What will 2026 UK speedway bring?

[Byker Biker]

5 hours ago, mikebv said:

A few years ago, somewhere in the UK, when they had ten teams down from eleven the previous year...

"Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better"..

Then, the next year when they had nine, down from ten..

"Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better"...

Then, the next year when they had eight, down from nine..

"Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better"..  

Then the next year when they had seven, down from eight...

"Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better"..

Then the next year when they had five, down two, from seven..

"This is absolutely ridiculous, we cannot run the sport like this, something should be done about all these tracks closing, there isn't enough teams for my team to race against now. Some of the second tier teams need to come up to my  league. Some promoters are so selfish, and just look after themselves, they should all be like me, a proper team player"...

 

 

 

You forgot "and a bigger share of the TV money for me"

[therefused]

37 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

You’re not that stupid that I need to explain,but here goes it’s doubling up, it 2 teams in the same sport,it’s conflict of interest, it’s a joke in a team sport that this is even a thing, sport teams are supposed to be territorial,it has no credibility whatsoever to the outside world looking in on our sport, is that good enough for you ? 

I absolutely hated watching the Peterborough promotion celebrating their league win a few years ago knowing a few days later they would be at Kings Lynn with their merch on. 

[1 valve]

49 minutes ago, ouch said:

Whilst I’m not condoning the system, guests have always been with us. On Saturday 18th of May 1974 there were six top flight meetings and four of them had guests. Thousands attended those meetings as the sport was riding high in people’s consciousness and nobody seemed to bother about it. I had it in my head that we hardly used guests back then but by using the excellent Speedway Researcher website I was able to check that wasn’t true. It’s ironic that MikeBV bangs the drum the loudest about this subject when for the last 4/5 seasons his team have hardly used any guests, in fact way less than during the sports halcyon days. 

I do agree that unfortunately the guest system is and always has been a (sort of) requirement of speedway. However, it is too often used as a first option over R/R and in many cases gives the team to draft in a track specialist.  
I’d much rather see teams having to use RR in the first instance with guests allowed only if two or more riders are absent and then the guest to be used as a replacement for the rider with the lower average - RR for the highest.  

[YeOldPitGate]

5 hours ago, TTT said:

Josh Pickering saying he's going to pick Sheffield over Scunthorpe in the Speedway Star if it's One Big League.

I did tell you what would happen to CHAMPIONSHIP Clubs big hitters if One Big League was to happen.

You do have to question the intelligence of the fella to come out with that publicaly even as you say if it is a shoe in, now if a bodge is put together and their are two leagues in 2026, he's alienated pretty much every Scunthorpe fan and potential local sponsor in that area to. Talk about getting a 12 baur shotgun and deciding to aim it at your own foot at point blank.

[1 valve]

2 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

You’re not that stupid that I need to explain,but here goes it’s doubling up, it 2 teams in the same sport,it’s conflict of interest, it’s a joke in a team sport that this is even a thing, sport teams are supposed to be territorial,it has no credibility whatsoever to the outside world looking in on our sport, is that good enough for you ? 

You are correct - I'm not stupid.
Further, I'm smart enough to recognise that there are many things wrong with UK speedway that need sorting out way ahead of the matter of a team manager "doubling up" across two entirely separate competitions. 
Although you raise "conflict of interest" within the context of damaging the credibility of the sport, there is in fact no conflict of interest given a conflict of interest exists when an individual has competing interests, which might impair their ability to make objective, unbiased decisions. - clearly that is not the case with Dickson as  his two employers are more than happy for the arrangement to continue. 

[IainB]

42 minutes ago, YeOldPitGate said:

 he's alienated pretty much every Scunthorpe fan

No more than they deserve 😉😂

[1 valve]

6 hours ago, TTT said:

Josh Pickering saying he's going to pick Sheffield over Scunthorpe in the Speedway Star if it's One Big League.

I did tell you what would happen to CHAMPIONSHIP Clubs big hitters if One Big League was to happen.

Would be interesting to know what Scunthorpe thought Josh had signed when announcing his signing for 2026...Doesn't appear to have been a contract.  

[TTT]

35 minutes ago, 1 valve said:

Would be interesting to know what Scunthorpe thought Josh had signed when announcing his signing for 2026...Doesn't appear to have been a contract.  

Madness to announce Picko when nothing was signed off in regards to League Structure.

Riders will take a page out of Alexander Isak's book if a U-Turn in League Structure takes place.

Edited 16 minutes ago by TTT