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As someone else mentioned on the forum if you factor in the loss of the tv deal and main sponsor pulling out they were possibly 100k down on 2025 from the get go, plus it seems some promoters helped get Northampton started if Sheffield chipped in that could be another 10-25K ? (guessing). Throw in all the problems over the winter making it nigh on impossible to plan things also, I do also remember someone saying the Bates main business was also struggling so wouldn't be as much money available to bail out the Tigers. Really hope they can pull through but looking at the above there's a lot of headwinds now really hitting speedway and the possible saviors are thinner on the ground than twenty years plus ago.

Problem is, We won't just be waving goodbye to your GP riders, It's now riders like Dan Thompson and co as well. Think we're in a lot of trouble now tbh.

He's had a bit of a nibble 🤬

Sounds Great!!! Ticks almost every box!!!! The last box to tick...??? They just now need to advertise it across Gtr Manchester, to the Three Million people who all live within a 45 min drive of the NSS, letting them know when the meeting is taking place, and how much to get in, (things like that).. Do that well, and the place could be rammed... Who knows? If it works, they could then do the same advertising when the Aces are racing.... (Maybe not every box will get ticked then eh?)

I will give the Tigers there due I have seen them putting a lot of content out on social media of late - I hope they can get a few more through the turnstyles. I think the issue with streaming is whilst its great for people who have no chance to attend a meeting, for example I am never going to drive to to say Workington, it also means the locals can stay in watch it and save money so the stay aways are perhaps having a disproportionate effect on the crowd levels. I've been to Ipswich twice this season so far and to my mind crowd levels are down on 2025. Part of that maybe the loss of top line riders like Emil, Jason etc, part of this might be due to lack of competitive sides visiting, or Steaming etc - who knows a- without open and transparency in attendances we have no chance to judge for ourselves. One of the things I would like to see is Mayfield saying right last week we had 2000 in or whatever it might be! When Neil Machin stepped down as promoter in April 14 the Tigers had a very modest deficit on their books - in 11 years this has ballooned to 500k+ which co-incides with operating at the top level! Machin was always insistent (if i recall things correctly) whilst he was promoter they would never operate the top level!

Following the Bates announcement on Monday, it's clear that the Premiership can't continue to exist in its current form in 2027. In the past 18 months we've lost Oxford and Birmingham and it seems certain that Sheffield won't be back for another year. Decades of the sport's mismanagement has finally come to a head. Bending over backwards to comply with an agenda dictated by Poland has had its day. British speedway needs to set its own agenda and not kowtow to foreign stipulations. If it means saying a permanent goodbye to riders preferring to seek their fortunes elsewhere, so be it. For survival we need a single nationwide league of 12/14 teams of riders committed 100% to British racing between March and October. A 24/26 match league programme plus a further 8/10 matches in a split north-south KO cup competition will guarantee teams a weekly match programme (just as it used to be!) The loss of a few "fancy-Dan" racers to Poland will mean much more money available to the rest who wish to compete in the UK, and a sensible rider payment policy will provide ample earnings potential for riders over a guaranteed 36-match season. It now really is a battle for survival of the sport; was it Einstein who said that to go on doing the same things expecting different results is the definition of madness?

I'd like to know for sure as it's an interesting topic imo. 2 fans staying at Home purchasing a stream at £15 each = 1 Adult Fan paying to attend on the night after the extra's are added on to the entrance fee. Live streaming is a good alternative for fans with Disabilites, I just ask the question as to whether it's too much of a saver to a point where it's being taken advantage of by the Younger fans to a point where Clubs could up the prices by an extra £5 per live stream in order to up their race day revenue whilst still offering a small saver to those staying at Home?

Does this mean you'll be leaving the forum? 🤞😉

Does anyone know the cut the host club takes from the meetings?? Has to be 40/50% at least no?? What's the viewing numbers during live and replays?? It's possible more profit could be had with totally empty stadiums & streamed meetings only.

Good for the elderly who have helped to keep the clubs running in the past. So therefore a nice gesture for them

Could be the Bates final season

Anyone know why Alejandra Fernandez isn't riding in the rookies cup at the minute. She appeared on the riders standings at 26 but has missed the last few races

What does everyone think about the streaming of meetings across the League in general? Personally I don't see the logic in it because it encourages fans to stay at Home and watch the meeting for a cheaper price which surely has an impact on Clubs attendances and finances. Fan staying at Home watching a live streaming means a Club is potentially losing out on the following. £10 per an Adult for a ticket, £4 for a Programme and potentially another couple of quid for a Hot drink and parking. x that by 100 for example and a Club is losing out on £1,600+ per a race day.

absolutely no issues form me - When he was at Arena he was known as 'Awesome Richard Lawson'

Good move and I can see the logic behind this.

All about the 1-7 for me. This year I've cut down because it's been a very tough watch and a drastic drop off from the 2025 Season. Haven't walk away completely because I'm trying my best to see this bad patch through, I've only attended 5 Meetings so far and I'm going to attend both Legs of the KOCUP Final as well but that'll be it for this year. Next year's 1-7 will determine whether I go at all tbh. It's not the costs involved to attend that's an issue for me, I'm more than happy to pay the prices but I also need to see a competitive team in the process otherwise it's a tough watch to see the same fixtures on several occasions with a 1-7 that's just making up the numbers.

Have the crowds been so much worse than 2025 as they are claiming ?

And by sounds of it you were a die hard which shows the difficulty in getting new people in. I was the same when I went me and my best mate were 18/19 at the time, we used to travel everywhere Coventry for British final, Bradford world final, Sweden world final , Ippo and Lynn every Saturday absolutely loved it. I moved away from Lynn so its now a three hour round trip and there's nothing tempting me back for the reasons we have covered on here a hundred plus times.

As a loyal Tigers supporter since 1966, following the Bates announcement I'm fully expecting that 2026 will be the death knell for the sport in Sheffield. The only hope in my opinion is a single nation-wide league of 12/14 teams, and if that means saying a permanent goodbye to riders who prefer to ride for big bucks in Poland, so be it.

I abandoned at least 10 years ago.

I'll still attend, probably until the bitter end, but I'll no longer be attending matches where a rider has decided that he'd rather be elsewhere. Dan Thompson did that when Lions visited Sheffield earlier in the year and I made my protest then by not attending. Injuries are part and parcel of the sport, but riders not showing for their clubs due to riding or being sat in the pits elsewhere is the final straw for me. The reasons why attendances are down are numerous and have all been discussed ad infinitum across this forum, so I'm not going to rehash them

Is that with the football or the wife

Good on him.

Yep nobody wants to see another track close, the Bates family have no doubt poured hundreds of thousands in over the years if they step down will anyone be willing to take it on ? unlikely I would think.

Up until a few years ago I never missed a meeting home or away,, now I hardly ever go,, once this year so far. I'm sure I will be the same next year. Same old teams every few weeks, racing more or less non existent, no real characters you look forward to seeing, presentation still the same as 50 years ago, just bored of it now. 25 quid to stand around getting bored doesn't do it for me