What about Northampton?

[norbold]

19 minutes ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

Speedway could learn an awful lot from the freestyle snow sports, how they have taken a fringe sport into the mainstream.

 

Have they really though? It's only because they are in the Olympics. Once they are over, the freestyle snow sports will return to the fringes.

Is it too late to get speedway included in the 2028 Olympic Games?

[TMW]

On 2/15/2026 at 12:14 PM, Sotonian said:

Plenty more:

Southampton 1951

New Cross 1953

Edinburgh 1954

Wolves 1954

Brafield 1955 (The proposed Northampton)

Ringwood 1955

West Ham 1955

Just to correct your comprehensive list. The Long Eaton invaders didn’t close during the 1997 season. All the fixtures were fulfilled and planning had started to run in 1998. 

[Wolfie456]

1 hour ago, norbold said:

Have they really though? It's only because they are in the Olympics. Once they are over, the freestyle snow sports will return to the fringes.

Is it too late to get speedway included in the 2028 Olympic Games?

Ice speedway 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

Have the bspl become so desperate and tunnel visioned in their quest to get Northampton running they have forgot what their actual job is ? They have practically isolated and ignored the fans and even the other 4 teams to a degree since November to the point now where even the most loyal fans are getting fed up and if like me thinking is it worth it anymore, this winter has been one of the most damaging to its credibility winters the sport has ever had 

[Tinker]

13 hours ago, mikebv said:

A bit processional....

Although, relay Speedway could work...

The relay speed skating was great to watch, especially when the next leg of the race gets a big push off from their team mate. Imagine this in speedway with either Batch or Drew Kemp piddling round at the back and then getting an almighty shove from Cookie or Kyle Howarth. Now that would be quite a spectacle and sure to bring the fans in! 

[Fortythirtyeight]

9 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Have the bspl become so desperate and tunnel visioned in their quest to get Northampton running they have forgot what their actual job is ? They have practically isolated and ignored the fans and even the other 4 teams to a degree since November to the point now where even the most loyal fans are getting fed up and if like me thinking is it worth it anymore, this winter has been one of the most damaging to its credibility winters the sport has ever had 

Do you actually think they discuss ‘ what will the fans think ?’ at promoters meetings ?
I very much doubt so. I was told by a former promoter that when ever disputes occurred between them at their get togethers the first thing that Chapmen and Godfrey used to say was that they would close their tracks as they made their money on stocks cars , and there the guys who run our sport !

Fans do not get considered in any aspect of the sport.

This Northampton farce, which is going ahead , could be the biggest circus the sport has come up with.

[mikebv]

33 minutes ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Do you actually think they discuss ‘ what will the fans think ?’ at promoters meetings ?
I very much doubt so. I was told by a former promoter that when ever disputes occurred between them at their get togethers the first thing that Chapmen and Godfrey used to say was that they would close their tracks as they made their money on stocks cars , and there the guys who run our sport !

Fans do not get considered in any aspect of the sport.

This Northampton farce, which is going ahead , could be the biggest circus the sport has come up with.

The sport is more of a hobby for too many to ever be taken seriously....

Winning at home (by a narrow margin) and getting hammered away is almost utopia for some...

These promoters don't have any burning ambitions to win things or, if also in the second tier, move into the top league, and are quite content on funding their hobby through affordable losses, or other businesses contributions..

They run their team pretty much for themselves and the riders, who often need two jobs in the UK to  justify their outlay on machinery...

With the two jobs meaning two teams share the costs which then makes it cost effective for both clubs..

The clamour for "Team Six" isn't to make the top league look "relevant", (even 20 teams couldn't do that the way the sport is ran), it is simply to ensure another seven slots are available for riders, with four or five of those slots being so riders can double up..

Neither league has authenticity given the operating model (196 guests last season), therefore "Team Six" won't make a jot of difference to the way the sport is viewed by so many fans, and, (more importantly), literally thousands of "ex fans"...

In short. Nothing changes because the majority of those running it have a lot of their boxes ticked due to the way they do run it, hence they are content with things...

And as long as fans only slowly dwindle away, the losses won't become too big, too quickly, so the whole nonsense can continue on....

Until, of course, inevitably one day given its inexorable decline, it doesn't..

 

Edited yesterday at 11:37 AM by mikebv

[macky]

One of the most depressing things I see last night was Bradford Bulls playing with a brilliant unused speedway track still in place around the pitch. Such a waste. I always enjoyed my trips to Bradford when the team was full of English riders with excellent racing on a well prepared track. Plus the world finals held there.

[DaveWayne]

1 hour ago, macky said:

One of the most depressing things I see last night was Bradford Bulls playing with a brilliant unused speedway track still in place around the pitch. Such a waste. I always enjoyed my trips to Bradford when the team was full of English riders with excellent racing on a well prepared track. Plus the world finals held there.

Not sure what you were watching but I think you need a trip to the opticians. 😉

There is no 'speedway' track in place. The scumbags dug up all the shale and kicked out the stock car promoters, despite the fact that without stock cars they would still be playing 'home' games outside Bradford and in the league below.

[ouch]

3 hours ago, mikebv said:

Neither league has authenticity given the operating model (196 guests last season), therefore "Team Six" won't make a jot of difference to the way the sport is viewed by so many fans, and, (more importantly), literally thousands of "ex fans"...

 

 

That amount of guests is crazy. Sometimes it’s inevitable but if a team could limit it to say two a season. It would also be good if the same 1 to 7 was used instead of all the chopping and changing. Pipe dream I know but should a team manage it, they and their manager need to be applauded. 

[cowboy cookie returns?]

6 hours ago, norbold said:

Have they really though? It's only because they are in the Olympics. Once they are over, the freestyle snow sports will return to the fringes.

Is it too late to get speedway included in the 2028 Olympic Games?

They certainly get a huge amount of tv coverage & bring in the big name sponsors outside of the olympics so yes we need to looking at what they are doing.

[Roger Jacobs]

21 hours ago, SteveArena said:

Alright Rog you patronising cnut. You're about as funny as rabies in a guide dogs home.

Yet again, you reply without quoting ...

[Sotonian]

9 hours ago, TMW said:

Just to correct your comprehensive list. The Long Eaton invaders didn’t close during the 1997 season. All the fixtures were fulfilled and planning had started to run in 1998. 

I didn't mention Long Eaton!

[Preston Comet]

6 hours ago, macky said:

One of the most depressing things I see last night was Bradford Bulls playing with a brilliant unused speedway track still in place around the pitch. Such a waste. I always enjoyed my trips to Bradford when the team was full of English riders with excellent racing on a well prepared track. Plus the world finals held there.

The pitch is shorter than it used to be too, so they dont even use as much of the track as they used to

[Aries]

With BSN saying their pricing structure for their streaming packages will be released by the end of the Month, then it has to be this coming week that we’ll finally know whether Northampton are in or out. 
 

BSN must surely have been given the nod on when to expect the confirmation of league structures for them to reveal that their price will be confirmed by the end of February. Morris in this weeks star also said they’ve now got to the point where decisions HAVE to be made. 
 

A Sale confirmation at Ipswich is also expected this coming week (stop laughing at the back) so we’re approaching the end game all round. 
 

Probably….

[topaz325]

In a "normal" season would any other club starting out be given this much time weeks before a season starting , I think not.

Only because of the lack of teams in the Premiership is so much leeway been given to Northampton.

[Aries]

4 minutes ago, topaz325 said:

In a "normal" season would any other club starting out be given this much time weeks before a season starting , I think not.

Only because of the lack of teams in the Premiership is so much leeway been given to Northampton.

Definitely not. I’d lump Ipswich in with that too. A four team league isn’t feasible, so Ipswich were even more important than Northampton. They simply needed them to run and had no choice but to wait. 

[Fortythirtyeight]

15 minutes ago, topaz325 said:

In a "normal" season would any other club starting out be given this much time weeks before a season starting , I think not.

Only because of the lack of teams in the Premiership is so much leeway been given to Northampton.

The sports own ‘constitution’ is being broken to try desperately to find another club, but then the sports rules are constantly being broken so what’s another one.

[mikebv]

1 hour ago, topaz325 said:

In a "normal" season would any other club starting out be given this much time weeks before a season starting , I think not.

Only because of the lack of teams in the Premiership is so much leeway been given to Northampton.

Doubling Up is the reason....

No other....

Got to get those team places available.....

Riders ear marked could have also turned down places elsewhere, which won't go down too well if the "Sixth Team"  doesn't come to the tapes...

The positive if they don't run is that there won't be any need to use guests contracted to other top tier teams, as these lads who cannot DU will be available to cover absentees...

Surely that is what they will do?

[bellevueace]

On 2/21/2026 at 11:31 AM, mikebv said:

The sport is more of a hobby for too many to ever be taken seriously....

Winning at home (by a narrow margin) and getting hammered away is almost utopia for some...

These promoters don't have any burning ambitions to win things or, if also in the second tier, move into the top league, and are quite content on funding their hobby through affordable losses, or other businesses contributions..

They run their team pretty much for themselves and the riders, who often need two jobs in the UK to  justify their outlay on machinery...

With the two jobs meaning two teams share the costs which then makes it cost effective for both clubs..

The clamour for "Team Six" isn't to make the top league look "relevant", (even 20 teams couldn't do that the way the sport is ran), it is simply to ensure another seven slots are available for riders, with four or five of those slots being so riders can double up..

Neither league has authenticity given the operating model (196 guests last season), therefore "Team Six" won't make a jot of difference to the way the sport is viewed by so many fans, and, (more importantly), literally thousands of "ex fans"...

In short. Nothing changes because the majority of those running it have a lot of their boxes ticked due to the way they do run it, hence they are content with things...

And as long as fans only slowly dwindle away, the losses won't become too big, too quickly, so the whole nonsense can continue on....

Until, of course, inevitably one day given its inexorable decline, it doesn't..

 

Whoever wins the "league" there is no kudos to it is there? I think attendences are going to be woeful after this close season, its difficult to see how the sport recovers from this now.