Leicester Lions 2026

[ouch]

1 hour ago, castrolargh said:

Of course there are enough riders. There may not be enough riders to maintain 7 man teams to a 40 point limit but there will be enough for 5 or 6 rider teams at whatever strength depending on riders available. It just needs researching properly 

There are riders available and fans will soon get use to a new normal. There will probably be a steep drop off in attendance as a £20-£25 admission charge may seem high for what’s on offer but that will be offset by the lower wage bill. More clubs will no doubt be lost to the sport as will riders who feel a big reduction in fixtures doesn’t pay well enough. We need to stop with this obsession of being better and having the best grace our tracks and just deliver a level the fans demanded and deserve and leave the cream of the sport to Poland and the other speedway nations whilst we run our semi professional events. At the end of the day it’s still four lads doing four laps. 

Connor Mountain 

Freddy Hodder 

Jake Mulford 

Jack Smith 

Sam Hagon 

Harry Fletcher

Billy Budd

 

V

 

Jordan Jenkins 

Ace Piper 

Paul Starke 

Vinnie Ford 

Simon Lambert 

Eli Meadows

Sam Woods

[TTT]

Leicester want to put on the best product that British Speedway can offer despite the financial costs involved, Respect to them.

Also I don't see any criticism on this forum in regards to Polish Clubs and Ekstraliga Speedway where certain Owners run their Clubs financially into the ground and then rely on other people to financially bail them out.

[IainB]

16 minutes ago, TTT said:

Leicester want to put on the best product that British Speedway can offer despite the financial costs involved, Respect to them.

Also I don't see any criticism on this forum in regards to Polish Clubs and Ekstraliga Speedway where certain Owners run their Clubs financially into the ground and then rely on other people to financially bail them out.

Respect to them until the ** go up and they start crowing about if you don't come you'll lose it or worse still go bust mid season, then they're left with an "asset" that nobody wants to buy... and that must sound familiar, especially to you guys currently down in Suffolk.

And you don't see much criticism of the Polish operating model on this forum as it's the British Speedway Forum and most are posting about the issues facing British clubs and not Polish ones.

[TTT]

15 minutes ago, IainB said:

Respect to them until the ** go up and they start crowing about if you don't come you'll lose it or worse still go bust mid season, then they're left with an "asset" that nobody wants to buy... and that must sound familiar, especially to you guys currently down in Suffolk.

And you don't see much criticism of the Polish operating model on this forum as it's the British Speedway Forum and most are posting about the issues facing British clubs and not Polish ones.

They don't crow, They just go public with the truth when fans give up on their team after losing a few meetings and fans always say that they want to know the truth.

The Clubs put the money in before a wheel has been turned knowing that they're far more likely to make a loss than break even in order to put on the best product that British Speedway can offer in it's darkest of days.

We've got Polish threads on here but other than me, Nobody dares to speak the truth about a number of similarites to British Speedway.

[IainB]

1 minute ago, TTT said:

They don't crow, They just go public with the truth when fans give up on their team after losing a few meetings and fans always say that they want to know the truth.

The Clubs put the money in before a wheel has been turned knowing that they're far more likely to make a loss than break even in order to put on the best product that British Speedway can offer in it's darkest of days.

We've got Polish threads on here but other than me, Nobody dares to speak the truth about a number of similarites to British Speedway.

tbf I don't think anybody else is interested... we have enough of our own problems to discuss without expending energy on Poland's first world problems.

And some clubs do crow, instead of looking at themselves they reach for the gun and hold it to the fans heads, instead of running to a budget they can afford in a league that is sustainable for them on a race night that brings in their best crowd.

[mikebv]

3 hours ago, ouch said:

There are riders available and fans will soon get use to a new normal. There will probably be a steep drop off in attendance as a £20-£25 admission charge may seem high for what’s on offer but that will be offset by the lower wage bill. More clubs will no doubt be lost to the sport as will riders who feel a big reduction in fixtures doesn’t pay well enough. We need to stop with this obsession of being better and having the best grace our tracks and just deliver a level the fans demanded and deserve and leave the cream of the sport to Poland and the other speedway nations whilst we run our semi professional events. At the end of the day it’s still four lads doing four laps. 

Connor Mountain 

Freddy Hodder 

Jake Mulford 

Jack Smith 

Sam Hagon 

Harry Fletcher

Billy Budd

 

V

 

Jordan Jenkins 

Ace Piper 

Paul Starke 

Vinnie Ford 

Simon Lambert 

Eli Meadows

Sam Woods

I used to watch the Colts for a tenner, with my then teenage lad, getting in for free...

On a Friday night...

With crowds of around 800...

The racing was more than on a par with what was getting served up at top league level, and, for the two of us, was around £12 cheaper...

Hence, we watched the Colts far more than the Aces...

And, given most people in Manchester wouldn't have known their Matej Zagar from their Kyle Bickley, anyone new to the sport would have seen the racing for what it was...

ie "the racing"..  

Personally instead of promoters clubbing together to put out a sixth team, they would be far better clubbing together and marketing a 14 team league with teams across the nation...

At what level? 

"Reasonable"...

As the audience they would be trying to attract probably won't know any of the competitors, so "big names" would mean absolutely nothing to them..

Time to "Rip it up and start again"...

Edited 2 hours ago by mikebv

[TTT]

2 hours ago, IainB said:

tbf I don't think anybody else is interested... we have enough of our own problems to discuss without expending energy on Poland's first world problems.

And some clubs do crow, instead of looking at themselves they reach for the gun and hold it to the fans heads, instead of running to a budget they can afford in a league that is sustainable for them on a race night that brings in their best crowd.

Which Clubs?

[IainB]

10 minutes ago, TTT said:

Which Clubs?

Many in the past... and my own Leicester Lions during the Bates era

[DJC]

7 minutes ago, TTT said:

Which Clubs?

Newport threatened it every week in their programme notes, the local papers, the speedway star. You name it they complained to it then blamed the BSPA for an average change last minute for them closing down. 

It was no secret that the haulage company were coming in.

Birmingham were regulars with it before the stadium owners stepped in. 

Newcastle, even Glasgow did under the Facenna's! 

[TTT]

Just now, IainB said:

Many in the past... and my own Leicester Lions during the Bates era

If fans stuck by their Club through thick and thin instead of having a 'We're only turning up when we're winning mentality' then Clubs wouldn't need to put out statements.

British Speedway is far from perfect and the highers up make a number of mistakes but I don't see a problem with Clubs politely calling out fans who bail out when the going gets tough results wise for their Club on track.

[YeOldPitGate]

6 minutes ago, TTT said:

If fans stuck by their Club through thick and thin instead of having a 'We're only turning up when we're winning mentality' then Clubs wouldn't need to put out statements.

British Speedway is far from perfect and the highers up make a number of mistakes but I don't see a problem with Clubs politely calling out fans who bail out when the going gets tough results wise for their Club on track.

You also though have things like inflation, goods/services on average are 25% more expensive now post covid partly because the Government at the time printed another £400 billion out of thin air which caused prices to sky rocket, with Putin invading Ukraine adding fuel to it all.

Speedway appeals mainly to the working class who will be suffering financially most of all so it is likely people will pick and choose matches that they attend, this will most likely be highlighted even more in the coming season with only five teams so I think its highly probable that crowd numbers will be lower this year and then most likely get a big bump up when the play offs get here.

[IainB]

16 minutes ago, TTT said:

If fans stuck by their Club through thick and thin instead of having a 'We're only turning up when we're winning mentality' then Clubs wouldn't need to put out statements.

British Speedway is far from perfect and the highers up make a number of mistakes but I don't see a problem with Clubs politely calling out fans who bail out when the going gets tough results wise for their Club on track.

Yes, but... what are they fans of? Guests turning up every week? Insult to the intelligence excuses from riders (and promoters) for not turning up to ride? Your club promoting themselves to a higher league with zero call for this from the fans? Your club changing race nights from a well attended Saturday to a poorly attended Monday? I could go on but we all know the issues with the sport and instead of addressing these some promotions point the finger at the fans 👉

Not all fans look for the same thing in Speedway, you know this from reading comments about your own club, with some saying they'd effectively follow Chris Louis of the cliff!

Me, I'm always there because I love my Speedway, success is a bonus, maybe that's because I was brought up on the Lions of the late 70's and early 80's where success was a foreign concept 😂

Edited 1 hour ago by IainB

[mikebv]

57 minutes ago, YeOldPitGate said:

You also though have things like inflation, goods/services on average are 25% more expensive now post covid partly because the Government at the time printed another £400 billion out of thin air which caused prices to sky rocket, with Putin invading Ukraine adding fuel to it all.

Speedway appeals mainly to the working class who will be suffering financially most of all so it is likely people will pick and choose matches that they attend, this will most likely be highlighted even more in the coming season with only five teams so I think its highly probable that crowd numbers will be lower this year and then most likely get a big bump up when the play offs get here.

With,before a wheel is turned each season, the undeniably major issue that any trophy that you can win is seriously devalued, almost beyond parody, by the very operating model put together by the same promoters who expect you to take the sport seriously and turn up to watch it...

An incredible concept really isn't it? 

[TTT]

2 minutes ago, YeOldPitGate said:

You also though have things like inflation, goods/services on average are 25% more expensive now post covid partly because the Government at the time printed another £400 billion out of thin air which caused prices to sky rocket, with Putin invading Ukraine adding fuel to it all.

Speedway appeals mainly to the working class who will be suffering financially most of all so it is likely people will pick and choose matches that they attend, this will most likely be highlighted even more in the coming season with only five teams so I think its highly probable that crowd numbers will be lower this year and then most likely get a big bump up when the play offs get here.

To be fair, The fan mentality was like that before inflation, COVID etc.

Unfortunately Speedway fans don't have the mentality as Football fans for example who are also from a working class background.

No matter the results, They'll be their every week supporting the Club through the good times and bad ones.

British Speedway fans bail out when their Club hits a rough patch and then it forces the hand of Clubs to go public with statements.

[TTT]

1 hour ago, IainB said:

Yes, but... what are they fans of? Guests turning up every week? Insult to the intelligence excuses from riders (and promoters) for not turning up to ride? Your club promoting themselves to a higher league with zero call for this from the fans? Your club changing race nights from a well attended Saturday to a poorly attended Monday? I could go on but we all know the issues with the sport and instead of addressing these some promotions point the finger at the fans 👉

Not all fans look for the same thing in Speedway, you know this from reading comments about your own club, with some saying they'd effectively follow Chris Louis of the cliff!

Me, I'm always there because I love my Speedway, success is a bonus, maybe that's because I was brought up on the Lions of the late 70's and early 80's where success was a foreign concept 😂

British Speedway is far from perfect, I agree 100% and it's nothing like it used to be.

I could list a number of issues that I've got with it too however no fan should turn their back on their Club when results don't go their way though because it just makes them look like a glory hunter tbh.

Have to take the rough with the smooth, The good times with the bad times as the saying's go which is what the owners are politely saying in statements by issuing rallying calls to fans when asking them to stick by their Club during a difficult period.

[IainB]

15 minutes ago, TTT said:

British Speedway is far from perfect, I agree 100% and it's nothing like it used to be.

I could list a number of issues that I've got with it too however no fan should turn their back on their Club when results don't go their way though because it just makes them look like a glory hunter tbh.

Have to take the rough with the smooth, The good times with the bad times as the saying's go which is what the owners are politely saying in statements by issuing rallying calls to fans when asking them to stick by their Club during a difficult period.

You've got to address the sport and it's supporters how it is though and not how you wish it/they would be. 

Some fans/supporters are glory hunters, some just like the racing... many of them have been abused by the sport so much over the years and decided up with this they will no longer put.

Ideally you'd have a sprinkling of both good competitive racing, some success and an affinity to the club you follow. 

It is up to the sport to look at other successful sports and take what makes that a success and to apply it to Speedway not just churn out the same old 5h1t every year and then blame the fans when they don't turn out and pay to watch it.

Edited 31 minutes ago by IainB

[mikebv]

31 minutes ago, TTT said:

To be fair, The fan mentality was like that before inflation, COVID etc.

Unfortunately Speedway fans don't have the mentality as Football fans for example who are also from a working class background.

No matter the results, They'll be their every week supporting the Club through the good times and bad ones.

British Speedway fans bail out when their Club hits a rough patch and then it forces the hand of Clubs to go public with statements.

Also, to be fair...

In football your team is your team...

You build an emotional attachment to them..

In Speedway you could have any number of "soldiers of fortune" representing you, from one meeting to the next, with your opponents doing exactly the same..

Which means often "your team" hasn't really won or lost, given they were not really there in the first place..

You also have jeopardy and consequence in football, with relegation meaning fans will still attend a failing team in numbers hoping to stave off this "disaster"..

In Speedway, you can choose what league you want to ride in, and win, lose or draw, you choose your future...

The bottom line is no trophy delivers enough kudos of financial rewards to take winning one too seriously, therefore many who attend do so for the racing rather than the result, thus seeing UK Speedway as "sports entertainment" rather than a bona fide professional team sport...

Which is pretty much fine until admission prices keep rising to that certain level where the individual sees the entertainment value no longer justifying their outlay..