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Who are the idiots still fighting for a Premiership? Lemon, Chapman and Dickson? It's done, all over Get on with one league and adapting the race format. Get rid of the nonsense of riders riding for multiple clubs, race on a night of the clubs choosing and start again. The current model is finished.

If there is no Premiership I won't be purchasing a BSN Championship pass No way am I funding the clubs (indirectly - no blame to BSN) partly responsible for its downfall should it happen

i think the premiership promoters have managed the majority of the downfall by themselves

... meanwhile in North Lincolnshire

Glasgow aren’t just being smart business wise for their own benefit either, losing them would affect all the northern clubs. Glasgow bring a big following to Berwick for sure and I’m sure they take it to the other northern venues too, they’d also lose virtually all the away support they get at Ashfield. It would be a lose lose situation for those with the most at stake. There is nothing “brave” about what the teams in the Premiership are doing, it’s business suicide for most, you just need to look at recent history.

Entertainment wise? I would suggest with Glasgow, Scunthorpe, Redcar, and Workington, the second tier, overall, delivers better racing... With, the NSS being the only top tier track that consistently delivers a similar standard...

As much I praise my club for putting out a statement committing themselves to the premiership, I really struggle to see what actually is the premiership. As it stands it's Leicester, Belle Vue, Kings Lynn. Being commited to that is something I am not looking forward to. If we can add Ipswich and Sheffield to the mix we're getting somewhere, but as of now we have no idea what's going on. I'm just so frustrated that every single fan has seen this coming, for years in fact. We all knew Birmingham would shut soon, we all knew that Oxford would drop the premiership but it's almost like the powers at be are surprised! The idiots that run this sport have clearly been living in fantasy world and haven't been prepared for this situation at all. It's embarrassing and complete chaos.

It is pretty clear / likely that no fixtures will be announced until after anything is confirmed. In the meantime, yes BSN "is a thing" and for a Christmas treat why wait till March, we're going to Australia for the Aussie champs and the FIM Oceana championship. £44.99 for 6 meetings. Fun for all the family and high possibility of Greg Blair fighting a kangaroo/snake/spider. You don't get that on TNT.

A few years ago, somewhere in the UK, when they had ten teams down from eleven the previous year... "Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better".. Then, the next year when they had nine, down from ten.. "Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better"... Then, the next year when they had eight, down from nine.. "Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better".. Then the next year when they had seven, down from eight... "Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better".. Then the next year when they had five, down two, from seven.. "This is absolutely ridiculous, we cannot run the sport like this, something should be done about all these tracks closing, there isn't enough teams for my team to race against now. Some of the second tier teams need to come up to my league. Some promoters are so selfish, and just look after themselves, they should all be like me, a proper team player"...

British speedway is saved, hurrah 🥳 sir Phillip Davies is appointed by speedway futures Ltd, he loves speedway so much he said the same quote as Harry Redknapp on his appointment, personally I was having my doubts about British speedway surviving but this appointment has restored my hope for the future 😳

It might be a case that we just have to accept the sport in the UK at the level we have known it previously is now over. I mentioned before i stopped going in my late teens in the early 90's when I discovered nightclubs , fast forward 33 years and nightclubs that pulled in thousands of people on a Saturday night then are all gone. The nearest city to me had 10 night clubs in the early 90's now it has one tiny one, and loads of pubs have closed over that time frame also, places that from 1990 -2005 if you had said to me one day all these will be gone you would have thought never going to happen but it did. Its accelerated since then with social media really taking off a lot of the youth of today have near zero interest in going out, online gaming, dating app's so you don't physically have to trawl out rounds pubs any more looking for a likely partner. Why bother with restaurants get Deliveroo to drop off a pizza to your door, Blockbusters video gone the way of the Dodo when streaming caught on. I occasionally look back at threads on here from 10 years or so back, and there's loads of names I come across who are no longer posting, I would guess there is maybe 50 of us die hards on here now posting and hoping a miracle happens so even this forum is probably on last knockings. Really sad how its ended up all be it the sport has actually limped on for far longer than i thought it would but these days its a struggle to attract punters even when you are offering a professional leisure opportunity let alone when you are trying to attract people to a sport where the riders all ride for different teams every other week and after the first month in you can pretty much guarantee every week from the two teams on show there will most likely be at least 2-4 of the combined 14 riders missing. It really does look like checkmate is nearing I would say one big league but the argument that there has to be some form of even dire top league to subsidise the bottom league as far as rider earnings goes does have merit as an argument, so it really is a case of least bad outcome. I would imagine it will be a five team top league in 2026 with a view to finding a sacraficial lamb to get it up to six in 2027 unless someone with a load of money and no business sense can be shoe horned into getting Northampton running in 2027.

Heard plenty saying it is a good side and should be up there. Not only Glasgow fans saying this. I haven’t seen one saying we will win the treble have you or did you just make that up.

No way would any proper speedway fan not care if another team had to close……but I can certainly understand why no Championship supporter would want their league or team compromised to protect a league that was failing through no fault of theirs.

Glasgow certainly could be in the premiership, but business wise it isn’t smart. Oxford and Birmingham prove that. Poole could be but financially would be a silly idea. If for example belle Vue decided to drop down like Poole did. They’d never want to move back up. The only difference between the leagues are the big names. Entertainment wise there’s not a huge amount in it.

Then don't run the top division at such a level... A five, or even a six team league doesn't look good if you are trying to sell the sport to sponsors, TV, and fans.. Whether reality or not, the top league in any sport is seen as almost defining it... Something to aspire to get into... Something that delivers decent financial rewards.. Something that gains the maximum publicity for the sport.. Instead, we could end up with a five team league that more resembles an "Invitational Tournament", rather than a bona fide "National Competition"... 14 teams collectively actually do make the sport look like it is "National", and not almost irrelevant, and does, geographically, cover a large part of the country... Finding a way to get them into one league further down the line, (before more tracks are lost), has to be the way forwards.. You would hope that the next 12 months are, in the background, spent putting together that one league structure and the sport then relaunches itself in 2027 with a new operating model, a collective marketing plan, and a financially sound business plan that keeps all teams profitable... There have been far too many years of "let's, once again, make do and mend", so they should make this the last one, running with whatever they can come up with... And use the next 12 months to work out a strong plan which will deliver progress and growth from 2027 onwards...

That's the problem it's ended up as a semi pro sport just the riders have not realised that yet ,even in the 70's Gulf league ( now PL ) riders except for the Mauger & Co had part/full time jobs !

I'm not sure why some posters appear to think that Hook would've been such a risk in the top 5. He's improved every year as a reserve, 2022: 2.78 (Edinburgh) 2023: 3.71 (Edinburgh), 3.74 (Berwick) 2024: 4.19 (Plymouth) 2025: 5.61 (Workington) He obviously improved an awful lot in 2025 putting almost 1.5 points on his average, yes that was at reserve, but so was his previous average. If he was a 4 point rider in a top 5, but dropped to reserve & scored 5.5, then I'd understand the concern more. If Hook carries on his seasonal improvement, I'd suggest there's no reason he can't match his 2025 figure when moving into the top 5. My other point is, if every rider was dropped once they moved up from reserve, where would the future heat leaders come from lol! Every single British heat leader must have started at reserve (plus some Aussies), I guess most improving riders move up during the season, rather than between seasons, that didn't happen for Hook cause Workington had a very solid team. Certainly seems a big difference compared to say Luke Harrison, I don't remember any Scunthorpe fans being reluctant to sign him up as a second string even through his away average was far below his home?

Well I think it’s a solid team, the 5 younger lads in the team are all on the up so should be worth watching. Hell even I might go and watch occasionally!

I was saddened to hear the news of the passing of Brian. I have known him since he rode at Workington in the 1970s and he was always exciting to watch. But I got to know him better in Redcar days, through my "gangs" road trips there over recent years. And Brian ALWAYS treated the Comets fans like myself with great respect. He always made a huge fuss with us from the moment we entered the arena, right down to ensuring the Comets fans got priority in the bar over any leftovers from the sponsors buffet ! Despite some of my gang asking him some very direct questions, he would always give them an honest answer. Not many non Redcar fans knew, but his involvement with Redcar even stretched as far as he personally emptying the bins after every meeting ! Rest in peace Brian me old mate. The Workington "gang" will miss you lots.

Speedway Futures Limited? An apostrophe missing somewhere maybe?

Yes he shows the same loyalty in Poland too, keeps Częstochowa in the extraleague, celebrates like they won the extraleague them next day signs for someone else,don’t kid yourself as much as Jason has some loyalty to Ipswich and it would probably be his preference, he would ride elsewhere if the money was there

Why should championship change racenight to suit premiership, which would put most in financial difficulty. Not our fault Premiership is in the state it is in.

Any top rider opting out of the UK isn't good, but Jason Doyle doing so speaks volumes. This is one rider who'd go to the opening of an envelope if he could race speedway, if he doesn't think the UK is worthwhile then it makes you wonder.

I'd rather have socks 😚

Agree 100% Speedway in this country as we know it is in a state of collapse, high wages, high stadium rents and dwindling supporters are the norm these days. GP standard riders wages are expensive AND if no team will meet there demands they take there ability elsewhere in Europe to ride which is fair enough. How many races have we seen in the past couple of seasons where there are two races in one? Top riders a straight length ahead of second strings or reserves battling it out together So as more teams fall by the wayside so will the GP riders. The way things are going at present within 5 years any teams that are left will have to have riders that are semi-professional racing mainly at weekends again, maybe back to the 13 heats and a second half once more where the supporters can watch the juniors improve week on week like we used to. This is the only way I can see speedway completely surviving in this country starting from the grass roots again and rebuilding.

Speedway is mental isn’t it. Punished for improving.

Give it a rest, Shovvy! Glasgow clearly living rent free in your brain for the past three years.

It’s the same company that leases Foxhall stadium off the owners. You only have to look at the work done on the heath to see that Spedeworth under Dean Wood is a decent promotion to do business with. It does show the major issues the sport has when for years a speedway stadium Eastbourne won’t allow speedway to be ran there even the the owners are a speedway family. Couple that with Louis a guy who bleeds speedway getting out tells you all you need to know.

The NPPF isn’t a statute in itself, but it is a material consideration in planning decisions and carries real weight. Local Plans sit underneath it, and the Local Plan is legally binding policy once adopted. In Peterborough’s case, Speedway/Showground protection exists in both national policy and the adopted Local Plan, which is a very different position to somewhere like Coventry. Coventry’s situation was complicated because of the long period without activity, gaps in their local policy wording, and the way the stadium and land were allowed to deteriorate while decisions dragged on. It wasn’t a simple case of “the NPPF was ignored” – it was a mix of timing, inactivity and local circumstances. It’s true that the draft new Local Plan is expected to remove the Speedway/Showground protections, but the current plan remains legally binding until a new one is formally adopted. A draft plan doesn’t override anything. Even if the new plan proposes removing the protections, that isn’t automatic — it still has to go through consultation, objections and an independent Planning Inspector, who can (and often does) reinstate policies if the council can’t justify removing them. And even looking ahead to 2026, it’s not a hard deadline. Protections don’t suddenly disappear — the existing Local Plan remains in force until the new one is actually adopted, and the examination process can run well beyond 2026. So the current policies remain usable for far longer than the headline dates suggest. Whether anything ends up in court is impossible to predict, but the core point remains: the protections exist, they carry weight, and they haven’t disappeared simply because the landowner or a headline prefers another outcome.

Competitiveness comes from teams of equal(ish) strength of course, not having a smattering of "world class" riders in the league. There's a "not enough riders" agenda whenever anyone mentions one league. The reality is that there are not enough riders of a suitable quality. It's not the same as there not being enough full stop. There are also not enough of these "world class" names to go around the top league in its current form. Hence having whipping boys like Birmingham and Oxford last season. The sport here wants to operate at a standard it can't sustain ultimately. A five team league is a horrible idea. It would be far, far too repetitive if the sides were to race a meaningful number of fixtures and then they'd probably still want to have play offs. Regardless of the quality of riders who might compete it would still be over exposure. Variety versus competitiveness has a sweet spot that it is probably impossible for British Speedway to meet in 2026, for me variety is more likely to make me go to meetings than seeing slightly better opposition but knowing they'll be coming to town again in a couple of weeks. And then again a couple of weeks after that. I suspect I'm not in the minority by having that opinion.

Think Glasgow are being smart rather than”brave”.Thats why they are successful business men. They have worked hard to get Tigers to this position ,no need to throw it all away.IMO

Unfortunately speedway has too many mercenary’s and hangers on for its own good, we missed a trick in 2020 to reset the sport onto a different better path and it looks like we are going to miss another chance and plod our way into 2026

Radio silence has been broken by Leicester! LIONS 2026 UPDATE LEICESTER Speedway wish to provide an update for our supporters on plans for the 2026 season. The club is fully committed to racing at Premiership level once again, and although the full structure and team composition of that league has yet to be finalised, normal winter work is taking place including discussions with potential team members. British Speedway’s AGM, where regulations are ratified, was recently postponed but several league meetings between club promoters have taken place. It is known that the league will take on a different look in 2026 due to the sad closure of Birmingham and the fact that Oxford have elected to scale back to Championship and NDL racing having previously operated at all three levels of the sport. Elsewhere, champions Ipswich – who defeated the Watling JCB Lions in the Grand Final – were put up for sale recently, as were Sheffield prior to the end of the season. But Leicester wish to dispel any rumours as to their own involvement, as they seek to build on the last two seasons which have seen them finish as league runners-up on both occasions as well as winning this year’s KO Cup. Co-promoter and team manager Stewart Dickson said: “I can only speak from a Leicester perspective, but obviously I know our fans are keen to hear what’s happening, and we hope things can be finalised soon. “We are having regular Zoom calls with the other Premiership clubs, and there is very much a will to continue with this league. “Leicester are committed to the Premiership, along with the other clubs which remain from last season, and obviously we’re hopeful of satisfactory outcomes at Ipswich and Sheffield, hopefully the sooner the better for all concerned. “We still envisage there will be a Premiership next season although we do recognise time is moving on, and ideally we’d like to have our team finalised and announced, and to be getting season tickets on sale by now. “What I can say is that we do know what the likely structure will be in terms of team building, and therefore tentative talks have been taking place with riders. “There are plenty of riders who have expressed a desire to be with Leicester next season, and I’m very confident we will be able to put a competitive side together once again. “So at the moment, and on behalf of myself, Paul (Cairns) and Jen (Crossland), we thank everyone for their patience and we hope to have some more news in the near future.”

So what if he is? Maybe he’s new to the sport. Common courtesy and helping somebody doesn’t cost anything.

But that's the trouble isn't it? Where did that get us? One of the things that blights the sport for many people is doubling up and guests, but all we've done is pay silly money to someone to come over for a year and sod off again. I know I'm likely alone in this, but I personally don't see losing GP riders as a disaster, but what is a disaster is not having a good enough production line of young riders coming through to fill team places. It should be an embarrassment of riches rather than a desperate scrabble to scratch teams together.

UK Speedway is still sat in a Leadership Bubble akin to other sports in the seventies, and early eighties ... That is to say, self made business people running their local sports team... My football team in the 70's had a man running it who owned several local butchers shops and the other team within the city had a chairman who sold TV's... Then Sky came along and these football teams brought in people from outside of the "Football Bubble"... I remember going to Old Trafford and the "club shop" was a pre fab building behind the Stretford End... In the 90's, proper retailers, and merchandisers, were brought in and a "Megastore" was designed which now turns over tens of millions.. The "Match Day Experience" became the buzz phrase, and experts in event management and customer relationships were brought in to organise and deliver it .. Marketing and Advertising experts were hired to create interest and awareness.. Speedway still has the equivalent of the local butcher and TV man running teams, well meaning people who obviously love the sport but cannot countenance bringing anyone else in from "outside" to advise them into the required directional journey for growth in the 21st Century... In particular, Rugby Union, Cricket and Football, all used to "self police" and keep everything "in house", then they realised the world was changing and they had to stop doing the same thing over and over again, and bring in people with different skill sets to help them move forward.. UK Speedway had a different idea...

He has the right credentials for speedway then

Good luck and good health Erik, always be welcome at Redcar whatever race jacket you're wearing.

Plenty of winter activities planned, how teams announce there lineup is down to them. Personally I don’t think there is a wrong or right way it’s solely down to what way suits them.

You make some very good points, I agree with a lot of your ideas. What the BSPL need to do now, is change all the negatives into a positive and have a total reset. Own up for once, say the structure is not working but we will go with what we have in 26 but the structure will change in 27. Now, if that's two leagues with the NDL included or if they want 3 with top riders then they will need to make it financially viable I would go with one top league followed up with a National league to bring the youth on. if clubs can't affford the GP stars or they won't ride for what is offered, then so be it. The sport needs a total reset in the UK, step back to move forward.

I’m fairly confident no Poole fans will be on this thread saying we should be favourites for anything. Disappointing signing, Edinburgh got the best of him last season bringing him in on a low average. If my maths is correct he averaged 5.91 after moving to number one last season so is on an inflated average due to his fantastic form whilst riding at reserve.

In terms of what I'd prefer, definitely an exciting team. Winning is nice, but entertain me first. An exciting team is usually competitive at least.

Sounds like you're asking somebody to make some numbers up to challenge the numbers you've made up, is that right? As the numbers are not in the public domain you may be waiting for a while.

It was okay but they had to get the races completed before the sequence went back to red again at which point the race was stopped 🚦😜😂

And Scunthorpe!!

Great work from Glasgow as ever. They're in a different stratosphere to the rest. You know they'll completely maximise the angle of Hausl/Seychelles too, and rightly so.

To be fair if your taking a newbie to speedway Workington Redcar Glasgow Belle Vue are about the only tracks you know are a safe bet for a great meeting.

Great bit of publicity from Glasgow, showing the sport a way forward, meanwhile in the premiership they still can’t decide which bus to catch

Tomorrow full team announcement

Just a gentle reminder Iain, Brian was a fine rider for the Sunderland 'Stars' for roughly three years in the early 70's. This is very sad news. Brian was a very good rider who put 100% effort in to everything he did. Riding, managing and promoting. He was a very tough Yorkshire man who was a regular attendee at our Sunderland Speedway Reunions. I got to chat to him a number of times, both at Redcar and at our Reunions. I respected him. My condolences go to his family and friends. R.I.P. + Brian.