Ipswich Witches 2025

[Aries]

4 minutes ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

Cooper & the team around him seem very level headed. I think everyone would love to see Cooper become a Witch.

However I think if Coopers team decides it’s too early then he’ll give it a miss. If he is picked he doesn’t have to accept the rs position.

Louis could well be one of those who is advising him who knows. 

Of course anyone that is picked doesn’t have to accept it that’s a given. I think that’s unlikely however. The financials and the chance to ride with world class riders would be too tempting to turn down. 
 

It also doesn’t matter how much Louis would want him unless he signed him at number six which wouldn’t happen. If Ipswich give up their retention of Edwards, they’d have to sit and wait for their pick and I’m sure someone would go for Rushen before Ipswich got their chance. 
 

Unless Cooper did what Jenkins did last year, reject the advances of other clubs that picked them first and then accept Ipswich’ offer when it’s their turn!

Another reason why this rising star scheme doesn’t work and is a total nonsense. No rider should be forced to ride where they’re told, that should NEVER have been the case and good on Jenkins for sticking to his guns and riding where he wanted. 
 

Scrap it. 

Edited yesterday at 08:03 AM by Aries

[therefused]

4 hours ago, Aries said:

Of course anyone that is picked doesn’t have to accept it that’s a given. I think that’s unlikely however. The financials and the chance to ride with world class riders would be too tempting to turn down. 
 

It also doesn’t matter how much Louis would want him unless he signed him at number six which wouldn’t happen. If Ipswich give up their retention of Edwards, they’d have to sit and wait for their pick and I’m sure someone would go for Rushen before Ipswich got their chance. 
 

Unless Cooper did what Jenkins did last year, reject the advances of other clubs that picked them first and then accept Ipswich’ offer when it’s their turn!

Another reason why this rising star scheme doesn’t work and is a total nonsense. No rider should be forced to ride where they’re told, that should NEVER have been the case and good on Jenkins for sticking to his guns and riding where he wanted. 
 

Scrap it. 

The scheme should be in the championship and it should be two riders to be honest. There is one promoter that wants two in the Premiership, which to be honest im not wholly against IF the riders were a good enough standard, which they aren’t.

One thing I think should happen is there should be a bigger reduction in UK riders averages at the end of the season instead of the 2.5(?) percent. Even if it was a higher discount for riders under 24 to encourage teams to sign them.

[Ben91]

5 hours ago, Aries said:

No rider should be forced to ride where they’re told, that should NEVER have been the case and good on Jenkins for sticking to his guns and riding where he wanted. 
 

Disagree. The riders know what they’re signing up for. If you want a chance to ride in the top league then you enter the draft. If you’re drafted somewhere then you ride for the team who pick you. If you don’t like it, don’t enter the draft.  

 

[Aries]

29 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

Disagree. The riders know what they’re signing up for. If you want a chance to ride in the top league then you enter the draft. If you’re drafted somewhere then you ride for the team who pick you. If you don’t like it, don’t enter the draft.  

 

Don’t even know where to start with that. Yeah, let’s just agree to disagree and we’ll leave it at that. 

[Ben91]

Just now, Aries said:

Don’t even know where to start with that. Yeah, let’s just agree to disagree and we’ll leave it at that. 

They’re not owed a ride. It’s an opportunity they sign up for to have a team spot. That can be at any of the clubs in the top league and it’s known in advance. Don’t like it, don’t sign up. That’s not unfair in the slightest. 

[Aries]

 

[mikebv]

31 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

Disagree. The riders know what they’re signing up for. If you want a chance to ride in the top league then you enter the draft. If you’re drafted somewhere then you ride for the team who pick you. If you don’t like it, don’t enter the draft.  

 

A typical well meaning rule to try and even up the league more...

And then also, typically in UK Speedway fashion, they eff it up by allowing the No1 pick to say "I'm not riding there"...

(Which I get if offered more money and have local sponsors elsewhere)..

In the US draft system, the bottom team gets several concessions from the teams who want their pick, should they not want to use that player ..

Eg The team with the highest average last season would have needed to offer Birmingham either money or a rider/riders..

Instead we had Birmingham being out of their depth again which did them, nor Speedway, any favours .

Basically. Either do it properly, or don't use it at all...

Personally, out of their depth No7's do nothing for the sport, nor them, in any league ..

[Arch Stanton]

1 hour ago, Ben91 said:

Disagree. The riders know what they’re signing up for. If you want a chance to ride in the top league then you enter the draft. If you’re drafted somewhere then you ride for the team who pick you. If you don’t like it, don’t enter the draft.  

 

You’re being harsh here. The whole idea is to give young British riders a helping hand to make their way up the speedway ladder. It’s not as black and white as you’re making out. Jenkins has been mentioned so let’s use him as an example. He had to be careful what he said, but he all but admitted Birmingham approached him but he wanted to stay with Ipswich in the main due to local sponsorship he’d acquired there. 
 

Ipswich were realistically never going to sign him in their 1-6, so rising star it had to be. So you’re saying, that he should have had no say in where he went, gave up the sponsorship he’d have got at Ipswich, and either accepted Birmingham’s offer or missed out completely? How is that helping the young British riders? Extremely harsh. All the rising star’s should have been left to negotiate with whoever they wanted.

It wasn’t a bad idea in theory, but poorly executed and if the rising star system is kept then the priority “picks” part of it needs to be removed. 

Edit: Found the article in question 

https://ipswichwitches.co/2025-signing-jordan-jenkins/
 

“It’s probably been the most stressful two months of my career. I’ve always been in a fortunate position where I’ve had a club to go to no matter what but after riding for Ipswich last year I wanted to be back and made no secret of that. Before the season was finished, I was injured and was speaking to Chris (Louis) and Ritchie (Hawkins) about how much I wanted to be back, but it wasn’t confirmed that I would be eligible to be a Rising Star, so it was a bit up in the air. Chris and Ritchie will be glad to get it done as I have been hounding them every week for the past two months! It shows what a good club Ipswich are.

“With the draft system and the way it is, it means Birmingham had first pick. When a club and a rider want to work together, and you have developed a fan base and sponsors in and around that club I don’t think it should be able to be dictated that way. But that’s all ifs and buts, I’m at Ipswich now and I couldn’t be happier.”

Edited 23 hours ago by Arch Stanton

[Ben91]

9 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

You’re being harsh here. The whole idea is to give young British riders a helping hand to make their way up the speedway ladder. It’s not as black and white as you’re making out. Jenkins has been mentioned so let’s use him as an example. He had to be careful what he said, but he all but admitted Birmingham approached him but he wanted to stay with Ipswich in the main due to local sponsorship he’d acquired there. 
 

Ipswich were realistically never going to sign him in their 1-6, so rising star it had to be. So you’re saying, that he should have had no say in where he went, gave up the sponsorship he’d have got at Ipswich, and either accepted Birmingham’s offer or missed out completely? How is that helping the young British riders? Extremely harsh. All the rising star’s should have been left to negotiate with whoever they wanted.

It wasn’t a bad idea in theory, but poorly executed and if the rising star system is kept then the priority “picks” part of it needs to be removed. 

Edit: Found the article in question 

https://ipswichwitches.co/2025-signing-jordan-jenkins/
 

 

“It’s probably been the most stressful two months of my career. I’ve always been in a fortunate position where I’ve had a club to go to no matter what but after riding for Ipswich last year I wanted to be back and made no secret of that. Before the season was finished, I was injured and was speaking to Chris (Louis) and Ritchie (Hawkins) about how much I wanted to be back, but it wasn’t confirmed that I would be eligible to be a Rising Star, so it was a bit up in the air. Chris and Ritchie will be glad to get it done as I have been hounding them every week for the past two months! It shows what a good club Ipswich are.

“With the draft system and the way it is, it means Birmingham had first pick. When a club and a rider want to work together, and you have developed a fan base and sponsors in and around that club I don’t think it should be able to be dictated that way. But that’s all ifs and buts, I’m at Ipswich now and I couldn’t be happier.”

It isn’t harsh. Professional sports enforce their rules regardless of whether someone is inconvenienced or not.

[2ndbend]

On 10/17/2025 at 10:01 AM, PersonalResponsibility said:

Not sure if it's a typo, but it's driving me mad on a boring Friday workday: who's Thomas M?

Tobiasz Musielak

[JamesB]

I don’t understand how the concept of forcing the RS’s to ride for a specific team is permitted.

I am not an employment lawyer but does it not break employment law relating to freedom of movement?

[szkocjasid]

16 hours ago, Aries said:

But you’ve been a big advocate of the rising star system in the Premiership and you’ve just highlighted one of the major flaws. We disagreed on this topic right from the beginning.

Cooper will turn 16 by the time the season starts and so will be on the list IF it remains. Someone will pick him and the concerns you’ve just raised will become valid.

There is such a disparity between the riders on the rising star list that makes the whole thing a farcical nonsense. It becomes even more farcical that clubs end up being FORCED to include a rider that they don’t particularly want because after everyone else has had their pick, there’s bugger all left except cannon fodder!

You're gonna get one or two clubs that will pick up a ringer that will give them an immediate advantage before a wheel has been turned, and a couple that will have to accept a Sam Hagon or Joe Thompson (with the greatest of respect) that could end up costing that club a league title! The rising star list is actually quite extensive if you look at it. But the vast majority of them shouldn’t even be on there. You wouldn’t take a bet on most of them even getting around for four laps! There’s a very small pool of riders that would even be in the hunt for a single point, but even then there’s a disparity between your Flints, Edwards’ and Mulford’s to your Hagon’s and J Thompson’s.

Chuck this rising star balls in the bin. Settle on a points limit, and let every club sign any seven riders they like to fit in to that points limit. 

I am a big fan of the RS system, probably a few times riders who have not been the strongest options have been picked, which is the clubs fault not the systems fault.

As long as there are at least 5/6 riders with a Champ average over 3, then I'd keep the system, don't want to force any riders weaker than that up.

I agree it's not ideal to that there can be a big gap between ability, each club having 2 RS could solve that i.e whoever gets first pick also gets last pick, but there may not be enough talent to have 2 per club (unless upping the higher limit from 4.00).

Think we'll always agree to disagree on the RS system anyway 👍

[Ben91]

9 hours ago, JamesB said:

I don’t understand how the concept of forcing the RS’s to ride for a specific team is permitted.

I am not an employment lawyer but does it not break employment law relating to freedom of movement?

Because that’s the system they voluntarily agree to enter into. They aren’t going in blind. 

There’s too much rider power now. Before long everyone will ride for Belle Vue because nobody wants to ride for the other clubs. 

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

16 hours ago, mikebv said:

A typical well meaning rule to try and even up the league more...

And then also, typically in UK Speedway fashion, they eff it up by allowing the No1 pick to say "I'm not riding there"...

(Which I get if offered more money and have local sponsors elsewhere)..

In the US draft system, the bottom team gets several concessions from the teams who want their pick, should they not want to use that player ..

Eg The team with the highest average last season would have needed to offer Birmingham either money or a rider/riders..

Instead we had Birmingham being out of their depth again which did them, nor Speedway, any favours .

Basically. Either do it properly, or don't use it at all...

Personally, out of their depth No7's do nothing for the sport, nor them, in any league ..

Birmingham got Keynan Rew who ended up as their 2nd highest average rider.......

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

17 hours ago, Ben91 said:

Disagree. The riders know what they’re signing up for. If you want a chance to ride in the top league then you enter the draft. If you’re drafted somewhere then you ride for the team who pick you. If you don’t like it, don’t enter the draft.  

 

With the RS it is the case that if you retain the rider from the previous season then this overrides the pick

With Dan moving out of RS eligibility and Jordan back into the scheme I think it was this situation that was invoked

[therefused]

38 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

With the RS it is the case that if you retain the rider from the previous season then this overrides the pick

With Dan moving out of RS eligibility and Jordan back into the scheme I think it was this situation that was invoked

lol of course it wasnt, stop making stuff up. 

[Aries]

All the focus seems to be on Jenkins when it comes to the rising star “picks” for some reason. Nobody has ever mentioned Leon Flint! 
 

Ipswich actually finished fourth, But Sheffield finished first so had the “last pick”, and yet arguably picked up the strongest rising star of them all!

Let’s be honest here. Are we to believe that Birmingham, King’s Lynn and Oxford, all made their picks and left the two strongest rising stars on the shelf?

The Lynn fans on here and there were a few of them, said that Rob Lyon was very open at one of their end of season’s meetings, that they wanted Jenkins as rising star, or failing that, Flint was also of heavy interest seeing as they were the two strongest rising stars. He was apparently confident of getting one of them as Lynn had one of the first “picks”. 
 

They ended up with neither!!

[PersonalResponsibility]

1 hour ago, Aries said:

All the focus seems to be on Jenkins when it comes to the rising star “picks” for some reason. Nobody has ever mentioned Leon Flint! 
 

Ipswich actually finished fourth, But Sheffield finished first so had the “last pick”, and yet arguably picked up the strongest rising star of them all!

Let’s be honest here. Are we to believe that Birmingham, King’s Lynn and Oxford, all made their picks and left the two strongest rising stars on the shelf?

The Lynn fans on here and there were a few of them, said that Rob Lyon was very open at one of their end of season’s meetings, that they wanted Jenkins as rising star, or failing that, Flint was also of heavy interest seeing as they were the two strongest rising stars. He was apparently confident of getting one of them as Lynn had one of the first “picks”. 
 

They ended up with neither!!

That just reinforces what a daft system it was allowed to become. It is really classic speedway that something as straightforward as a draft can end up in a mess.

X clubs, X riders, everyone picks one each in the reverse order of last year's league - how can anyone possibly mess that up? It's amazing.

If Jordan Jenkins didn't want to lose all of his local sponsorship - which is absolutely fair btw - then he had the choice to opt-out of the RS scheme and wait for Ipswich to sign him. If they didn't, that's life.

How many other riders have to go elsewhere up and down the country to get a job?

[Aries]

17 minutes ago, PersonalResponsibility said:

That just reinforces what a daft system it was allowed to become. It is really classic speedway that something as straightforward as a draft can end up in a mess.

X clubs, X riders, everyone picks one each in the reverse order of last year's league - how can anyone possibly mess that up? It's amazing.

If Jordan Jenkins didn't want to lose all of his local sponsorship - which is absolutely fair btw - then he had the choice to opt-out of the RS scheme and wait for Ipswich to sign him. If they didn't, that's life.

How many other riders have to go elsewhere up and down the country to get a job?

But they wouldn’t have done. The only way Jenkins would have gotten in at Ipswich this year was at rising star. You say “that’s life” which of course is your prerogative and opinion, but I’m pretty sure nobody else would have picked him as a senior reserve at number six either so a young Brit would end up missing an opportunity if he’d “opted out” of the scheme. The whole idea to start with was to help these young Brits. 

The flip side to that I guess would be that someone else on the list would have gotten an opportunity instead.

A staggered pick based on league positions from a totally different season was a really poor idea in the first place so lord above knows why they came out with it. Worth remembering also that all signings made including rising stars are “subject to ratification by the BSPL” so if indeed there wasn’t any priority picks and they were all content to let everyone choose who they wanted, then why bother announcing that rule to start with? 🤷🏼‍♂️

Edited 3 hours ago by Aries

[PersonalResponsibility]

8 minutes ago, Aries said:

But they wouldn’t have done. The only way Jenkins would have gotten in at Ipswich this year was at rising star. You say “that’s life” which of course is your prerogative and opinion, but I’m pretty sure nobody else would have picked him as a senior reserve at number six either so a young Brit would end up missing an opportunity if he’d “opted out” of the scheme. The whole idea to start with was to help these young Brits. 
 

A staggered pick based on league positions from a totally different season was a really poor idea in the first place so lord above knows why they came out with it. Worth remembering also that all signings made including rising stars are “subject to ratification by the BSPL” so if indeed there wasn’t any priority picks and they were all content to let everyone choose who they wanted, then why bother announcing that rule to start with? 🤷🏼‍♂️

They probably wouldn't have done, which isn't ideal for him, but that's how it goes. Either accept the lottery of the RS scheme or accept the lottery of opting out.

It would've been a shame for a young Brit to miss out obviously, but why bother with any sort of rules if you just don't apply them? I think we agree on the general point, the intention of the concept was a good idea, but it was bungled again by the people who created it.

As you say, why bother announcing a rule that they don't bother following? 

I just wish they'd properly review the rules and regs and then stick to me, no budging. Too many times it's the tail wagging the dog or they've painted themselves into a corner like this.

Edited 3 hours ago by PersonalResponsibility