mikebv

I heard that but it doesn't make much sense does it? Lots of the sports are summer eg Rugby League or indoors, eg Ice Hockey... It was also mentioned that it is a loan rather than a hand out... (?)

They should have got going last season when the Level 7 non league football teams got the go ahead.. 600 fans max wouldnt have been far off a usual crowd for many teams and more than usual for some.. Maybe could have charged a few quid more as well given the circumstances..? Many fans would have supported that increase given the situation I would have thought, just to see some 'live' Speedway.

Is that correct? Surely Speedway ranks alongside a few of those that have got money off the Government.? Be interesting to find out why if they are not part of the handout..

Speedway not an "Elite" sport then?

I think last season could prove be the best, and most important, Dan has had so far in his career.. This is a 'kid' who has pretty much beaten all his peer group non stop from being under 16, with a good many 'scalps' of riders much older.. All of a sudden last season in Poland saw him riding loads of last places which would have been a huge shock to his system I would imagine... As would Dan finding out the actual level of "Polish Speed" you need your bikes to have to be competitive over there (and therefore also on the 'World Stage').. Wroclaw obviously see something in him to give him another go and hopefully next season he starts the way he finished the last.. Maybe in a few years time he will look back on last season as the one that truly opened his eyes to what is needed to be globally successful, and will be reaping the benefits of learning from it and will have raised his game on the back of it to the level needed...

And shouldn't have entered into it if he only had "loaned" equipment (if that was the case as I havent seen any confirmation saying as much).. It's very intense in Poland, it means something financially to the teams and emotionally to a good proportion of the communities they serve.. Not to mention the brand awareness of the national companies that sponsor many of the teams and the TV rating requirements that justify the large outlay these TV companies make to generate the return on advertising.. It is 100% full on, no hiding places, no easier nights to make a few quid by guesting, no "there's always another match tomorrow somewhere".. Darcy Ward was verbally abused by ZG fans when he signed for them such is the rivalry over there, and it was only after a fair few strong performances that the ZG fans came on board and accepted him.. Night and Day to over here, and very much akin to our Football leagues rather than the Speedway Leagues which dont carry any of the same pressure to win due to the lack of publicity, financial reward and status they have.. But if it comes good, what a career a young lad could have.. And there is only one way to find out..

Several riders have been mentioned as examples of riders who failed to get a 'fair crack of the whip', at a young age in Poland, however those mentioned have hardly gone on to have, (no disrespect) 'stellar global careers' have they? So maybe those who ran the teams they rode for in Poland didn't see enough to warrant their relationship to continue and ultimately got proved correct..? Robert Lambert is for me the obvious example of a lad who benefited enormously from riding competitive meetings abroad when he wasn't allowed to do the same over here, and more than held his own. And beating those at the time who he will race against many times over the next few years at such a tender age must have been a huge confidence boost to take forward.. Best wishes to you and your lad and maybe his level will hit a ceiling that he can't go above, or maybe his level will smash ceiling after ceiling and he goes on to the very top.. At least you and he won't ever wonder what might have been if only you had taken him out of his comfort zone, just like the lads with Polish contracts will find about themselves next year.. Hope it all goes well for him...

Spot on... As I've said the Russians took the same route and now more are joining each year (some even with Polish blood coursing through their veins seemingly) Beating the same riders week in week out wont give you any sense of where you are globally versus your age group peers (who will be your rivals potentially for years to come), and wont improve you as a rider.. Riding in Poland will do both, or at least make it clear you are not at the required level yet, (or maybe even never).. Give these lads the safety net of plenty of rides over here and cover them with guests if needed when Poland calls (it's not as if you can devalue the UK Leagues too much anyway by doing so such is their already contrived operating model), and when they are overseas it gives other lads a chance to take their place over here... Many have been the "next great white hope" who at 18/19 become heat leaders in the top leagues, riding around small home technical tracks, who then go on to pretty much nothing on the World stage.. Let's see if 'something different' works and hope that the days of ten or so genuine World Class riders once again return wearing the GB colours.. Not one single club team out there winning any league will grow the sport nationally in this country one iota, therefore let's put the eggs in the basket of the national team and see if that will.. It worked in the 70's for Speedway and it worked for both Rugby Union and Cricket when they finally realised that a successful national team is the only way to attract more national coverage, more domestic fans off the back of it, and probably most importantly, more sponsors..

The Russians in particular have benefited from the opportunities given to them by riding in the Polish leagues at a young age.. I am pretty sure if they had stayed exclusively riding in Russia they wouldn't be at the level several of them are today, with more U21 riders coming through following the same pathway.. Whether our lads are good enough to climb up through their leagues to the top level we will see, however just to have the chance to do so and prove yourself regularly against the best of your peers has to be a good thing... Augment that with some team place 'protection' for them in the UK and we could truly have some mid to long term development plans for these lads..

It's a tough, unforgiving environment, without any sentiment, of that there is no doubt.. And no doubt also one that has seen countless Polish lads getting the same treatment too.. As opposite as could be when you compare the comfort zone and safety net that often gets provided over here.. Have a bad meeting (or even one ride!) in Poland and you face getting dropped from the next match, have two and you face getting replaced permanently... Have a bad meeting in the UK and not only are you pretty much bomb proof, but you could have a couple of guest bookings lined up already that week to let you forget that night, earn a few quid, and do it without any real pressure given its not your own team you are riding for... 'Proper Leagues' exist in Poland where fans and owners expect their team to perform in every race and are very quick to show both their displeasure or euphoria depending on the outcome... Truly sink or swim... A great experience for those good enough to 'swim', who will benefit for probably the whole of their careers from it.. And an eye opening experience for those who may find that they are not at the required level, and that beating their domestic peers regularly isn't a true barometer of what 'true' level they actually are at.. But also an experience that will clearly show how much they will need to improve to try again if they are resilient enough to do so.. Let's hope our lads benefit from the experience as it can only be good long term for UK Speedway to have a squad of performers who are all at the top level of the Sport..

Can see some potential in that but I think it would need to be the top league to make it work and that isn't allowed by the PZM.. The lower leagues have pretty much the same riders we already see over here now so wouldnt be a crowd puller for me.. A team made up of the two best U21 riders and the five best British riders, could be a decent product to sell though, but whether any such club with that team could pay the required salaries to entice Woffinden and Lambert for example is very doubtful I would suggest..

A strong national team kept the sport in the wider public eye in the seventies which the domestic leagues then benefitted from.. I believe that the sport would get much more coverage if consistent GB teams' success was being delivered... The sport over here should see itself as a 'breeding ground' for riders who then naturally move on to the bigger leagues and plan accordingly for their departure with talent coming through to replace them.. Maybe a successful GB team over a few years would then help grow the domestic leagues and mean they can then meet the expectations of their very best riders again, thus meaning riders not having to see Poland as their 'golden ticket'.. It wasn't too long ago that the UK was THE place to ride, unfortunately we ended up training everyone else up to take our position at the top table and gave loads of team spots to foreign riders. Poland won't make the same mistake and will maintain a team structure that has a minimum amount of Poles in them, therefore the UK should do the same and protect places for the young British lads in particular and provide them with as much track time as possible.. If a conveyer belt of talent is coming through then the best can move on accordingly and the sport can still thrive over here, and a very successful GB team can only be a good thing, and the chances of that happening are increased the earlier our lads are tested and stretched riding in leagues that actually have kudos, under the huge weight of expectation from clubs and their fans that exists in Poland..

Great to see all the Polish interference in helping develop some of our youngest and best talent, with several lads being given contracts.... And recognition too for the work put in by those leading the development of those lads over here.. Can only be good for British Speedway for these lads to develop within the biggest Speedway nation, and get to experience what it's like to perform under true pressure every week like their Polish peer group sample from such an early age.. Let's hope Poland's interference stretches to a few more team spaces being made available...

I think the current format is great.. Race results and meeting details are available on the net instantaneously in several places so a weekly magazine doesn't really need to cover these off in any great detail for me.. A report on major meetings and a lot of 'behind the scenes' stories are perfect.. 'The story behind the story' is often far more interesting... A great read every week..

Well he does go a 'little early'...

Spot on.. Does anyone think that the top teams in the Premier League give a monkeys about the UEFA Nations Cup, The EURO's or indeed FIFA's World Cup? They would gladly see them all scrapped tomorrow as it would mean "their" players only play for them, thus less fatigue and potential injury.. Poland's infrastructure, with TV companies out bidding each other for TV rights, and blue chip companies wanting to be associated with it so prepared to pay big money on sponsorship, will be protected at all costs I would think as much of its success is down to the very best in the world being there every week.. For some communities, Speedway is seen by them as the No1 sport in their area, so they too will expect their teams to do everything within their power to remain a powerful force.. If Jason Doyle and Jaimon Lidsey can't line up on a Thursday night against each other in a Swindon v Belle Vue meeting, no one in Poland will be losing any sleep over it...

Spot on... If I said to my window cleaner I will pay him 5 times his money to only do my house and one other, and not the other three houses around my cul de sac, he has a.choice.. The choice to agree to those stipulations, and match what he would earn by keeping his current deal with all five of us, but now by just doing one house.... Whilst at the same time tangibly adding to his earnings by doing one house more. And also cutting down his workload to 40% of its current level and only having 40% of his current costs to pay.. Or he could decide to not do my house and do the other four, meaning he earns 20% less than now, and still has 80% of his current workload and costs to carry out and pay.. Hardly restraint of trade is it if he agrees to my contract stipulations... And you would need to be a bit daft not to take the deal wouldnt you? If some riders dont like what the deal is in Poland, then I am sure plenty of others will..

The huge advantage Poland has is the way TV can, and is willing to, prop it up... Last season showed how important the sport is to the broadcasters own buisness models by the way they wanted the 'show to go on' regardless of the existing challenges... Having the Sports Personality of the Year shows the level of the sport in the wider public's awareness which must therefore help it attract those big national company sponsors wanting to be associated with it.. And when you have broadcasters willing to tender for your product, from an already high base, then you are very much in demand, and your continued success then becomes fundamental to the continued success of the broadcasters too... Similar too, but on a much small scale obviously, in the way Sky and the Premier League in football over here both mutually benefit from each other.. Both the Polish top league and the broadcasters know that keeping their 'product' at a certain level, and in the minds of the populace, is the only way to keep moving it forward, and given the size of the prize, (and the dire consequences of not doing it), will, quite naturally, ensure that absolutely anything and everything is done to protect both the product, and the very large investment, both emotional and financial, that so many in Poland make in following and broadcasting the sport..

And you've also got the added complication with Covid that, like the current season just gone, the top league may decide to go with 'guests' again from the 2nd tier.. MJJ for example may be in high demand to be added to a top league team part way in to replace another rider, so then what would he do? Presume the only 'second league' he would be allowed to race in would be the 2nd tier in Poland.? If a few other top (ish) names (who are top level heat leaders in the UK, Sweden Denmark etc), drop down in Poland, then they too may be faced with a dilemma whether to double up part way through the year or not if asked.. Risky for teams in these other countries to take these riders on without some real water tight 100% commitment to ride all season I would say..

For the 'average rider' the last I read (pre covid), was twice the money of the UK in Sweden and five times the UK in Poland.. More obviously for the 'top riders'.. Meaning (if still the same) you can earn the same in Sweden in half the number of meetings you would need to ride in over here.. Same money for less risk, and less wear and tear to man and machine... An easy choice to make for many I would think..

For the best part of two decades the collective powers that be have buried their heads in the sand, thrutching around from one knee jerk plan to another, without ever accepting the glaring fact that they couldn't afford the riders that they kept insisting they needed. Riders whose own personal agendas often meant matches taking place as contrived, credibility destroying 'guestfests', or ran on nights suited to their calendars, rather than suited to when their clubs would have liked to have ran to get their largest crowds in.. Maybe Covid has finally meant that the "go it alone" policy, that should have been instigated years ago when it was clear Poland were calling the tune, will finally come to fruition and British Speedway will start to be in charge of it's own destiny..

They were waiting for the season to finish...

I can see quite a few changes to the 2020 teams if 2021 goes ahead.. Those lads with a contract in Poland may not want to risk any further lockdowns, and thus finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time if they happen.. The positive of course is that Poland get their act together early so riders will be signed up in plenty of time for the UK to plan in their own season.. For me, any riders with a Polish (or maybe Swedish contract too?) should be avoided, and the domestic calendar drawn up with riders who are 100% available on any given night over here.. As fixture lists too may become a little ad hoc at a moments notice to ensure a completed season. Therefore 100% availability and flexibility will be very important.. As I say, lots of time for this to get sorted for a March or April start so no excuses to stumble into 2021 if the green light to go ahead is given..

When I used to 'ref' for Alex Higgins in the early to mid eighties every Friday when he was practicing/taking on all comers for a fiver a frame, he was a very different player at 8pm after umpteen vodka and oranges, than the one who started off playing at 2pm. When 'refreshed' he was truly 'The Hurricane' and would hardly miss... From around 9pm onwards, he would start to be over the tipping point and start to lose a few frames/quid.. And that would be when the 'dark side' of a genius would appear...

Wouldnt surprise me if he did.. Gone are the days that to make it to the top that you had to ride over here on the various size circuits, and with the big money to be earned in Poland on tracks of a similar size, riding against the very best to benchmark yourself, it could even be seen by some as a retrograde step riding against a lesser standard over here.. I would imagine keeping your sharpness and competitive edge riding against the very best would be the priority of riders like Lidsey, who are getting ever closer to the top level..