Speedway 2026 ??

[1 valve]

30 minutes ago, SteveLyric2 said:

Surely that was back in the day when the British league and National league were separately managed and administered. Many would say now that the Championship should be separately managed!! Mr Morris was brought in as Chief Exec of the Premiership only - nothing to do with Championship or NDL/NDT!!

You are correct, he was and he doesn’t.

As it is today, UK speedway is already teetering on oblivion being well short of any concise growth plan as promoters focus on self serving survival, which as things stand will ultimately be the death knell for UK professional speedway. 
Being mindful of the existing structure of the sports governing bodies from the FIM down, the last thing needed is to have separate groups of promoters in collectively further working against each other and the greater good of the sport.  

Truth of the matter is.
There are too few riders available for the number of promotions.
Most of the stadiums in use are outdated and provide poor spectator facilities.  
There is an over dependence on doubling up to keep promotions active. 
The guest system is overused. 
The sporting media by and large steer wide of covering speedway because of its self serving and contrived organisation.

The current crop of promoters do not have the wherewithal to steer the sport to better times, only to tread water until they eventually “go under”

Fans think a few changes (if any) are all that is required whereas a great number of factors impact on one another to make the solution complicated and in itself is the very reason why promoters do not wish to bite the bullet and so things remain the same. 
 

[shippy22]

9 hours ago, 1 valve said:

Except they didnt all ride in the top league at the same time and thus remained a minority

The first division in 1970 had 19 teams.  Of those 7 teams, Belle Vue, Coventry, Halifax, King's Lynn, Wembley, Cradley and Swindon raced on Saturdays, so hardly a minority !!

[arnieg]

36 minutes ago, shippy22 said:

The first division in 1970 had 19 teams.  Of those 7 teams, Belle Vue, Coventry, Halifax, King's Lynn, Wembley, Cradley and Swindon raced on Saturdays, so hardly a minority !!

< 50% => minority

But

It is certainly not a 'small minority'

[SteelShoe]

13 minutes ago, 1 valve said:

You are correct, he was and he doesn’t.

As it is today, UK speedway is already teetering on oblivion being well short of any concise growth plan as promoters focus on self serving survival, which as things stand will ultimately be the death knell for UK professional speedway. 
Being mindful of the existing structure of the sports governing bodies from the FIM down, the last thing needed is to have separate groups of promoters in collectively further working against each other and the greater good of the sport.  

Truth of the matter is.
There are too few riders available for the number of promotions.
Most of the stadiums in use are outdated and provide poor spectator facilities.  
There is an over dependence on doubling up to keep promotions active. 
The guest system is overused. 
The sporting media by and large steer wide of covering speedway because of its self serving and contrived organisation.

The current crop of promoters do not have the wherewithal to steer the sport to better times, only to tread water until they eventually “go under”

Fans think a few changes (if any) are all that is required whereas a great number of factors impact on one another to make the solution complicated and in itself is the very reason why promoters do not wish to bite the bullet and so things remain the same. 
 

Good post.

I agree that the BSPL with only 4 current active members does not indeed have the wherewithal to steer the sport to better times. It definitely needs the help of professional business, marketing and PR consultants to develop strategies for sponsorship, fan engagement, improved media coverage and the attraction of investment. However this costs money and the BSPL don't have much. 

Promotions need to urgently think about improving facilities and introducing activities that make Speedway more family oriented and not just about the racing. It also in the shorter term needs to be serious about realigning the costs of running the sport based on current attendances.

[Paul Johnson]

1 hour ago, SteelShoe said:

Promotions need to urgently think about improving facilities and introducing activities that make Speedway more family oriented and not just about the racing

The kids running races are a good way to bring familys in as long as kids go free or a quid. it enables those parents who would normally stop at home as the kids get bored,but now they are probably the ones asking to go.

[soupy]

Bring back the 4 Team Tournament,Going back we also had the silver helmet match race over 3 heats.

[therefused]

7 minutes ago, soupy said:

Bring back the 4 Team Tournament,Going back we also had the silver helmet match race over 3 heats.

i like the 4 team tournament but its hardly going to change the fortunes of speedway around. 

[Marksman]

9 minutes ago, soupy said:

Bring back the 4 Team Tournament,Going back we also had the silver helmet match race over 3 heats.

Stuff like this is purely nostalgic and will not work in modern day speedway. 4 Team tournament alone wouldn't work because where are promoters going to finance rider costs for 3 extra away meetings for top riders going by the old format. It's the same crack as people saying there should be a one-off final etc.

Speedway needs totally re-invented from the top down just like domestic Cricket has with the Hundred.

The only way to do this and keep the top GP riders riding in the UK is to have a separate summer holidays competition, a 'Super League' with maybe a modified format.

Team names do not matter one bit, I was always sceptical but franchises work. And people soon find a team to support.

6 Teams would be based around tracks with large followings/finances and the ability to draw big sponsorship and fans in from other teams, 5 man teams (squads with no guest system) sticking to the usual Monday and Thursday priority race nights from mid July to end of August. 30 riders required with plenty to choose from.

Example (recognisable to other sports fans) team franchises would come from;

Glasgow
Manchester
Sheffield
Midlands/Leicester
London/Oxford
Bournemouth

A normal 14 team league ran at championship standard would be ran alongside this as usual from March to October for your weekly speedway fix. I don't think the standard of rider correlates to the size of the crowd. The rivalries and standard of racing builds this.

How else can domestic speedway survive? It can't keep going the the it is! Unfortunately, I don't think some of the people running the sport would have the foresight to come up with a 5 year plan to incorporate this 'Super League'

 

[PersonalResponsibility]

38 minutes ago, Marksman said:

Stuff like this is purely nostalgic and will not work in modern day speedway. 4 Team tournament alone wouldn't work because where are promoters going to finance rider costs for 3 extra away meetings for top riders going by the old format. It's the same crack as people saying there should be a one-off final etc.

Speedway needs totally re-invented from the top down just like domestic Cricket has with the Hundred.

The only way to do this and keep the top GP riders riding in the UK is to have a separate summer holidays competition, a 'Super League' with maybe a modified format.

Team names do not matter one bit, I was always sceptical but franchises work. And people soon find a team to support.

6 Teams would be based around tracks with large followings/finances and the ability to draw big sponsorship and fans in from other teams, 5 man teams (squads with no guest system) sticking to the usual Monday and Thursday priority race nights from mid July to end of August. 30 riders required with plenty to choose from.

Example (recognisable to other sports fans) team franchises would come from;

Glasgow
Manchester
Sheffield
Midlands/Leicester
London/Oxford
Bournemouth

A normal 14 team league ran at championship standard would be ran alongside this as usual from March to October for your weekly speedway fix. I don't think the standard of rider correlates to the size of the crowd. The rivalries and standard of racing builds this.

How else can domestic speedway survive? It can't keep going the the it is! Unfortunately, I don't think some of the people running the sport would have the foresight to come up with a 5 year plan to incorporate this 'Super League'

 

Good idea, sadly you just know that whatever was delivered would be shambolic and embarrassing. 

Cricket is an interesting comparison because they've reinvented their sport as something fast paced, entertaining, and appealing to the younger generation.

If only our sport was set up for that sort of crowd, what with 60-second races, music, entertainment opportunities and high speed motorsport....

[cyclone]

If a PL & CL merger is confirmed, expect some CL clubs to be shafted when it comes to allocating riders, as has happened in the past in 1965 & 1995.

[soupy]

1 hour ago, Marksman said:

Stuff like this is purely nostalgic and will not work in modern day speedway. 4 Team tournament alone wouldn't work because where are promoters going to finance rider costs for 3 extra away meetings for top riders going by the old format. It's the same crack as people saying there should be a one-off final etc.

Speedway needs totally re-invented from the top down just like domestic Cricket has with the Hundred.

The only way to do this and keep the top GP riders riding in the UK is to have a separate summer holidays competition, a 'Super League' with maybe a modified format.

Team names do not matter one bit, I was always sceptical but franchises work. And people soon find a team to support.

6 Teams would be based around tracks with large followings/finances and the ability to draw big sponsorship and fans in from other teams, 5 man teams (squads with no guest system) sticking to the usual Monday and Thursday priority race nights from mid July to end of August. 30 riders required with plenty to choose from.

Example (recognisable to other sports fans) team franchises would come from;

Glasgow
Manchester
Sheffield
Midlands/Leicester
London/Oxford
Bournemouth

A normal 14 team league ran at championship standard would be ran alongside this as usual from March to October for your weekly speedway fix. I don't think the standard of rider correlates to the size of the crowd. The rivalries and standard of racing builds this.

How else can domestic speedway survive? It can't keep going the the it is! Unfortunately, I don't think some of the people running the sport would have the foresight to come up with a 5 year plan to incorporate this 'Super League'

 

I agree it worked back then so why not now as used to bring extra revenue from fans when it was regionalised.

Cricket has gone the other way and they have changed it to much now but that is my opinion.

[poole keith]

1 hour ago, cyclone said:

If a PL & CL merger is confirmed, expect some CL clubs to be shafted when it comes to allocating riders, as has happened in the past in 1965 & 1995.

Agree,think poole and cov were two of the biggest culprits then,different and more desperate times now,I would have a 40 or even 38pt limit, championship averages, premier league averages converted up to championship level.Any rider full time in gp has a 12pt average fixed for the whole season.Im afraid speedway is now in a situation where the "weakest" need to be protected,has to be a competitive league. 

[ONTWOMINUTES]

5 hours ago, soupy said:

I agree it worked back then so why not now as used to bring extra revenue from fans when it was regionalised.

Cricket has gone the other way and they have changed it to much now but that is my opinion.

Modern day riders across the board think everybody owes them a living and are beyond greedy when it comes to money.  Very few if almost any would do anything for nothing,  not like back in the 80s.  Yes I realise they need to spend on machinery etc etc but they all make far more than the average working man so you'd think they'd give something back.  This along with unreasonable admission prices is among other things that's destroying Speedway.  

[Marksman]

27 minutes ago, ONTWOMINUTES said:

Modern day riders across the board think everybody owes them a living and are beyond greedy when it comes to money.  Very few if almost any would do anything for nothing,  not like back in the 80s.  Yes I realise they need to spend on machinery etc etc but they all make far more than the average working man so you'd think they'd give something back.  This along with unreasonable admission prices is among other things that's destroying Speedway.  

I think you just summed up life in general in 2025, not just speedway.

You could argue in this case however that riders professionalism has took a huge upwards curve and therefore expect a return, whilst some promotions have not followed suit. Bringing a disparity in expections of what the sport is.

Morrissey famously saw it coming way back when he wrote "I decree today that life is simply taking and not giving, England is mine and it owes me a living"

I can't comment as I wasn't around in the 80s but I can only imagine what a different time it was.

[ShanoXtra]

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Edited 6 hours ago by ShanoXtra
.

[SteveLyric2]

17 minutes ago, ShanoXtra said:

The circus continues !! Two years in a row play off matches chosen wrongly. Sheffield done us tonight and would certainly do us with the bonus at home. Should be Sheffield vs Belle Vue.

I thought this was the Championship  section.....

[ShanoXtra]

20 minutes ago, SteveLyric2 said:

I thought this was the Championship  section.....

Apologies!

Edited 6 hours ago by ShanoXtra
.

[SCS]

I think one league. The way i look at it is if we lose the top riders then so be it. the standard of riders will be the same so good close racing should be at every track and league will be well balanced. We have a range of different tracks compared to poland so if riders want to improve and learn how to adjust to all tracks they should want to ride in the uk.

[szkocjasid]

16 hours ago, secsy1 said:

1. Leagues to be run on the Danish system of 5 rider teams with maximum of 1 GP rider per team.

2. Each team to name a squad of 6/7 riders.

3. Teams to run on their preferred night and if rider/riders are unavailable, National League riders to be drafted in. 

3a. No guests under any circumstances, redeclarations allowed once per month.

4. North League; Belle Vue, Sheffield, Berwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Redcar and Workington.

   South League: Poole, Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Leicester, Oxford, Plymouth and Scunthorpe.

5. Teams having National League teams to stage meetings after main meeting with same format as Danish system.

6. Teams not having National League teams to stage second half with minimum of 6 heats.

7. North and South winners and second places to meet in semi finals and final.

8. League cup to consist of all teams and drawn in first round with 1 from North and 1 from South. Overall winners of each match through to quarter final with team losing with highest aggregate score to go through also.

This is all fantasy, but something needs to be done now.

Everyone to look at the big brighter future and get over themselves.

Why have a North / South split? So few teams could easily have all teams meeting once home & away.

[tyler42]

4 hours ago, Marksman said:

I think you just summed up life in general in 2025, not just speedway.

You could argue in this case however that riders professionalism has took a huge upwards curve and therefore expect a return, whilst some promotions have not followed suit. Bringing a disparity in expections of what the sport is.

Morrissey famously saw it coming way back when he wrote "I decree today that life is simply taking and not giving, England is mine and it owes me a living"

I can't comment as I wasn't around in the 80s but I can only imagine what a different time it was.

The only problem with that. It doesn't matter how professional they are if they are riding in front of just a couple of hundred people. You could say some of these riders live in a Fantasy world. You have riders of junior standard turning up with big flash vans all the gear. If it means going back to having one bike in the boot of the car, then maybe you will get youngsters who can afford to do the sport like it use to be. Rather than having rich Mums and Dads to rely on. Having said all of that. Speedway unfortunately is a dying sport. It's been on life support for a while now. Speedway was of a different time back in it's heyday. Demographics have changed. No London clubs. No midland clubs bar Leicester. It's sad but it's reality.