What will 2026 UK speedway bring?

[ShanoXtra]

14 minutes ago, Phannan said:

Depends what you call south. I’m from Huddersfield so Sheffield is south to me whereas Redcar is north to me but south to Glasgow and Berwick. Whereas Edinburgh….. confused you will be 😳

I think you’re the only one confused from your geography 😂 nobody in Britain would class Middlesborough as South 😂 

[Phannan]

38 minutes ago, ShanoXtra said:

I think you’re the only one confused from your geography 😂 nobody in Britain would class Middlesborough as South 😂 

If you lived in the outer Hebrides you would 

[1 valve]

2 hours ago, Ben91 said:

If done correctly then absolutely. On the basis of a league with 14 teams you could race home and away against everyone once, then another round of six fixtures against the sides in your north/south conference. Makes for 19 home meetings per team, plenty of speedway. 

Points count in your north/south conference and then there are play offs to decide overall champions at the end. Either top of each region over two legs or the top two from each region qualify with semi finals. 

Not necessarily what I’d like to happen but an option. 

Would not work

There’s simply not enough riders of suitable competitive quality to run a format where eventually teams from regions/divisions/whatever meet in the playoffs /final because such numbers of teams would need doubling up and what happens if/when two teams meet who share one or more riders? 
 

 

 

[old bob at herne bay]

We started 2025 with 16 team  of 7 riders, total 112 riders. 

Quick check showed that there were only 90 unique riders , cos of double uppers. 

So enough riders to complete almost 13 teams with no double uppers allowed. 

 

Maybe they will follow one of county cricket's rejected ideas of 2 zones of 6 sides (north could have 7) . Each would race each other twice home and away. 

Top two clubs in each zone race the p.offs. 

you could have a separate KO cup competition all clubs drawn outh of the hat  

 

In speedways case the "south" zone would be Plymouth Poole Ipswich Oxford Kings Lynn and Leicester

The rest woudl be "north" 

Race nights - well good luck with that. 

 

 

[Ben91]

13 hours ago, 1 valve said:

Would not work

There’s simply not enough riders of suitable competitive quality to run a format where eventually teams from regions/divisions/whatever meet in the playoffs /final because such numbers of teams would need doubling up and what happens if/when two teams meet who share one or more riders? 
 

 

 

The standard will have to drop sadly. Through necessity rather than desire.

Britain isn’t producing as many riders as it used to and that next tier below the elite names isn’t as good as it was 10-20 years ago. There are still enough riders to fill teams, they’re just not as good as they used to be. The way the sport has been run is to blame for that. A big part of which has been doubling up. It is a massive stain on the credibility of the sport. 

[mikebv]

54 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

The standard will have to drop sadly. Through necessity rather than desire.

Britain isn’t producing as many riders as it used to and that next tier below the elite names isn’t as good as it was 10-20 years ago. There are still enough riders to fill teams, they’re just not as good as they used to be. The way the sport has been run is to blame for that. A big part of which has been doubling up. It is a massive stain on the credibility of the sport. 

And guesting has become the all too easy go to solution for missing riders...

You don't need to develop riders to a certain level when you just share around the ones already riding at that level on an ad hoc basis...

A "troupe" of usually the same riders earn more money, and clubs can even improve their teams by using them..

Everyone (short term at least), is happy...

Long term? With Brexit also now also impacting visa's, a lot of challenges ahead as an ever ageing "mid level" rider base will inevitably one day wind down their careers.. 

[Aries]

58 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

The standard will have to drop sadly. Through necessity rather than desire.

Britain isn’t producing as many riders as it used to and that next tier below the elite names isn’t as good as it was 10-20 years ago. There are still enough riders to fill teams, they’re just not as good as they used to be. The way the sport has been run is to blame for that. A big part of which has been doubling up. It is a massive stain on the credibility of the sport. 

You see I don’t get this argument and I never have. When doubling up, you’re not riding for two teams that are in direct competition with each other are you? They’re in completely different leagues. Going by this reasoning, riders shouldn’t be riding for another club in Poland, Sweden or Denmark either? What is the difference?

Chris Harris for example rides for Kings Lynn and Glasgow. Kings Lynn and Glasgow are not rivals/competitors because they ride in completely different Leagues. What’s the issue?

Guests are far worse because you’re borrowing riders from a direct rival you’re competing against. 

[cowboy cookie returns?]

9 minutes ago, Aries said:

You see I don’t get this argument and I never have. When doubling up, you’re not riding for two teams that are in direct competition with each other are you? They’re in completely different leagues. Going by this reasoning, riders shouldn’t be riding for another club in Poland, Sweden or Denmark either? What is the difference?

Chris Harris for example rides for Kings Lynn and Glasgow. Kings Lynn and Glasgow are not rivals/competitors because they ride in completely different Leagues. What’s the issue?

Guests are far worse because you’re borrowing riders from a direct rival you’re competing against. 

Doubling up was a great idea when it was first introduced. It allowed a second tier rider to share a reserve spot with a top flight team. 
 

It’s now gotten massively out of hand and needs to revert to what it was a couple of lower league riders sharing one position in the next league up.

long term the sport here needs to become a mix of amateur, semi pro & pro riders. Developing enough riders so that teams can have a type of squad system.

using the structure we currently have. MDL solely for amateur riders who ride in the uk using standard cheaper equipment so opening the sport up to more participants.

The top MDL riders could hold squad positions in the second tier but no more than 2 per second tier club & only 1 can be used at any time.

The second tier a mixture of amateur & semi pro riders with controls on equipment costs to allow riders to compete & not have to pack up because of costs. Again the top riders can hold a squad position in the top league a maximum of 2 per top flight side & only 1 can be used at a time.

The top flight a pro league along the lines of what it is now. As a rider if you wish to be a full time pro then you need to have the ability & desire to progress through the ranks to a point where you can support yourself as a pro.

However before you can expand & develop your rider base we will need to do some sort of merging of the league to stabilise the sport for the next 2 or 3 years .

My thoughts require a long term commitment to a strategy that will hopefully begin to grow the sport.

[Ben91]

38 minutes ago, Aries said:

You see I don’t get this argument and I never have. When doubling up, you’re not riding for two teams that are in direct competition with each other are you? They’re in completely different leagues. Going by this reasoning, riders shouldn’t be riding for another club in Poland, Sweden or Denmark either? What is the difference?

Chris Harris for example rides for Kings Lynn and Glasgow. Kings Lynn and Glasgow are not rivals/competitors because they ride in completely different Leagues. What’s the issue?

Guests are far worse because you’re borrowing riders from a direct rival you’re competing against. 

In an ideal world the sport would be big enough worldwide to support riders racing for one team full stop. That’s flying pigs territory though. 

I understand your point about doubling up but there’s no other sport to my knowledge where a competitor is competing for multiple teams in the same week, racing with and then against the same rider tooth and nail from one night to the next. It’s shambolic really. 

First we need to get rid of doubling up (except between the “development” league and the “professional” league), the next step after that would be to work towards guests being scrapped too. 

[ShanoXtra]

For anyone wanting to know how Polish media see’s our league 😂 from Thursdays media report in Poland…

Takie rzeczy tylko w Anglii. Sheffield Tigers oraz Ipswich Witches rozegrały już swoje półfinałowe spotkania, ale w czwartek zmierzyły się jeszcze w ramach... fazy zasadniczej. Tak właśnie w Premiership odrabia się zaległości.

To sprawiło, że Sheffield Tigers, które odpadło w półfinale z Leicester Lions, miało mecz dosłownie o nic na pożegnanie z własnymi kibicami. Z kolei Ipswich Witches, przed którymi jeszcze finał, potraktowało to starcie bardziej jako sparing z wymagającym rywalem.

TRANSLATION:

Such things only happen in England. Sheffield Tigers and Ipswich Witches have already played their semi-final matches, but on Thursday they faced off again in the... regular season. That's how you make up ground in the Premiership.

This meant that Sheffield Tigers, who were eliminated in the semi-finals by Leicester Lions, had a literally meaningless match to say goodbye to their home fans. Meanwhile, Ipswich Witches, who still have the final to play, treated the match more like a friendly against a demanding opponent.

[r8gdp]

1 hour ago, ShanoXtra said:

For anyone wanting to know how Polish media see’s our league 😂 from Thursdays media report in Poland…

 

Takie rzeczy tylko w Anglii. Sheffield Tigers oraz Ipswich Witches rozegrały już swoje półfinałowe spotkania, ale w czwartek zmierzyły się jeszcze w ramach... fazy zasadniczej. Tak właśnie w Premiership odrabia się zaległości.

To sprawiło, że Sheffield Tigers, które odpadło w półfinale z Leicester Lions, miało mecz dosłownie o nic na pożegnanie z własnymi kibicami. Z kolei Ipswich Witches, przed którymi jeszcze finał, potraktowało to starcie bardziej jako sparing z wymagającym rywalem.

TRANSLATION:

Such things only happen in England. Sheffield Tigers and Ipswich Witches have already played their semi-final matches, but on Thursday they faced off again in the... regular season. That's how you make up ground in the Premiership.

This meant that Sheffield Tigers, who were eliminated in the semi-finals by Leicester Lions, had a literally meaningless match to say goodbye to their home fans. Meanwhile, Ipswich Witches, who still have the final to play, treated the match more like a friendly against a demanding opponent.

Because of the play offs over here lots of matches are meaningless.I believe the league champions should be the team who as secured the most points over the season thus being able to claim being the best that season.But I understand it’s just my opinion which not everyone will agree with.I am just another supporter lost to the sport used to go week in week to owlerton but when the meeting s became not as regular got used to not going so now unfortunately can t be bothered.

[enotian]

Ask the broadcasters what product they'd be willing to pay to broadcast or what would attract sponsorship/advertising and try to provide that.

I suspect it's not a league of less than 8 with half the teams uncompetitive/made of guests and loads of meaningless fixtures.

I suspect less is more in terms of fixtures. 8 teams (say Belle Vue, Glasgow, Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Leicester, Oxford, Poole & Sheffield) facing each other once home and away. Top 4 play off semis and Grand Final. With two race nights (Monday and Thursday) it could all be wrapped up in two months. Those sport channel summer schedules are thin with no football and rugby union in June and July. They should easily have enough slots to show two matches a week, cost of doing so permitting.

Maybe that level of fixture commitment over a short time span is attractive to more of the worlds best riders? Use rankings for the top three for each team. There's about 40 riders you could consider or at least market as world stars (current, former or future GP riders) can you attract 24 of them across the 8 teams (there's already about 14 this season)? To do a maximum 18 fixtures over a short time span? The other 4 made up of 'domestic' 'doubling up' riders with the reserves 1 U25 and 1 U21 British riders.  Should allow enough surplus of riders to avoid the use of guests.

But how can a club run on only 7 or max 9 home fixtures a season?  Some might prefer it, say a Bradford? I suspect most wouldn't. So why not have a 2nd tier tournament. Akin to the championship level, sustainable providing a pathway for younger riders to progress and to make it worthwhile for older domestic riders. Add 8 teams (the current 6 stand alone Championship clubs plus two new/returning clubs) gets you a 16 team league. Once home and away. On their preferred race night. With the top tier teams fielding 2nd tier standard teams. ie without their top three from the top tier.

Here's the clever/controversial bit. Maybe the top league teams don't want 22 home fixtures (7 top tier + 15 second tier) so let their top tier results count towards the 2nd tier league table! A bit daft but who cares at that level? Maybe the attendances for a top tier team at home to  a 2nd tier team (ie Belle Vue v Plymouth) are much lower but so should the cost base.

Of course the current problem with a 16 team league is where do the riders come from at present? In the interim 6 or even 5 rider teams might be necessary. Although as a side point there's a load of Polish kids who get shelled every year. Not good enough to keep  place in the Polish leagues but could be used to make up the numbers? Or has Brexit scuppered that? Surely if there's not enough riders there's a reason for issuing work permits? I wouldn't know.

It's a hybrid solution to ensure a televised product is attractive to broadcasters, sponsors, fans and riders alike. Hopefully the success of that filtering down to help grow the sport. 

[MattB]

On 9/23/2025 at 3:59 PM, mikebv said:

One "top league" with some rider control to ensure all competitive, (and guest free)...

(Five riders per team if that is the only way of delivering it)

And sell that to the wider media...

And one "2nd tier" for those who cannot keep paying out money that they cannot sustain, but can be very, very useful in developing a conveyor belt of talent, whilst putting on an entertaining. night out for their punters, on a night their punters want to attend ..

(In the 2nd tier using all the current make it up as you go along rules if needs be)..

Sharing around the likes of Kurtz, Bewley, Doyle and Sayfutdinov, J and C Holder, and Max (and maybe others who wish to join in), would be a tremendous starter for ten for the top tier...

Who knows, run the "flagship top tier" with credibility, so no Mickey Mouse rules, and you may get some sponsors from outside the speedway bubble who see it as a positive to their overall business model...

Let's hope those in charge can see further than the end of their own nose....

What "is" clearly doesn't work, so let's hope and pray that the custodians of our sport can stop the current race to the bottom and innovatively grasp the opportunities that exist .

Rider control would be a good move, but that of course depends on who exactly has their finger on the button to decide who goes where.  So many ideas in British Speedway over the years Ive been watching have been good in theory,  but quickly tumbled into a shambles because self interest gets in the way.

[mikebv]

1 minute ago, MattB said:

Rider control would be a good move, but that of course depends on who exactly has their finger on the button to decide who goes where.  So many ideas in British Speedway over the years Ive been watching have been good in theory,  but quickly tumbled into a shambles because self interest gets in the way.

They will want everyone to be equal...

But some will still what to be more equal than others..

[1 valve]

4 hours ago, r8gdp said:

Because of the play offs over here lots of matches are meaningless.I believe the league champions should be the team who as secured the most points over the season thus being able to claim being the best that season.But I understand it’s just my opinion which not everyone will agree with.I am just another supporter lost to the sport used to go week in week to owlerton but when the meeting s became not as regular got used to not going so now unfortunately can t be bothered.

Even better, maybe the team that won most  & lost least meetings should be league champions. 
In case you wondering, that would be Leicester 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

Something that needs to be addressed  is the extras that riders are now expecting, mechanics, vans, workshops, hotels, airport transfers, flights, tyres, insurances,,houses and bills and any other add ons that riders are expecting today and are getting to varying degrees, it’s not that riders don’t deserve it but we just can’t afford it, it’s out of control really and it has to be curtailed, riders these days seem to be blind to the struggles that British speedway goes through, I understand they try to get what they can but speedway has to stand firm and say no, I do often wonder what other motorcycle sports think about us and the pandering that our riders get