What will 2026 UK speedway bring?

[Wolfie456]

2 hours ago, JamesB said:

It’s difficult to quantify exactly what the current position is. The current Championship clubs are continuing to announce signings which seems to point to:

Premiership 

A potential league of five teams:

Belle Vue
Kings Lynn
Leicester
Sheffield
Ipswich

The obvious elephant in the room is that two of these need to find new owners and we are in December. Even if new owners are found, the still major secondary problem is that a five team league is borderline unviable and potentially value destroying.

Is there really going to be a new ‘unicorn’ club conjured up from somewhere?

Championship

Everything is pointing to this continuing in the existing format with the existing clubs. If you believe some of the rumours, there is an active position that if any of the existing Premiership clubs wanted to join, then they would be turned down.

Outcomes

If there is a scenario where either one or both of Ipswich and Sheffield do not find a new owner, then the Premiership is toast. This would mean that either:

- The Championship is prepared to expand and accept the rump of the Premiership clubs.
- Three, maybe four (whatever is left) of the Premiership clubs do not come to the tapes for the 2026 season.

One League for 2026

Arguably, with the number of signings already made by Championship clubs, the boat has already sailed on this.

Either, the Premiership clubs joining the one league would have to build teams from a very shallow pool both in terms of numbers and talent or the existing Championship clubs agree to wipe the board and each participant club in the one league starts to team build from scratch. I really cannot see the latter option being accepted by those who would need to.

Worst Case

A number of Belle Vue, Kings Lynn, Leicester, Ipswich and Sheffield do not come to the tapes for the 2026 season.

Four of those clubs do not have any current issues with landlords, potential eviction, housing developments, etc.

If this happens, then it has to be the absolute definition of insanity on the part of those who bring it about.

Maybe wait for Cradley to open in 2027 they will definatly be well supported.

[SPEEDY69]

46 minutes ago, Wolfie456 said:

Maybe wait for Cradley to open in 2027 they will definatly be well supported.

And the landlords of all the tracks waiting will just give the clubs a free year???

[YeOldPitGate]

1 hour ago, IainB said:

... assuming all PL clubs come out of 2026 unscathed and operational

Granted that also is a big ask.

[JamesB]

30 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

And the landlords of all the tracks waiting will just give the clubs a free year???

It’s a complete and utter mess.

If they can scrape to five, then they will have to go with that.

If they can’t, then it looks to me like all bets are off.

Edited 2 hours ago by JamesB

[Phannan]

11 minutes ago, JamesB said:

It’s a complete and utter mess.

If they can scrape to five, then they will have to go with that.

If they can’t, then it looks to me like all bets are off.

5 team league. 6 , 4 or 3. It’s all the same really. A shambles that can’t be taken seriously. 

[noaksey]

24 minutes ago, JamesB said:

It’s a complete and utter mess.

If they can scrape to five, then they will have to go with that.

If they can’t, then it looks to me like all bets are off.

If they can't get a PL off the ground and 1 league is out of the question they'll have to try and run challenge/individuals to keep things going 

As said upthread taking a year out might not be an option for the landlords bar Kings Lynn

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

1 hour ago, Wolfie456 said:

Maybe wait for Cradley to open in 2027 they will definatly be well supported.

If cradley were to get planning and open in 2027 or whenever the bspl deserve cradley to tell them where to shove their premier league, the bspl have been totally absent in cradley’s quest even when asked for help,a quote from the consultants was they were shocked how far cradley had got in their plans without any help whatsoever from their governing body 

[Bagpuss]

Really interesting how pretty much everyone has ruled out a six team league.

[Bagpuss]

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Edited 2 hours ago by Bagpuss

[1 valve]

1 hour ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

If cradley were to get planning and open in 2027 or whenever the bspl deserve cradley to tell them where to shove their premier league, the bspl have been totally absent in cradley’s quest even when asked for help,a quote from the consultants was they were shocked how far cradley had got in their plans without any help whatsoever from their governing body 

A great shame (although not surprising given the prominent me/I first attitude of promoters) that the entrepreneurs behind getting Crafley back into speedway have had to do so without credible support from the governing body. 
However why have you have picked out the Premier League to be shoved out of sight when the majority of the BSPL are championship promoters?

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

3 minutes ago, 1 valve said:

A great shame (although not surprising given the prominent me/I first attitude of promoters) that the entrepreneurs behind getting Crafley back into speedway have had to do so without credible support from the governing body. 
However why have you have picked out the Premier League to be shoved out of sight when the majority of the BSPL are championship promoters?

Because they will want cradley in the premier, they have already asked, that’s how desperate they are and one independent championship promotion has helped out with advice and has pledged help with setting up the track if it gets the go ahead 

[BluPanther]

Only a very small handful of clubs were prepared to entertain one league, and I think that will end up being one of the worst decisions these clowns will ever make...

[LisaColette]

2 hours ago, Bagpuss said:

Really interesting how pretty much everyone has ruled out a six team league.

Because most likely candiates have said no? Louis selling seems to suggest they couldn't get a sixth.