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Whatever happens in the future for Workington, Laura has got my full respect. To put so much of her own money into the club she obviously loved is amazing, in my opinion.

Spot on. But its been "bleedin' obvious" for years what is wrong hasn't it but no one has led the required change.. Running a business whereby your employees completely dictate to you when they will turn up, as they have several jobs and yours may be the least paying, is a disaster from a successful business perspective... Running a business in the entertainment sector but, in the main, not at weekends when the majority of the country have their free time, is also a disaster from a successful business perspective.. And charging an admission fee which only reflects the outlay to your employees, rather than the value of what you are selling, is again a disaster from a successful business perspective.. Yet Speedway in Britain feels that all this works.. Add in a tiny, small time, localised marketing plan, built around "bring a friend" and "speedway is a family sport" and you have what we have today.. All of the above make up the ludicrous unfit for purpose business plan and operating model.. Bottom line is there are too many professional riders.. This has been clear for at least a decade yet nothing has been done.. Year on year the leagues get less credible and more Mickey Mouse.. Year on year that results in less people paying to watch something becoming annually more and more devoid of credibility.. Year on year inflation busting price increases therefore come in to cover the shortfall of people who have stopped attending.. Year on year the inflation busting price increases to cover the shortfall of people who have stopped attending, means an even larger shortfall of people attending and the need for even further inflation busting price increases.... The result? A true race to the bottom... A race which four clubs have 'won' in the past six months. How many more will 'win' before the penny drops? Or is the plan to actually let nature take its course and only the survival of the fittest remain? Less teams will mean more competition for places... And more competition for places means less money getting paid out as supply exceeds demand... So maybe there is a brilliant cunning plan after all and 'less is more' will be the sports saviour.. Not holding my breath to be honest..

Amen to TMC. It must have been 2-3 years ago now I read in the Speedway Star on some CL novice on how he was investing in getting his bikes tuned by Mike Lee. a) learn to ride a bit better before you do that b) learn to tune and engine yourself if you must c) where are you getting the money to pay for a former World Champion to work for you?! - ultimately from the punter, as the sparse terraces they stand on crumble around them As others have said, you can't blame the riders for trying to get the best deal possible each year. It's a dangerous sport and a short career. But if they are not bringing in the revenue to the clubs, then the sport has to cut its cloth - pay them what is affordable and sustainable. You can go back to the Nielsens, Crumps, Adams and such like...all made a decent living out of British Speedway (and fair play to them), but whilst they were taking their fat pay cheques, the crowds were dwindling and there was less and less to invest in the long-term health of the sport. There are so many factors inside and outside speedway that make it a very challenging environment for any speedway promoter. The key audiences of working class to middle class young families that promoters crave have less disposable income than ever before and much greater choice over where they ultimately decide to spend what they do have. Live sport is now available on tap online and virtually the whole of the rest of the leisure sector can offer a more comfortable, safe, modern environment for families. So, it has to compete really hard to get people to fork out. I agree the sport should be not be paying full-time professional wages. I also agree that it needs one big league. But I doubt those improvements would be enough to bring crowds back. I think the sport has to be more radical and offer families a proper full day out on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. If this means partnering with other sports and activities like sidecars, stockcars, greyhounds, flat track alongside bands and fairground rides, face painters, beer tents and making it a full day of entertainment, then that constitutes much, much better value. Like any other live entertainment, speedway needs footprint and once they are in and the longer you keep them, the greater chance of shifting food, drink, merchandise and the rest to the punters. The chances of 15 heats of league speedway attracting a good crowd on a weekly basis now or in the future are slim to none. And, well, we know where slim went...

Today's bad news that Workington have withdrawn from the 2019 Championship (second tier), despite winning the treble last season, should provoke the BSPA into a crisis meeting. In our last issue of Backtrack (No.89) we listed 56 British league venues that have closed since 1970. Since the edition came out, the loss of Rye House, Buxton and now Workington has seen the death toll rise to 59. It is doubtful if any will ever resume league status. If the Comets, a track that opened in 1970, cannot sustain second division speedway after winning three trophies, what chance does the sport in this country have of survival? Glasgow have arguably the best PR machine in the sport behind them right now, earning lots of national coverage in Scotland and beyond. They have invested heavily in riders. But where has it got them? Their owner's recent statement should be taken as another warning shot. No-one can be surprised if the Tigers' management don't decide to cut their losses and come to the conclusion that they've given it their best shot but enough is enough. The odds on them coming to the tapes for 2020 must already be slim, or lengthening. Leicester, Rye House in recent times have found to their cost that chucking good money at top riders is no recipe for success and, more likely, a quick path to financial disaster. I was especially alarmed by the recent announcement that Buxton, the archetypal third division venue where many a young Brit was discovered, has pulled out of the National league due to unsustainable rising costs. They have been around for years but, sadly, have been betrayed by their own peers - the third division glory-hunters who ignored the ethos of what was meant to be a training, development league for young British riders in pursuit of silverware. Buxton's withdrawal should have served as a neon warning sign to the sport's governing body but their story seems to have been glossed over, ignored, outside Derbyshire. What are experienced 'old hands' doing nicking a living from a league meant for novices trying to learn the game? If there isn't already an age or experience limit, the Nl should impose one so that only one rider per team is over, say, 25. And NO-ONE who has any real experience of top flight or Div 2 racing should be occupying a team place. So what should happen to stem the tide? BRITISH SPEEDWAY has to become amateur, riders must go part-time and return to the days of the old BL1 and BL2/NL of the 60s, 70s & 80s, when many racers had a day job to supplement their speedway earnings, or vice-versa. If today's riders are performing in front of mere hundreds of spectators, rather than thousands, then they are really operating in an amateur sport and should not be paid as professionals. Speedway needs to take a long, hard look at itself and reality must finally kick in. Most non-league football teams are part-time. Players train Tuesdays and Thursdays and play Saturdays and midweek. They fit it in around their 9-to-5 job. Speedway riders must accept how small what they do really is in terms of spectator sports. As former Ellesmere Port middle order rider Duncan Meredith says: "Most of us back in my day had a job and my job subsidised my racing. We loved racing - the money was just a bonus." It's time to go back to those days. A backward step? Not if it stabilises the sport in the immediate short-term and enables it to survive and weather the current UK economic storm. Promoters need protecting from themselves and stop burying their heads in the sand. They must stop 'thinking big' - look where that got Leicester, Rye House and Glasgow, among others, in recent times and by propping up the Premiership Buster Chapman is merely applying a tiny sticking plaster to a large, gaping wound requiring major surgery. The BSPA has to start thinking SMALL and apply self-imposed reality checks that are long overdue. Scale down budgets to realistic levels and don't pay out more than you take at the turnstiles and sponsorship. It's simple economics of life. There is a chronic rider shortage across the board, the use of guests and R/R has escalated out of all proportion. I'd love to see a study of how many DIFFERENT riders appeared in each of the 3 divisions last season, and another list showing how many appeared for multiple clubs. The result would be eye-bulgingly horrific. So come up with a revised race format for six or even five-men teams. Six-men teams were used in the 60s and in the top flight in 1998. If there aren't enough riders to fill 7-men teams, then change the format. Doubling-up is killing what little credibility British speedway has left. If, in 10 years, British speedway has unearthed a new wave of young talent, then a return to 7-men teams can be considered. Until then, the BSPA must immediately go into crisis-survival mode, cut its cloth accordingly and stop paying out money to riders that it simply cannot afford, before more tracks are lost forever. Of course, reducing team members and changing race formats won't bring many, if any, new fans through the turnstiles. But what it will definitely help to do is RETAIN the current, rapidly declining fan base. Promoters should stop thinking of ways to try and lure a new, younger supporters (if any do), because 98% of teenagers will never be interested in speedway, and focus fully on keeping their existing customers.

Philip, I don't think anyone can accuse riders of being the main issue.. Let's face it, their costs mean they need to race anywhere and everywhere they can.. The issue lies with the fact the clubs end up paying the riders what they want because there is too little supply and too much demand, and riders need the money to pay for their too high outgoings.. The top league should be the top league with professionals.. The middle league should be semi pro with riders aspiring to get onto the top rung or are happy to supplement another jobs earnings.. If you need a third league it should be pretty much 'pay to play' or at best expenses only and the track time develops you to aspire to a higher level.. If you analyse the issue facing British Speedway it is very much down to riders paying out fortunes to pay for machinery and maintenance, which means clubs pay out more than they can afford and meetings can take place at anytime (whether fans like it or not) to ensure the rider is there. Riders are then allowed to race in several domestic leagues to prop up their income. (and no doubt also boost the ego of a few promoters in the lower leagues), which delivers a lack of credibility in the Leagues. The bottom line is (regardless of genuine reasons), riders earn too much for a sport that attracts too few punters in the UK.. And they do this because they pay out far too much for the tools to do their job.. Sort that equation out and the sport over here may have a chance.. Don't sort it and more clubs will disappear as it is abundantly clear that not enough people are willing to part with their cash in enough numbers to justify the current outlay in salaries.. The Promoters have had their heads in the sand for far too long, often individually taking a "well I'm alright Jack" stance rather than working collaboratively to move the whole 'brand' forwards... How many more clubs will disappear before they face reality, join together collectively and build a proper fit for purpose operating model... Who knows? Do that and you might attract one or two percent more of the current 99.9% of the population who don't currently attend...!

However Phil, it's their choice to "work" in a short lived industry. In an ideal world I'd agree riders deserve every penny and more but we are far from an ideal world. Standardise engines, at least in the lower leagues, and their costs would be cut (no expensive tuners) and quite frankly less than 1% of fans on the terraces would notice any difference in the on track action. That's what we pay to see after all.

I didn't say he would ride for someone else, I merely suggested that it is a possibility which you can't comprehend and if in the unlikely event he ever rode in England again he would only ever ride for Belle Vue. I don't believe any rider would refuse to ride for another team because of his undying love for Belle Vue!

Phil, the point I was trying to make is that the non-league club I've referred to does not pay out more in player/manager/coaching staff wages than it takes in revenue, so its cloth is cut accordingly to ensure they remain in business. Just because - and we all agree - riders face increasing and high running costs, it doesn't mean promoters (and, indirectly, fans) should keep financing those overheads. If they do, there will be only one outcome: more and more tracks going the way of Rye House, Buxton and Workington, and whoever else is next... So, a combination of drastically reduced riders' costs, and in turn the wages they need to compete, is paramount if league speedway in the UK is to have a credible future.

The fun has gone out of speedway. Why bother to leave the house to attend the track to cheer on boys who have as much commitment to your team as the next land developer who has designs on the venue? Not to mention spending nearly £20 admission in the hope you won't be kept waiting in the cold for two hours or more for 15 minutes of action. Youngsters have a variety of other things to do nowadays so you can't really expect to lure kids and expect them to wait 10 minutes until the next race. If we don't lower our aims and commit to having a league set up which favours the old art of team speedway rather than tinkering with rules to allow riders a decent living in whatever division that can accommodate them, we are done. Speedway is primarily a team sport, where riders turn out in the colours for those on the terraces. That has been completely lost in modern-day speedway. It is important now just to fix the riders up with enough dates in their diary to make a living. The riders are being put ahead of the fans. One night during the 90s I realised that riders I had grew up supporting actually began to feel they were doing the fans some kind of favour. It was the night one particular meeting was held up for around 45 minutes because some competitors had been delayed in Sweden from the night before. Any other entertainment business would have made sure it didn't happen again. But it has, again and again. When you feel that the team you used to glow red-faced just cheering on hasn't anybody in it who would commit the same because it's just a job, and they have a short career, I suppose you can point to the start of speedway's latest death threat. Speedway should make up its mind. Either return it to a team sport - banish the double up and down farce - and give a reason for fans to return, a love for a team of seven of their own riders. Otherwise, what does it exist for?

Well done for supporting your son. Not all sporting parents are as supportive, so you deserve credit for letting him have a shot at it. But my answer would be for riders to get a trade then that fits with your sporting ambitions. Paint, decorate, plaster, labour...if you truly want to make it, you will do it. The same goes for any sport. Speedway does not owe anyone a living.

Hello again DropaCog, FredFlange, FledFlange, Thunderbird2 and others.

Exactly, which is why the riders in this country should have proper jobs and ride speedway as a hobby and receive remuneration based on results. In addition, regionalise the speedway teams, to ensure the riders have reduced costs and reduced travelling time. And have more individual meetings based on ability, which means you could still have big individual meetings for the best riders offering big prize money.

TOO often on here, in my opinion, riders are accused of milking the honeypot and making a fortune. Extortionate demands, etc, etc. But, surely, it is worth remembering that speedway riders have a short (often prematurely short) and potentially dangerous career. And also that costs have risen massively since the "old days." even without expensive tuning. Looking at the CL this season ... a rider travelling from Eastbourne to Glasgow has a round journey of almost 1,000 miles. Conservatively that is likely to cost him £200 in fuel alone. Okay, that is an extreme but while I agree with much of what Tony Mac has to say (and Speedway Star is suffering massively from the mass exodus of fans from the sport) continual watering down of the product is not the answer. Many moons ago a wise man said of speedway in the UK: You cannot keep cutting costs until there is nothing left. Sooner or later you have to increase revenue. What remains infuriating is that the actual product can still be exciting, spectacular, enthralling, etc. But roughly 15 minutes of entertainment over a two--hour plus span is not enough for the current price of admission. Filling in the gaps doesn't have to be costly.

tbh the BSPA have been patient over the couple of seasons that the cash flow hasn't worked, my beef is purely the interference and lack of fixture cooperation that has made this situation far worse than it would have been. The persistent refusal by some clubs to accept dates and the removal of dates already agreed not withstanding the Management Committee's inability to enforce some of those clubs to commit has contributed. I don't believe that this has been malicious, they just never think about the medium to long term consequences of their actions (or lack of) and it just doesn't seem to matter that clubs generally throw 5 and some 6 figure sums down the toilet every year.

This demise of once a great family sport in Great Britain is now on its last legs thanks mainly to the BSPA. You ran the sport your way for years and years. When speedway was on a high, as it was in my opinion up until probably the mid-eighties, you took the fans and riders for granted. Now you’ve ruined the sport and you have got the nerve to ask now for a National Supporters Group to meet 3 times a year at various venues around the country. “To provide a structured platform for supporters (each representing one of the sport's tracks/clubs) to meet with the BSPA to air their views (however critical!) and provide ideas. The BSPA see supporter engagement as critical to the future of the sport - seeing the formation of this new Group which it believes will add significant value to the sport's continued development.” I love this part ‘will add significant value to the sports continued development’! Poppy cock!!!! When emails have been sent to BSPAHQ asking questions and making suggestions they the BSPA have not even had the decency to reply! What great public relations that is! My speedway fix will probably be at Lydd/Rye House when they have a meeting or training school, both of course black listed by the SCB and at Iwade, not black listed. Perhaps that’s where speedway’s future lies, away from the BSPA? Somebody from the BSPA must read the forums and wouldn’t it be nice if just for once they had the decency to actually reply…….

Promoters need saving from themselves. You can only assume that in some cases the speedway losses are actually viewed as tax losses from an individual's main source of revenue, otherwise why would they do it? Trouble is, those who treat a speedway club as a mere hobby, their 'play thing' and the chance to suddenly become a big fish in a tiny pool, invariably leave a trail of destruction and others to try and pick up the pieces. I remember Simmo telling me how he and Bill Barker made huge mistakes paying several of their King's Lynn riders way above what they could really afford - speculating to accumulate. It backfired big-time. And that was 32 years ago.

There is one simple fact at Workington Speedway and a lot of other clubs. Not enough fans attending meetings to cover the costs. Sponsorship can only cover so much so for years Laura and other promoters have subsidised our speedway so we can still watch the sport we love. This is unsustainable going forward and Workington will not be the last club to close this year. I'm very surprised there were not more clubs closed during the winter. You only have to look to the premiership one man owns three clubs how can that be right ? The sport is sliding away to nothing and very fast. The riders spend a fortune on equipment and obviously ask for signung money and points money to achieve this but there is not enough money in the sport no more.

1. Pleased to hear it is manageable, assuming you are meaning speedway debts. My main point was that I could not see BSPA allowing riders being sold and allowing Worky to keep the money if there was substantial debts.That situation would be shady with some promoters with them wriggling out of the debts they owe internally. 2. Yes of course, I had included loan riders who would obviously be back on the market under the control of their own promoters. Do the loan fees to these clubs get returned, assuming they have already been paid of course. 3. We talked about starting a NL team last year in the future but currently it would not be viable, mainly due to, as you say, the league being too southern based and BV being the nearest team for derbies. Also there is currently a shortage of Northern based riders of that quality who could stock that team. There was also the possibly of a combined team say with Redcar sharing the home meetings on an equal basis but, until the new riders appear like they will in future, that idea has to be on the back burner for now. New riders that could emerge on the 500 scene in the near future are Archie, Danny, Alex, Elliott, Jack W, Sam McGurk, following by Luke. Healthy prospects there.

Following on from the debate that began yesterday in which I advocated that British speedway needs to drastically cut its cloth and 'go amateur' to survive in the short term . . . I've spoken with a good friend, the owner of a successful Essex-based non-league football club that currently operates in Bostik League (North). In fairness to him, we will not name the club here but all figures below are accurate (he is an accountant by profession!). While it is not appropriate to make many direct comparisons with speedway, due mainly to the fact that the club owns its ground and therefore benefits from bar and catering revenue, there are some interesting aspects that perhaps speedway - especially at NL level - can learn from. Here are some financial facts: * The club averages 300 paying supporters per game. * Admission price structure is: Adults £10, Concessions £5, Young Persons (aged 16-21) £5, Under-16s FREE. * Playing squad is 16 players (all part-time) and total annual players' wage bill is £35k. Wages range from £150 per week for star men to £25 for rookie players. They all have 9-to-5 jobs. * Management/coaching staff (all part-time) total annual wage bill is £15k. * Club receives £60k per season in sponsorship. * Club takes £21k per year in bar profits (as well as match day income, they rent the facilities out for weddings and other functions). * £150 per game profit from programme sales (it's printed free by a fan). * Annual turnover is £250k, of which £120k is bar/catering/function room revenue. * Club has no debt and expects to at least break-even each year. As you can see, the bar/function room is a major factor. But the playing and staff costs are in line with revenues based on an average gate of 300 and other income. Above all, the club operates within its means. I accept that a more meaningful comparison could be made involving a National League (level 5) football club but at least the above figures give some food for thought.

Without reading all this thread was just wondering if they had considered going national League for a couple of seasons . The lower costs may mean that speedway is sustainable

A lot of what holds us back as a sport is a lack of the product being put in people's faces online and on tv. I don't know the ins and outs of everything but it's seems this seems to be because GO Speed??? own all the video and broadcast rights. Meaning that we (as a sport) can't go and offer the NL or Championship (For free!) To potential broadcasters, fans are being threatened with stadium bans for uploading heats to the internet. (No I am sorry but if your happy to watch grainy vids online to replace attending meetings and buying dvds, then chances are you was never going to go much anyway.) Offer what is a fantastic raw and simple to follow sport is almost being kept in the shadows due to the stranglehold a middleman company holds over the entire sport in the UK.

Brings back memories of an old Weslake on a bike rack, perched on the back of a Cortina, flip the bonnet up and charge the magic box

That's three clubs gone in two years.... Does anyone within the organisation really believe the business plan and operating model it implements is any way shape or form fit for purpose? Best wishes to Worky, but let's be honest, maybe only 400 or so 'die hards' will feel an emptiness.. And you simply cannot pay out 7 of the salaries that riders now expect twice a week based on only a few hundred regulars. Who is next?

When debating the future of speedway, we must also recognise that the sport's current plight is not just the result of BSPA failings and riders' costs. Like other sports, leisure entertainments and especially the dwindling high streets of cities and towns all over GB, it has been affected by the UK economy. Many regular speedway fans will have had been made redundant or seen their social benefits cut in recent years, so their already limited disposable incomes have seriously diminished. Many others are hanging onto their jobs by a thread and fearing the worst, so they too are tightening the purse strings. We at Retro Speedway have felt the effects of this first-hand. I'll be honest. Our revenue from sales in the 8-week pre-Christmas period for 2018 was 30% (THIRTY) down on the same period of the previous year, even though we had more products available to purchase. I think our regular followers on the BSF, Facebook and Twitter would agree that we hardly lack marketing thrust, and push all our products with as much zeal as possible. In the run up to Xmas, we placed regular, prominent full-page adverts in Speedway Star, who are also being hit by issues beyond our control. It would be understandable if Speedway Star's readership decreased in line with shrinking attendances. But it's not as if what we produce has anything to do with modern speedway. What we do is pretty timeless. But clearly not immune to the financial reality of the world. You might argue that our 2018 products were not good, or didn't represent good value. But I don't believe that is the case and feedback from customers would suggest this is not so. The reason is one of simple economics. And obviously, Brexit has only added to people's growing insecurities and uncertainty. Speedway will no doubt feel these continuing adverse effects in ever-dwindling season ticket and admission receipts when the new season starts in March.

That’s the attitude that closes clubs down your called a supporter to support the club through good and bad times how many worky fans are now thinking wish I had supported my team now they don’t have a one

Fans through the gates aren't enough to pay the riders, who in turn want to take their money out of the sport by spending on tuners etc. Time to cut costs and at the same time restructuring the whole league set-up. It is speedway's lifeblood.

Well done to the Bandits Management, giving the season ticket holders they’re promised meetings despite Workington’s demise SHOWTIME 2019! We can confirm that the 2019 season at Shielfield Park will kick off with Press & Practice evening on Friday the 29th of March at 6pm but the real fun begins 24 hours later! Competitive action gets underway with the 2019 Bordernapolis event on Saturday the 30th of March at 7pm! Due to the devastating news that the Workington Comets are unable to take their place in the SGB Championship division in 2019, Bandits management have agreed that the Bordernapolis event will now be included in your 15 match season pass alongside scheduled Championship, KO Cup and Championship Shield matches. Everyone at Berwick Bandits Speedway Club sends their condolences to all involved at Workington Comets Speedway Club. Workington’s unfortunate situation brings home the very real challenges the sport is facing to survive and sustain in the current climate. We hope to one day renew our border rivalry with the 2018 SGB treble Champions but for now all thoughts are with the Promotion, Management, Riders, Mechanics, Fans and sponsors. There has never been a more important time to back your local Speedway club! #SupportLiveSpeedway

Yes it is sad but what was Laura meant to do? Think positively and put a competitive team together for 2019 in the hope additional sponsors came forward as she was presumably led to believe they would or think negatively, wait for all the top riders to be signed up and if the additional sponsorship came through then try to put a complete team of NL riders together? If the latter had happened the sponsors would not be happy, the crowds would have dropped off even more and we may have had to pull the plug mid season. THJ has already stated that last years debts were manageable and will be sorted. I believe that Laura has gone about things in the right way, and after the sacrifices she has made over the past 6 years to keep speedway alive in Workington does not warrant any criticism whatsoever. No doubt there will be some supporters up and down the country complaining that they have paid for their season tickets and been misled out of a couple of meetings, however those people should just feel grateful that they are going to see some speedway this year, unlike those at Rye, Lakeside and Workington. As for the riders, yes it is unfortunate for them however hopefully they will get fixed up elsewhere even if some may have to wait a month or so. I cant for instance see Steve Worrall, Kyle Bickey or BWD being out of work for long, though granted they will be taking someone else's place! To speedway fans elsewhere, please make the most of what you still have.

I would probably die from laughter

But the crowd numbers and income generated IS comparable Philip.. My local team Stockport County ply their trade in 'Division Six' and get crowds regularly of 3300 plus.. Their highest earning player is on less than £500 per match... BV have attendances approx one third of that and I would wager all seven riders get paid more than £500, with possibly several up to four or five times as much.. Speedway can't afford its business plan and the operating model it is based on... So needs to change and start doing so...

And with standardised engines you could run a one make series.. Giving economy to scale purchasing power.. And tender out the upkeep and maintenance contract too. One fee paid out to one business to maintain the engines.. And if they don't cut the mustard they are replaced.. Or if they do a good job and someone equally as good can do it for less, the costs are cut even more.. It would be interesting to know how much British League racing money subsidises the individual aspirations of some of the competitors.. Or even subsidises their racing overseas... Maybe a one make series, with riders salaried, and bikes owned and maintained by teams (or centrally by the collective BSPA) is the way forward? Cutting standards is mentioned as being a reason for decline.. 99.9% of the population don't attend Speedway, with a large amount of that huge number having a Speedway track within an hours drive.. These people simply have no idea what 'the current standard' is, nor could probably name the current British World Champion therefore they wouldn't 'miss' the standard as it currently is.. These are the people that need to be attracted to the Sport and the size of their number offers a huge prize, and if only a couple of percent can be enticed to start watching the Sport it would increase crowds several fold.... The 'model' used for the past 20 years or so simply doesn't work.. So stop using it..

Which is why I can't class him (as some do) as one of the very best ever. Certainly up there on tracks that suited.. but for me, the very best rode EVERY track at a very high standard. That's not a knock on Gollob, one of the most entertaining riders of all time.. just that he's a level below the Nielsens, Rickardssons, Olsens, Maugers etc

You’d need bottomless pockets, be barking mad (or possibly both) to invest in speedway these days.

Are you moaning again?

Whoooosh!!

Both of my kids loved speedway until their early teens, then stopped going. Youngsters want to be associated with things that are popular, things that they can talk about with their mates. I've been a speedway fan for just over 50 years, but i know the end is near for me. The loss of Lakeside and Rye are more nails in an already full coffin. I admire people that continue to to wave the flag for a dying sport, but i fear they are flogging a dead horse.

How? Well, that's the big question isn't it! My own teenage son loves going to speedway. He has brought friends too. They have always enjoyed it too. It's not the product or the racing. Kids seem to enjoy it on every occasion. It is, to some degree, modern life. Kids are happy doing it, but just as happy sat at home in front of an Xbox. At the end of the day, kids aren't going to be going if their parents don't take them. I think the team aspect should be more visual. A basketball/ice hockey type scoreboard would make it more of a sporting event. Unfortunately, a lot of promoters worry about losing programme revenue, but having some guy up in the box reading out race times etc isn't enough. My son likes to fill out a programme. I think people would still do that even with the match score permanently on display.

Not the case Dave last years debt is manageable and will be sorted; and as pointed out below and mentioned earlier in the post, its only if the club totally fail and end up being annulled do they loose their assets Totally Correct Not quite correct either as the riders are still assets of other clubs and as such resort back to that status just means they are back into he mix as riders without clubs; their status wont change also if any Workington assets are used they will still get the loan fees whilst the licence is on "Ice" and if they confirm that there are no buyers and they intend to wind up the business and do not run next year they will be able to sell the assets As you have outlined with Kyle Howarth and a couple of junior riders but non of them amount to a hill of beans cash wise with a possible return of between £15/20k max for the riders they own. (that's just my assessment could be more but may be less) Totally valid point and the asset based system is slowly changing with the BSPA seeming to be building up a centralised asset base meaning they will end up holding all the riders. Looking at recent changes in BSPA company status things are slowly changing behind the scenes and this will cause further ripples and consternation throughout the sport It is getting that way and there is a conspiracy building under the surface here (I believe) which will anger even more fans, definitely a case of "watch this space" Totally Correct Totally correct Although crudely put you are correct it has all boiled down to money at the end of the day and the club could have started the season however if the same constraints and factors remained for this coming season as the last one then the club would have potentially folded around the end of July beginning of August and folding mid season would have done no one any favours really. The big gamble would have been to start the season and pray some of the (one time only and returning) fans who watched the cup matches came back and bolstered the crowd levels. However that was to big a gamble to take due to the fact that if the team weren't winning from the start of the season the fair weather fans would have drifted away as they had done in the past leaving the club up a creek without a paddle Average crowds currently of 450 to 550 with a lot of discerning fans who wouldn't come to watch National League racing unfortunately so the crowd dips to what? half that figure 250 to 300? Eastbourne and Lakeside for sure will tell you that they had larger crowds than that and struggled to make it pay in the National League, also being mainly a Southern based league with the most Northerly team in Manchester meaning greater travel costs and then there is the Stadium costs as the Rugby Club would still want their cash regardless so there would not be any reduction there. I looked at this option last year and it is even less viable than the Championship. It may sound crazy but the better option could have been to go up a league rather than down then this may have generated a crowd of 800 to 1200 which would have supported a reasonable team but again that is one hell of a gamble to take Totally correct and sums much of this sad situation up I'm afraid Regards THJ

Think you’re always going to get inconsistencies with the Poles over here, even the very top ones have tracks and meetings that they just don’t go well on/in. Even Gollob had some absolute stinkers, especially at Wolves. All in all though it’s a signing I’m pleased with. He won plenty of races in his spell here last year with Leicester so that’s a good sign considering he was seeing tracks for the first time. Cant say I know about his riding style, but Louis and Ritchie Hawkins seem to think he’ll be a crowd pleaser and entertaining so that’s always a positive.

what total and utter crap you speak,seems to be looking from the outside that all involved have done all they can to keep the club going,but it was missing one vital thing.... MONEY

Yes that's correct and the loan fees will go into the pot but this is a cash flow situation that will be resolved but not in time to start the season. The members who refused fixtures last season, withdrew Friday fixtures and allowed the finals all to be run in just over a week need to take a long hard look at themselves. Plenty of clubs owe money but this isn't the first hiccup at Workington that has taken a while to sort, if the BSPA want to try and retain a shred of respect they will allow them to put the licence on ice until the cash flow situation is resolved. It didn't help matters that the rest of the league met last week to agree fixtures and Workington was excluded from that meeting so even if they did come to the tapes in 2019 they'd get the rse end of the fixtures. In my opinion the responsibility for the decision not to run lies with the sport as a whole and not just Laura, "There by the grace of God go I" should have been on every Promoter's lips this morning just like "chuck her under a bus" was last week! (allegedly of course)

Just to add about Northside. When the Bickley's ceased to run Northside, it was taken on by a junior rider's father Malcolm McCoy. During his time Laura has been extremely helpful to Malcom giving him her old shale and lending him a good tractor. With some considerable work Malcolm, has transformed the track, which he probably could not have done without her help. When Northside stopped riding official NJL meetings, Laura allowed the Northside Stars to ride at Derwent Park.

It would make more sense to pay the riders first and then hold on to whatever is left to pay the fine with any balance needing to be paid before another promoting licence is issued.

Probably longer than you gave your American last season

ALDERSHOT Aldershot Sports Stadium ALDERSHOT Aldershot Stadium, Tongham AMMANFORD Ty-Gwaith Pony Trotting Track - MAY BE GRASS-TRACK ARENA ESSEX Arena Essex Raceway, Purfleet ARMADALE Armadale Stadium ASHINGTON Portland Park Stadium AUDENSHAW Ashton Old Road AYCLIFFE Aycliffe Stadium AYR Dam Park BARNET Mays Lane BARNSLEY Lundwood BARROW Little Park, Roose BARROW Holker St. BARROW Park Road Stadium BELLE VUE Zoological Gardens, Hyde Rd.. Manchester BELLE VUE Greyhound Stadium, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton, Manch. BELLE VUE National Stadium BERWICK Berrington Lough Stadium, Ancroft BERWICK Shielfield Park BIRMINGHAM Motodrome Greet BIRMINGHAM Hall Green Greyhound Stadium BIRMINGHAM Alexander Sports Stadium, Perry Barr BIRMINGHAM Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium BIRMINGHAM Wheels Project, Bordesley Green BLACKPOOL Highfield Road Sports Ground BLACKPOOL South Shore Greyhound Stadium, St. Annes Road BOLTON Raikes Park BOSTON Boston Sports Stadium BOTHWELL Bothwell Park Farm BOURNEMOUTH Windsor Hall, Bournemouth International Centre. BRADFORD Fronby Avenue BRADFORD Shelf Moor BRADFORD Greenfield Stadium BRADFORD Odsal Stadium BRAFIELD Brafield Sports Stadium BRIGHTON Hove Stadium BRIGHTON Brighton Centre BRISTOL Knowle Stadium BRISTOL Eastville Stadium BURNLEY Towneley Stadium BUXTON Buxton Stadium BUXTON Buxton Raceway CAERPHILLY Virginia Park Stadium CALIFORNIA Longmoor Speedway CANTERBURY Kingsmead Stadium CARDIFF White City Stadium, Sloper Rd. CARDIFF Penarth Rd. Stadium CARDIFF Millenium Stadium CARLISLE Moorville Park, Kingmoor CARMARTHEN The Showground CASTLEFORD Whitwood Stadium CATFORD Catford Cricket Ground CATFORD Catford Greyhound Stadium CAXTON (near Cambridge) CHALTON ( near Horndean) Clapton See Lea Bridge COATBRIDGE Cliftonhill Stadium COVENTRY Coventry Stadium, Foleshill COVENTRY Brandon Stadium COWDENBEATH Central Park Stadium CRADLEY HEATH Dudley Wood Road CRAYFORD Crayford Stadium CREWE Sports Ground, Earle St. CRYSTAL PALACE Crystal Palace Exhibition Grounds, London DAGENHAM Ripple Road DONCASTER Greyhound Stadium, York Rd. Droyslden See Manchester EARLS BARTON Greyhound Stadium EASTBOURNE Arlington Stadium EASTBOURNE Arlington Stadium Traininjg Track EDINBURGH Marine Gardens, Portobello EDINBURGH Old Meadowbank Stadium EDINBURGH Powderhall Stadium ELLESMERE PORT Thornton Road Stadium EXETER Exwick Fields (single event 21 05 45) EXETER Marsh Barton Stadium, Alphington EXETER County Ground Stadium FARINGDON Faringdon Raceway FELTON (Near Amble, Northumberland) FLEETWOOD Highbury Ave. Sports Stadium GLASGOW Celtic Park GLASGOW Carntyne Greyhound Stadium GLASGOW Nelson Athletic Grounds GLASGOW White City Stadium GLASGOW Hampden Park GLASGOW Blantyre Sports Stadium, Blantyre GLASGOW Craighead Park, Blantyre GLASGOW Shawfield Stadium GLASGOW Ashfield Stadium GREENFORD Greenford Driving Park HACKNEY Hackney Wick Greyhound Stadium, London HALIFAX Thrum Hall Cricket Ground HALIFAX The Shay Grounds HAMILTON Hamilton Showgounds ( 1948-51 ) HARRINGAY Harringay Greyhound Stadium HASTINGS Pilot Field Stadium HEVINGHAM Norwich Raceway, HIGH BEECH Kings Oak HIGHBRIDGE Oak Tree Arena (Somerset) HOLBEACH Bell End Speedway HOUNSLOW Staines Road HUDDERSFIELD Quarmby Stadium HULL White City Stadium HULL Hedon Stadium, Hedon HULL Boulevard Stadium HULL New Craven Park Stadium IPSWICH Foxhall Heath Stadium IPSWICH Foxhall Heath Stadium (new track inside stock car circuit) KETTERING Red House Speedway, Hannington IWADE Marshbank Farm KING'S LYNN Norfolk Arena LEA BRIDGE Lea Bridge Stadium, London LEEDS Post Hill Speedway, Pudsey LEEDS Morley LEEDS Leeds Stadium, Fullerton Park LEICESTER Leicester Super LEICESTER The Stadium, Blackbird Road LEICESTER Beaumont Park Lathallen See Linlithgow LINLITHGOW Heathersfield Stadium (1989-90) LIVERPOOL Seaforth Greyhound Stadium LIVERPOOL Stanley Stadium LONG EATON Long Eaton Stadium LOWESTOFT Kessingland Road LUTON Luton Greyhound Stadium LYDD Belgar Farm MANCHESTER White City Greyhound Stadium, Old Trafford MANCHESTER Moorside Stadium, Droylsden MANSFIELD Park Hall MARCH GER Sports Club MELTON MOWBRAY Melton Greyhound Stadium MIDDLESBROUGH Cleveland Park Stadium MILDENHALL Mildenhall Stadium, West Row Fen MILDENHALL Training track, Mildenhall Stadium, West Row Fen MILTON KEYNES Groveway Greyhound Stadium (1978-88) MILTON KEYNES Elfield Park Stadium MOTHERWELL Paragon Speedway, Clyde Valley Sports Ground MOTHERWELL The Stadium, Milton Street MOTHERWELL The Stadium, Milton Street. (New track inside stock car track) NEATH Neath Abbey Stadium NELSON Seedhill Stadium NEW BRIGHTON The Tower Ground NEW CROSS New Cross Stadium, London NEWCASTLE Gosforth Park NEWCASTLE Brough Park Greyhound Stadium, Fossway NEWMARKET Newmarket Road Dog Track NEWPORT Somerton Park NEWPORT Hayley Stadium, Queensway Meadows NEWTON HEATH Newton Heath Training Track, Williams Road NEWTONGRANGE Victoria Park Stadium ( 1950-51, 1970 ) NORTHAMPTON Hannington NORTHAMPTON Northampton Greyhound Stadium NORWICH Firs Stadium NOTTINGHAM White City Stadium, Trent Lane NOTTINGHAM Highfields ( grass track with sand on the bends) OXFORD Cowley Stadium PAISLEY Love Street PETERBOROUGH Eastfield Speed Park PETERBOROUGH East of England Showground PLYMOUTH Pennycross Stadium PLYMOUTH St. Boniface Arena PONYTPRIDD Taff Vale Park POOLE Poole Stadium, Wimborne Road PORTSMOUTH Wessex Stadium, Copnor Gardens PORTSMOUTH Portsmouth Greyhound & Sports Stadium, Tipnor PRESTON Farringdon Park RAYLEIGH Rayleigh Stadium, Laindon RAYLEIGH Rayleigh Weir Stadium (1948-57,59-61,63-65) READING Reading Greyhound Stadium, Tilehurst READING Smallmead Stadium READING Reading Training Track, Smallmead REDCAR South Tees Motorsports Track RINGWOOD Matchams Park (at rear of later stadium) RINGWOOD Matchams Park RINGWOOD Matchams Park (smaller track inside the stock car track) ROCHDALE Athletic Grounds ROCHESTER City Way Stadium ROMFORD Brooklands Stadium ROTHERHAM Greyhound Stadium, Hellaby RYDE Smallbrook Stadium, Isle of Wight RYE HOUSE Hoddesdon Stadium (Outside Greyhound track) RYE HOUSE Hoddesdon Stadium (Inside Greyhound track) RYE HOUSE Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon SALFORD Salford Albion Stadium, Cromwell Rd. SCUNTHORPE Quibell Park Stadium SCUNTHORPE Ashby Ville Stadium, Ashby SCUNTHORPE Normanby Road Seaforth See Seaforth Greyhound Stadium, Liverpool SHEFFIELD Owlerton Sports Stadium SHEFFIELD Sheffield Training Track, Owlerton SITTINGBOURNE Marshbank Farm, Iwade - SEE IWADE SITTINGBOURNE Central Park SKEGNESS Skegness Stadium, Marsh Lane, Orby. SMALLFORD Smallford Speedway, Hatfield Rd, near St. Albans SOUTHAMPTON The Stadium, Banister Court ST. AUSTELL Cornish Stadium, Par Moor ST. AUSTELL Clay Country Moto Park, Nanpean STAINES Staines Greyhound Stadium STAINFORTH Stainforth Greyhound Stadium STAMFORD BRIDGE Stamford Bridge Stadium, London STOCKPORT Hazel Grove Greyhound Stadium, Hazel Grove STOKE Hanley Stadium, Sun Street STOKE Newcastle-Under-Lyme Stadium, Loomer Rd., Chesterton SUNDERLAND Sunderland Greyhound Stadium, East Boldon SWINDON Swindon Autodrome, Gorse Hill SWINDON Abbey Stadium, Blunsdon TAMWORTH Mile Oak Speedway, Mile Oak TAMWORTH Deer Park, Watling St., Fazely THORNE Thorne Stadium TRAGO Trago Stadium, Bodmin TREDEGAR Recreation Ground WALTHAMSTOW Walthamstow Stadium, London WARRINGTON Arpley Motordrome WEMBLEY Empire Stadium, London WEST HAM Custom House Stadium, London WEYMOUTH Wessex Stadium WEYMOUTH Wessex Stadium (Behind original stadium around football practice pitch) WHITE CITY White City Stadium, London WHITLEY BAY Hillheads WIGAN Greyhound & Sports Stadium, Woodhouse Lane WIGAN Poolstock Stadium WIMBLEDON Wimbledon Stadium WIMBLEDON Wimbledon Stadium (New track built inside the original) WOLVERHAMPTON Monmore Green Stadium, Monmore Green WOMBWELL Ings Road Stadium, Low Valley WOMBWELL South Yorkshire Sports Stadium WORKINGTON Lonsdale Park WORKINGTON Derwent Park Stadium WORKINGTON Northside Arena YARMOUTH Yarmouth Stadium, Caister-on-Sea YORK There you go, maybe not all but pretty close 225 or more! Burnholme Estate, Heworth

I personally have no confidence in the BSPA. Too many people looking after their own territory rather than the benefit of the Sport.

Nah I'm sorry. I don't buy the whole "use it or lose it" speedway is way beyond point now. The diehards don't cut it anymore. Promoters need to work on the sport and make it worth the admission and the only way they're going to do that is working on the overall presentation and quality. If it's not there, the sport will die regardless. The sport is absolutely on its arse and scaremongering has never saved a club and it never will.

Costs have not been cut sufficiently, that's the trouble. Riders, performing in front of only hundreds of fans, raking in money that cannot be sustained. So here we are.

Excellent and well thought out post.

Gavan is by far not the worst disliked poster on here at all. There are way more candidates that fill that role with much more ease. Gavan makes many reasonable and sensible posts. Some posters do have serious issues with some others on here! Still, each to their own!