Ipswich Witches 2026

[IainB]

Just now, ShanoXtra said:

This was spoken about, they do have more equipment that was written online and they are investing in more, including a potential wonder wheel. Summer ‘27 the stadium gets some renovation but Mayfield have said they would pay rent upfront to bring that renovation forward. Nobody can say they aren’t trying!!! They have a good hour or so for Q&As last night and also one to ones!

I was listening to the Phil Morris show on YouTube the other day and I think he said that if he were at 80% of the so called "rain offs" in the UK they would go ahead 👊

[IainB]

1 minute ago, Steve Irving said:

Another gem. Why is that Iain? Before it was “Ipswich have the best sPoNsOrS that’s why they’re good. Now it’s the owners. Why doesn’t your Scottish fella who has more rabbit than Sainsbury’s get your lot up to that level?  All those below scream  foul play because they want what those above have. There’s a food chain in all sports, name a sport and there’s those that usually sit and the top, and those that don’t. If you crave success, move house and support someone else. 
 

Does the sport generally need changing? Yes of course it does!! But no matter what you do, how you change it, you’ll always have the haves and the have nots. 
 

Unless you script it WWE style that is?

The fact of the matter, is the bigger clubs, who more importantly get the BIGGER support, will always attract the better owners and Sponsorship. Louis wanted out fair enough, did you really think nobody would have taken over Ipswich?

I didn’t not for a second. If it wasn’t Coleman, it would have been someone else 🙄

BANNED 🚫

[Spidvej]

8 hours ago, Steve Irving said:

I’d say it definitely was personally.

He’s mentioned “multi contracts” between the two clubs more than once and better access to the rider market. So basically when you sign for Wroclaw, you also sign for Ipswich in the British League.

They can say no of course, but then they’ll run the risk of waking up with a horses head in their bed.

Aww bless you Steve !

You clearly have not thought this through, have you?

Say Gorzow and Belle Vue partner up...

Using your er logic above, when you sign for Gorzow, you sign for Belle Vue, so Gorzow say Kurtz and Bewley have to leave Wroclaw and move to Gorzow? And, Jack Holder has to leave Sheffield and join Belle Vue ?

See how this all would work, applying your own logic?!

Belle Vue wont willingly let Kurtz and Bewley go to Ipswich either, and, lest you forget, riders ride where they want to ride...

 

[Spidvej]

4 hours ago, SPEEDY69 said:

Yes and he intimated it was a waste of time and the contract ends I think at the end of this season.

Nothing was ever likely to come of it...

650 MP's, the all parliamentary speedway group, and they chose Sir Phillip Davies, who, incidentally, is married to fellow tory MP, Esther McVey, the former TV Presenter ?!

The pair have been involved in many controversies, expense scandals, etc.

From Google :

GB News impartiality

Ofcom investigated and then found breaches of broadcasting impartiality rules involving episodes of Saturday Morning with Esther and Phil and other GB News programmes they presented as sitting MPs. The most cited case was a 2023 episode that interviewed Chancellor Jeremy Hunt about the Budget, which Ofcom said failed due impartiality rules after multiple complaints. In 2024, Ofcom also found other episodes involving the pair had breached the Broadcasting Code.

Election betting allegations

In June 2024, reports emerged that Philip Davies may have placed an £8,000 bet on losing his own seat, while Esther McVey had earlier denounced the wider betting scandal before the claim about her husband surfaced. The Gambling Commission was investigating possible insider betting linked to the general election, and Davies was among the names reported in that wider controversy. The reports did not show a formal admission from him, but the allegation itself became part of the public row.

Gifts and hospitality

In 2021, reporting highlighted that Davies and McVey had declared about £18,000 in VIP tickets and hospitality over a short period, including racing, motorsport, football, and tennis events, with several gifts linked to betting or gaming firms. That drew criticism because gambling-related companies were a major source of their hospitality while gambling rules were under political scrutiny. The issue was framed less as a legal breach and more as a conflict-of-interest optics problem.

Housing and expenses

McVey was criticized in 2024 for claiming London rental expenses while living with Davies in a property arrangement that raised questions about value for money, since Davies owned a nearby flat. The reporting said the arrangement was not against the rules, but it attracted scrutiny because the couple had claimed substantial public funds over several years. This was presented as an expenses controversy rather than misconduct finding.

Due diligence was obviously not carried out with this appointment of Davies to front "Speedway Futures"

 

 

[Steve Irving]

13 minutes ago, IainB said:

BANNED 🚫

What again? You said that a few weeks back, but then took me OFF your list? Why was that Iain fella? Truth hurts you doesn’t it? 
 

Never mind Eeyore, it’ll probably rain today!! And you’ll probably find coal in your stocking this Christmas 😞

[Steve Irving]

Ah wondered when old Spiv would rock up with his Coleman is the Antichrist stuff 

😴

Oh BTW Spiv, do you still believe Coleman is a complete fraud and there won’t be a GP series this year? Just asking fella. 

[PhilTheAce]

38 minutes ago, ShanoXtra said:

Doubt it! He said they are not the answer to the future! And I agree totally! 

you have to be involved in speedway to attempt to take the sport forward, and they are NOT

[mikebv]

50 minutes ago, IainB said:

I was listening to the Phil Morris show on YouTube the other day and I think he said that if he were at 80% of the so called "rain offs" in the UK they would go ahead 👊

Of course they would...

As we suspect, based on past issues, many are called off not for weather reasons but "something else"...

The Chairman of Lancs Cricket can't call off a match the day before as it might be a bit iffy on the weather front, (and he has, coincidentally, Jimmy Anderson missing)...

No. An independent arbiter, the umpires, decide if a Cricket match can be played due to the weather conditions...

80% of all rain offs would also take place if each team just got one point with no rearrangement too, I would suggest...

Just yet another Mickey Mouse contrived nonsense that, without any independent governance, is allowed to happen, and does nothing but damage the sport, which, in turn, negatively impacts its future...

Edit. Maybe the sport now has someone who can start to stop such nonsense happening?..

I wish him the best of luck in turning the rusty, archaic, oil tanker around...

Edited 2 hours ago by mikebv

[TTT]

1 hour ago, Spidvej said:

Aww bless you Steve !

You clearly have not thought this through, have you?

Say Gorzow and Belle Vue partner up...

Using your er logic above, when you sign for Gorzow, you sign for Belle Vue, so Gorzow say Kurtz and Bewley have to leave Wroclaw and move to Gorzow? And, Jack Holder has to leave Sheffield and join Belle Vue ?

See how this all would work, applying your own logic?!

Belle Vue wont willingly let Kurtz and Bewley go to Ipswich either, and, lest you forget, riders ride where they want to ride...

 

Belle Vue are irrelevant in this, They can dictate when it comes to Northampton and co. but they've got nowhere to hide against the Polish powerhouses.

[IainB]

1 hour ago, Steve Irving said:

What again? You said that a few weeks back, but then took me OFF your list? Why was that Iain fella? Truth hurts you doesn’t it? 
 

Never mind Eeyore, it’ll probably rain today!! And you’ll probably find coal in your stocking this Christmas 😞

[ShanoXtra]

1 hour ago, IainB said:

I was listening to the Phil Morris show on YouTube the other day and I think he said that if he were at 80% of the so called "rain offs" in the UK they would go ahead 👊

That was with Karlito wasn’t it, I heard that too, decent interview to be fair.

[mikebv]

4 minutes ago, ShanoXtra said:

That was with Karlito wasn’t it, I heard that too, decent interview to be fair.

Karlito's output is pretty decent...

[89buttons]

6 hours ago, ouch said:

I agree but it’s the unnecessary Dutch auction when poaching, sorry discussing contracts with riders from other teams that I don’t like. It leads to even more money leaking out of clubs coffers at a time when they can least accommodate it. 

As you say, it’s the riders choice and it matters not if a Polish club asks a rider to sign for this or that team. It’s very on brand for witches fans to be rubbing their hands at the prospect of discussing contracts with another of The Aces No1 club but I just don’t see Colman aligning himself with this backwards thinking. We will of course be happy to sit down with any like minded promotions to forge a better future for our league as a whole. To this end, if it means having to offload more of our stars to help others, we will. 

Given that belle vue are clearly “the second coming” why haven’t your holier than thou club sorted British speedway out on a better path for everyone?

[Hawk127]

Coverage on Anglia local news on ITV was a top up to the other media coverage around the region and can only raise interest with the clip from the Polish league. Well done to all at Foxhall doing the utmost to get the sport in front of more potential punters and just imagine Polish supporters coming across to Ipswich for pre season challenge matches. Onwards and upwards.