Not enough quality riders available of a comparable ability to run two leagues without doubling up. It’s just the math of the situation. 

If your idea of doubling up was adopted then five or six clubs would close as there would be insufficient riders of competitive compatibility available.  However, you could dumb down the sport and have 5 riders per team or even allow a mix of established & NDL level riders to feature in the same meeting. Whichever alternative you choose the competitive element would be reduced & just accelerate the decline of quality speedway in the UK. 

100% Emil had an impact... In his first season.. However, like anytime a rider absent for several years comes back, eg Tai, after a while, the novelty simply wears off.... The sport crucified itself over here in two specific areas when pretty much all the big names rode in the UK.. Financially, by pretty much giving them all the TV money... And, running many, many, guestfest meetings, due to these lads missing, down to their ever growing, individual commitments... Which, ultimately went a long way to destroying the credibility of what was on offer, which then, naturally, disillusioned thousands of fans who still haven't come back, but still follow the sport....

The Brady/Dan partnership is something that doesn’t come along very often, not unless you attract a couple of off the peg superstars by waving a cheque book. Dan has come through the ranks at the club and to see Brady go from the 7.50 bunch to one point off being world champion has been phenomenal. I can understand The Aces keeping them together whilst they can but it’s inevitable that one of them will join our No1 club and line up at the top of another of our competitors.  The issue with releasing one to raise funds to promote the club is all well and good but it’s this insular thinking that holds the sport back. We need to be thinking nationally on this topic and not just club to club. Should Brady move on then it releases no money nationally as the burden falls on another club in our collective and probably at an increase cost. Think us not me.  When air fences came out clubs ran individual meetings to help pay for the initial cost, maybe something along those lines could be done to fund a national advertising pot?

The season Emil came over he certainly brought that, it was noted by promoters that everyone had their biggest crowds that season on his visits, people turned up to see him for sure.  I think that probably subsided a bit over year 2 & 3 though, hard to say really how to make that draw more sustainable with the quantity of teams and top riders we now have riding here. “back in the good old days” when you had a much bigger league and only rode home and away once against everyone and some ko cup matches people would want to be there for the one chance too see say Jason crump visit Foxhall with belle vue, I love watching bewley and Kurtz visit the heath but last season they visited 4 times which reduces that excitement to get to see them for less die hard fans. so in a way I agree with the one top star per team to be the target but I think ultimately the goal should be to have say 10-12 teams with that one top star and drive that draw of “this is your chance to see “top rider X” at your home track this season” but that just seems to so far away from reality with the current state of affairs in uk speedway doesn’t it

Instead of doubling up and down why not double the fixtures instead like we used to have.  a meaningful league with promotion and relegation settled via play offs while the team who tops the league are crowned champions would mean every meeting meaningful.