Hackett

Don't think there is any chance of that.

And announce his signing during the meeting .....

If that is the case Arlington soon to be housing.

Since the first meeting the promoters have said 1000 was the break even figure. Poole was a sell out and Kent with a good number of travelling fans was relatively close but the crowds have dropped steadily week to week. With the back-straight grandstand restricted in numbers the crowd is situated around the track but definitely noticeable that the numbers have dropped. The double headers, tapes delays, air-fence delays have not helped BUT as die-hard speedway fans are aware of these problems because they inevitably happen year on year. As Ruckerroo stated I would of definitely been looking to load the local derbies during the summer months BUT this season has been a little different and taxing for all. In fairness Jordan + Kilby have been pretty transparent from meeting one stating that we need 1000 in the stadium to break even but who knows what was going on behind the scenes with the owners. Birmingham + Newcastle stated the difficulties they had faced - Eastbourne it would seem that we won't even get a "call to arms" like the Brummies + Diamonds - Just a couple of non committal statements - wait and see.

Have no interest in "Banger Racing" but Bob + Martin both made it clear that bangers generated far more revenue than speedway ever did.

Praying for the miracle - but reading between the lines and seeing how speedway is organised I see today's non-announcement more about the SCB sorting out the situation with other promoters - lost points effecting the league and riders situations etc - rather than the delay being sorted to allow Eastbourne to find further funding. Eastbourne's location doesn't help them but it has been the same for years - All clubs are likely to struggle this season with the Covid restrictions and economic climate. I remember seeing posters around Brighton in years past but as stated on other threads - the sport and fanbase is dying so the promoters have to look at other ways of targetting a younger demographic and bring in an independent Chairperson to run the sport. Love him or loathe him an Eddie Hearn type to promote the sport. Social media coverage has improved but that is not difficult - the sport as a short sharp minute of action should be perfect for the younger generations attention span but needs experts in finding ways to tap into the digital age.. You-Tubers - instagram personalities riding on the back of a bike with a rider using go pros then using footage to their subscribers etc The greatest fear is that for anybody in London, Surrey + Sussex this is probably the last opportunity to watch the sport regularly live. My kids have been brought up with the sport taken in carrycots and now 11+15 - Kent Kings timings won't work , Poole is too far away ; so that will be it for a local side and th speedway itch wil have to be scratched with SGP, British Finals and SoN if at Manchester. Should they look at cutting costs in the future and Eastbourne return to NL - those days with Martin + Connor Dugard were very good and a successful time for the club but the current level of NL racing is a far poorer offering and definately wouldn't hold the same interest in it's current format as it did previously. Fingers crossed but don't hold out much hope,

So even a statement is full of confusion !!! Lunatics have taken over the asylum.

They were never planning to race this weekend as they were due to be on the Northern Tour - so I would imagine that it was never an option.

That's my Northern Tour hotels all cancelled. Next speedway for me will be SoN in Oct at this rate.

surely that should be sat on the airfence

EASTBOURNE FIXTURE UPDATE The upcoming fixture on Friday 27th August will now be the rescheduled Championship match against Poole Pirates, allowing Eastbourne Eagles time to resolve their current difficulties. From the Edinburgh Monarchs website .... those who have the Northern Tour hotels booked - the 1st leg is definately off the schdule.

The only rumours I have seen are Lawson refused to ride at Leicester in ht 15, the size of the debt with the stadium owners and that EK and RL have left ?? Hopefully they can resolve the situation and speedway can continue at Arlington. Time will tell .... "Fingers Crossed"

I would imagine that supporters of Speedway in Sweden and Denmark would say exactly the same. Undoubtedly in the 60's ,70's and 80's the riders were of a higher ranking on the World stage but those times have gone. Times have changed !! I would state that the quality of racing and the field is higher than when Tai Woffinden won his hat-trick of titles. Then you knew it was the semi final and final were the only seriously competitive races. Getting back to UK speedway now - the issue is the sport and the fan base is dying. Continually the sport is preaching to the converted - it needs to target a new demographic. I am no great fan of Eddie Hearn but it needs somebody of his sports business and promotion skills to drive the sport forward. Speedway is 15 mins / 22 mins of adrenalin fuelled entertainment in 1 min bites. Perfect for the younger generations attention span - the sport needs to be pushed via social media even more - instagram, tik-tok etc Get you-tubers at the meeting and on a bike with a rider for viewings on you tube - Glasgow Tigers one of the better promoted teams and have only 1300 subscribers - Speedway Great Britain has 6920 subscribers - Hashtag FC a football team driven by social media and social media content has 567,000 subscribers - this is where the new opportunity of support is !!! If speedway keeps reaching out to the support it already has it will always be in decline and meet the same continual problems. It needs a drastic change - the sport itself can be enthralling, exciting and entertaining but too many people are not aware of it. All sports are suffering in atttracting the younger generation and tearing them away from phones, tablets and computer screens - The issue is that the sport is methanol fuelled excitement , perfect in 1 min short bites of excitement - the potential is there ... it just needs somebody with the right forward thinking mindset.

Say nowt ..... To be Continued ....... 24th Aug

"Son of God" to Glasgow ????

British Final at NSS is always an excellent spectacle. The riders obviously like the track and for the fan the action is fast and furious. Ellis was excellent last night and has been riding well in both PL and CL so fully deserved taking the titke + looked very quick. Seemed like a decent bet at 8/1 !!! Bewley was short favourite but as Crumpie said on the microphone he needs to sharpen up his gating but can't doubt his speed when he gets to the front. Impressed with Howarth who gave it a right go on the night + Charles Wright who seemed much quicker and competitive in comparison to the meetings on the TV. Nicholls and Harris both had their moments which was good to see. Disappointments on the night was Danny King who had an off night and as an Eagles fan Lawson and Kerr just a little short on the night.

Eastbourne have always said needs over 1000 to break even - so 1200+ best case scenario. Last couple of meetings to the eye; numbers have been down on the start of the season. Potentially may look better as still limited numbers in grandstand so people scattered around other parts of stadium bends 3+4 .... Shall await statement - all have better idea then.

As much as I dislike him - Speedway needs somebody like Eddie Hearn to promote it. The sport's demographic is dying so needs to attract they younger fan. 15 minutes of racing in 1min bursts should appeal to their attention span. However most stadia is knackered and dated + few promoters will invest in stadia or PA systems to any degree. The sport is a short sharp entertainment so should be easy to package on social media feeds.

Invested ??? They have put gravel in the carpark. Stadium facilities are no different apart from a couple of new sponsors and as for the toilets there are new cubes in the urinal ....

Living in Surrey that would certainly be the case for my family. No more speedway except the SGP Cardiff + SoN.

Expected the meeting to be a lot closer with the Scorpions at the top of the table and the Eagles without Brennan + Newman. The latter has been excellent of late although Keheler did well as a guest considering it was only his second visit to Arlington and when he was riding for Poole he struggled taking a couple of soil samples. Undoubtedly both Ellis + Brennan would of scored more than rider replacement but a decent win for the Eagles and hopefully a confidence building result for the likes of Kennett and Kerr. Although the Scorpions were pretty much a one man team in Jorgensen. The track looked good and a number of riders complimented it in interviews with Kevin Coombes ..... Adam Ellis R/R (TA R) (JS 1') (TJ 3) (SL 0) = 4+1 Tom Brennan R/R (ZK 0) (JE 0) (DK 1) (LK 3) = 4 Hopefully much of the same next week vs Plymouth.

Perhaps the new manager is hoping he can get a few short term letting deals with riders.

Backed Janowski for GP1 which worked out and then went for Sayfutdinov for GP2 close but no cigar. Also wondered what KK would turn up so at 50/1 thought an e/w shout as he has been going ok in Poland. Should of learnt my lesson - never trust KK ...

Was expecting an Eagles victory tonight but Kings booked a decent guest in Howarth. It would seem the reserves and Lewi Kerr not taking a liking to the Kent track. Good to see Edward Kennett with a couple of race wins though. Hopefully Newman's shoulder is ok for Sat vs Scorpions.

Leicester were excellent value yesterday and Dan Thompson at reserve was the difference. Also must applaud the team riding of Dan Thompson by Scott Nicholls in heat 11 . shepherded him for all 4 laps. Many riders would of disappeared into the distance which may of allowed Lewi Kerr to get past but Nicholls was sublime in riding the inside line. Nigel Pearson would of approved hopefully re-run or British Speedway put this up on social media because it was excellent. AS for the track preperation that has been an artform for years at Arlington , I don't see it changing any.