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Is It Finally Time For One League?


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Having watched last night’s TNT meeting from Oxford and once again noticing barely any attendance… this surely cannot be viable for anyone involved. 

It’s clear that the big boys being over here hasn’t improved anything and we are losing yet more tracks year after year.

It’s time to talk about the future of speedway in the UK and how it can survive. Is it time for one league, smaller squads and the removal of the big names?

Let’s open the discussion. 

Edited by TheSmiler
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I don't think it could happen unless you went down to 5 man teams there wouldn't be the riders available.

Far more likely a team will be convinced to move up and run with a less than ideal 6 team league.

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Yes... next question please

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9 minutes ago, mrss said:

Not enough riders for 1 league.

This is why I referred to “smaller squads”… I am wondering if British Speedway should use the Danish format moving forward. Something has to give.

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Whatever happens, something radical must happen at the AGM.  I would like someone independent to come in and look at the sport from a different perspective.  We may not like it, but we need some outside-of-the-box thinking if we want speedway to survive and appeal to a new audience.  It may be a risky move but at the moment, what does speedway have to loose?

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The major impact of a bigger league is the current reliance of riders on doubling up to make their money. Doing away with doubling up (which let’s face it has become an uncontrollable monster) will significantly diminish UK earning potential. Even in a bigger league with more teams, there will be fewer meetings overall than current double uppers rely onto earn a crust. Quite a few riders might then have to decide if they can make the sport pay and possibly consider calling it a day. The obvious rider shortage potentially then gets even worse!

 

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30 minutes ago, Teromaafan said:

The major impact of a bigger league is the current reliance of riders on doubling up to make their money. Doing away with doubling up (which let’s face it has become an uncontrollable monster) will significantly diminish UK earning potential. Even in a bigger league with more teams, there will be fewer meetings overall than current double uppers rely onto earn a crust. Quite a few riders might then have to decide if they can make the sport pay and possibly consider calling it a day. The obvious rider shortage potentially then gets even worse!

 

2 home and 2 away, perhaps would help 

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51 minutes ago, mrss said:

If it goes down to five riders in a team, there still won’t be enough riders.

Yes there will be enough riders for the 13 teams in one league.  Out of the current teams we'll lose Birmingham, Workington - and Oxford will run with just one team. Spare riders galore then.

Obviously some juniors will be in many line-ups. a good learning curve. But each race has just one winner whatever - and the more variety will be attractive for fans.  

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1 hour ago, TheSmiler said:

Having watched last night’s TNT meeting from Oxford and once again noticing barely any attendance… this surely cannot be viable for anyone involved. 

It’s clear that the big boys being over here hasn’t improved anything and we are losing yet more tracks year after year.

It’s time to talk about the future of speedway in the UK and how it can survive. Is it time for one league, smaller squads and the removal of the big names?

Let’s open the discussion. 

Not sure what you were watching. Healthy crowd in the stand, healthier standing in front of it, and quite a few on bends three and four.

 

But yes, there should be one league. Five riders in each team like Denmark, rider grading needs to be introduced. 

Edited by WookieboyDon
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14 minutes ago, WookieboyDon said:

Not sure what you were watching. Healthy crowd in the stand, healthier standing in front of it, and quite a few on bends three and four.

 

But yes, there should be one league. Five riders in each team like Denmark, rider grading needs to be introduced. 

There was no one there. About 30 people standing on those bends.

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Yes it's long overdue, yes the riders are going to cry that can't make it pay, yes the tuners are going to cry, yes the standard will drop but in the long term this will be the only way Speedway will survive in the Uk because it has been unviable for many seasons now, semi pro riders is the way forward, perhaps the only way.

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13 minutes ago, Arthur54 said:

Not for us championship teams 

One league, no doubling up, using riders of competitive ability based on current riders racing in UK could stretch to fielding no more than eight teams. (It’s the math). Thus two home, two away fixtures would be as current in Prem and the end of professional speedway at the majority of tracks currently operating today - maybe not a bad thing - just a reset and a welcome to the real world  

 

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54 minutes ago, hasta la vista said:

There was no one there. About 30 people standing on those bends.

Just watched back the highlights. Clearly way more than 30 on three and four. And big crowd standing in front of stand as well as those inside. 

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41 minutes ago, WookieboyDon said:

Just watched back the highlights. Clearly way more than 30 on three and four. And big crowd standing in front of stand as well as those inside. 

There was around 200-300 people max in that stand on the home straight in a small area.

Bearing in mind that their break even will be around 1200, where are the other thousand?

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1 hour ago, hasta la vista said:

There was around 200-300 people max in that stand on the home straight in a small area.

Bearing in mind that their break even will be around 1200, where are the other thousand?

Do they not have people sitting in the restaurant as well though ?

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