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What I do not really understand from a financial aspect is that very few if any riders are a major draw for fans who know the sport let alone potential new supporters so why pander to the riders demands paying over the odds for nil return? Build teams that are viable and some riders will climb the professional ladder and perhaps make it to GP level but if the tracks that do exist put out teams who can provide exciting racing each week at whatever level and it is affordable and competitive then that is where UK speedway is. Let’s face this country cannot get decent crowds to turn out for a GP and the halcyon days of big names attracting 50k to 60k are never going to happen. If riders cannot make a living riding for one club then the cost of participating is too expensive and needs looking at. Expecting increasing numbers of supporters and sponsors to pay someone the equivalent of an annual salary for six months work is nonsense. The whole business model is barmy and has been for years. Fools and their money are soon parted and that applies across the entire speedway spectrum.

Northampton Cobbledtogethers have announced their exciting new team to take on the 2026 Premiership. Spearheaded by the new Norwegian sensation, Redd Herring, the Cosmopolitan line-up will also include; Nevva Urdavim Legg Traylor Lass Tagane Myles B. Hind Novvi Swobbla Ove Andout

Not me, he's is a Great Britain Speedway living legend. He's done nothing to deserve the hate at all. I'd argue with anyone, that without him, we may never have seen the likes of Lambert & Bewley competing near the top on the World stage. He singlehandedly demanded & lifted the standards of our international setup. We were an international laughing stock before this guy came along. He's a little hyper, swears a bit, has a little arrogance, grew up in Australia. Who gives a feck. Wearing that Union Jack, he's given everything, almost killing himself a few times doing so. Like you, I do not get the hate at all.

Speedway deserves better than this, it’s a shambles and nobody can defend anyone involved

Those that are managing/controlling this Ipswich campaign are running the risk of losing the good will of not just the Ipswich fan base but that of the entire Premiership where those declared clubs are seemingly being held to ransom over the indecisiveness or one or more parties when it comes to the fixture list etc. The dwindling fan base who like to plan ahead to support their team at away matches are ignored to the point where that particular contribution that fans make in terms of travelling support falls on deaf ears of those in charge. Promoters are happy to take the punters money but pay scant regard to realising the importance of keeping supporters on side and the mushroom syndrome is the mantra that suits the promoters business model. Many more will find other things to do on race nights and pick and choose those meetings they want to attend yet those running the sport seemingly have their respective heads buried in the sand so much so that you feel they could not find themselves a way out of a paper bag let alone solve the issues of. the self inflected mire the sport finds itself in and actually go out of there way to ignore the contribution the die hard supporters offer this great sporting spectacular. Speedway could be so good if promoted as something special and run by those who had a vision to expose it to broader audience, but the insular way in which it is runs means this will not happen in the short to medium term. Get rid of the old guard and things might change, but leave it as is and it will pass into history.

Absolutely correct. Those in charge are deluded and while one league could work using a broader scale of riders (excluding GP riders and those plying the trade in Poland etc..) the sport in the UK is beyond redemption. If UK speedway continues to believe that it has a role to play on the world stage it is kidding no one but itself. Individual riders may make it to the top but the run of the mill league speedway rider in the UK may produce the odd one or two who can crack the mould and reach the top but most are average but still very capable of entertaining the punters who will then feel that they are getting value for money from an entertainment perspective. 2027 needs planning now but whether those in charge acknowledge this is another issue. Statements to date from the BSPL leave the door open but who can trust them as custodians of the sport?

I do get frustrated by the rhetoric continually posted on here. There’s a fallacy that things were different in speedways heyday and the problems blighting our sport are of the modern era. The other week I posted about the excessive use of guests on one Saturday night in ‘74 and the fact that most teams did NOT ride at the weekend, yet people will still point the finger as these being the failings of modern speedway Taking the now famous ‘73 KO Cup final as an example. Belle Vue used a guest and Reading ran R/R. The 2nd leg wasn’t run until the last week of the season, some 3 weeks after the 1st leg as due to the late running it was hit by the bad weather. Sounds familiar? Jim Mcmillian had been knocked out in an earlier round but enjoyed his “winners” medal as a guest for the Aces. We had been running a guest since June. The rules stated in the event of a draw it had to be re run but this was jettisoned in favour of a run off. All this was carried out on a cold Wednesday late October night. All those people who attended that night and in ‘74, ‘75, ‘76, 77 etc did not suddenly experience amnesia, they DECIDE not to attend. During its heyday we had ALL the ills currently affecting the sport, the big difference is that of the customers - they have changed massively and we need to find the holy grail to attract them back. The league is as meaningful as ever. The guests & R/R as prevalent as ever. The UK FIM golds are pretty much as regular as in our heyday. Our “gaters paradise” tracks are still here as they were back then, etc, etc. If we keep kidding ourselves that the sports ills are new then we will waste an awful lot of time and energy trying to fix the bits that are not the reason for our downfall. Speedway is primarily populated by old blokes who think the old days were better, but the reality is that’s not the case and it is to our peril that we get bogged down by this dogma instead of looking to the future and how we engage with modern customers in the modern era.

Maybe your team should run an NDL team

I think we can all agree .. This is the best, most comprehensive, and detailed update so far....

So you're happy to believe that Stewart Dickson is a liar while at the same time believe in your own mind that Mayfield Sport are going to be huge for British Speedway, with absolutely zero experience and no track record... how very strange

It’s no cop out at all. Had we not of brought Simon in to this team it was highly likely there would not have been a young stars team in 2026. Simon will be a fantastic rider coach. Even Jake Mulford will learn more from Simon. I like to have a rider coach in my teams whenever it’s been possible. In 2007 at Redcar I had Mark ‘buzz’ Burrows and in 2015 at Buxton I had Tony Atkin. 2 great captains and rider coaches. Every team should have one at this level, for the younger ones to learn from.

I'm sure I am not the only one who is thinking this but it looks like we have acquired a spammer on the forum. It is becoming very obvious that this individual comments practically every day on almost every subject in order to make sure they are seen. I'm not naming the poster but I'm sure you will all know who it it. There's nothing wrong in putting forward an opinion but the forum should not be a place for spamming. The moderators know who it is and should be taking action. Hey I'm just wondering what the odds will be of them being the first to comment on this thread.

I have said it for years the national league should go their own way with the blessing of the bspl, ultimately the higher leagues don’t and never have cared for the NL unless there is some sort of financial gain for them, they get jealous of any NL club that has any financial success and set out to penalise that club, the fake outrage when a Nora league was mooted was speedway in a nutshell, our way or no way, the likes of Barry bishop understand the bspl mentality, don’t expect any help because they don’t care

You've literally mentioned every single rider currently riding Speedway at one point or another 😂

imagine the scenes if the volunteers turn up tonight to be greeted by Buster handing out track rakes.

Eni Aluko being announced as the new Team Manager would sum this entire winter up.

I think the reality is most have other businesses that make money that they can offset the speedway losses against the other business profits , its still not ideal as it doesn't eliminate the loss merely reduces it from a tax perspective. I think 99% of us on here would agree from the current bunch of promoters other than Louis and the Fords probably nobody else makes money out of the sport. The promoters take plenty of stick and a lot of time rightly so but equally they are subsidising the sport we all desperately want to succeed like it did in the 70's and early 80's sadly I'm coming round to the idea there is no saving it the sport is just a bygone of another age like nightclubs where the young of today just have no interest in either of them.

Personally don't think there are any minor Fim events they are all major in each individual age category.

I just don’t know where they expect the fans to come from, a few from Peterborough and maybe a few from Coventry and there will be some novelty fans at the first meeting so unless they are bankrolling it somehow this has Skegness written all over it and the sport was a lot healthier then

Well hopefully someone who is attending can find out what the hell is going on and then let us know!

see even our jokes go back to 70s and 80s. we are all stuck in the mud. 🤣

Or they could be sponsored by Linda Lusardi: Northampton Knockers

Simon Lambert hasn’t stopped these riders from riding. I contacted Mark Parker back on January 18th and he told me he doesn’t want to ride in 2026. I already have my 2 reserves in Kenzie COSSEY and Ollie BINNS, who are both making their first full season debuts in the NDL and BOTH are British riders and always lived in the UK. You’ll have to ask the northern based clubs why they haven’t given team places to Liam Greens, Laylen Richardson, Owen Booth and Billy Budd. Maybe Greens didn’t want a team spot? I know he’s always busy helping the Pijper brothers these days. With respect to Booth and Richardson, they are not yet ready for NDL racing. That’s not saying they never will be, but they need to be winning races regularly in the NJL and Amateur meetings first, before clubs will look at giving them a start in a declared 1-7. Both great lads to deal with, but clubs look at things like this before they offer a regular team spot to riders coming through. Both are still young and have time yet to be knocking on the door for a regular team spot. Billy Budd impressed me last season when I seen him race a couple of times for the Colts at the back end of the season. Unfortunately I wasn’t in a position to offer him a team spot in the end.

My lad gets paid for playing football on Saturdays and on Sundays... Semi pro level on the Saturday and normal Sunday League stuff the next day... The bloke who owns the Semi Pro team runs a Sunday team and pays a few of the lads to play.. There are a couple of other teams on the Sunday who also pay players, with the three teams easily better than the rest... UK Speedway, for me, has a similar vibe to it... Many benefactors who are quite happy running it as a hobby they can afford, and, with no real kudos, publicity, or financial rewards for winning, meaning, its more of an enjoyable labour of love, rather than a bona fide sporting occasion that they present... And, given the lack of authenticity as a team sport that Speedway in the UK has, you can see why many are quite happy to never change things...

oi, im always right, just things change 😂

The championship teams (In this case the steerage passengers) are rowing away in the lifeboats, whilst the Premiership teams ( luxury passengers) are quaffing cigers and brandy convinced the ship won't sink!

so if sale doesn't go thru its a 4 team premiership. sale will go thru ,but it hasn't yet, but sale will go thru, but it hasn't yet, but sale will go thru but it hasn't yet. 🤣

Yet again stringing supporters along, utter contempt for the customers

Because they’re not yet owners of a Speedway club are they? They’ll announce themselves, when they are! What on earth are people struggling with here?

You can't really have a behind closed doors signing-on night - they need members of the public to volunteer so, in theory, anyone could have gone if they wanted to. i'm completely fed up. There's more to life than wondering even if there will still be speedway, let alone who will be riding. No attempt at a publicity splash or big reveals will make the slightest bit of difference now.

It should, but you're forgetting... this is Speedway 😂

Meanwhile this Manchester City fan isn't getting his hair cut until they are cleared of all 115 FFP charges

I use ignore on him but people keep quoting his posts so you see his inane ramblings. Personally think he adds nothing to the debates

``to be fair I at first thought you said spanner.

They really need to announce something soon just to shut some of yous lot up 😅 this is getting worse by the day

This is why I’ve been saying for months that if you’re going to persist with a top league, then it doesn’t suit a league with the amount of clubs that people are asking for because there just aren’t enough riders of sufficient quality to make them all competitive. The riders name dropped on the 360 podcast for Northampton sound like an absolute car crash of a team. Even with the likes of Doyle, Emil, Becker and Rew in the league last year and more options than this year, there was still only five teams putting together a competitive team in a seven team league. The two at the bottom were there just to make up the numbers and were with all due respect, cannon fodder. How is that going to be any different in 2027 if the aim is to have a top league of seven, or eight teams? Where are those extra clubs heat leaders going to come from?

And that other Norwegian, Reidar Replacement....

I think the Northampton Norbolds has quite a catchy ring to it.

that comment was for a few people on here who because we say what we are seeing, they are classing that as hating British speedway , they have lost the plot.

It’s not really hate I don’t think . I think everybody’s opinions come from astonishment, frustration and anger but probably most of all , sadness, at the state our once great and attractive sport has been allowed to decay to this point. Any hate is towards the clowns responsible I reckon. I like your enthusiasm though . Bring on the March ? April? May ? start of the season.

No they wouldn't, all fans truly care about at the end of the day is winning... The vast majority anyway. You're not going to get numbers through the door because there's a team of developing riders if they're getting battered every week, it just doesn't happen.

I can 100% assure you that Lynn did not push for a 42 limit. Don’t know where you got that from. Lynn were 1 of 2 clubs who voted against the higher limit. The higher 42 limit nearly had the league down to only 5 clubs. We lost a full team and didn’t have a clue where we were going to get any Heat leaders from, as they’ve either decided not to race NDL in 2026 or they have managed to fit into the other 5 teams because of the higher limit. Believe me, we came very close to not having a team in the NDL in 2026. Simon Lambert and Jake Mulford coming in has made sure we can come back to the tapes for another season at this level.

The trouble is they're rich enough to buy and run a club but not rich enough to really do anything meaningful to improve things. I was listening to the guy from Mildenhall on the 360 podcast this week and he deserves all the credit for doing what he's done there and the same goes for the guy at Worky but when you listen to them speak it's painfully obvious that they have no real ideas on what to do to improve the sport, especially at a national level. Listening to Rob Godfrey also the other week and he said they've got David Howe's daughter helping them out with the socials. Now I know nothing about David Howe's daughter maybe she runs a successful creative agency, brilliant if she does and good luck to her, but if she doesn't then is that really going to achieve the results that the sport desperately needs?

So, Leicester who have openly admitted to (heavy?) losses over the last couple of years, have binned off their draw card and are in for another season with a (heavy?) loss... yet are still propping up a new team, that is bound to make, erm a heavy loss! You just couldn't make this stuff up! What on earth are those trying to make this happen thinking of? 🤷‍♂️ And that's just a Leicester perspective, Sheffield seem to be in a similar boat though they've kept their big hitters. Can't think that it would be any different for the Aces and Stars.

I am unsure why anybody would be optimistic about this project, where does a crowd come from to support it? Any new people to the sport will surely become disinterested once all the normal nonsense kicks in, guests, late rains off & all the other stuff that has been mentioned to death. Until a complete overhaul is looked at, I fail to see how the Sport is turned around.

I don't like where I work, but I go there e everyday cos the money 😏

As pointless as a broken pencil making any kind of prediction at this stage

Too many promotions want too many different things from the sport.. For a good number, what we have today is perfection... Affordable subsidising of their hobby either through another business they run, or money they take in renting out their track... Many get to use and see pkenty of PL Heat Leaders, but don't need to pay them the same as their PL teams do... And, those in the 2nd tier in can run at weekends if they want to, when, generally in the entertainment game, it delivers the best crowds, and just swap and change riders with each other, as and when some riders have inevitable clashes with Polish and FIM events.... Promoters can also decide to ride in whatever league can make them the most profit, given the lack of any decent prize money or publicity for winning either, so, once again, are quire content to keep things as they are... In summary... For many, the current structure ticks lots of their required boxes, therefore change isn't going to happen unless someone comes out with a huge sponsorship package, which would mean UK Speedway could then become relevant and authentic as a Team Sport... However, given the often clearly demonstrated skill sets of so many within the "UK Speedway Bubble Echo Chamber", nothing will change, because it cannot...

Who's bothered about that 😃 and most matches will kick off after midnight UK time, so plenty of time to get home and make your Coco and the football will send you asleep no problem 🤪

Would suggest that Lambert would be better option than Starke.IMO