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this is what people want to see surely, entertainment. not riders so far ahead of the rest it looks boring we're constantly told that riders don't have a connection with the club or fans when they ride, well now is the ideal time to have a league with committed riders and build from there

sadly this divide has plagued the sports progress for many years, the quality vs entertainment debate is much like classical violin vs rock guitar, which music is better? which music is more enjoyable? Ive firmly sat on the side that similar matched riders on track at the same time will produce entertaining racing and thats what i would rather see week in week out. Take nothing away from watching a GP regular at full flight its a sight to behold the level of track craft as they disappear into the distance but the novelty of that fades quickly where as unpredictable entertainment is what keeps my interest.

I entirely agree that the sport should be a weekend only event from now on. Friday night/Saturday and Sunday. If there are no riders who ride in Poland and over seas riding in the UK, it should not be an issue. Fans, after a while, will forget the top stars being missing has watered down the league. There will always be a top dog. If that is someone like Daniel King, so be it. If he is the top rider in the league, fans will look forward to seeing him. British Speedway desperately needs to start again from the bottom. If not, there is absolutely no hope at all. One big league, only one competition (league). A riders championship at the end of the season with each teams top averaged rider. And maybe a pairs event. Just no tournament that requires qualification meetings as there will be way too many fixtures and fans get fed up of seeing the same team visit each season. It has to be worth a try as absolutely nothing else has worked so far. No air fares, no prima donnas, no living expenses for foreign riders etc will mean clubs can charge a lot less for entry. Speedway, like it or not, is a ten quid sport. There would obviously be way more planning involved than this but its the basics of a restructure plan that needs to be put in place. Two clubs have dropped out before the AGM outcome has been revealed, how many more are going to be announced as closing by the time the outcome of the AGM is known? Id guess at least one more. Probably more. Youd think that half head Godfrey would be pushing things for the better to sort the sport out, I hear Scunthorpes crowds are low more often than not.

damned if they do anything and damned if they don't, many will moan if they postpone the season, the rest will moan if they don't

His equipment always was immaculate and nothing has changed.

Early doors at derwent park we loved to boo sean wilson andre compton, and had dummys for " mogo", happy days. Back in the 70s apart from jack millan tony childs was always good to watch and shout at.

That forward thinking rider was none other than current Plymouth promoter Mark (the Undertaker) Phillips.

I love it when people try to correct somebody for their grammar and then get it wrong themselves. Next you’ll be using big words you don’t understand because you think it’ll make you look really photosynthesis.

as i have said before - the product is the racing, not the names. The general public don't know who the hell anyone is anyway so whats the problem

Those lads who want to better themselves should go to Poland and elsewhere if they see fit.. No issues at all with that.. However, if they want to ride in the UK then they will have a choice to be made.. In the eyes of so many Speedway is an entertainment over here, rather than serious competition, which means it should run when it can get its largest crowd in.. If that means racing on any day or night during the week then that is when each individual track should be given the right to run.. As long as every rider makes himself available for every meeting that the club wants to run, and when they want to run it, then all the riders can ride wherever they want... No disrespect intended, as I am only using him as an example as a GP rider, but Jason Doyle riding at Belle Vue on a Monday night wont bring a couple of hundred extra punters above the usual die hards in.. But a meeting on a Friday or Saturday night without him there, definitely could, given the amount of "non regulars" who still follow the sport but go only very occasionally... Belle Vue, as an example, seem to have around 1100-1200 who attend every/most meetings, yet can get 2500+ for Bank Holiday meetings. Which means there is an underlying fan base already there and all you need to do is get some of this extra 1300+ to attend more often. And I would 100% suggest getting them to attend more often at weekend is easier than getting them out on a Monday or a Thursday night.. The Aces have lost two riders from their initial 2020 team, Kildemand and Lidsey, however crowds wont be decimated by their absence, (again no disrespect as they are just examples), in fact I would be amazed if anyone decides not to go because they are not there, therefore the sport is pretty much down to its core, die hard support, so run it when you may get some "extra" in.. Bottom line is. Not enough punters = No Speedway. No Speedway = No Speedway Careers..

Surely there has to be a chance of British speedway tracks returning to a Saturday fixture day, now no international star rider will be riding in the Britain, the time has to be right. Any rider who does progress to the point he deems himself at the point he needs international experience to progress to “greatness” ,well, he will just have to leave Britain to make that progress. It get Saturday racing back if that’s what the need is for British speedway to prosper again. I always uses to go to BV on a Saturday, never been when it was a Friday.

If everything in the world was 'normal' and Swindon came to the NSS on the same week they came the year before, but this time without Jason Doyle, I can virtually guarantee hardly a change in the numbers in attendance such is the way so many tracks now have 'regulars only' most weeks, and the lack of 'pull' of any rider.. If there was any difference (max 50 to 100 either way I would say) it would be down to either inclement weather if a drop, or down to it being a nice spring or summer evening if an increase.. And that's the reality, a nice spring or summer evening can bring more "extra than normal" fans in than any rider appearing can.. Another reality is that The Aces had Matej Zagar for many years at both tracks but if he went and knocked on the doors of every house within a mile radius of the stadium, hardly anyone answering the doors would know who he was, or what he did. .. Yet the Aces (and probably every other club), spent many years planning inconsistent fixture lists around the timetables of their No1 rider. And the Aces, again like others, used to visit tracks without their No1 and use guests instead, which did nothing but leave the competition they were competing for open to ridicule and the inevitable fall off in attendances... Sheffield would no doubt have got a 'dead cat bounce' with Nicki P for a few weeks but slowly home crowd levels would drop back as the novelty wore off and settle (at best I would suggest), around 100 to 150 more than the previous season without him, and when they ventured away the second visit wouldn't have matched the first visit for crowd numbers... A consistent fixture list, using weekends and all the Bank Holidays, and using riders who can commit to all dates, has to be the way forward, and if that means 'lesser riders' on show then so be it, but if it means more UK riders then so much the better.. Just provide a race format and team strengths, that have four riders of pretty equal ability in every heat and the racing will be close, regardless of the lack of 'GP' names in the programme...

Many thanks...you're a star!

There you go Steve, managed to compress the picture you sent.

I used to go to Reading on a Monday. I went to Swindon on a Thursday. The crowds were big at one time. Youngsters went with no problem regarding school the next day. Reading crowds dropped massively when they lost Per Jonsson and the stadium became more and more delapidated. Then they dropped down a league which also affected crowds. Swindon dropped down to Division Two in the nineties. Crowds visibly dropped. I, myself, stopped going for a while when the standard of what I was seeing at Swindon dropped to levels that weren't enjoyable. Swindon crowds shot up when they became more successful and there were top riders there every week. They visibly dropped again when promoters weakened the product in the mid-2000s. What will bring crowds in is giving people a product that they want to see. that is what would get me, personally, going. Low standard leagues with only unambitious riders in them are not the way to go. Die hard supporters may well be happy with a weak league, but you're not going to get people in with that. Dumbing down the standard is what killed the sport in this country, and it was done just as the sport looked to be staging a mini-revival. Jason Doyle riding at Belle Vue may well not bring in an extra 200 these days, but Jason Doyle, and other top riders, NOT riding will take another 200 off the gate and then, before we know it, we are in crowds of 3 figures.

pretty sure they make a lot of income through hiring out hospitality facilities to cover any major loses and with nothing coming in could maybe lose it all nobody knows how long the hospitality will take to get back up and running

Nail on the head Steve, all these things have eroded away and disappeared, and you can add Saturday tracks being reduced down often due to the many wide and varied FIM events that now take place... However.. To just accept that 'this is how it is' without any obviously needed fundamental, radical change of plan or ambition to change, has been criminal.. "Make do and mend, and keep making the best of a bad job" "Work around everyone else's priorities and put out any Speedway we can, regardless of its credibility" "Always accept the 'as is' without having, and working towards, a game changing 'to be'" "Fudge our way through, hope for the best, and having every track still 'alive' at the end of the season is our measure of success".. All the above could have been a 'mission statement' since the GP's started... I have said before on here, the BSB are an excellent organistion for the BSPL to look at.. A 'smaller' brother to the WSB competition who understand (and accept), that they will often be seen as a stepping stone for UK and Overseas riders, so ensure a constant stream of younger (mainly UK lads) come through by running events for them (including cost effective one make, entry level events), on their race weekends.. They run a very competitive series using UK and Overseas riders, with several 'coming back' from riding in WSB and MotoGP to see out their careers or taking the opportunity to 'try again' to make it back into the World arenas. They have also changed their operating model over the years to include differing races, ie less laps, more races etc to 'freshen up' their offer and keep their 'customers' interested.. In short, they "know their place" in the grand order of things, and build an operating model and business plan on the back of this... UK Speedway needs to do the same..

It's not just top riders who go to Poland though. Poland now is, basically, what the British League was in the 70s and 80s. Riders have to ride there to have a chance of making it. What about riders such as Adam Ellis and Anders Rowe, who also want to ride in Poland to try and improve themselves. Shut out everyone with ambition and we'll end up with a league of novices and pot-bellied middle aged men that would be f little appeal to anyone. I don't think the problem with speedway in this country is the day of the week it is ridden. It is that it has become a second rate version of the sport. Excluding any rider with any ambition will only add to that.

Totally off topic of the AGM but odsal is being prepared so that a speedway promoter can jump on board at any time. Steve rees has been pretty categorical on that since day 1.

Can't get away with it, tried a digital newspaper in 1st lockdown, but missed turning the pages and putting down and picking it back up, plus when I fall asleep reading paper/magazine does not hurt when it falls on your foot but a tablet does !!

Your Belle vues resident thicko fan and everyone knows it

During lockdown I watched a lot of videos from The 1997-2003 era at Newport. Anders Henriksson was a pure fans favourite and the way he bonded with the crowd is like nothing you see today. There were a few others also, Neath and Eldridge. Eldridge was nothing more than a 3.5 reserve for Newport but the fans absolutely loved him because he was a tryer and an entertainer.

Nice

and a Hammer. Jonnie Hoskins was the master showman. He really understood the value of entertainment.

Andy Galvin was always guaranteed to get the Wimbledon crowd going.

Do you mean Tyburn Gallows who I believe was as undertaker. He used to tell people he was a former Hangman's Apprentice. A real character.

far too much negativity - things aren't perfect but: there are a canny few kids coming through, there's a decent deal with Eurosport (compared to the sht on there speedway will be the star attraction), we're losing tracks but there are plans at Worky and Southampton, possibly Bradford. To use a gardening analogy, it just needs pruning back and it'll grow again. Lets start by making the bikes/ admission cheaper. I was at the second ever meeting at Somerset and the home team had a rider nicknamed the undertaker and had a top hat on his helmet, bit of fun and memorable, that sort of thing gets kids asking 'can we go next week?'

Basically Eastbourne's plan over the last five years(and for longer to be honest), Saturday night first choice, if not Sunday afternoon always seem to have had a fair amount of youngsters watching, with juniors before and/or after. Have had the pleasure of seeing the likes of Kennett, Bridger, Brennen, Edwards, Abblit plus many more over the years grow from just being able to straddle a bike to adult racing.

Having meetings at the weekend ie Friday, Saturday, Sunday should be able to attract a younger generation which is much needed, that is youngsters. School the next day must rob a load of youngsters from midweek meetings. Worth a shot. To encourage newcomers, give them a chance in a second half, no points or start money, it’s at their expense to get the experience, perhaps methanol provided foc.

You tell me, is this a theory or a fact: Smederna having won three years in a row (?) now and losing money each year now rumoured to sign the most expensive and boring rider there is?

Going by lack of decisiveness don't think they have any

I suppose they look at it from a stocks and shares point of view. Buy in when the product is undervalued, and hope (especially with your own input) that the product is massively successful again and reap the rewards of what to a multibillion dollar company like Discovery was a drop in the pond investment.

Think if you speak to the right people Mr G was in favour others blocked it Not a chance asking to much money per meeting as rent

AGM, pathetic, what a joke from the BSPA clowns! They’ve had months to come up with a plan and came up with nothing! No wonder the sport is in terminal decline. Won’t be surprised if Eurosport will be the next to pull out. Worthless product!

Will mr godfrey be happy if plymouth ride home meetings on friday nights, it could effect his crowds

The cynic in me says that the new team in the Championship will only be told if they can run after all the current teams have sorted out their teams leaving the new team with no riders to make a competitive team with. I hope I am wrong!

Chocolate digestives were sold out. Had to go with biscuit replacement instead!

If that was true then a lot of happy supporters will be grateful.

Serious question Geoff.. Have you had the jab recently? If so, are these the side effects you've been demonstrating the past few days? If you have, and they are, I am not sure if I will have one now to be honest..

Making it up as they go along

The quote of “details to be revealed in due course” really means " if and when we think of something we will let you know"

Great days! Due to our promotional tie-up with both Eastbourne and Peterborough we at Oxford got to see many talented riders...not only in the main body of the team but during the very competitive second halves.

Well if someone can come along and put the investment into re-instating a multi-use track for both Stock Cars and Speedway how realistic does it need to be ?. Note the clear intent from StarTrax is for Stock Cars and Speedway so then British Speedway as a collective body is well an truly up rubbish Creek without a paddle. So the track will be there if someone shows a modicum of enterprise for British Speedway ?; but afraid not ? Not sure where you have your information from; but the track as far as I am aware will meet the requirements for Stock Cars and Speedway. That is the whole point of re-opening Odsal !; it does not work unless Rugby, Stock Cars and Speedway are on board. Star Trax may yet decide to operate the Speedway as the promotion, but the preference is for a partner to come on board to run the Speedway. Bradford is very much a realistic option and failure to recognise that does Speedway a great disservice.

We literally know less now than before the statement! All it’s done is raise more questions and give zero answers.

Aldi and Lidl provide quality products at affordable prices. That's why they succeed. That's the real lesson to be learned. It has to be good value, just being cheap isn't good enough.

Well said.. Basic Business Practice.. An example I can give where the UK's business plan was incredibly flawed was when the Aces had Matej Zagar.. The Slovenian Championships were ran over several Finals so Matej would miss several Aces meetings to attend.. (Coincidentally they seemed to always be meetings away from home, and usually on tracks he didnt like so they could bring a track specialist guest in!! Who mentioned credibility?) Anyway I digress.... If my shop sold Slovenian goods and I paid "top dollar" for them, but they were my best selling products, I would be pleased to carry on selling them as "it worked for me".. However, if my Slovenian suppliers told me that for several weeks of the year they were concentrating on other markets, and couldn't supply me, thus meaning I couldn't open my shop, thus pissing my customers off who subsequently went elsewhere, I would eventually have to face the facts that they had a far too unhealthy impact on my business, and source suppliers who could guarantee supply every single week.. Now, these products may be of inferior quality, but would still be 'pretty decent', and would be cheaper to purchase for me and therefore my customers. And may even be deemed better value for money overall with a better margin for me.. With obviously the biggest positive being that my customers could attend regularly due to being confident that (a) I was actually open and (b) that they could get what they wanted each time.. A Speedway meeting full of lads from the UK is as exciting as any other Speedway meeting using "international" riders.. The No1 aim of the BSPL, way, way above any other aims, has to be to make GB the best Speedway team in the World, as that is the one guaranteed way to increase the public profile of the Sport through wider media coverage.. Domestic Speedway can then subsequently feed off this awareness and reflect in its global success.. However to do this means UK riders getting scores of meetings to improve their capabilities, and the chances to earn the money needed to compete at the very top level.. Therefore, let's just create that opportunity for them...

Ring Ring, Ring Ring.... "Hello', Plymouth Speedway"... "Hi, Plymouth Speedway, it's the BSP, No! No! Don't put the phone down,! No! Please!"..... Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...... Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep........... Please replace the handset and try again...

And building houses on where speedway tracks once were

Bring it on less foreign riders more opportunities for young British riders build again from the bottom. Weaken the teams in the short term to strengthen the product in the long term. After COVID and brexit it's a free hit so go for it

Running a reopened Great Yarmouth speedway in the National League would be the only way to have any chance of the venture being financially viable cause holiday makers would boost attendances if the meetings were advertised and relying on an area that hasn't staged speedway since 1961 to provide a reasonable hardcore of regular fans would be optimistic to say the least. This is considering that when Yarmouth last staged speedway from the late 40's to 1961 they struggled for crowds outside of the holiday period in an era when crowds were much larger than those of modern times!