2026 Premiership is Go! - At least 5 teams

[Ben91]

4 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

Right, I'm still not getting what the problem is with doubling up/down? Someone, actually explain please???

As long as they're not missing through fixture clashes, what's the problem? If averages fit, what's the problem? If a promotion wants them, what's the problem?

I do not get the issue AT ALL.

Logistically it isn't an issue. Especially if you are a rider wanting to line your pockets without the inconvenience of having to be good enough to be asked to ride in Poland. The problem is deeper than that though. Starting with it causing the disconnect between fans and the riders who race for their team. Ideally riders should have one club, having another club overseas is borderline acceptable. Ideally that wouldn't happen either. 

A lot of top tier riders have ended up with second tier clubs due to a relaxation of rules (doubling up numbers allowed and average conversion rate) 15 odd years ago. They've then hogged the team spots and stopped other riders from racing at second tier level and thus reaching a competitive standard. That is directly to blame for the lack of good enough riders now. To top it all off, most of them are now in their mid thirties plus and when they retire, which they'll have to some day sooner rather than later, leave a massive void in both leagues. 

These things hurt Speedway's credibility. As does guesting, which isn't a necessary evil, it's just an evil. It makes the sport look amateurish in the extreme to Speedway fans, let alone someone who may be a newcomer to the sport. The sport has to look credible to keep teams active, to help new/returning teams get back on track, to try secure another television deal and ultimately to draw in new fans. 

All these things that look stupid to outsiders (because they are stupid) need to be removed from the sport. For the good of the sport. 

[Phannan]

10 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

Logistically it isn't an issue. Especially if you are a rider wanting to line your pockets without the inconvenience of having to be good enough to be asked to ride in Poland. The problem is deeper than that though. Starting with it causing the disconnect between fans and the riders who race for their team. Ideally riders should have one club, having another club overseas is borderline acceptable. Ideally that wouldn't happen either. 

A lot of top tier riders have ended up with second tier clubs due to a relaxation of rules (doubling up numbers allowed and average conversion rate) 15 odd years ago. They've then hogged the team spots and stopped other riders from racing at second tier level and thus reaching a competitive standard. That is directly to blame for the lack of good enough riders now. To top it all off, most of them are now in their mid thirties plus and when they retire, which they'll have to some day sooner rather than later, leave a massive void in both leagues. 

These things hurt Speedway's credibility. As does guesting, which isn't a necessary evil, it's just an evil. It makes the sport look amateurish in the extreme to Speedway fans, let alone someone who may be a newcomer to the sport. The sport has to look credible to keep teams active, to help new/returning teams get back on track, to try secure another television deal and ultimately to draw in new fans. 

All these things that look stupid to outsiders (because they are stupid) need to be removed from the sport. For the good of the sport. 

Great post . Your views make total sense. We all know the speedway fan base is a rapidly ageing one and to attract younger ones to the sport , they would need to feel an attachment to the team that they are watching. That they identify with the riders in their team , the same riders week in week out and choose their favourites. In return those riders will feel the attachment to the club also, rather than riding for two or three teams ( if a guest) . Things need to be professional in that sense and not the free for all that has ruined our sport. 

[mikebv]

1 hour ago, Preston Comet said:

More pit space needed then Mike, and not always available

Space needed for 20 riders....

An individual event needs space for 18 with the reserves, so I am sure an extra two could be accommodated without too much issue.

And tracks that run Stock Cars too would have plenty of room..

Plus, riders getting an "opportunity" would set up in the car park if needs be I am sure....

[Fortythirtyeight]

11 hours ago, 1 valve said:

The Directors are unable to implement anything significant without the approval of the shareholders the majority of whom are the self serving championship promoters. 

unfortunately there have been many examples where this has not been the case, but you believe it if you wish.

[Daniel Smith]

5 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

Logistically it isn't an issue. Especially if you are a rider wanting to line your pockets without the inconvenience of having to be good enough to be asked to ride in Poland. The problem is deeper than that though. Starting with it causing the disconnect between fans and the riders who race for their team. Ideally riders should have one club, having another club overseas is borderline acceptable. Ideally that wouldn't happen either. 

A lot of top tier riders have ended up with second tier clubs due to a relaxation of rules (doubling up numbers allowed and average conversion rate) 15 odd years ago. They've then hogged the team spots and stopped other riders from racing at second tier level and thus reaching a competitive standard. That is directly to blame for the lack of good enough riders now. To top it all off, most of them are now in their mid thirties plus and when they retire, which they'll have to some day sooner rather than later, leave a massive void in both leagues. 

These things hurt Speedway's credibility. As does guesting, which isn't a necessary evil, it's just an evil. It makes the sport look amateurish in the extreme to Speedway fans, let alone someone who may be a newcomer to the sport. The sport has to look credible to keep teams active, to help new/returning teams get back on track, to try secure another television deal and ultimately to draw in new fans. 

All these things that look stupid to outsiders (because they are stupid) need to be removed from the sport. For the good of the sport. 

All of that, total nonsense. Let's go through it.

"Starting with it causing the disconnect between fans and the riders who race for their team."

That's just not true is it.

Before, during and after the season, no fan complains about their riders, riding elsewhere overall. The only disappointment is when a rider gets injured racing for someone else. The only time "fan disconnect" ever gets mentioned is when people try to argue against the doubling up/down.

_____________________

"A lot of top tier riders have ended up with second tier clubs due to a relaxation of rules (doubling up numbers allowed and average conversion rate) 15 odd years ago. They've then hogged the team spots and stopped other riders from racing at second tier level and thus reaching a competitive standard. That is directly to blame for the lack of good enough riders now."

This one again. The sport has changed globally, not just here. The older guys are not 'blocking' anyone. The majority of the top rider's are 30+. Some near or nearing 40. Why shouldn't these guys be allowed to continue their trade when they lose that "Elite" edge?? When King's Lynn went Premier League, I really enjoyed (with the competitive moaning) watching the Topinka's, Screen's, Havelock's etc. I bet most still enjoy Harris & Nicholls in the 2nd tier. Nobody wants them gone. There only thing that stops youth coming through is the youth itself. We've had 100s come through the lowest tier of British Speedway & almost all of them get shots at Championship & Premiership Rising Star programmes. Life is what gets in the way of youth across the world in every single aspect. If you want the younger rider's to get more opportunities, they need to be better, as simple as that.

__________________

"It makes the sport look amateurish in the extreme to Speedway fans, let alone someone who may be a newcomer to the sport. The sport has to look credible to keep teams active, to help new/returning teams get back on track, to try secure another television deal and ultimately to draw in new fans."

Let's get things straight here, 4 rider's, 4 laps, x15 is never the embarrassment of the sport regardless of who & age. The embarrassment is everything that surrounds it.

Standard of Stadia, 70s & 80s music, zero mid heat / mid meeting entertainment etc. = zero Value for Money. All the problems with Speedway, globally, is everything the promoters put on offer away from the racing. Newcomers never give a s#!t about the rules, I'd argue 50% initially, enjoy the thrill of the racing. Why do they disappear?? Quite simply, away from the racing, lack of comfort & boredom, again, = 0 Value for Money.

Everyone today wants everything yesterday. Nobody can handle a void, the brain has to be constantly entertained. If British Speedway wants the under 30s trackside for 2+ hours, the brain needs entertaining for the 90 minutes of nothingness. Practice starts, the odd wheelie & 4 laps will never, ever be enough in 2026.

[Phannan]

35 minutes ago, Daniel Smith said:

All of that, total nonsense. Let's go through it.

"Starting with it causing the disconnect between fans and the riders who race for their team."

That's just not true is it.

Before, during and after the season, no fan complains about their riders, riding elsewhere overall. The only disappointment is when a rider gets injured racing for someone else. The only time "fan disconnect" ever gets mentioned is when people try to argue against the doubling up/down.

_____________________

"A lot of top tier riders have ended up with second tier clubs due to a relaxation of rules (doubling up numbers allowed and average conversion rate) 15 odd years ago. They've then hogged the team spots and stopped other riders from racing at second tier level and thus reaching a competitive standard. That is directly to blame for the lack of good enough riders now."

This one again. The sport has changed globally, not just here. The older guys are not 'blocking' anyone. The majority of the top rider's are 30+. Some near or nearing 40. Why shouldn't these guys be allowed to continue their trade when they lose that "Elite" edge?? When King's Lynn went Premier League, I really enjoyed (with the competitive moaning) watching the Topinka's, Screen's, Havelock's etc. I bet most still enjoy Harris & Nicholls in the 2nd tier. Nobody wants them gone. There only thing that stops youth coming through is the youth itself. We've had 100s come through the lowest tier of British Speedway & almost all of them get shots at Championship & Premiership Rising Star programmes. Life is what gets in the way of youth across the world in every single aspect. If you want the younger rider's to get more opportunities, they need to be better, as simple as that.

__________________

"It makes the sport look amateurish in the extreme to Speedway fans, let alone someone who may be a newcomer to the sport. The sport has to look credible to keep teams active, to help new/returning teams get back on track, to try secure another television deal and ultimately to draw in new fans."

Let's get things straight here, 4 rider's, 4 laps, x15 is never the embarrassment of the sport regardless of who & age. The embarrassment is everything that surrounds it.

Standard of Stadia, 70s & 80s music, zero mid heat / mid meeting entertainment etc. = zero Value for Money. All the problems with Speedway, globally, is everything the promoters put on offer away from the racing. Newcomers never give a s#!t about the rules, I'd argue 50% initially, enjoy the thrill of the racing. Why do they disappear?? Quite simply, away from the racing, lack of comfort & boredom, again, = 0 Value for Money.

Everyone today wants everything yesterday. Nobody can handle a void, the brain has to be constantly entertained. If British Speedway wants the under 30s trackside for 2+ hours, the brain needs entertaining for the 90 minutes of nothingness. Practice starts, the odd wheelie & 4 laps will never, ever be enough in 2026.

Total nonsense in your opinion. All I know is the sport is dying a death and unless a new generation of fans come along to see a relevant meaningful product professionally ran with an identity attached to keep those new fans interested, it’s all over sooner than later. It’s a speedway meeting. What entertainment other than the racing do you suggest during a break . Yes people want the good days back but the sport was run properly in those days. Second halves etc. 

[IainB]

51 minutes ago, Daniel Smith said:

All of that, total nonsense. Let's go through it.

"Starting with it causing the disconnect between fans and the riders who race for their team."

That's just not true is it.

Before, during and after the season, no fan complains about their riders, riding elsewhere overall. The only disappointment is when a rider gets injured racing for someone else. The only time "fan disconnect" ever gets mentioned is when people try to argue against the doubling up/down.

_____________________

"A lot of top tier riders have ended up with second tier clubs due to a relaxation of rules (doubling up numbers allowed and average conversion rate) 15 odd years ago. They've then hogged the team spots and stopped other riders from racing at second tier level and thus reaching a competitive standard. That is directly to blame for the lack of good enough riders now."

This one again. The sport has changed globally, not just here. The older guys are not 'blocking' anyone. The majority of the top rider's are 30+. Some near or nearing 40. Why shouldn't these guys be allowed to continue their trade when they lose that "Elite" edge?? When King's Lynn went Premier League, I really enjoyed (with the competitive moaning) watching the Topinka's, Screen's, Havelock's etc. I bet most still enjoy Harris & Nicholls in the 2nd tier. Nobody wants them gone. There only thing that stops youth coming through is the youth itself. We've had 100s come through the lowest tier of British Speedway & almost all of them get shots at Championship & Premiership Rising Star programmes. Life is what gets in the way of youth across the world in every single aspect. If you want the younger rider's to get more opportunities, they need to be better, as simple as that.

__________________

"It makes the sport look amateurish in the extreme to Speedway fans, let alone someone who may be a newcomer to the sport. The sport has to look credible to keep teams active, to help new/returning teams get back on track, to try secure another television deal and ultimately to draw in new fans."

Let's get things straight here, 4 rider's, 4 laps, x15 is never the embarrassment of the sport regardless of who & age. The embarrassment is everything that surrounds it.

Standard of Stadia, 70s & 80s music, zero mid heat / mid meeting entertainment etc. = zero Value for Money. All the problems with Speedway, globally, is everything the promoters put on offer away from the racing. Newcomers never give a s#!t about the rules, I'd argue 50% initially, enjoy the thrill of the racing. Why do they disappear?? Quite simply, away from the racing, lack of comfort & boredom, again, = 0 Value for Money.

Everyone today wants everything yesterday. Nobody can handle a void, the brain has to be constantly entertained. If British Speedway wants the under 30s trackside for 2+ hours, the brain needs entertaining for the 90 minutes of nothingness. Practice starts, the odd wheelie & 4 laps will never, ever be enough in 2026.

4 guests and R/R in a "team", not  amateurish? You're having a laugh 😂

[1 valve]

1 hour ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

unfortunately there have been many examples where this has not been the case, but you believe it if you wish.

No, in terms of the scope of responsibility/constitution please feel free to provide an example of where BSPL have not followed there own rules in terms of decisions being made and implemented. 

[1 valve]

1 hour ago, IainB said:

4 guests and R/R in a "team", not  amateurish? You're having a laugh 😂

R/R is using riders aligned to the team. 
The problem is the use of guests from a rival team. 

[Daniel Smith]

1 hour ago, IainB said:

4 guests and R/R in a "team", not  amateurish? You're having a laugh 😂

OK brains, what's the fix for missing rider's?

This will be good...........

[IainB]

22 minutes ago, Daniel Smith said:

OK brains, what's the fix for missing rider's?

This will be good...........

I'm tired of repeating myself... with an adjusted format there's plenty of riders available for such a small number of teams in operation. 

[DaveWayne]

3 hours ago, mikebv said:

Space needed for 20 riders....

An individual event needs space for 18 with the reserves, so I am sure an extra two could be accommodated without too much issue.

And tracks that run Stock Cars too would have plenty of room..

Plus, riders getting an "opportunity" would set up in the car park if needs be I am sure....

Not sure how you work that one out. Stock cars don't have nice concrete pits with cover like speedway does, so you couldn't just chuck a few bikes in there, and they can't give up space for extra speedway pits to be be built as some bigger stock car meetings have to restrict car numbers as it is due to lack of pit space.

[Phannan]

7 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

OK brains, what's the fix for missing rider's?

This will be good...........

No need to get personal with someone for having a different opinion but here goes. If second halves were re introduced , do you reckon that would provide 1 or 2 extra riders to add to the usual 7 , making a squad, so any absences would be covered by your own riders, not some fuc.er else’s ? These 1 or 2 riders would push for places so anyone not producing in the 7 would always have their place under threat. You know like in football? Probably nonsense though, as all this would get in the way of the half time band, comedian, juggler etc that you’re pushing for. 

[mikebv]

9 hours ago, 1 valve said:

No, in terms of the scope of responsibility/constitution please feel free to provide an example of where BSPL have not followed there own rules in terms of decisions being made and implemented. 

"In the interests of Speedway"...

Surely you must have seen and heard that oft used phrase given out as the reason why they, once more, completely go against their own rules and regs.....?

Edit...

NB. An ironic phrase if ever there was one, as the decisions made "In the interest of Speedway", ie completely going against their own rules and regs, are invariably "NOT in the interest of Speedway" at all, as it complelety undermines the very competitions where it gets used...

There are dozens of examples where it has been used but probably the most recent stand out is changing the Semi Final teams for "Commercial Reasons", thus, going completely against their own rules and regs...

Edited Wednesday at 08:19 AM by mikebv

[Daniel Smith]

47 minutes ago, Phannan said:

No need to get personal with someone for having a different opinion but here goes. If second halves were re introduced , do you reckon that would provide 1 or 2 extra riders to add to the usual 7 , making a squad, so any absences would be covered by your own riders, not some fuc.er else’s ? These 1 or 2 riders would push for places so anyone not producing in the 7 would always have their place under threat. You know like in football? Probably nonsense though, as all this would get in the way of the half time band, comedian, juggler etc that you’re pushing for. 

Nothing wrong with the idea of in-meeting or 2nd half junior racing. I used to enjoy those too. It's not to dissimilar to what I'd already suggested. For me though, guests from outside the league only adds quality rather than having a wobbler coming in for a missing top rider. With most teams already having inexperienced at 6 & 7, adding more juniors as guests could make meetings an horrific experience for paying fans. The Premiership, were possible, desperately needs to keep it's product as strong as possible. 

Again though, as a whole, most don't lose interest due to missing &/or guest riders. These are just generally used by fans who bash the doubling up/down. Most fans get fed up and bored because everything surrounding the sport.

If British Speedway wants a younger audience, they have to provide engagement outside of practice starts, wheelies, & racing.

The "Speedway" isn't broken, the engagement of the sport is.

[cowboy cookie returns?]

8 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

OK brains, what's the fix for missing rider's?

This will be good...........

I love the debate that comes around guests necessary evil etc etc & what the alternative is.

Its not a necessary evil, Poland & Sweden run with out guests they use a squad system. Back in the day the old National League under the management of Stekesbury & co banned the use of guests. At the time the NL was a fair better & more professional outfit than the BL.

Guests & doubling up come about because of the absolutely ridiculous operating model that the uk have gone with.

If you go back to the 80s & early 90s every team had a junior team which meant most clubs had their regular 1-7 with them a back up of anywhere between 4-7 good junior/second half riders. If you were running in the NL basically you had a squad of 11-13 guys the juniors would be called in to the team to cover injuries.

The promotors decided to bin that off reducing the number of available riders though lack of opportunities to race remember those juniors rode in their own league match’s each week.

While every other ‘professional’ sport have invested in increasing their squad systems & opportunities to compete & train British speedway has done the opposite.

There is a route out however that will take time vision & creative thinking. 
 

The out of control guest & doubling up system is a condition unique to British speedway brought about by the way the governing body has chosen to operate the sport. It wasn’t ever necessary!

[mikebv]

9 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

OK brains, what's the fix for missing rider's?

This will be good...........

How do a similar sized sport in Sweden do it? 

A country with a similar lack of young riders from their own country coming through..

Probably worth finding out isn't it I would have thought...

Denmark run five rider teams due to also having a lack of Danish riders to fill spots and, five rider teams also keep costs down. They run similar sized crowds to the UK...

Something else to explore maybe?

Or...

Just carry on with the nonsense operating model used over here?

"They used guests when Speedway was popular" is something I have read on here as justification for them...

A great many things accepted 50 years ago in a non instant 24/7 media world, are no longer accepted today...

UK Speedway hasn't even come out of the 20th Century yet....

[Aries]

1 hour ago, Phannan said:

No need to get personal with someone for having a different opinion but here goes. If second halves were re introduced , do you reckon that would provide 1 or 2 extra riders to add to the usual 7 , making a squad, so any absences would be covered by your own riders, not some fuc.er else’s ? These 1 or 2 riders would push for places so anyone not producing in the 7 would always have their place under threat. You know like in football? Probably nonsense though, as all this would get in the way of the half time band, comedian, juggler etc that you’re pushing for. 

That would be awesome to be fair 😁

[mikebv]

27 minutes ago, Aries said:

That would be awesome to be fair 😁

Just imagine "the half time band"....

It would be somebody like "The Spinners" from the 70's doing their folk tunes....

But not the original members obviously...

In keeping with where they are playing, they would have guest replacements for those  members unable to be there...

 

Edited Wednesday at 08:51 AM by mikebv

[IainB]

9 hours ago, DaveWayne said:

Not sure how you work that one out. Stock cars don't have nice concrete pits with cover like speedway does, so you couldn't just chuck a few bikes in there, and they can't give up space for extra speedway pits to be be built as some bigger stock car meetings have to restrict car numbers as it is due to lack of pit space.

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