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Any chance you can explain to me your end game with your endless posting about how crap in your eyes one big league would be? Every time we go back and forth you agree with me that big changes are needed, you’ve even agreed with me that Ipswich don’t do everything right and that the top league isn’t sustainable as it is? We know you have disdain for the championship and the quality of it and of course Poole and Glasgow for not bowing down to Chris Louis and moving up a league. But I really don’t get your end game other than to act entitled and make on that you are cleverer than everyone else for thinking you’ve got the future of the sport sussed out?

Logistically it isn't an issue. Especially if you are a rider wanting to line your pockets without the inconvenience of having to be good enough to be asked to ride in Poland. The problem is deeper than that though. Starting with it causing the disconnect between fans and the riders who race for their team. Ideally riders should have one club, having another club overseas is borderline acceptable. Ideally that wouldn't happen either. A lot of top tier riders have ended up with second tier clubs due to a relaxation of rules (doubling up numbers allowed and average conversion rate) 15 odd years ago. They've then hogged the team spots and stopped other riders from racing at second tier level and thus reaching a competitive standard. That is directly to blame for the lack of good enough riders now. To top it all off, most of them are now in their mid thirties plus and when they retire, which they'll have to some day sooner rather than later, leave a massive void in both leagues. These things hurt Speedway's credibility. As does guesting, which isn't a necessary evil, it's just an evil. It makes the sport look amateurish in the extreme to Speedway fans, let alone someone who may be a newcomer to the sport. The sport has to look credible to keep teams active, to help new/returning teams get back on track, to try secure another television deal and ultimately to draw in new fans. All these things that look stupid to outsiders (because they are stupid) need to be removed from the sport. For the good of the sport.

No, far from it. But he is the only rider, as far as I know, that has robbed an elderly woman armed with knives whilst out of his head on crack cocaine. There have been many instances where a rider can come back from a drugs ban. Smarty came back from missing a season and a half and was better than ever after it. Roger Lobb made a successful comeback and Nick Morris seems to of done okay. I do think the ban should be longer for being caught under the influence and they should be tested every meeting for the rest of their career. People say its expensive but it really isn't, I was working in the mines in Australia a few years back and drug tests cost them next to nothing. It is mad how it gets out that drug testers are in attendance at tracks which causes riders to suddenly have a van break down on them. Its criminal how a plank like Garrity can do what he has and now seemingly has Havelock and Wilson backing him on his comeback whereas genuine decent lads with equal ability get next to nothing to help them.

An actual picture from David Wayne's family Christmas party... Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🎅

What has this topic got to do with Newcastle?

But that is one of the major issues.. The majority of fans don't have any faith that the future will be better.. Simply based on what those in control have delivered over the last two decades... Even the die hards on the many Speedway related FB accounts (generic and club specific), take the pee at how poorly the sport is ran.. Why, suddenly now therefore, will those in charge improve things? The clearly, obvious, fundamental issues facing the sport have been there for a long, long time, with the answer, year in year out, being "Let's do exactly the same thing again"... Which, once again, they have chosen to do this year.. Well a "mini version"... The bottom line is... The Premiership simply doesn't work in its current guise, and is only there to give a few "quality riders" a fair few quid, (thus increasing costs much higher than crowd numbers) and the rest the chance to Double Up.. At least a 14 team league (at whatever level), looks, from the outside, like something with relevance, and makes the sport look at least "sizeable" and covers pretty much the whole country, which should improve sponsorship and marketing opportunities...

How can anyone be getting excited for a 5 team league is beyond me

First title of the season, well done Poole

I think Leicester should be congratulated for their use of social media in the last few weeks. They were the first, if not only club to update their supporters on what their plans were, then they announce the departure of their best rider (with Max confirming this 15 minutes later) but within 12 hours announce the signing of Thompson. Anyone would think they actually have put some thought into how they use social media & have a strategy. If this is the case can other clubs please take note....

Not a mention of the sterling work that speedway futures Ltd habe done behind the scenes,not a mention of who the new Ipswich owners are if indeed there are any, a statement that told us very little but what did we expect really ? You don’t need to wait for an AGM to fix a problem and it’s clear they have no idea how to fix the sport, carry on doing the same and pound to a penny they haven’t addressed any issues of cost either for riders and more importantly the long suffering dwindling fan base

End of year update

Let’s be honest, ‘Speedway Star’ is probably the most credible thing associated with the sport in the UK. A superb publication doing its best to make the sport appear to be more professional than it actually is!

Prison is there to punish and rehabilitate. He's done his time, now we've got to hope the rehabilitation works. He has experience in two things - Speedway and crime. If we don't want him to return to crime, we need to push him down the path of an honest future. Sadly it seems the "Holier Than Thou" brigade want to push him down a path of crime, so they can say "I was right".

I'd say there needs to be discussion much much earlier than mid year Ideally they need to start as part of the rearranged AGM in January

They could put out a NL team and still be top 5

Baffles me that everywhere seems to want something the size of BV when Somerset, Redcar and Scunthorpe sizes produce good racing and would be far easier to squeeze in somewhere.

I find it absolutely astonishing that people think this piece of dirt should be allowed back into speedway. There are lines between crimes and getting pissed and jumping on a bike, whilst completely irresponsible, is not in the same league as smoking crack and holding up an old woman at gunpoint. He is the lowest of the low. People need to hang their heads in shame comparing him to a rider who has failed a booze or drug test. It is crazy how he didn't get banned before he completely and utterly ballsed his life up. Have heard many stories about his behavior and drugs etc from well before he got banged up.

Nick Morris and Richie Worrall disagree

And this silly vendetta against all things NORA needs to STOP!

Anyone defending 3 home 3 away with the play offs is part of the problem. It's a shambles and I shall not spend a penny on it.

It's surely the other way around... all these riders have been signed up to CL clubs for weeks

What makes you both think that? On pure 2025 averages (across all meetings) alone, Mitch was higher... 6.18 - Mitchell McDiarmid 5.68 - Fraser Bowes Do you think Bowes will improve more than McDiarmid in 2026 - at a new home track, whereas Mitch is at the same track as in 2025? I can't it even see it being close in Mitch's favour. Each to their own though.

Chris Louis is 56…. He is married and has 2 daughters one of whom is married with children and lives in Denmark Chris and his wife Julie work tirelessly all season and the off season not only running the club but promoting it and actually doing an awful lot on race nights … they both spend a lot of days at the stadium it was their passion and livelihood …. Add on Chris’s tv commitments to this as well Yes Chris is not impressed with the way the sport is heading But do you not think at his age with a family that the time has come for him to perhaps take a rest and enjoy his personal life a bit more ? The loss of John obviously hit Chris hard and now his dad isn’t around probably sees it as the right time to make sure he is there more for his family I don’t think for one second his decision was solely based on speedway Seeing the team win the league finally …. In a year when he lost John … possibly would be the right time to just step back Sure he is annoyed at the sport and the authorities but I feel that was the final straw over something he has thought about for a while

Fans have always had an issue with their riders representing other clubs. The main issue of course is perhaps due to them potentially getting injured, doesn't diminish the fact though. The disconnect I'm talking about isn't the "Oh so and so used to come into the bar after meetings." It is simply being able to get behind a rider who represents your team and your team alone. It creates an identity. Riders should be allowed to carry on. But they should do so at one level. The level they are capable of performing at. The doubling up free for all (helped by the relaxing of the average conversion rate) dragged the standard of the top two leagues closer together because so many of the riders are shared. Those riders taking second tier spots has absolutely stood in the way of youngsters coming through. Maybe not directly but that is a consequence of the rule change. It has been squeezing the air out of development for almost two decades now and we're at a breaking point. The sad thing is that those riders now having an easy life also had a more defined path to the top as the gulf from Conference to Premier to Elite was a less abrupt one than the pathetic excuse we have for a third tier into the Championship as it is now. We now have a weaker top tier than we did 20 years ago but a much stronger second tier. That is a fact shown by there being Championship heatleaders who are also heatleaders in the Premiership. To use one of your old riders as an example, Tomas Topinka was an incredible second tier number one in the mid 2000s. He wouldn't have been anywhere near a heatleader berth in the Elite League at that time though. And if you wanted to watch Topinka you had to be at a Kings Lynn meeting. Even now Scott Nicholls is a shining example of the way it should be. He has one team at the level his ability allows him to race at and still be competitive. The raw product draws fans in. Once you fall in love with that it is the bureaucracy and stupid convoluted rules that is a turn off, not the state of a stadium or what music is being played between the heats. I'm not saying these aren't issues, they are but the real issues come from the way the sport is run. There are some stadiums in Poland that are falling apart, they play the YMCA three times a meeting but the places are still banged out to the rafters. Yes, the standard of riders may be better but the real difference is that they don't deal in half the BS we do here.

Earlier in the winter there was a thought that radical change could be coming. Its certainly been a radical winter a u turn on ownership at Sheffield, Louis leaving Ipswich, Ipswich confirmed as running but no idea who is running it. As far as radical change in how the sport is run which is needed well that’s zero change. I find it staggering that it’s more of the same.

Then make a short statement saying they will be making a full statement on wed/thur and not just leave us plebs hanging

Trouble is people get out of the habit of going each week its regular fixtures whats needed

I really hope that the majority of posters on here do not represent the general speedway supporter! There is so much negativity that, if I were a potential Premier promoter, I would say "I don't think I'll bother". Whatever you think of those who run speedway, they are doing much, much, more than sitting in front of a keyboard, sniping at those who do get off their ar*e and they risk their own money!

Although, Garrity also spent more time in prison than Hitler, which makes you wonder…. Maybe he’s literally Hitler. Page 6. I thank you.

I think we need to forget all this nonsense about extra teams because it ain't going to happen. Unfortunately the Premiership is like the cockroach that has been stood on but is desperately scuttling around the floor looking for survival. Logical thinking required here, why would any right minded businessman or persons invest in a dying sport? It ain't happening so people need to deal with it. One league is the only way forward and I believe eventually it will be forced upon the powers that be.

We as loyal fans (1981 was my 1st visit) all have opinions on what's gone on or going on at Ipswich, i enter my 44th season, give or take a couple i took a break from, and i totally back @Aries in everything he has said. We can all say about what if we were in a position on losing money, that situation i can't argue with, you would consider selling it, that's obvious, but the Radio Silence for all of us fans for me is simply poor, irrelevant at what he has done for the club as a rider and a promoter through the years, just be honest with the loyal supporters who has backed him and his family for years. His silence is painful for so many. As a very loyal Ipswich fan, i now can see all the frustrations that Wolves,Peterborough,Swindon,Lakeside and many more, to many to name, supporters feel at all the uncertainty surrounding their clubs. Now it's our turn, and i hold my hand up it's painful. There maybe 2 bidders on the table, there maybe more, but until Louis lowers his asking price, it's simply not going to sell. Yes its controversial, and yes there are Witches fans rolling their eyes at my post, but I've spent many evenings travelling the country Home and Away supporting Ipswich for years, and in my own honest opinion, my loyalty towards Chris and the situation is wearing thin. Not saying loads agree with me, just giving an honest opinion. Clubs already naming riders (That's the 4 teams that remain), but as we sit here this evening, there is NO guarantee Ipswich come to tapes, irrelevant of the Fine @PhilTheAce is talking about, that simply won't happen, as we all know rules and regulations in this sport are not worth the paper they are written on. I would say we are closer to NOT running than people think, unless as i read on here earlier today Chris is calling people's bluff and he remains in charge, but for me if he does that, he will have a lot of rebuilding to do with the Supporters. I hope i'm 100% wrong, and we race, but im nowhere near as confident as some. Many Apologies for the long post. Tomorrow is another day???

Sadly you could say that about British Speedway for the past several years .... "always going to be fixed next season". Maybe this AGM in January 2026 really is "THE MOST IMPORTANT IN THE HISTORY OF THE SPORT" to quote the regular old chestnut trotted out in the Speedway satr to try and sell a few more copies. Dont think it is unfair to say the "one big league" has been suggested for a few seasons now - but what did the clever boys in charge do .... they started "doubling up" "doubling down" under some misguided belief that it would help riders progression. It has just developed into a money earning stunt for the mediocre riders and separated the 2 leagues further apart , making it nigh on impossible for teams to move up or down ... with so many doubling up riders. Sooperstars carried on regardless, and rabbits enjoyed the "rising star" charade. This also makes amalgamation nigh on impossible with the loss of sooperstars plus the loss of many doubling up riders who might just retire with only one teams income (albeit more meetings per season.) None of which solves the minor issue of getting MORE people through the turnstiles, something that has been continually overlooked !!

Disagree I’m afraid Jason. Why couldn’t he reassure the supporters that there will be Speedway next year? The fact is, his latest interview a week or two ago, he couldn’t guarantee that when pushed. Why couldn’t he say that he wanted to sell the club (no problem, his choice), but if no buyer came forward in time, he’d continue to run it whilst a buyer could be found for the longer term? Just like the Bates’ have done at Sheffield?? Instead, he’s gone on local radio and caused unnecessary stress to a lot of loyal supporters, by not confirming there would be speedway next year, all whilst jetting off to sunny Australia for a nice sunny Holiday with family. Just before Christmas too, nice! Anyone who has been a regular at Foxhall over the years, will know Margaret and her Daughter, Heather Lay. Two huge servants to Ipswich Speedway over decades. Working tirelessly selling draw tickets and helping running the supporters club over many many years. I caught up with Heather towards the end of the season and we had a chat. She was quite openly telling us that Margaret wasn’t in the best health these days and was struggling to get about. But she STILL makes a huge effort to attend Foxhall every meeting. She said if it wasn’t for her beloved Witches, she’s not sure she’d “still be here”. I wonder how they’re feeling right now and looking forward to Christmas? They won’t be alone either. For a lot of people, it’s not just something to do on a Thursday evening, it’s become a massive part of their lives going back decades. They’ll all be feeling worried sick that their Speedway is about to be taken away, just as Christmas is approaching. Look at the reception they got at the Town hall a few weeks ago. It’s was pi$$ing down, it was a lunch time, and was announced at short notice. And the people of Ipswich turned out in great numbers to celebrate, along with the Mayor. There’s great people who work at the club, most voluntarily, loyal sponsors who have backed him to the hilt financially, and of course, a core of loyal supporters. All been left totally in the dark and wondering what on earth is going on. I can only imagine how annoyed fans of Wolves, Arena/Lakeside , Peterborough, Swindon, amongst many others must feel, who have seen their speedway taken away from them due to track unavailability, see another club potentially not running despite a viable club and available track just sitting there. Ok, it may well break in the next days/weeks that he’s successfully sold the club on, OR, he’s staying and will continue to run it, but that won’t change the fact that he’s handled this very poorly. In my opinion! Obviously.

I love the debate that comes around guests necessary evil etc etc & what the alternative is. Its not a necessary evil, Poland & Sweden run with out guests they use a squad system. Back in the day the old National League under the management of Stekesbury & co banned the use of guests. At the time the NL was a fair better & more professional outfit than the BL. Guests & doubling up come about because of the absolutely ridiculous operating model that the uk have gone with. If you go back to the 80s & early 90s every team had a junior team which meant most clubs had their regular 1-7 with them a back up of anywhere between 4-7 good junior/second half riders. If you were running in the NL basically you had a squad of 11-13 guys the juniors would be called in to the team to cover injuries. The promotors decided to bin that off reducing the number of available riders though lack of opportunities to race remember those juniors rode in their own league match’s each week. While every other ‘professional’ sport have invested in increasing their squad systems & opportunities to compete & train British speedway has done the opposite. There is a route out however that will take time vision & creative thinking. The out of control guest & doubling up system is a condition unique to British speedway brought about by the way the governing body has chosen to operate the sport. It wasn’t ever necessary!

Invoking the SAS implies an elite service - not sure that holds for speedway futures maybe Trotters Independent Traders!!

Agreed I can remember I think it was Joe Owen who an 11 point man in the old national league being called on by the british league and he struggled at reserve in the top league the gulf back then between top men in division2 and 1 was massive when the likes of Havvy and Andrew Silver moved up it took them a while to get established and they were both super naturally talented riders.

Another factor is the age profile of speedway supporters. As folks get older they don’t turn out for every meeting in poor weather to stand outside in often spartan conditions on cold evenings to watch the stop start racing punctuated by all too frequent delays . With each passing year, I would suggest there are fewer “hard core” fans who will turn up every meeting .

Have seen this suggestion made 2 or 3 times It just doesn't make any sense! If he wanted to be involved he wouldn't be selling Ipswich

Some would say you have managed to emigrate without even moving....

WTF! just merely responded to someone who said Supermarket's won't touch ex-cons by pointing out that Timpson's business model is to do so and he's one of the UK's wealthiest men! Personally, I don't give a flying f'k if Garrity is back in speedway or not, if someone chooses to give him a chance good luck to them, there are plenty of wrong un's involved in the sport on and off the track already!

Lidsey announced he's been released by belle vue and is looking for a new UK club. Let's hope he goes Ipswich for our mate @Gavan

Who cares

Luckily we dont care what opposing fans think. Brady will be here and 100% of aces fans will be very happy in deed. Happy new year

While fans crow about woffinden dudek laguta, madsen and riders like that not riding in England, we should really be looking at riders like woryna, drabik, buckowski and locatiev, these type of riders while not exactly are at the top are all action out and out racers who don’t give an inch, I love watching these riders in the polish leagues and would love to see them over here where I believe fans would love their no nonsense racing

Birmingham closed due to development not self interest and having a pop at Oxford who have gone from three leagues to two is rich when Louis won’t even run a junior team, despite all the hype about a run of the mill, one off, end of season junior meeting being touted as the most innovative initiatives in decades. Spin at its finest.

100% agree, however... A fair few Ipswich fans, three weeks or so ago on here, were, post after post, calling out the Glasgow and Poole promoters for not running in the top league and being prepared to potentially lose money in doing so... I presume these people will now be urging Chris to do the same?....

So as predicted, Berwick pick 28 year old Jack Smith rather than the young man who showed him the way round Shielfield Max Perry

Ok you stuck with the same team all season except for the 2 changes🤔

I'd like to know what is being put in place to ensure we're not in the exact same situation (but worse) in twelve months time. The number of clubs left makes one league more sensible. Clubs racing on a night that suits them also makes sense. What needs to be done is something to make that viable. The stumbling blocks all revolve around riders. Be it the international race nights which take preference and the lack of riders of a good enough standard to fill 14 teams without doubling up (impossible in one league). So there should be a big focus next season on getting British riders to a competitive standard at Championship level at least. A good pool of domestic talent will be important to mean sides can have carte blanche over their race nights (not a complete solution I'm aware). But, as we know the Championship teams are full speed ahead at building teams and there are no rules in place (rising star scheme for example) to promote British youngsters at that level. The Premiership isn't sustainable. The Championship sides haven't helped matters by not implementing a rising star scheme or similar. It needs to be changed for next season regardless of what has been signed already, or we're putting off change for good for at least another year. That's valuable time. Everyone needs to pull together in one direction for the good and future of British Speedway.

To be fair, Tolley's not perfect by any means but at least he's passionate about British Speedway. The same can't be said for certain CHAMP Promoters and Owners.