Oxford Spires 2025

[PersonalResponsibility]

6 hours ago, YeOldPitGate said:

Imagine seven figure league sponsorship deal announced with Skybet, Eddie Hearn taking over as commander and chief, an eight strong top league once home and away with all the top men back over, 12 strong second division once home and away, racing on the best nights for the public not the riders, then we woke up

Crazy to think that we had the Skybet Elite League, the top riders, a 10(!) team top division not that long ago really.

It just so turns out that Terry Russell and co weren't quite the promotional gurus that Eddie Hearn is. Who could've guessed.

[RoundTheBoards]

I can understand Oxford wanting to drop out of a league rather than doing all three, but I'm wondering, do Oxford fans approve of dropping out of Premiership and just doing Chmapionship, or would you have prefered to drop out of Championship and just entered Premiership?

[Hilly]

Championship all day long for me

[Triple.H.]

13 hours ago, RoundTheBoards said:

I can understand Oxford wanting to drop out of a league rather than doing all three, but I'm wondering, do Oxford fans approve of dropping out of Premiership and just doing Chmapionship, or would you have prefered to drop out of Championship and just entered Premiership?

Do you know which league they've pulled out of ? If it's PL CL and NDL again it could be Cheetahs moving up to PL or staying CL. If it's one league then every club is dropping out of either PL or CL to create whatever the new league is called.

[arnieg]

I sense that the management's main grievance is the enormous guarantees paid out in return for modest performances.  That would suggest to me that if the current structure remains a Championship team is more likely.

[YeOldPitGate]

1 hour ago, arnieg said:

I sense that the management's main grievance is the enormous guarantees paid out in return for modest performances.  That would suggest to me that if the current structure remains a Championship team is more likely.

Would make sense I don't know what some of the prem heat leaders were on at Oxford but if your talking maybe 3-5k per meeting the numbers will never add up.

[Technik]

It was a massive undertaking to enter all 3 levels. But after giving it a fair chance i'd say the top league was not as popular at Oxford & the costs to run a team at that level is much higher & to run a club that is to be racing in the finals is higher again.

Oxford are suited to the Championship & National leagues. Through these leagues we have seen more than a few riders develope into very promising riders Jenkins, Killeen, Scott & even Boughan have come from the lowest league with Oxford to race at a higher level & for that they should be proud

[1 valve]

1 hour ago, Technik said:

It was a massive undertaking to enter all 3 levels. But after giving it a fair chance i'd say the top league was not as popular at Oxford & the costs to run a team at that level is much higher & to run a club that is to be racing in the finals is higher again.

Oxford are suited to the Championship & National leagues. Through these leagues we have seen more than a few riders develope into very promising riders Jenkins, Killeen, Scott & even Boughan have come from the lowest league with Oxford to race at a higher level & for that they should be proud

There should be no surprises if next year Oxford are in the top flight.  

[RoundTheBoards]

9 minutes ago, 1 valve said:

There should be no surprises if next year Oxford are in the top flight.  

I'd say it would be a major surprise if Oxford reversed their decision and stayed in the top flight.

[Colinspeedway]

12 hours ago, RoundTheBoards said:

I'd say it would be a major surprise if Oxford reversed their decision and stayed in the top flight.

https://oxfordspeedway.club/2025/09/preview-spires-aim-to-go-out-with-a-bang/

Did they say they were definitely not running top flight? This article said the Spires would not run but did not rule out the Cheetahs running in the top flight. 

[norbold]

58 minutes ago, Colinspeedway said:

https://oxfordspeedway.club/2025/09/preview-spires-aim-to-go-out-with-a-bang/

Did they say they were definitely not running top flight? This article said the Spires would not run but did not rule out the Cheetahs running in the top flight. 

The article also says that the reason for going down to two teams is, "But with exciting changes to the league structure rumoured for 2026, the Spires will be discontinued, leaving the Cheetahs and the Charger..." Are they perhaps looking at there only being two leagues, i.e. an amalgamation of the top two leagues?

[gazzac]

3 hours ago, norbold said:

The article also says that the reason for going down to two teams is, "But with exciting changes to the league structure rumoured for 2026, the Spires will be discontinued, leaving the Cheetahs and the Charger..." Are they perhaps looking at there only being two leagues, i.e. an amalgamation of the top two leagues?

Would think probably not an amalgamation of the top 2 leagues, Richard Lawson says he's looking for a Premiership club, would surely be nailed on at Poole already if they did amalgamate the leagues.