enotian

Bickley has now done 2 full seasons and Kemp just one. If that's the mechanism fair enough. I must admit I'm not a fan of forcing teams to have a youngster because it's more difficult for some teams to develop riders and I like to see teams which a structured differently. I was looking forward to seeing Mountain and Wright at reserve for the Diamonds in 2020. We'd have been clattered in heats 13 and 15 but might have been stronger in heats 2, 8, 12 and 14. Can often lead to topsy turvy matches which has to be good. But given the problems with rider availability it's probably a good idea for these circumstances. And if it means some of these riders progress to international stardom then all well and good even if that means they can no longer/don't want to ride in the UK. Hopefully the clear pathway for young riders will attract new batches. I recall BSB did something similar years ago that propelled Rea, Hill and Sykes to varying degrees of stardom. All I would have done was re-assess all experienced riders say 5 full seasons (S Lambert, W Lawson, Sarjeant, J Wright etc) to a minimum 5 point average for team building. Likewise for non UK riders. Just like nobody can average lower than 2 even if they do. Then teams could still decide to select a strength in depth team if they couldn't access a suitable youngster. There's a natural incentive to selecting 2 point youngsters anyway as they're most likely to add points to their starting average, which is the name of the game.

that's the jist of it plus it's also perceived to be greener. some might consider filling in the programme to be a bit "wanky". I still like doing it but I'm a bit "wanky". some people don't bother with a score chart and just enjoy the racing without bothering about the score of upcoming heats. if you like to know about who has scored what and what's still to come an App could simply provide that or be much more. Rider stats, gate stats, heat stats, head to head stats, you could have it predict the result of upcoming heats. As stated earlier you could even have have rider interviews live from the pits. if the App covered all league matches you could be sat at home getting the live scores and interviews just like the excellent speedway updates. Maybe the App would provide post match highlights. As I say, anything you want it to be depending on how much you have to invest. Certainly not everyones cup of tea but might it help attract a younger/wider audience? I'm particularly interested in fan interaction. That's massive for TV shows like BGT, X Factor, The Jungle, Celebrity Dancing and the On Ice version (all of which I'd never watch) and would be a USP for speedway if via an App the public could interact, i.e. selecting gate positions. Unsure.

except that Kemp appears to be 3* and Bickley 4*

We don't know but it looks like if a rider does average over 4 in the CL then they are then a 4*. In terms of the CL that means they can't be a #7 (or presumably #6 if there are 2 Rising Stars in 2022) and therefore their 2021 GSA applies. See Tom Brennan this season. 4* but in the Eastbourne team on his 2019 GSA. In terms of the PL as a 4* they can still ride at #7. The problem is if the rider achieves say an 8 GSA in the CL riding at reserve all season. I'm certain they'd get a CL team place in 2022 but what if they struggle in the top 5? Say their average drops to 3. No doubt they'd be dropped but then couldn't get a reserve place elsewhere to regain their form.....

2019 GSA Flint 3.30, Kemp 3.95 and Bickley 3.93. The only discernible difference is that Bickley also rode a full season in 2018. I don't disagree that Kemp and Flint look to be better prospects but you can't grade on future potential. Otherwise Palin and the Thompson twins might have been graded 4* straight away. Fortunately it won't cost Bickley a team place unless he loses his Berwick place due to poor form.

Do you want to know how Apps work or what a Speedway App would do? Apps or applications are just a computer programme coded to do whatever you want them to. To that extent a speedway App could be anything you want it to be. I've speculated that it could be linked to real time updates from the meeting referee or even on bike transponders. Equally it could just be an electronic version of a paper scorechart. The only limits are the limits of your imagination.... and how much you want to spend developing it of course.

Yes there should be a criteria but equally if that criteria leads to a dysfunctional position in 2022 or beyond then you'd amend it wouldn't you. Like you say if the pipeline dries up within those years you might revert to one per team. Or if it's a huge success and there's more supply then you might increase to 3 graded team places for Rising Stars. Never paint yourself into a corner. Surely giving an opportunity to a kid who might go on to be successful internationally and even raise the profile of the sport in this country is preferable to giving another shot to a 3 point 30 year old who is never going to develop? It's product R&D and I don't see giving a team place to a youngster ahead of a low average old timer as reducing the quality, although I'll reserve judgement on that until I've seen Alcock in action [not a euphemism] Cynically you might also consider supply and demand. If there's a greater supply of riders then those riders can't demand as much. Either way the decision is obvious.

lots of magazines and newspapers going out of print and going digital would suggest that's where the money is. also offers a new income stream of selling your customer base data. Sell a paper programme you have no idea who to or how often they accessed it. Apps give you access to a whole host of additional customer data.

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?