TigerIain

Pretty sure their only requirement is that next season is financially viable. So let's hope it meets that. For ALL clubs

Really??? Its basic business economics! If you are buying an ongoing business you would pay market value for it. If the buyer knows that the seller is not going to continue the business beyond a certain date then the closer it gets to that date the less a buyer would offer for the club because they no that there is no value to the seller after that date. In this case there will be a date by which Ipswich speedway (whoever owns it) will have to declare whether or not they are running in 2026. If Louis hasn't sold and follows through and says I'm not running in 2026 the club begins almost worthless as any buyer could not operate the business until at least 2027.

The uncertainty over Ipswich running may have left all the other clubs in limbo though. Fans don't know yet if it will be 1 division or 2, and if it's 1 surely that was relying on Ipswich running. Just because Chris Louis says he will work hard to find a buyer doesn't mean that he will find one, or find one quickly. Where does that leave the new Ipswich owner in terms of team building for next season? Would a rider take a chance on signing for a club that might not run or might not want them on their old promoters contract? Does the new owner just get left with the riders that didn't fit elsewhere? It's too early to know the answers to these questions, and it's Chris' money and business to do what he likes with but it has created more uncertainty in a winter that's not been lacking in that at all. Has he just undone all the work that was done to get to the slightly cryptic potentially good news from Rob Godfrey last week? Again time will tell, but at the moment it looks like Chris Louis has thrown a spanner in the works hence the negative reaction to his announcement

TruPlant pulled out of Sheffield what feels like a long time before Louis put Ipswich up for sale. It would seem strange then that Chris Louis announces that he is pulling out, and in such a way that questions the future is the Witches, if he is selling it to the main sponsor of the Witches. Anyway, if there is a potential buyer for Ipswich then lots hope it happens as the sport needs all the well supported clubs it can get.

I think/presume that there was a proposed solution prior to Chris Louis quitting. Today's plan was probably to go shopping with the family and hope someone else buys a speedway club (Ipswich). That would depend on whether Louis quit because he wasn't happy with what was agreed, or did he quit because they couldn't find up with a plan (for the sake of the sport I hope it is the former but I don't have any insider info)

Says it all about the Premiership when all of the posts about magicing up a 6th team were ALL talking about absorbing 6 figure losses. No one even dared to suggest that it would be a viable venture.

And the new Sheffield owners were going to be made to soak up the 6 figure losses of the magic 6th club. Strange that they aren't demanding the same from any new Ipswich owners.

The Facennas aren't trying to sell Glasgow

I think something needed to be done. At the start of last year Glasgow, Poole and Redcar looked to have significantly more top end strength and so it proved with those 3 clearly a level above the rest. There is no ideal solution, but better this than the way the Premiership went with the strong teams killing off the weak and possibly not having a league left. Speedway does not have the in built blind loyalty that football has. It needs all teams to be competitive (even if only at home) to keep the crowds that it has. Presumably the rule was written so that the top 9 averaged riders were split between the 9 teams and no one missed out, but the signing of Pickering put a spanner in that. Although, it could be that no one wanted Klindt after the number of times he seemingly chose not to ride last season.

FIM have announced that Ashfield will hold a SGP Challenge Qualifier on 30th May

Speedway had that before (1991-1994) and in those 4 seasons, 3 of the league winners refused promotion. It went to 1 big league in 1995 but the 94 winners had refused promotion in 93 and also would have refused in 94 for the same reasons. Those same reasons still exist in 2025 so I can't see it working

I assume you're referring to Dan Thompson? Someone with inside knowledge of Edinburgh has already said in a couple of threads that he has signed for Edinburgh Monarchs for next year. Big step up as good average comes from riding at 3 for the last couple of seasons, however he was brilliant round Armadale for the Tigers last year so he should be fine.

Are you Thomsen's Mum? Every time a Glasgow fan says that we don't want to sign him because he doesn't ride our track well and we think his average would go down, you whinge that we "don't like" him. It's nothing to do with liking or not liking him, we just want our club to sign racers that might increase their average and score a lot of points on our track, and hopefully on away tracks. Based on past performance Tobias Thomsen would not be a good signing for Glasgow.

I wouldn't say disliked, don't know him at all. There is no issue with his effort, the issue is that he doesn't ride our track well and is likely to lower his average. It would be a bit like Poole signing Bomber to ride your gaters paradise. I hope he goes to a track that he does ride well and has a good season there

It was previously said that Matt Ford had 6 riders signed and there was an issue with the 7th (seems to be someone was lined up but not happening now) and a problem to replace them. Could be that any more team announcements are being delayed as that might need another change? Beau Bailey doesn't yet have a work permit, so unlikely to announce before he at least meets the criteria. The uncertainty over the leagues probably isn't helping speed things along either.

Thomsen was judged by all Tigers fans when he lost to every single Workington rider (twice to Bowes) whilst guesting at Ashfield for the Tigers. I would take Max Perry or Jack Smith ahead of Thomsen, even if that left us 2 points below the limit. I used the playoff final as an example that the Workington match wasn't a one off bad match. He also looked off the pace. Nothing personal against the guy but I think he'd be better off at a track like Plymouth that he rides well

Doesn't tell the whole story though Somerset, Peterborough, Rye House all stepped up and are no more. Ipswich and Sheffield stepped up. Newcastle went bankrupt. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Berwick, Workington, Plymouth, Scunthorpe and Redcar are all still there. Coventry, Lakeside, Swindon and Wolves are no more. Poole dropped down. BV, KL and Leicester are still there. "Hopefully" but you lose your own fans preferred race night. You lose your local derbies (Glasgow v Edinburgh 10 times is a bit much, but you can sell that better than Glasgow v BV/Ipswich/KL 4 times each). Every club paying riders beyond their means does not make a sport viable. Better riders do not always make better races. GP rider Jason Doyle could be signed in the Championship on a converted 11.79 average and would win most races by half a lap (Yawn!). They do not increase your crowds as Joe Public have never heard of them. A shrinking league and constant repetition of fixtures is not attractive to fans or tv. Close races with evenly balanced teams provides more entertainment. And for all of Glasgow's success last year, they had a lot of last heat deciders (particularly away from home).

Not sure where else you get it, but it is on YouTube if you search for 360 speedway

For the sake of Sheffield, and keeping them going I think that additional burden shouldn't be imposed on the new owners. If indeed new owners can be found. I can't imagine much, if any of that missing 80k quoted (60k TV % 20k sponsorship) was pure profit. What an absolute mess the Premiership is in

I think all the clubs would have an equal vote, but I don't know how many need to vote for/against it to accept/reject a request. Seems harsh if they are losing their promoter and main sponsor but allowing Sheffield to move to Championship would surely have ended any chance of saving the Premiership.

Thomsen was judged by all Tigers fans when he lost to every single Workington rider (twice to Bowes) whilst guesting at Ashfield for the Tigers. I would take Max Perry or Jack Smith ahead of Thomsen, even if that left us 2 points below the limit. I used the playoff final as an example that the Workington match wasn't a one off bad match. He also looked off the pace. Nothing personal against the guy but I think he'd be better off at a track like Plymouth that he rides well

To a lesser extent, that is what happened in the Premiership last year and Birmingham and Oxford didn't survive. Speedway isn't football, there simply isn't enough money, or die hard fans, to keep the have nots afloat of they are getting thrashed every week. Seeing Zmarzlik winning 5 races by half a lap is not entertainment for most people. Look how Plymouth's crowds picked up when Scott Nicholls arrived and made them competitive.

There is no easy way to do that, but since you asked the question, if the Premiership fails and wants to join the Championship, then the existing Championship clubs get the first 9 licences, and then it's a bun fight between the 5 Premiership clubs for whatever licences are left that can be accommodate in the league (although Ipswich have said that they wouldn't run). Ideally all 14 clubs would run but I can't see that happening as there isn't enough riders. A large part of the Premiership failing is too few teams hoarding the top riders in the league. Maybe the reasons behind that are taken into account when licence 10 onwards are given out? It's all a mess, but I still hope that a 6th team magically appears from the ashes and signs Robert Lambert and a Lindgren or Thorsell (really anyone/someone with a proven record in the UK as a proper heat leader) to lead them but sadly it's not looking promising

That runs on a Friday night, that is hugely more popular with their fans than any other day or time of the week (per a recent-ish fan survey). And have plenty of rivalries, local and not so local, that they can sell to their fans, and fans can sell to potential fans. No offence intended but BV, KL, Ipswich would just be 'the opposition'. Edinburgh, Berwick and Poole on the other hand mean something more than just another match. The Facennas are ambitious in their ownership but stepping up to the Premiership before the club is ready to prop up a failing league, and losing their weekend racing against local(ish) rivals will undo all the good & very hard work the current promotion have done. Seeing the odd GP rider would not make up for what would be lost in Glasgow 'stepping up'. The difference between the leagues is pretty minimal, replace a number 7 with a number 1 and you can pretty much keep the other 6 the same but put up the price by a few quid a meeting. No speedway rider is anywhere near famous enough to make more than a tiny dent in relation to media sports coverage up here that is totally dominated by Celtic and Rangers.

Yes....your head! You're the one that started talking about him. You brought up the topic, and others have their opinion. It's what happens on an online forum.