1 valve

No pictures needed, I would rather you realise that one (full time) league based on the current availability of riders can only work if doubling up was done away with and leaving sufficient number of riders for no more than 8 or at a squeeze 9 teams. For now, It doesn’t matter if current Premier or championship clubs make up the one league just that we all need to recognise the math & logistics which force the only possible outcome. It is also why one league will not happen in 2026 because too many promoters cannot think beyond their own self interest and thus block progress.

Not enough riders will be available to make one league unless of course the joke of doubling up is allowed to expand to allow riders to ride for two teams in the same division week in week out. Remember one league equals eight teams unless of course the totally ministering 6 man teams is adopted as the first ring of the UK death bells.

This is one hell of a post length wise - but please realign you’re thinking cap and recognise one league means that there will be only eight teams, who will have to ride on Mondays & Thursdays. Start your thinking there and decide which clubs will make the cut! BTW To save you further contemplating “what about the other clubs” the answer is part time development league (maybe individual meetings featuring top flight riders) or close.

This one league concept of 14 or so clubs keeps getting regurgitated together with what appears to be ignorance of a few immovable barriers. 1. one league means the removal of doubling up. 2. The league would need to hold meetings on quite a few nights other than Monday or Thursday. 3. All riders who currently ride in Poland will drop out of riding for UK teams. 4. Scandinavians will not be available to ride on Tuesday and Wednesdays. 5. The number of riders remaining to form a much watered down league (in terms of skill/ability) will will be sufficient to make no more than 7 or eight teams.

I wouldn’t want to condemn any. I am pointing out the math of the situation and the consequence of the current promoters failing to agree on a way forward.

The big problem has been that the Welsh tourist board withdrew its support of the event which provided for greatly discounted stadium costs.

Your were absolutely right with your prediction..... it was indeed "garbage" Hope you continue to have fun in your make believe world.

The points and observations you make are good ones re concerns with the formation of one league My feedback for what its worth. - One league will indeed throw up serious issues and nobody should hold the view that currently anything is Rosy in UK speedway - There would be no Championship or Premier leagues as we know them - only a new league. - All agreements previously made i.e. one rider over eight points and riders signed for 2026 will be null and void - There would not be fourteen teams. Only a maximum of nine, as doubling up not being possible sees to that. - There could be a feeder/development league - semi pro/ amateur basis. - Some existing promoters are devoid of a willingness to agree to a way forward (blocking) that is best for the medium and longer term development of the sport because their short term situation is for them OK. All we can hope for is that the blockers see sense and a way forward can be found.

No. The articles clearly state Directors ceasing to be a promoter lose their office. This is no different to that of an employed company director immediately ceasing to be a director upon leaving the company he works for. A new director can be appointed at any time during the year with the appointment being ratified at the next AGM. Approval (or not) of existing Directors standing for re-election by rotation is an item for the AGM.

Yep. A possibility Solves the need for doubling up. Does away with the current Premier league clubs. None of the current crop of top riders to pay. Increase in admission prices to pay the increase points money demanded by the remaining riders to bridge loss of earnings. No TV - deal like it or not the TV companies are only interested in top performers. But it could happen

As I said , it won’t happen (at least hope not) so don’t worry. However, from an economic point of view and the current state of UK speedway the reality is only 8 or possibly 9 top flight clubs are plausible. or as an alternative keep the same number of clubs running, and accept that doubling up is an inevitable requirement to satisfy need for two leagues (at least) to co-exist. So the options are. A. 1 major league of eight and a feeder/development league. Or B. 2 leagues virtually “as per 2025” with sufficient number of teams in the top flight to give it & the sport credibility. As I understand it, at present, the BSPA are unable to create a viable way forward to deliver option B due to the self serving intransigence of a few members to accept change. Some would call it an impasse hence why more time required for further discussions to help those self serving promoters to come to their senses. If not then the development of option A becomes the only possible solution with the ensuing armageddon (which hopefully nobody wants) ensuring the survival of only the fittest & willing promotions. Incidentally those contracts already agreed and exchanged between riders & clubs for 2026 would become null & void.

Indeed it would, yet some have already indicated their opposition to the concept .

The top clubs applying pressure is clearly required. Threatening to close (their business) is not a wise ultimatum to bring to the table. Strong negotiating is the way forward using robust and deliverable plans for the future as an incentive for everybody to willingly come on board. And that’s where I hope something is in the offering, if not for 2026 then for 2027 and beyond.

Although plausible, if Leicester for one did join the Championship & presuming they would need to race on nights other than Monday & Thursday even just for away meetings, they would have to find replacements for Fricke, Douglas & Becker and hope that Howarth, Masters, Kemp & Thompson agree to give up there plans to race for other championship clubs in favour of the Lions - which if of course they did would put other clubs plans in disarray. Throw in , Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Belle Vue & Sheffield thing to do likewise and we are left with complete & utter carnage for 2026. This is why nothing like one league will work in the UK unless there is universal agreement by the promoters to run one with no more the eight or nine clubs and the others running junior and individual meetings.

Maybe. and if so that would cause a major rethink on not only on the points limit for teams but how to deal with the removal of riders doubling up and the absence of those riders who will not be available to race at weekends, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Example in Leicester case from this years lineup, Fricke, Douglas and Becker lost due to weekends and Howarth, Masters, Kemp & Thompson having to decide which one team they will ride for? This type of quandary is one reason why one league is not on for 2026 - Although personally I do think one league is the way forward with eight teams (because that's the maximum number of reasonably comparatively competitive riders available) in it and the remaining clubs operating junior/feeder team events and individual round robins (featuring riders from the top flight) - And I know this wont happen because it involves significant change which the BSPA are notably adverse too.

I would like to be right too. Not sure about the odds though if the bookie is the sponsor waiting for the promoters to see sense....Oh on second thoughts by comparison the 5000/1 odds of Leicester City winning the Premiership would have been a certainty.

Or maybe. Needing to get all of the ducks in a row. 2 preferably 3 more teams required so a TV deal can be completed in line with requirements of new significant sponsor which enables longer term planning to have some traction. Without the first the other two can’t happen and resistance from championship clubs who are “alright thanks” not playing ball unless they unlike other Premier clubs, receive (unreasonable) upfront guarantees. Time required for negotiations?

CPO’s are in a large majority of cases successful given that the purchasing authority have done their homework beforehand. In the case of RBC this will be the case. Many CPO’s once instigated never reach court as negotiation usually paves the way for an agreement to be reached. Arriving at a fair & final purchase price of the land can be complex but is set by independent valuers following a well defined formula ensuring the current owner receives a fair price but is also reasonable to the purchaser. Generally accepted practice is that any future costs for clearing or developing the land are not a consideration in setting the valuation and each party is responsible for their own legal costs which is a prominent reason why such cases are settled out of court following negotiations.

Wouldn't like to see him/her banned as his/her inane, stupid & uniformed posts make those made by the rest of us in comparison look extremely sensible. 😉

Uh? Where common sense prevails - some outcomes are inevitable and thus can be regarded as factual for the purpose of deciding on a way forward. However, to sit on the fence, maybe "considerations more than likely to happen" could be a more liberal view to understand possible implications of one UK league coming to fruition, such as: Maybe those riders riding in both the UK and Poland will elect to give up on the UK because they need to be available Friday, Saturday & Sunday to ride in Poland for which they will be paid a lot more to do so than the UK (maybe?) Of course they may decide not to race in Poland in favor of the UK, thereby avoiding energy sapping travel and some more meetings in the UK. And maybe Scandinavian riders may elect to give UK a miss if it means they are unavailable to ride in their own countries domestic league and governing body who issued their licenses? And maybe if there is only to be one UK league, then maybe the powers that be (BSPA) might decide that doubling up will need to be amended so that when two teams who share a rider race against each other, the riders rides for the home team only? (maybe) and the away team uses RR or maybe a guest? also maybe they will have to really think the consequences through considering if it (one league) had happened this year then some meetings would have had to accommodate multiple riders riding for both teams - I could name them, but that would be stating something factual. One opinion I have held since the possibility of one league for the UK reared its ugly head, is that It will not happen any time soon, certainly not in 2026 mainly because there are insufficient riders to ensure the current promotions could continue "as is" and that is something the BSPA incumbents cannot see beyond or around (in my opinion).

Having removed the double counting of double up's there were 85 individual riders that finished the 2025 Premiership & Championship seasons. As well as excluding current GP, Ekstraliga & Ekstraliga 2 I also discounted (from a quality standard) a small number of riders who would be in a much lower class than those remaining from the current Premier & Championship teams. Far from "doom-mongering" I am just pointing out the undeniable math of the situation should folk wish to continue down the one league argument they need to understand that it would result with at best, 8 possibly 9 teams in it. Hence why the BSAP will not be considering one league as an option.

Of course all trading businesses need to ensure that their customers are satisfied...No customers, no business. However the point I was making, perhaps poorly, is that the concept of saying yes to everything a customer wishes or wants, is not always possible and other considerations influence any final offering. so, for instance, There is no point speedway promoters saying we will race on any night of the week when the majority of stadiums are not available every night. Or saying they will get all sixteen GP riders to race every week at weekends (or any day) as that is clearly unaffordable to do so. And as much as I am sure you actually do everything possible to meet your customers expectations, If one or more insisted, that despite reducing their annual requirement from you by 20% they wanted you to ensure twenty four hour availability i.e. open 24 hours and with a 30% price reduction you'd be pretty pushed to see any merit in meeting that expectation. That all said, As much as I fear the BSPA do not (unlike you) adequately consider their customers first & foremost, they also are devoid on a plan which would guide them towards profitably growing their business, and we should all bear in mind that any business continually failing to make profit is not actually a worthwhile business but a hobby for those wishing to find and fund the associated cost.

Scunthorpe announced on their website that not only have they signed Josh Pickering for next season, they will also be competing in the Championship...... Does this mean we can stop wasting time contemplating "one big league" BTY, in another topic on this website, its been revealed that Dan Thompson will be riding for Leicester next year apparently brought about by a good sized sponsorship deal for him. Ok I appreciate that this is not a formal announcement but does appear to sow the seeds that Lions will be riding in a top flight division given Dans possible continuation with Glasgow or if not, with other fixtures on the continent. Think this look like meaning two leagues for 2026 with doubling up to make it possible....?