Leicester Lions 2026

[FishersGate]

Just now, TTT said:

Why are you calling the riders out when you're now admitting that you've got no idea how much they earn?

One Big League kills British Speedway, Barely anyone cares about the NDL hence why it's woefully attended.

Also got Clubs coming back and maybe a few more in the future.

If Promoters want to put on the best product they possibly can during these tough times then I'm not going to complain, I pay my money to watch the Top Boys as well as the Best of British on a MON & THU Night.

I couldn't care less about CHAMP Clubs because CHAMP Clubs couldn't care less about PREM Clubs, It works both ways as the saying goes.

You don't know either? Only the rider themselves know. But there is plenty of proof they can support themselves riding for just a championship club. I care about every single club. Every single one. Including the NDL clubs. They produce our next Dan Bewleys, Robert Lambert's, Bomber Harris etc. 

Actually fans do care about the NDL. The problem is the lack riders in it and the lack of support the kids get. My job as a fan is to support them so the conveyor belt of talent keeps flowing. 

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

[TTT]

30 minutes ago, FishersGate said:

Basically you don't like anyone else's opinions and kept losing your arguements so you gave up and blocked them? 

HAHA

Had them blocked before tonight but if that's what you want to believe then so be it.

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

4 minutes ago, Gambo said:

Surely.. One League 14 teams. 26 meetings minimum. 5 rider teams = 5 or 6 rides per night.

But they are getting 30 Premiership meetings with 4 or 5 rides per night and at twice the pay rate 

I'd estimate that most double uppers would lose two thirds of income but still have 75% of the cost level

The net result is to leave them earning somewhere around what they could earning stacking supermarket shelves

I think more would quit than carry on

[FishersGate]

3 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

But they are getting 30 Premiership meetings with 4 or 5 rides per night and at twice the pay rate 

I'd estimate that most double uppers would lose two thirds of income but still have 75% of the cost level

The net result is to leave them earning somewhere around what they could earning stacking supermarket shelves

I think more would quit than carry on

Dan Thompson didn't quit when he was sacked from Leicester. Neither did his brother. Plenty of riders would stick around I reckon . Stack a shelf or ride a bike ? Give me the bike every day.

[mac101]

25 minutes ago, Gambo said:

Surely.. One League 14 teams. 26 meetings minimum. 5 rider teams = 5 or 6 rides per night.

14 clubs 2 home 2away maybe chuck in a cup completion would give riders more meeting than if they were doubling up so would earn more money I don’t think any rider riding in the championship earns double the money riding premiership either 

Edited 16 hours ago by mac101

[Gambo]

34 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

But they are getting 30 Premiership meetings with 4 or 5 rides per night and at twice the pay rate 

I'd estimate that most double uppers would lose two thirds of income but still have 75% of the cost level

The net result is to leave them earning somewhere around what they could earning stacking supermarket shelves

I think more would quit than carry on

30 PL meetings? More like 16 + KO Cup

[therefused]

10 hours ago, FishersGate said:

I can't believe you've just said youngsters should quit if they can't cut it in the championship.....Shocking . 

So by your shameful logic if you ain't good enough just quit. There's already a rider shortage you'd just make it worse .

I do find it quite ironic that that particular poster always wheels out the ‘you’re against British speedway’ card but in the same breath talks down the national league and majority of the championship riders, even naming them at times.

i think it’s clear who is really ‘anti British soeedway’

[Preston Comet]

12 hours ago, TTT said:

Told everyone all winter that riders would quit if one big league were to happen.

CHAMP Clubs can't afford to pay them what PREM Clubs do.

Most PREM clubs cant afford what PREM clubs pay..

[gjcone44]

all the gp riders are taking a drop in pay this year. i wish we could pay all the riders more money, but the economics of it is going to dictate what the riders can be paid eventually, 

[gjcone44]

33 minutes ago, therefused said:

I do find it quite ironic that that particular poster always wheels out the ‘you’re against British speedway’ card but in the same breath talks down the national league and majority of the championship riders, even naming them at times.

i think it’s clear who is really ‘anti British soeedway’

he's an idiot , but that cant offend him because he wont see this. 🤣

[mikebv]

8 hours ago, Gambo said:

Surely.. One League 14 teams. 26 meetings minimum. 5 rider teams = 5 or 6 rides per night.

The Danish model would give HL's five rides a night, and possibly six ..

Conference the sport into two seven team Conferences, where you race your "local teams" twice home and away, and once home and away with the other seven..

That's a total of 36 matches..

Add in a KO Cup and a minimum 38..

At five rides a night that is 190 races per season..

At two points per race (8 point average) it scores 10 points per night for five rides..

At £150 a point that is £1500 x 38 matches, which equates to £57k (FOR SIX MONTHS WORK!)..

And, given there would probably be no GP riders, and the No5 in each team would be NDL SS level at best, you would think an established 30 something DU would score well...

You don't have to only work from April to October...

[IainB]

20 minutes ago, mikebv said:

The Danish model would give HL's five rides a night, and possibly six ..

Conference the sport into two seven team Conferences, where you race your "local teams" twice home and away, and once home and away with the other seven..

That's a total of 36 matches..

Add in a KO Cup and a minimum 38..

At five rides a night that is 190 races per season..

At two points per race (8 point average) it scores 10 points per night for five rides..

At £150 a point that is £1500 x 38 matches, which equates to £57k (FOR SIX MONTHS WORK!)..

And, given there would probably be no GP riders, and the No5 in each team would be NDL SS level at best, you would think an established 30 something DU would score well...

You don't have to only work from April to October...

36 matches, I make that just over around 5 weeks work! 🤔

[InTheDeepStuff]

Think riders like Kyle Howarth, Dan Thompson, Leon Flint etc (Champions heatleders/Premiership second strings) would only really know if they could afford to do one league once they knew what points money they were going to be offered as no guarantees available.  
 

Based on 2025 numbers racing 1 night a week for both clubs you’d imagine at Glasgow in the Championship he’d have been on around £120 a point, average 11 points over 5 rides is £1,375 and Leicester around £160 a point average 6 points over 4 rides is £640, not heat leader money of £200+ a point, so in the one big league scenario he’d need to earn £2,015 a week to break even from 2025, so in a watered down one big league you’d expect him to average say roughly 7.5 points a meeting over 4/5 rides so that’s over £270 a point which isn’t going to happen, as even with 14 teams it’s unlikely you’d race 2 times a week often. 
 

Can’t imagine him or any rider wanting to race for less than on previously as mechanics pay, bike maintenance, bike parts etc all gone north in costs 

 

[mikebv]

9 minutes ago, InTheDeepStuff said:

Think riders like Kyle Howarth, Dan Thompson, Leon Flint etc (Champions heatleders/Premiership second strings) would only really know if they could afford to do one league once they knew what points money they were going to be offered as no guarantees available.  
 

Based on 2025 numbers racing 1 night a week for both clubs you’d imagine at Glasgow in the Championship he’d have been on around £120 a point, average 11 points over 5 rides is £1,375 and Leicester around £160 a point average 6 points over 4 rides is £640, not heat leader money of £200+ a point, so in the one big league scenario he’d need to earn £2,015 a week to break even from 2025, so in a watered down one big league you’d expect him to average say roughly 7.5 points a meeting over 4/5 rides so that’s over £270 a point which isn’t going to happen, as even with 14 teams it’s unlikely you’d race 2 times a week often. 
 

Can’t imagine him or any rider wanting to race for less than on previously as mechanics pay, bike maintenance, bike parts etc all gone north in costs 

 

The riders can be Full Time from April to October and get another job from November to March..

Not enough people pay to watch UK Speedway to have so many riders earning a full years salary...

When I ran businesses my payroll budget flexed up if I beat my sales budget, and dropped down if I didn't hit my sales numbers....

I couldn't keep laying out more than the income justified so, many times, I had to pull in the payroll spend by cutting overtime or not replacing leavers..

My team were "disappointed" at times as their earning potential was reduced, as was I as so was mine...

Life eh?

 

 

[YeOldPitGate]

12 hours ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

But they are getting 30 Premiership meetings with 4 or 5 rides per night and at twice the pay rate 

I'd estimate that most double uppers would lose two thirds of income but still have 75% of the cost level

The net result is to leave them earning somewhere around what they could earning stacking supermarket shelves

I think more would quit than carry on

I've no inside knowledge but didn't Matt Ford say Championship was roughly a third cheaper than the prem ? given I would imagine stadium rent would be the same regardless of league I can't see that wages in the Prem being double against the championship when the overall saving is only 30%.

[Hamish McRaker]

1 hour ago, YeOldPitGate said:

I've no inside knowledge but didn't Matt Ford say Championship was roughly a third cheaper than the prem ? given I would imagine stadium rent would be the same regardless of league I can't see that wages in the Prem being double against the championship when the overall saving is only 30%.

As a rugby pundit said many years ago about the football premiership -

" we call it the Andrex League, because it's unneccessarily expensive"

 

[TTT]

7 hours ago, therefused said:

I do find it quite ironic that that particular poster always wheels out the ‘you’re against British speedway’ card but in the same breath talks down the national league and majority of the championship riders, even naming them at times.

i think it’s clear who is really ‘anti British soeedway’

Good for you.

I'm not the one who advocates to bin off the Top Tier that'll take away the vast majority of income for the Best of British Riders.

I'm not the one who's ungrateful by moaning non-stop in regards to Club owners spending an X amount of £ on top riders with an intention to put on the best product possible for the fans.

A reason as to why Scunthorpe fans prey that Simon Lambert doesn't sign for them every year, Nobody wants to mention that though as it doesn't fit the narrative.

If NDL was as good as some make it out to be then the attendances wouldn't be so bad due to a severe lack of interest in the product.

I can go on and on, But I cba because I've got better things to do.

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

15 hours ago, mac101 said:

14 clubs 2 home 2away maybe chuck in a cup completion would give riders more meeting than if they were doubling up so would earn more money I don’t think any rider riding in the championship earns double the money riding premiership either 

I bet they have earned double in the Prem

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

15 hours ago, Gambo said:

30 PL meetings? More like 16 + KO Cup

Was going off last year so granted may well be down in 2026 if its only 5. Not far off if the miracle 6th team appears

KO Cup could be 4-6 plus potential of 4 play offs

Worst case is 18 (5 teams 1 Cup round and no play offs) and max is 30 (6 teams and all the trimmings)

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

3 hours ago, YeOldPitGate said:

I've no inside knowledge but didn't Matt Ford say Championship was roughly a third cheaper than the prem ? given I would imagine stadium rent would be the same regardless of league I can't see that wages in the Prem being double against the championship when the overall saving is only 30%.

I don't have specific figures but enough idea for an educated estimate that it isn't too far out