uk_martin

And the some "top level" football clubs like Coventry City have to pay rent to Rugby Union clubs like Wasps. ...now Rugby Union - there's an interesting comparison. Compare the parkland and open fields that many rugby clubs played their matches on in the "amateur days" of the 1970's (when Speedway touted itself as the 3rd biggest spectator sport) to where they are playing today, as a benchmark of what could have been. I was well impressed by the Llanelli stadium that hosted the Wales v England match on Saturday. One sport on an upward trajectory and another sport on a downward spiral.

So far NO money has been announced for Cricket, Cycling, Sailing, Swimming, Athletics, Golf, Gymnastics, Darts, Snooker, Boxing, a myriad of other Olympic sorts, or even any of the Winter Sports, either. So what makes speedway a special case?

You forgot your Durex

Woe betide that there should be an online ticketing facility with admission upon the scanning of a barcode on a phone app....Pubs & Clubs can have these things, but not speedway. ...oh wait a minute..."not everyone has a fancy phone"...well, not that generation that still watches black & white television. And therein lies your answer.

I'm sure that there will be the usual choice of free pirated links on BSF to keep speedway free for you. And don't forget to download your free race card off BSF too. What more could you ask for? A free BSF Burger?

I'm not convinced by the choir of voices pledging to support streaming speedway. I ask myself this...a few years ago, a deal was done with Bet365 to have streaming coverage of speedway. Who signed up for it? That service never made it to a second season. People say "yeah, I'll pay". Yeah, until you quickly find a "free" pirated streaming link on BSF, like you do for the Polish and SGP meetings, and use that instead. It's in the nature of speedway fans to use a pirated link rather than an official channel, to use a downloaded race card rather than the official programme, your own smuggled in food & drink rather than what's on sale at official outlets... So, by all means give it a try, but don't hold your breath that it will be the salvation of the sport. And when it all goes wrong, and the sport runs out of money, don't forget to blame someone else for that happening too.

His name is Jörg Grohmann, he's German, and one of Robert Lambert's sponsors. He loves his speedway, is a big fan of Lambert, Zmarzlik and speedway in general, and follows it wherever he can. He puts his money where his mouth is. Maybe that's not to your liking? Maybe he should stay at home, put he feet up in front of the telly, listen to Pearson & Tatum, post sarcastic remarks on BSF and keep his money to himself? The sport would be so much better for it wouldn't it?

The situation isn't helped when you look at the Polish press who have a convention of giving prominence to the title sponsor, so, to use the teams above: Fogo Unia Leszno RM Solar Falubaz Zielona Góra Motor Lublin Moje Bermudy Stal Gorzów Betard Sparta Wrocław etc Most of the time, the town that a team represents isn't included in headlines, just the sponsor and the team name. All part of the learning curve.

The tone of that suggests you believe that there was some impropriety? Maybe you know something that escaped the fire investigators attention, who, if they'd have spotted anything would have had to notify the police. Maybe the insurance company's investigators would like to hear from you so that they can get out of paying a claim? So unless there is a massive conspiracy going on between the fire investigators, law enforcement and the insurers, and you can provide evidence of this, I'd be inclined to believe that your claimed "shenanigans" was actually a genuinely unfortunate accident.

More significant than it may seem too....IF (and it's a big mathematical IF) Stal and Wroclaw finish on equal league points, then Stal have just been awarded a 40-point "points difference" advantage. They have gone from being 8 points behind on points difference to now being 32 points ahead of Wroclaw. Wroclaw have a match in hand and no doubt will go hell for leather at Rybnik to win by as many as possible, but it all makes for an interesting end to the season. Stal Gorzow have 2 "cup final" meetings ahead of them...the home derby against Mickey Mouse and then the away meeting at Wroclaw. Interesting times ahead.

Stal Gorzow have been awarded a 0-40 walkover against Czestochowa, after the track debacle last Friday. 3 more league points takes Stal into 4th place in the league for now. https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/896900/zuzel-komisja-orzekajaca-ligi-wydala-werdykt-eltrox-wlokniarz-ukarany-walkowerem

Rule #2 applies, even in Civvie Street.

It's a funny feeling at my age...I'm under 60, so in Britain I leave a speedway stadium feeling like the new kid on the block. Yet when I leave a Polish stadium I feel like I'm the oldest swinger in town.

Probably none of them bearing in mind that British speedway has been non-existent this year. If they are struggling then it highlights how far they have to go...and then that depends on the rider. Does the rider want to be big fish in a small pond or a developing fish in a wide open ocean.?

REFUND UPDATE If you need a refund for your 1/8/2020 SGP ticket, then there is a not heavily publicised e-mail address that you need to write to - zwrotsgp@wts.pl You'll then probably get an automated response which will acknowledge your correspondence and promise to get back to you. It also stipulates some law or regulation that gives them 180 days from the date of the cancelled event, to process your refund. So basically, don't expect your refund before Xmas. The automated response goes on to say that if you bought a paper ticket from a ticket outlet in Poland (Empik etc) then you have to take it back there for your refund. It doesn't give any more instructions on what to do (other than wait, one assumes) if you bought your ticket online. Hope that this might help someone.

Just to clarify...the construction work is continuing and workers were still on site today and the new housing development will continue to completion. The original intention was for the buildings to be created in the first phase essentially as "bedsits"/hotel rooms suitable for short stay accommodation by about 7,000 athletes during the Commonwealth Games, then in phase two, after the Commonwealth Games, the properties would be reconfigured into 5,000 or so houses and apartments for sale and rent. COVID-19 came along in February, and the building site went into lockdown. When I passed the other day, taking photos of the site, I asked one of the builders how things were going and he reckoned that the project was 3-4 months behind schedule as a consequence. Obviously, someone high up decided that those 3-4 months of lost time couldn't be guaranteed to be made up so they came up with a Plan B for accommodating the athletes. When Plan B was agreed upon, the housing project went straight to "Phase 2" so construction is continuing except that the first residents there will be the 5,000 householders, not the athletes. All the rest of what you see in the media is just political spin, scandal and mischief making. Obviously one politician wants to make capital out of it at the expense of the others, that's what they get paid for. Interesting that the biggest headline grabber on this issue is Jon Hunt, who was the biggest opponent to the re-introduction of speedway at Perry Barr, so whatever it takes to get his name in the papers, he'll be right there.

Lee Kilby quoted as saying that there won't be any speedway in Swindon in 2020, and that he's looking forward to 2021. What sort of stadium and track will he have in 2021, I wonder?

If you think that, then you haven't been to many Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts

Congratulations to Robert Lambert. SEC Champion. How good does that sound?I now hope that all those British Speedway promoters who for the last 6-7 years had a misguided opinion of their place in the world speedway food chain, and who campaigned against any British rider from gracing this tournament promoted by a Polish company, who derided the tournament, and threatened sanctions against anyone who wanted to be involved (Scott Nicholls, anyone?) now eat a double helping of Humble Pie covered in Pooh Sauce.This tournament has proven its worth and has proven the British Speedway promoters wrong again. Can't wait now for some hypocritical congratulations to appear on the BSPA web site If anyone needs some grit for the winter, the promoters teeth will have as much as you like to spare.

It's just a huge financial black hole...money is expected to go in, and nothing comes out. I've still not seen or heard anything about how to claim a refund on the Wroclaw ticket that I have, and I feel sorry for those who had tickets for Vojens. BSI have made the decision and the host track are left to pick up the pieces. Hopefully all those needing refunds will get them sooner rather than later, but this is all looking rather shambolic to me. It says something when you can get a refund off Ryanair (2 refunds in fact) quicker than you can get one for a cancelled speedway meeting.

This exactly. Teams like Birmingham and Leicester are in extremely mixed ethnic locations. 40%-50% of the local populations are non-white, and yet neither is there ever a "BAME" face in the crowd, (or if you do they are the exception) nor do the teams do the first thing to reach out to a new audience from minority populations. Yes this goes back to speedway being crap at promoting itself in general, but in the current climate, at least an effort to become more inclusive is surely needed, if not for the survival of the sport then to fend of accusations of being "white elitist". So, going back to that other sport that could be accused of being white elitist, F1 has finally (under pressure from it's exception to the rule) agreed to take measures to encourage equality, diversity and inclusiveness (whatever they turn out to be), so shouldn't speedway do the same, or at least start talking about doing the same?

If football is anything to go by, all matches are being preceded by the "taking of the knee". Formula 1 is following suite. If there are any meeting that are going to take place this year (Oct, maybe?) then will there be a requirement for speedway riders to take the knee too? Or haven't the authorities who say that they spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week planning for the resumption of speedway in Britain, thought about this yet? Because if there's one thing that's for sure, just as in F1, speedway in this country is a sport that definitely needs to address the matter of equality and diversity. F1 has announced that it's going to address the problem, will speedway follow?

Firstly, the story came out in the mainstream media, NOT social media. A public announcement that told the paying public what was going on. Treating the public with the respect they deserve. Secondly, hushing things up, dealing with them "quietly and out of sight" does nothing to inform the public who pay to see the sport about what is going on, and does nothing to inspire confidence about the management of the sport. It only leads to the very uninformed rumours and speculation in social media that you seem to be so against in the first place. Now if you want to carry on scoring own-goals by hiding away behind closed doors, then carry on. See where it's gotten you so far.

Was anyone on the PZM payroll involved at Grudziadz? Don't think so. And when someone from a higher authority stepped in, he immediately suspended the referee for the rest of the year. Now that is something that nobody in the BSPA / SCB would have the balls to do. Swift & decisive action. None of this meetings to have a chat, in a few weeks time over tea & biscuits in Rugby malarkey like the British authorities do, in order to sweep problems under the carpet.

The referee is a "homer".