mikebv

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..

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?

Probably a pipe dream granted, but hardly anyone currently appears interested in so many 'contrived' domestic meetings, ran on Mondays and midweek, often made up of random septets of who happens to be available on any night, so maybe 'thinking big' is the best way to give the sport a shot in the arm it so desperately needs.. Obviously can only speak for myself but if the Aces had a team of say, Woffinden, Cook, Lambert, S Worrall, Fricke, Bewley and Lidsey I would definitely pay circa £25 - £30 quid seven times a year to watch them race against other top riders at the NSS... I wouldn't on the other hand, pay circa £20 to watch the current top divisions meetings given the lack of a credible offering... Whether a 5000 - 6000 or so crowd is possible, and costs covered, is debatable, particularly given the salaries that the riders who ride in Poland have become used to... Nice to dream it could happen maybe though...

No real need for third party moderation... It should just be self moderating by the 'normal' people on here.. If trolls take over a thread then no one quote their posts or rise up and reply to them.. Keyboard warriors are often socially inept misfits, whose only recognition of their own pitiful very existence comes via responses gleaned on forums full of people they will never meet. With them getting some kind of kicks to offset their often shallow soulless, friendless lives... There are only a few prats on here anyway so not difficult to pin point them, even if a 'multi', as they always use the same M.O. So after a few posts of a 'newbie' it is self evident who they really are/have been.. Don't give them the oxygen of acknowledgement and they will soon get really peed off as the debates carry on around them... Really. Really. Peed off I would imagine...

There would need to be a common will from the Poles who seem to 'rule the roost' and they would have to obviously get something out of it for it to ever happen but maybe not as far fetched as first considered...? It would certainly raise the bar of the sport considerably over here and give the sport a 'European Competition' feel about it.. Maybe one team from the UK, Denmark and Sweden could be included? Added to the top five from Poland.. Seven home and away matches... What it possibly would provide, if ran that way, is teams made up of nationals from their own countries which would maybe get better 'local' support as their regional Speedway team take on the might of the best in Europe. And a bigger continental TV audience potential to entice coverage... Rugby League do it already with French and Canadian clubs so not a complete leap into the unknown.. Would be a huge gamble though for someone to bankroll it should permission from Poland ever be granted.. It would generate reasonable interest thought I am sure, whether enough to pay the eye watering salaries, or garner enough sponsorship to assist those costs is very debatable. (But a large European and Domestic audience, if delivered, would help this) You would need a major marketing company to push the sport initially too. Especially given the lack of awareness and interest in Speedway currently in the UK. But maybe with the World Champ as No1 for a British team it would help sell the product over here? Seven well advertised, well promoted, home matches maybe could deliver crowds of 5000 or so paying circa £20 a head? The issue though is the obvious one in that around three top heat leaders alone after paying the home and away salaries would receive all that money and more.. A nice idea though, and who knows, if Poland ever need to spice up its operations to maintain its status, maybe it could happen in the future? After all, ten years ago the thought of a French team winning the RL Challenge Cup at Wembley would have been laughed at, but probably not nearly as much as someone suggesting at the same time that Canada would one day have its own Rugby League team playing in Britain...

A strange sport is Speedway... Many riders I would suggest actually do reach their ceiling sometimes even younger than 22.. Off the top of my head I can only remember Jason Doyle and David Norris 'suddenly' almost overnight, becoming 'world class' after several years of being 'OK' without pulling up any trees.. Of the two riders mentioned I would say Fricke's 'trajectory' is moving higher and faster than Masters who does seem to have plateaued a bit in the past 18 months or so.. However Masters still has plenty of time on his hands to move into that top bracket of rider.. Fricke's career thus far does point though to him becoming a genuine world class competitor as in Sweden and Poland he more than holds his own, which is usually a good barometer of a young riders potential.... I would though say it is a pivotal year for Fricke as more responsibility will be put on his shoulders, particularly in Poland and GB.. It will be interesting to see how he handles it, but he certainly seems level headed enough to cope..

There is usually a 'get out clause' both ways should either damage the 'brand' of the other by their actions... If the money is paid up front then the sponsored organisation doesn't lose out, but if it's drip fed then potentially they will.. Of course, what will happen either way will be litigation as the business being sponsored will argue they have budgeted or even spent the expected income, and the sponsor, if not happy they have been removed with a legitimate reason, will fight to get a proportion of the money back... If the Echo did try and contact MF, and no response was forthcoming, then it would suggest he is not prolonging the story (which any response would do) and sensibly letting it ride out with no more direct linkage to Poole Speedway.. Hardly a 'story' anyway really is it? I presume not much happens on the South Coast in the winter if this makes the local news agenda? April is a long way off and this will be quickly forgotten by then if allowed to disappear as a 'story' now..

Once watched the BDO do a darts comp draw streamed live on the net and three quarters of the way in one number came out again... And it wasn't even a six/nine confusion...! They had to scrap it and do the draw again.. I do often see many similarities between those who run Speedway and those who run this side of the darts world...

Done....

Plenty of scope to bring in riders later then... You only seem to build a team for the first six to eight weeks in Speedway... Then build a team to win you the league around May/Jun... The season starts fast to cram in as many meetings as possible before Poland and Sweden kick off.. Then we have a lull when teams go weeks without meetings allied to the week out whilst the SON takes place.. Then from late July onwards it's full steam ahead to fit all the matches in before the cut off point.. Whoever has the best team going in to August can easily be the winner... You can finish nearer the bottom than the top points wise and yet be crowned Champs..

Woffy, Smarzlick, Doyle, Majic, Lindgren, Dudek, Madsen, Laguta... With the rest much of a muchness with possibly Lindback, NKI and Zagar bottom three.. Kolodziej will get caught out on the temp circuits but be very good in Poland I would say.. Ninth wouldn't be a surprise for me..

Strength in depth is key so having a couple of 'decent reserves' all season can only be a plus... Big question marks on Worrall and Bewley in the 'engine room' as both coming back from serious injuries but as we know, it's not where you start in Speedway, it's where you finish... And this team does give the Aces a chance to assess how it's going in the first couple of months and possibly make changes higher up the order if needed to push for the play offs, without losing that reserve strength.. Replacing a couple of 'middle order riders' with a big hitter (if you can get one) and a slightly lesser second string later in the season, while keeping solid reserves, could be a winning formula...

Rugby League is a sport ran in many parts by lots of well meaning amateurs.. Succesful business people who have invested into 'their' clubs over time and ended up Chairmen, with many enjoying the limelight locally that being in charge brings.. Very similar in fact to the way Football was ran for decades till the mid nineties when 'outsiders' were brought it to run individual clubs by much richer owners who simply stumped up the cash but didn't want the hands on daily routine.. The tail often wags the dog when it comes to the League set up and decisions made, due to the top league being less in numbers than the rest.. There is a clear demarcation between the haves and have nots and both sections have completely different agendas, meaning concensus as to the way forwards is always fraught... It has a central body running the sport, but decisions made are often only delivered after already having discussions with all the clubs to gain approval, rather than a truly independent body driving the sport forwards with a clear vision which the clubs then need to adapt too.. It has a very 'small time' outlook, with the vested interest of individual clubs holding back any chance of the sports collective progression... All sounds a bit familiar doesn't it?

For me the '3rd Division' should be the 'development league'... I seem to remember that this was it's initial vision... Each team seemed to have one rider with experience (a rider coach wasn't it referred to as?) and the other six were aspiring riders, keen to learn from the more experienced pros, and benchmark themselves against them when racing... Paid track time was the outlook for many... Instead it transpired into a pseudo pro league, mainly driven that way by '2nd tier' teams who couldn't make that league pay so dropped down, bringing with them several of their riders from the previous higher level who then doubled down and brought with them higher expectations of payment... Thus creating the plethora of 'professional juniors' who now exist, who invariably make almost zero improvement year on year as they have found their level, but continue riding... In effect clogging up the system of development as the places they take should be being used to bring on younger riders... I thought this year the BSPA was eager to have clear demarcation between the leagues with the averages it set, however by simply not converting Premiership averages to Championship equivalents using the x1.5 conversation it set, it has undermined it's own idea... Division One should be the 'pro league'... Division Two should be the 'semi pro league'.. Division Three should be the development league, where getting some expenses to help cover costs should be seen as an added bonus to the track time being provided.. Three clear differential standards, with three clear aspirational levels for riders to move into...

Not really to be honest... The problem is no one is in control of Speedway.. The riders dictate due to the average system making ordinary ones more needed so overall salaries rise. And the riders need to ride 'everywhere' means they dictate when meetings take place regardless of crowd pulling potential or the credibility of it.. The Promoters then compound the issues by having no clear vision for the Sport and often run it as a "look at me" self indulgent hobby, so allow such nonsense to pervade... Far too easy to carry on making it up as they go along than ever have a clear plan for the future which may include some difficult choices.. Barry Hearn delivers clear direction, clear standards, clear returns for investors, sponsors and players, and clear direct leadership.. A million miles away sadly from British Speedways operating model..

Way too much.. As they become teenagers often their interests wains and 'other' things take over their lives... And paying nothing for a kid, for say five years or so, till they reach eleven, then feels a huge leap to paying a tenner when they are twelve.. Thats an extra £40 a month to find, then add on the usual food and drink they consume and you have circa £80 a month extra to pay out.. That will reduce visits for many families I would suggest... It really is a false economy as I am sure many more adults with teenagers would go more regularly if it was free... Better to get £20 twenty times a season than £30 four or five.. And the more visits will hopefully sustain their interest into adulthood..

Looks more like a plan to go back to its roots. eg teams with one high average rider and the rest of a lesser level who are hoping to progress in the sport via track time... With less 'professional juniors' who never seem to move forward but stagnate and block up team places, quite content with their 'professional speedway rider' ranking... Just a shame Buxton cannot be there too, as they have done probably more than anyone to develop talent which has progressed to a higher level, leaving them sometimes as whipping boys when up against higher spenders who bring in those 'professional riders' who are happy to be seen as a big fish in a small pond.. Lets hope they get some open meetings as particularly on a nice summers day the place is well worth visiting to spend a couple of hours watching some Speedway.. Presume Sheffield racing on a Sunday now has not helped..?

It seems to go unnoticed but there are actually five months from the end of October to the start of April.. A long, long time to work... I pay my night lads (inc premium, NI and Pension) £11 an hour.. Thats £380 a week or a total of £7600 for 20 weeks work.. That's to fill shelves in a Supermarket.. I am sure there are probably other 'basic skilled' jobs out there that may pay even more..? Who knows, seven lads all earning this amount might collectively mean they don't have to then request over £50k between them off a Speedway promoter..? Would buy at least one very decent bike that I reckon and a good few quid left over for plenty of spares... The penny will need to drop soon that riding Speedway in GB isn't a full time role which gives you the opportunity to put your feet up at Forty years of age and spend your earnings for the rest of your life.. Similar to all Sports very, very few make it to the very top. British Speedway seems to be starting to realise that paying out EFL League One and Two wages on Bostik League attendance income simply doesn't add up.. It may be difficult to get people to ride Speedway now, but it will be a damn sight harder when no places exist to ply that trade..

NL racing at the NSS is very good (but then again most matches there are).. However, it only costs £10 for me and my 15 yr old son for us both so is fantastic value for money. Just a shame it isn't advertised better (or should that be 'at all') as the crowds they get (whilst good for NL), don't do justice to the entertainment value on offer or the admission cost...

I agree Aces51, Team Speedway will carry on for a good time yet... It sadly will need to be the cobbled together variety rather than 'proper teams' but maybe changes will be made to sort this.. The possible light at the end of the enormous tunnel is that there does seem to be a recognition that sharing riders between leagues simply adds too much pressure to the fixture list, and generates guest riders, which do nothing to aid the sports standing in the wider sporting fan base, so steps seem to have been taken.. They also have recognised the need to have aspirational improvements so making the three leagues clearly of differing levels can only be a positive thing... The Sport has effectively tried to kill itself by self administrating a 1000 cuts, so finding plasters to stem the flow of blood for all of them in one go won't be achievable.. Tentatively, it does look like they may actually have some ideas on how to undo some of the self inflicted nonsense that has been allowed to pass itself off, for far too long, as a 'proper team sport'.. A long, long way to go but let's hope it works... It seems to be a long term plan at least, which is more than we have had for some time,..

And then we can also find out the 14 or so additional regulations that are required to completely ensure they cover every possible angle from a sharp practice potential... (Or so they think)....

It also may help in a collective marketing of the sport and a share out of any profit delivered from 'official' merchandise sales too.. Generic SGB merchandise, clothing, prog boards, badges car stickers etc etc etc all with the individual tracks insignia on them.. A much better margin would be delivered if all clubs collectively purchased these products from manufacturers rather than all do it on a small time basis individually. With profits from every sale (wherever it takes place) shared out amongst the whole leagues teams.. US Sports in particular use this strategy well.... And maybe instead of doing their marketing at a local level individually they will start to pool resources to get their SGB brand out nationally.. The Sport needs to work together to protect every track now I would suggest as not too many more can disappear before its effectively game over. So strength in numbers would appear key... One for all, and all for one!...

Woffy too I presume? Let's hope the finer detail will ensure there is common sense...

I actually think that there is some light at the end of a very, very long tunnel... Issues such as doubling up are starting to be addressed by the points limits. Quite cleverly too as they are not disallowing it but just making it harder to take on say a heat leader from the Premiership, ie a high earner... Instead Championship teams will need to look to the NL for more riders I would say which can only help bring them on, and cost less. If teams want to have Premiership standard riders then they should be in the Premiership, and the lower tiers then should have clear separation of standards. It looks like this has been taken on board... The 2.5% reduction looks good, however, given its Speedway no doubt there could be ambiguous interpretations of the rule so absolute clarity is needed.. Two fixed race nights have got to be easier to manage than three (especially when one of them was Denmarks night).. The Test matches look positive, and the fans interaction stuff looks like they are dipping a toe into the waters of technology. About time.. New competitions could work but need to be done and dusted well before the annual cram in at the end of the season for all the silverware distribution. Surely next year they will ensure finals are held throughout the season and not just in the last fortnight? Now, don't get me wrong, I am still far from convinced the sport will move forward at the pace needed to get it successful, but there does at least appear to have been some sensible, common sense decisions made... Which after many years of less than fit for purpose ideas, it is a welcome change... As always though, the proof of the pudding will be in the implementation.. And this is British Speedway don't forget, so you never quite know how that will go....

Might impact the NL with such a low Championship level? Presume done to encourage the two teams up? I would imagine Championship clubs will be looking to the NL for riders rather than go towards the Premiership with a 1.5 conversion rate..? And could it possibly move the NL more towards its 'true vocation' as a training league..?