hope to be able to get a GP at Glasgow. We have a young crowd with hundreds of kids each meeting. Yes we have the facilities for premiership speedway but will not change from a Friday night. We are now starting to make money which will be ploughed back into the club.6 points
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Couldn’t care less what Harris or king or any rider thinks he needs, this is about the future of speedway, its currently is broke, can’t pay its debts off and if it carry’s on the same path Harris and the rest will have to get a job in B&M or Asda let alone have to reduce their income,it’s a tough old world out there and it’s time the riders started to feel it6 points
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Do you really think so? The riders who have “signed” for Championship clubs would soon be backing out of those deals quicker than a rat up a drainpipe. The fact is, those clubs that would be “dropping down” are more desirable clubs to ride for who more than likely could/would offer better deals. The first thing Ipswich would do for example, is take Scott Nicholls off Plymouth. Those deals aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. Pure delusion to think those riders would stay loyal to the Championship clubs they’ve already agreed to ride for, if they’re suddenly offered a better deal by one of the clubs currently in the Premiership. They’ll go where the money is and rightly so. 99% of riders have been dumped by clubs over their careers when they’ve hit a sticky patch, so none of them can cry foul when it’s their turn to be dumped. It works both ways.6 points
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Whilst I take your point, that the future is the way to go, I do not agree with your your premise regarding Doris and Bob. You need to think about ALL Speedway Supporters and that includes the elderly. There is a theory that you can learn from History. Perhaps you could look back to when Speedway really was popular, when good folk, young and old, flocked to Speedway Meetings for the noise, the excitement, the smell, the thrills, the spills and the entertainment. Look at those points I make now. How many apply today? Noise - Yes, Excitement - Yes, Smell - No, Thrills and Spills - Yes (too many of the latter, these days), Entertainment - No, not really. No second Half from where you grow your future riders. I would argue that Speedway, which purports to be a Sport, has lost it's way. The Grand Prix system, I believe, has degraded the Sport in this Country. It is too gimmicky. I just mention the laughably named - Last Qualifying Round/Race. Too many places are given to the top riders from the previous year - these riders are SELECTED from their efforts this year for the World Championship for next year. What is fair and equal about that? Then we come to the League - no the wonder Supporters drift away when their Team win the League, only to find they have to win another competition to win it AGAIN (Play Offs aka: an injustice) - not fair. If you want another competition - fine - but don't call it the League Championship, for that it isn't. They (the Promoters) have changed what used to be a great Sport that people used to attend enthusiastically, into fifteen races - and that's it. Bare minimum offered to Supporters. High prices to be paid, when money these days is extremely tight. Finally the riders themselves have lost touch with the Supporters. No going for a drink afterward as in the old days. All of these things add up. Well, I am off to get my flask and my blanket - it is cold this time of year. Much Love Doris and Bob.6 points
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I'm confused. You state that the Premiership isn't a failure, then list lots of failures. Essentially all are that clubs cannot afford to run in the Premiership. The other big issue is that the top teams won't share out the top riders and never have so no one wants to risk bankruptcy to be the new whipping boys. What the Championship have done for 2026 in helping the weaker teams should have been done in the Premiership at least a year ago (and probably before that). Your only proposed solutions to date are to force another team to join the failing Premiership against their will.6 points
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Absolutely agree with you. There's no point in any club having a presence at this collectors' fayre. I'm in no way knocking the show. Quite the opposite. It's a great idea, lovingly organised at huge time and energy by some ultra-devoted fans. If you want to pick up that missing 1969 Nelson v Crayford programme, or buy a vintage "Happiness is 40-38" badge to sew on your anorak, then it's perfect. I love the history of the sport, and I fully recommend taking the grandkids to see a restored 1930s Rudge, or the leathers Ole Olsen wore in the 1972 World Final. But it has no value to a 2026 speedway promoter. The audience are speedway fans, and highly-devoted fans who know everything about the sport already. There will be zero members of the general public paying £10 to go into a Speedway collectors' fayre. So no potential new punters to sell the sport to. If it were a motorcycle show in general, with a chance to reach out to others from different bikesport disciplines,or some kind of Business expo with a chance to network with potential new sponsors, it might have some value. But it isn't. So enjoy the show if you go, but don't think it's a place for clubs to promote their businesses. It isn't.6 points
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6 points
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Don't know why you are infatuated about Poole and Glasgow.You seem to think because they are successful they should move up and probably lose money.No mention of any other Clubs. Fans at Championship Clubs know their Clubs are just surviving in the Championship.Tells us all the incentives for Championship Clubs moving up apart from saving Premiership. The Leagues should have been merged years ago.Perhaps sharing money was the problem. iMO6 points
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exactly which is why no one would take it seriously. I think its time to admit the illusion of a top league has failed and to cut their cloth accordingly and drop to one big league with less riders per team.6 points
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It's an absolute disgrace and shows the regard the BSPA (Clubs) have for their fans and complete lack of respect. Speedway star announced it was obviously 12th November then changed to the 6th of January via the speedway star. Nothing on the official BSPA website, which is poor and before the goody lot start coming back with 'its delicate and confidential' and that's why nothing can be said. Come on! they don't need to give details just give the supporters some basic information instead of radio silent and hope! Lets face it, Oxford and Birmingham didn't close yesterday! We have known since August (promoters knew longer than that) have they sat around for 8 weeks hoping someone will wave a magic wand and hope everything will be sorted, get real! It's a poor show and the fans deserve better.6 points
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Nobody agrees because you're wrong. Glasgow lose enough money in the Championship, and that is on their fans preferred race night, with lots of local derbies and rivalries. None of the 5 Premier teams hold any of the appeal of a visit from Edinburgh, Berwick or Poole. Or Redcar or Workington. 1 season propping up the Premiership and the financial losses associated with that could be the end of the current promotion and no one in Glasgow wants that. I genuinely can't see many Glasgow fans wanting to move up a division. One other thing, where would Glasgow, or any other 6th team, get a competitive team from? An Oxford/Birmingham select from last year would still finish miles behind the other 5 teams, and would provide little excitement. That's partly why the Premiership is struggling, because whenever anyone steps up the others refuse to share their riders and the new team end up as cannon fodder.6 points
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And throw away their local meetings with Edinburgh, worky Berwick and even Redcar, not a chance, the current situation that the premier league finds itself in isn’t Glasgow's problem, wasn’t caused by Glasgow and won’t be fixed by Glasgow, if anything Glasgow should be asking the top teams to join them in the Championship6 points
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The Speedway Show is happening this coming Saturday 15th November 2025, more information here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550576383947 The consortium aiming to preserve Speedway in Peterborough in a joint initiative with the Peterborough Panthers Supporters Club have a stall at the event and we will be delighted to welcome members from the BSF for a chat and to ask us anything about our campaign and its progress. As an added attraction, we have some items on display that will very much not only interest supporters of Peterborough, but also specifically, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Reading and Swindon. We look forward to meeting as many Speedway Supporters as possible, irrespective of which team you support.5 points
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I really don't understand why some teams should "move up" for the "good of the sport"... Which basically translates into "so my team can ride on Monday or Thursday meaning I can watch some GP riders".... Why don't the Prem teams "drop down for the good of the sport"? Not enough riders? Then run in a reduced level top tier, with five rider teams, at Championship level, "for the good of the sport"? They can still do it on Mondays and Thursdays if certain teams want to.. With GP riders too, using a Championship level team average...5 points
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Don't disagree with any of that Mike I'm really assuming that Peterborough and Wolves would have kept the basis of the riders they had from memory poles and russians who rode for Lynn and Peterborough 3-4 seasons back. I agree Championship is the UK's level now , if the top league survives for 2-3 years I would be trying to get a championship style top league of maybe 12 teams and start scouring the globe for young aussies and young yanks (if there are any) who would be committed to UK racing. I still think the biggest success story of last 12 months is Plymouth who are trying to do everything they can righ, running on best night for fans and it looks like they are trying to build a team of mainly UK based riders so barring injury you should see the same 1-7 at most home meetings.5 points
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5 points