Ben91

I think 2H 2A is overkill in a 14 team league. One round off league fixtures and then find other ways to fill the calendar for me. But not the extent of trying to fit in another 13 meetings at each track. Be it extra regionalised league meetings, a cup/trophy etc. We’ve been meandering towards the last one out turn off the lights scenario for decades, things have picked up pace now though. It needs radical change, not the lip service we get every winter.

The Saudi model is to throw money at already thriving sports too. The sport here could thrive again but it will take a long time, a lot of hard work and huge amounts of patience/faith from existing fans. The gulf between the 'world class' and top domestic riders is ever widening. Those top domestic riders are also not going to be with us forever (Nicholls, Harris, King, Lawson etc.). The next generations coming through aren't up to their standard in the main. That's part of why those older names are still the top domestic riders in 2025. Brexit has made it harder to get competitive riders from overseas into the country also. Despite it not being a popular solution, the way to make meetings more entertaining is to cut the head off the snake and go without the big names. Riders of a lower standard are more plentiful (and cheaper). The more level the playing field in terms of rider ability the more competitive and entertaining the racing should be (in theory, massive asterisk against that point). That's a hard sell to most existing Premiership fans of course, especially when they'll be asked to pay just as much, if not more to get into meetings. Stadium rent will still need paying at the end of the day and won't decrease because the standard of riders has. The kicker being the standard of riders outside of the world class ones is already declining year on year and ageing to boot. So as a governing body own it rather than hoping nobody notices. Transparency has to be key. Things being stripped back and rebuilding from sturdier foundations is needed. Tell the fans that is what is happening and why. If you still want a sport to watch in five, ten years then this needs to be done now. People will be more understanding and supportive if kept in the loop.

Appreciate the points, my post was a bit of a sweeping generalisation. Not meant to knock Poland, I’ve been there plenty and it’s a lovely place (from what I’ve seen), more to the point that we could and should do a better job than almost anyone at promoting speedway. Realistically the sport here has to step back now to achieve that rather than trying to build on sand for yet another winter.

Speedway is literally the only thing in the world that Britain is behind Poland in. That should be evidence enough that we’re not running speedway right here. If we were then we’d be calling the shots.

In an ideal world the sport would be big enough worldwide to support riders racing for one team full stop. That’s flying pigs territory though. I understand your point about doubling up but there’s no other sport to my knowledge where a competitor is competing for multiple teams in the same week, racing with and then against the same rider tooth and nail from one night to the next. It’s shambolic really. First we need to get rid of doubling up (except between the “development” league and the “professional” league), the next step after that would be to work towards guests being scrapped too.

Integrity is something the sport lacks a lot of sadly. Over half the top tier teams qualifying for the title play offs is ridiculous, in much the same way that 10 of 16 GP riders qualify for the semi-finals these days. It renders so much of the racing that goes before things pointless. I’m more convinced than ever that one league is the way to go. The standard will drop but the things that have got the sport into this mess need to be ironed out asap. Treading water like we have for about 25 years can’t be the answer yet again.

The standard will have to drop sadly. Through necessity rather than desire. Britain isn’t producing as many riders as it used to and that next tier below the elite names isn’t as good as it was 10-20 years ago. There are still enough riders to fill teams, they’re just not as good as they used to be. The way the sport has been run is to blame for that. A big part of which has been doubling up. It is a massive stain on the credibility of the sport.

In theory one league would provide the riders as many meetings as they’d get doubling up but it gives the sport a whole lot more integrity than if they’re riding for two different teams. Presumably the pay scale would be somewhere between the leagues now so even out.

If done correctly then absolutely. On the basis of a league with 14 teams you could race home and away against everyone once, then another round of six fixtures against the sides in your north/south conference. Makes for 19 home meetings per team, plenty of speedway. Points count in your north/south conference and then there are play offs to decide overall champions at the end. Either top of each region over two legs or the top two from each region qualify with semi finals. Not necessarily what I’d like to happen but an option.

Nothing like the last match of the season deciding who comes first in the league. Especially when the winners have already been “knocked out” and can’t win the title. Speedway strikes again.

The sport in Britain is in a real mess. Whatever happens will be unpopular in some quarters. What needs to be done is what is in the best interests of the longevity and improvement of the sport here. As a fan all I want is to see close, competitive racing without too many delays between heats. I believe that is all most Speedway fans ultimately want too. We fell in love with the sport for the bikes on the track, not the convoluted rule book that comes with it. That’s the part that has turned a lot of fans off over the years.

Simplicity needs to be key. Do what is best for the sport in Britain as a whole. For me that is one league and moves to protect the integrity of the competition. If seven rider teams continue I'd like to see some of the following implemented. Race nights to suit the home club as often as possible. Massive revamp of absent rider facilities. Facility granted (R/R, not a guest) only for riders on FIM/national championship duty or injured during a meeting in the last seven days. NL guest only for riders absent for reasons other than the above. These are the only guests allowed. More than two riders unavailable on FIM/national championship duty and a club can request a postponement (I.E. football international duty). All clubs to have an extra rider ("number 8") declared and present at every meeting. Can take rides in the same way a reserve does. Riders can't take two rides back to back. Heats 14 to 15 the only exception. Keep things moving. No tactical substitutes. Two points for winning a meeting, home or away. An extra point awarded for an aggregate victory. The current system is needlessly complicated. Teams who don't complete their fixtures are penalised. Two points deducted for each meeting uncompleted. Match points forfeited to away side from uncompleted meeting. Don't complete your home fixtures and next season you don't get to race in the KO Cup. Team who finishes top of the league wins the league. Appreciate these ideas aren't perfect. Nothing is though. And they're a lot better than what we currently have to endure.

Plenty of evidence now of teams being crippled by moving up. Having to change race night and the extra costs aren’t conducive to good business. Think the Glasgow promotion are too switched on to fall into the trap.

Unless his bike has packed up then a rider shouldn’t be retiring from a race. Do the job you’re employed to do.

Put two points on his starting average at the age of 16. Pony indeed.

Absolutely. Why would a top tier team be interested in a bang average second tier rider.

Flint is improving, Vissing is a career six point man in the second division.

If his entire season is fixated on one night he shouldn’t be racing.

The big question is whether Thomsen will score more than a British two pointer would have. If the answer is no they could have used another two pointer and really had four “heatleaders.”

Luckily the points gained in all the other heats count the same as those from heats 13 and 15.

2019 is four years ago. Not recent. Cook is a good signing for Workington. A former GP rider and one of the top men in the second tier on his day. Hopefully it’s his day more often than not next year, it will benefit everyone if it is.

I think most people were aware at the time which makes it all the sadder. The promotion made a silly decision. The fans had to deal with the consequences (and still are sadly). Maybe more could have been done to help but that’s a subject for another time and place. The Facennas have done right by Glasgow. Their judgement so far appears to have been spot on. As you say, we don’t want to see another club go to the wall, I don’t think the custodians of Glasgow would be foolish enough to overstretch thankfully.

Before the Facennas came in Glasgow speedway was on its uppers as far as I remember. They’ve pumped money in, smartened the place up and improved the track. If the Premiership is a step too far then it’s better for them to stick to Championship speedway which they can sustain than go bust in the short term because they wanted to race in the top tier. Don’t bite off more than you can chew being the moral of the story, it’s what happened at Rye House and now we have no team to support at all.

Imagine all the hysteria here over not having announced more names and then they announce Bickley. There’d be a meltdown.

I think the goal may have been for a third tier with no standalone clubs for a while. Arguably that has cost the sport Mildenhall and Kent as tracks and forced Workington to move up. Ironically the lowering of the points limit and stricter doubling up rules in the third tier could have made things more viable for those clubs and the likes of Buxton and the Isle of Wight. It would have opened up more team spots for young riders too.