greyhoundp

At 1.34 per litre, and midweek meetings,it most certainly is.

Jeez, so to watch BV, Park my Car, and have a programme, = £22. Its no wonder they struggle to get crowds, 15 not very good heats of racing by most accounts, now i can understand why people are staying away. That equates to £1.50 per race.

If you are telling me, its £17 to watch EL racing, then its NO wonder crowds are down, i wouldnt, indeed couldnt pay that amount.

I have NO idea whatsoever of rider costs, have a rough idea of stadium hire, between £750 & £1500 per meeting, an Elite league club were paying the higher figure 2 seasons ago for a stadium with good facilities, so based on that, the average would pan out somewhere between the 2 figures. I think a realistic figure to pay a rider (non GP) should be average, and i stress average £750 per meeting, Heat Leaders higher, 2nd strings, then reserves which equals out at £5250, here in the midlands, if you have a £500 per week job, then you are the exception, and i base my £750 on that, which equates to the equal of earning just 39k per year for 52 meetings, the equivelant of 52 weeks per year, bear in mind Heat leaders will earn more. Im not saying riders dont deserve more, but the facts are Speedway cant pay out, what it doesnt have. So with an average expense of £5250 + £1000 Stadia hire = £6250. 1000 @ £12 paying spectators of which 65% are full admission = £7800, and we will say 350 at concession rates of an average £5 = £1750, therefore the total income through the gate would be aprox £9550, this leaves a balance of £3,300, I realise there are other costs involved Track Staff, Turnstiles etc,etc, but Im pretty sure, most Teams could balance this out with income from sponsorship, Plus if they wanted to charge £1 to park a Car, that also would cover those costs, I have done the bare minimum of Admission fees, and rider/stadia costs. In my work, there is a rate of pay, i either accept that or i find another job, Speedway is NO different, if riders get off there arses, Im sure there are sponsorship deals out there, which would make Speedway more attractive financially. So in answer to your question New Science, £12 pounds per meeting would be realistic, and Play Offs £15 max, and NO NL meeting should be above £10 admission, the best supported club in the NL charge £10, Kent are higher, i dont know why not justified, Cearnsport own the Stadium, I think Mildenhall are higher, again its hard to justify, on NL pay rates, which would total significantly less than £2000 per meeting. I await the flack for actually putting in figures, which may or may not be pie in the sky, but to my way of thinking, Speedway in GB has to cut its cloth, to suit the figures through the gate.

Good luck tonight.

The fact remains, how many clubs can afford to run, on the present structure, without SKY money ? Swindon, Birmingham lost money, probably most others also, rider (machinery)costs and transport costs are a big chunk of that expenditure, the north south split is an obvious cost cutting for Teams, Riders, and fans alike. Chris Van Stratten mentioned it, so it must be in promoters minds. For Teams who dont want the Proffesional structure there remains the NL.

There is an obvious North/South Split, the problem arises as to where the midlands split comes, the obvious scenario would be an East/West midlands split, either to go North or South, maybe alternating year on year, Oh and you missed out Dudley, CVS mentioned a North/South option at a forum less than 12 months ago.

The vast majority of Speedway fans prefer to support a Team, ie where did the majority of Heathens fans go during our sabbatical ?, they stayed at home apart from the odd meeting. Yes it needs a squad system, Yes its time Speedway lived within its means ie PL Teams have to, so why not, so called Elite Teams. Definately a North & South, with a Grand Play Off Final at seasons end, but please, please lets see a reduction in admission costs, to reflect the standard of riders that we watch.Handicap racing should be confined to the 2nd half of meetings, or make it compulsory to have Development Teams in the 2nd half.

Just like to add my thanks, to all the updaters, texters, you do an absolutely fantastic job, and it is very much appreciated, and i know for one Radio WM use your site reguarly.

Lets be honest Nikko, up until recently, you were probably as much aware as anyone until recently, of most of the goings on down at Kent Kings. So i for one, read with great interest what you have to write, and its apparent to all, that The promotion at Kent, do not want to utilise social media, whereas you did, and obviously your position became untenable.

Following on from my earlier comment, i in NO way intend to criticise any rider, official or member of Track Staff, this was a meeting that needed to be run, under the current weather conditions which present itself on the day/night. However, what i will say is this The BSPA of which the NL are members, need to realise this is s Summer Sport, and the KO Cup needs to be completed by The end of JULY, leaving the remainder of the season for League meetings, for years now the KO Cup has been squeezed in at the end of the season,and its getting devalued by this, indeed the Elite League had NO KO Cup this year. Thanks to everyone for there sterling efforts to get the meetings completed, but please, please get the Cup completed by end of July,and put at an end, the devaluation of what should be a premier competition.

I have to agree with Panther, i think three times IOW have ridden Monmore Wood this season, three times apart from the odd race, the racing has been uncompetitive. I assume this is different largely to the relative home tracks difference in size and shape, that said Tom has ridden reasonably, but not the Tom we know, previously Darryl rode like he had never seen the track, Ben never rides it well, Chris struggles around Monmore, which left Adam who i believe has only ridden Monmore once, and Steve Worrall for Adam, who always gives a good account of himself at Monmore. The Wood is an awkward track for visiting Teams generally, how many competitive meetings have we seen this season ? from my memory ONE, that was against Kent Kings. The Track was in good condition last night considering all the rain we have had, not deep but it couldnt have lots of shale on, because as some riders said the meeting needed to go ahead, and it didnt encourage good racing, but hey there was a frost overnight, which says it all, on a few occasions i expected Max, Tom or Starkey to challenge from behind, but the challenges never materialised,and generally the races were decided by the end of lap one, best race was Ht 14, when Ishy just got up to win..

To be honest I dont know about the Rye House goings on, he hasnt let Kent down, and seemed to enjoy his Speedway in the NL, no reason he wont be back there.

Well with the crowds you are getting, I would have thought thats a possibility. Is this the same Danny Phillips that signed for Mildenhall ?.

Well done to the Heathens, that should be enough of a lead to defend, The Islanders tried hard, but gradually fell behind as the meeting progressed, i really hope its not the last we have seen of them, bcuz i enjoy my visits down there.

Clear skies, but freezing, will deffo be on, hoping for a massive crowd to see the Champions on parade, this will most likely be the last time this team takes to the Track together at Monmore, lets get there show our appreciation.. stay safe everyone..

Simon Lambert only on a 5 ? and no Im not getting him mixed up with Robert.

Yes, it was definately Morris that he led, and i think probably that was just a brief insight into things to come, the lad has potential

Looking at the forecast, Sunday has to be in doubt, it looks as though there may be a chance middle of next week, darned weather, trouble is, at this time of the year, the Tracks dont dry out very quickly.

apart from tomorrow, the weather looks horrendous for the next 8 days or so, cold and rainy, lots of it.

Perhaps Dan thought the guy was trying to run OFF with the Trophy... lol Cheers Trees, i did hear a whisper about a possible site last night, so hopefully finally winning This, can help us.

It was the correct call, within the regulations, invaluable experience gained which will stand him in good stead in the future, and may i add he did not let anyone down, sometimes its not always about the points gained, ask anyone who was at The Norfolk Arena last night, if he had let The Young Stars down, and i will bet any money everyone will say NO, indeed he led Ashley Morris not only in the original running of Ht 7, but also in the rerun, This lad has potential everyone saw it last night. The meeting itself, Firstly the support from The Heathens fans, was out of this World, hundreds of them made the long trip over to see History made on a Bitterley Cold Autumn (except for Wayne who took his shirt off lol) evening, with a fair number of Young Stars fans their to see if they could lift the Trophy, there was good natured banter between the fans, and Boisterous comments, and good natured booing directed towards the riders lol, whilst there was i think an odd cheer when riders fell, ALWAYS there was applause when said rider got to his feet, and returned to the pits, this on every occasion, The atmosphere was tremendous. For the Young Stars they were led admirably by Robert Lambert, Darren Mallett, and Lewis Rose, with solid support from Lewis Kerr, who did have machine issues, which really cost him and Young Stars, this meeting and possibly The Final, another 5 for Lewis and 5 off The Heathens this would have been mighty close, before i move on a word about this young man. Before the season started he was a run of the mill NL 2nd string, as the season has progressed he has improved beyond recognition, to become a Top Heat Leader, he represents His team as captain without fault, he is a fine, fair racer and Sportsman, always congratulating whoever is lucky enough to beat him, so to you Lewis Kerr i say bad luck that you had those machine issues, which i think ulitmately cost your Team, but you should be proud of your achievements this season, respect to you, and your team On to my beloved Heathens, we have since our return strived to achieve The winning of the NL Grand Final ultimately on a few occasions falling at the final Hurdle, including last year when the feeling of diisapointment was hard to contain, when we lost by 1 point in the final race to a somewhat controversial refereeing decision, when our Captain Royno fell, and received a serious injury. The wait was finally ended last night, so the enjoyment that was shared and shown by Heathens fans and riders alike was all the more satisfying. The riders were all up for this, and all played their part in this meeting and the success, if i had to pick a rider out for praise over the 2 legs, it would have to be super skip, Ashley Morris with his never say die attitude. Thanks to the management who gave us this Team, to support, subsidised the coaches, and HSSC who organised it all. We have one Final objective to achieve hopefully against Mildenhall, against whom, we need to lay a ghost to rest, once and for all. Thanks to everyone at The Norfolk arena, especially manager Dale Allitt, who was generous in his praise, though we can understand his disappointment, your turn will come Dale, if you can hold the majority of this Team together.

Congratulations The Heathens, we did it..... Do you know who "The Guy" was Trees ?. None other than Peter Morrish NL Co-Ordinator, what an idiot for crossing in front of riders doing victory wheelies, I think it was Dan G, must have missed him by Inches and i mean inches.. Thanks for The Young Stars hospitality, very gracious in defeat, we know how hard it is to come so far, and so near, but not quiete get the final honour. Will do a proper report, when i get back from work Tomoz

Your Young Stars did you proud tonight, whenever you looked like being raced out of it totally, you hung on in there, led by Lewis Kerr who fought hard, and was again involved in some great races, backed up admirably by Darren Mallett, with some good gates, and Lewis Rose, Robert Lambert only had one points scoring race for his 6 points., all your riders tried hard,but found the Monmore turns tricky to work out. For the Heathens Skipper Ashley Morris was in outstanding form, whenever he missed the gate he fought tooth and nail for his wins, his scraps with Lewis Kerr were outstanding and fair racing from both riders, all the Heathens riders chipped in with valuable points, and i believe it is set up nicely for the 2nd leg, at The Norfolk Arena on Wednesday night, both Heathens Coaches are fully booked, and i look forward to my visit to the old sadlebow road circuit, my first since the 1980,s. To all The Stars fans, dont miss it, it really should be a cracker, 13 points is defendable just, possibly with the aid of Double points, i really could see this going down to the last Heat.

This is the repeat off the KO Cup meeting of a few weeks ago, In that one, basically Robert Lambert never turned up, and Lewis Kerr had some great races with The Heathens ht leaders, the big disappointment that night outside of Lambert was the Young Stars back up riders, Mallet and Knight, if Lewis Rose is fit, I would expect him to provide the support to the Top 2, and theres NO way, Lambert can be as disappointing as a few weeks ago, I expect the Young stars reserves to find this meeting a little bit tough for them. For the Heathens Im expecting Ash and Lewis to be the main men, Starkey has gone off slightly since wrecking his main bike a few weeks ago, but Danny Greenwood has returned to form, and is full of confidence now, Young Max had a bad knock a few weeks ago, and may not be fully fit, Gareth Isherwood drops down to reserve for the 1st time this season so should score well at home, and the away day specialist young Nathan Greaves needs to realise his Monmore problems are all in his head, come on Nathan. Im expecting a home win, double figures will be just fine, and set it up for the 2nd leg the next night at Kings Lynn, with probably a couple of coaches travelling over from Heathen land, and numerous cars backing them up, The support will be there, stay safe guys, and good luck. The men to note for me will be Dan Greenwood and Gareth Isherwood for The Heathens, and Lewis Rose and Jake Knight for The Young stars.