enotian

But I think there has to be an element of making it up as they go along doesn't there? 2022 will all depend on relative progress in 2021. If it's a huge success and enough youngsters have progressed beyond the gradings then the plans might (need to) change. The idea is that there is a mechanism to provide a pathway for young British riders into the professional leagues over a sustained period. That has to be preferential to team places going to established riders on low averages. Whether or not this is the best way to do it doesn't matter as long as it works. What would be interesting how long does a rider get to progress? Some on the list already have considerable experience.

So like any other rider then. You get offered a deal and either accept it or reject it. I guess all riders have preferred options but not all of them materialise.

Yes but those are their CL averages and grade 4 doesn't apply to the CL only PL. I don't think Bickley has a PL average to compare but I don't like Perks was a 6.

I suppose the difficulty in publicising the 5 year plan is that it probably changes based on rider development. I guess the intention is that riders progress from 1 to 4 star but what happens if one on the named riders progresses to heat leader status and the other don't. Do you have one 4* on a 9 point average still riding at #7 in the PL? As it stands, if this is the correct list, it looks about right in terms of ability/experience across the groups. I hadn't expected over 21 riders to be included but they needed at least six. You can basically see how average and experience have dictated the grading without it being stated. At least the gradings will mean that no young riders will be omitted because their average is 0.05 over a point limit. Surprised not to see Zach Watjknecht/George Wood on the list so I presume those other previously retired inclusions have expressed an interest in riding?

and Newcastle

It's a good point as printing costs are replaced by hosting costs etc but you can gain advertising revenue via apps. The trouble is it's digital advertising so your local plumber etc who'd advertise in the programme might be excluded, although it's not that difficult to make a digital advert. However, rather than having individual club apps this rather lends itself to an App which covers the whole league(s) so you subscribe to the App and get every scorecard for every match. Have the updates linked directly from the referee so you find out first who has won or been excluded first. That would be something no other sport has. As with any successful App content is key and speedway has that in abundance. As has been suggested rider interviews (live or pre recorded) but also statistics. Whilst I personally don't gamble betting culture is massive. Knowing pre heat each of the riders stats for that heat number and that gate position against those opponents on that track. Whether you gamble or not everybody loves it when their prediction is correct. Even if you're not at the meeting. As for people not using Apps at sporting events I don't think that's true. Maybe it's because Sunderland games have been dreadful over the past few seasons but I've witnessed many people using their phones during games. Gambling Apps encourage it with Cash Outs etc but I'm sure some people are doing their on-line shopping!! Certainly having a meeting App would make those boring seemingly increasingly frequent track grading sessions more palatable. As with everything in businesses it's content and scalability.

2. is a good idea but you'd need to find out what the riders think. It's an international sport so how do riders compete overseas on inferior equipment? 5. gets my vote. I'd love to see guests abolished totally but riders earnings would take a hit. Unless you remove the earn while you ride principle riders will want to ride as often as possible. 6. great idea. I've mentioned before about making the sport interactive. Maybe voting for a nominated heat or gate positions. Or even just an interactive heat predictions game. I've said before that I think that an IPL style short (2 weeks) tournament with the top international and British riders should be the future of top level speedway in this country. Hopefully providing mainstream attention for a short period (like Wimbledon does for tennis).

Not to mention that compared to 20-30 years ago we now all spend a considerable amount of disposable income without ever leaving the house (even if we could). Internet, mobile phones, TV subscriptions (SKY, Netflix, Disney etc etc), Spotify, Amazon Prime even Deliveroo.

Struggling to work out who that could be? over 5.5 and under 7 (ish) Brit who doesn't have a place already? Bridger?? Bears looking good anyway. Not sure about Jenkins vs the majority of other #7's but they'll always have a cracking reserve.

Why would there be a 1 star grade? I think you can only build a team of 38 plus 3 star or 39 plus 2 star Unless you can build 40 plus 1 star everyone not a 3 star or above is a 2 star. The numbers are irrelevant, they might as well have been A, B and C grades

I reckon he could add 3 to that average by the end of the season.

I thought speedway missed a massive opportunity last Spring. If they had been able to put meetings on during lockdown 1.0 when no other sports were live I'm sure it would have been televised and would have attracted mainstream sports fans. Some of whom might well have liked what they watched. I agree that families are probably itching to experience some kind of live entertainment outside the confines of their own home, so I'd definitely view starting before other mainstream sports are allowed to have supporters could be a massive opportunity. Take the point that some unfortunate people no longer have the disposable income they once had but there are also a lot of people who have retained their jobs and been unable to spend any disposable income for nigh on a year.

Not sure if Max is allowed/should be allowed now he have a four/five plus CL average and a 2021 CL team place. But I'm sure all the CL #7's will want to ride in the NL. Alcock averaged 4.36 for Stoke. Last winners of NL were Leicester: Perks, Hume, Ruddick, Terry-Daly, Embleton/MacDonald and the Thompson twins (who started as 2 pointers) So you only need 2 or 3 established riders to have a viable team. With all the comebacks who knows who's next? Maybe that's how you end up with a hernia For the Sapphires wouldn't Archie and Danny step up to the 500's with Owen Booth and A N Other on the 125's? Did I read somewhere that the lad Trigger (no not that one) who rides in the British Youth Champs was connected to the Diamonds? Anyways we seem to have hijacked THJ's official thread so apologies for that.

This is key for me. Haven't Leszno had Smektala, Drabik and Kubera at reserve over the last couple of seasons? three of the best U21 riders in the World at reserve all season... and unsurprisingly won. Personally I'd prefer it if they moved into the top 5 as per the normal rules but had their place protected to avoid the Sneddon effect. Whereby a young rider does well at reserve and significantly increases their average only to be replaced by a more experienced rider with a lower average but perceived more capable at that time. I can't remember how many seasons Sneddon missed because he had something like a 5 point average after about 8 matches which nobody would touch him on. I think Bryan Larner was the same going even further back in time. I think that the grading sorts this problem out. Keeping them at reserve all season might just stifle their development and has been mentioned before the same experiment was abandoned mid season some years ago when Boxall and Armstrong were averaging 7 plus at reserve and taking 7 rides every match. However when El Supremo has the best grade 2 in the league I suspect they'll be at reserve all season.....

I think he could still ride in the CL just not as #7. As Berwick have said they are keeping the same seven from 2020 Flint must be graded lower than 4 because the only other candidate would be Bickley who averaged more than Flint in 2019 so I suspect is graded 4 but at #6 for Berwick using his CMA. I reckon the Eastbourne team has three rising stars with Edwards being the only one who counts at #7

Had to have a Rising Star and didn't have one in the original 1-7. So they didn't necessarily have to release Mountain but one of the original 1-7.

Or Bero Boys if you're looking for a sponsorship opportunity. Has the list been published? Will the list be published? Am I correct in thinking that there are Grades 4, 3 and 2? With 4's only as #7 in the PL. I'm struggling to identify 6 grade 4's but I suppose it's grade 4 or below in the PL 4 Brennan Bickley Kemp Rowe 3 Flint Hume Bowtell Thomas J Smith Kinsley Wood 2 Jenkins Stoneman Edwards C Bailey Coles Ruddick Marson Lawlor Phillips Woolley L Harris Atkins Palin Gilkes J Thompson D Thompson Wirtzfeld Ablitt Embleton MacDonald Brooks Kelly Andrews Alcock H McGurk or anyone without previous PL and CL appearances. Based on 2019 activity. Don't know if age or retirement have ruled some out?

Do Edinburgh even have a team yet? No 'Rising Star' [naff branding, and assuming Lawson/Sarjeant are not on the list] a Norwegian who might not get a permit and three(?) Australians who might never arrive. Or does Tsumani know something we don't?

The press release about the 16:00 start time definitely mentioned double headers with National League matches. And there's been a load of press releases about Freeman and Smith signing to ride for the Gems in the National League so I'm sure there's an intention to run the Gems in the NL.

Might be too big a facility for league racing but would make a great venue for a speedway version of Rugby Leagues 'Magic Weekend'. I know Bradford isn't the greatest place to spend a weekend but it's close enough to Leeds to make it attractive to visit. Run all of the shared events (pairs, 4's, riders championship even a knockout cup) over a weekend and pack the place out. Nicely located for fans from the North and South. Great memories of the 1990(?) World Final. Great atmosphere.

agree that the PL wouldn't appear to be what it says on the tin. it would appear to exist only to provide enough fixtures for the double up riders. league fixtures alone it's 20 PL and 32 CL one big league is only 34 in total

whilst I prefer to see teams allowed to build sides differently and think that the genuinely talented youngsters will progress on ability regardless this seems like a sensible thing to do in the circumstances. And I agree a strong national team is the best way of piercing main stream media. the proof will be in seeing the gradings (which will hopefully take experience and average into account) and what then happens in 2022. Presumably if for example Palin is a huge success in 2021 (i.e. averaging 7 in the PL and 9 in the CL) he no longer needs to be part of the grading structure in 2022? Otherwise there could be a huge discrepancy in team strengths at the start of 2022 and it all unravels.

Funny isn't it. Absolutely nobody would expect Sainsbury's to tell them five months in advance exactly what is going to be on their shelves, who'll be on the checkout or the name of the delivery driver. Yet when it comes to sports we simply all most know everything the exact minute the decision has been made despite us having absolutely no rights to the information and that knowing or not knowing this information right away makes no difference to whether or not we attend [noting that advance season ticket sales would be the only reason to make the information available early]. I think it's a form of FOMO and because we're all a bit jealous that we don't get to have our ideas implemented. And because we know they'll come up with something daft. But the truth is that us knowing what is going on behind the scenes is of no significance. We'll find out when we find out and decide if we like or dislike the outcome at that point. Doesn't matter if that's hot off the press last Thursday or in 4 months time.

Isn't it just one for 2021? Then two thereafter?

The individual promoters know. They've just not announced it to the public yet. Sounds like there's going to be some kind of staged announcement with Eurosport.... you know to generate some interest.