1 valve

So we are asked to believe. That's why some owners take on more than one club, because they like to loose even more. smoke & mirrors, smoke & mirrors

On a number of occasions the question has been asked "can two clubs run in the same league even though they are owned by the same person". I am presuming this question has been asked because there is a fear of self interest or means to manipulate rules and situations given that "voting" on such matters would hardly be democratic on a one man one vote scenario The (apparently correct) answer has been "yes so long as different promoters are involved" - suggesting a degree of independence from an owners influence. Yet last week Damien Bates "owner" of Sheffield & Leicester was reported in print as saying " I am waiting to see what happens at the AGM before deciding on which leagues Leicester & Sheffield will compete" Now this statement hardly sounds like different promoters creating an independent culture within speedway. More that. Listen, you may be the promoters, but I am the owner and what I say goes - me dog you tail get wagging. Now unless somebody can explain how having the same owner of two teams in the same league will never be subject to control of the owner and their (biased) view then it would appear that it is best to presume the sport is indeed run by owners whilst promoters/co promoters of the jointly owned clubs are merely the yes men of the influential few. If this is the case, just come on out and admit, owners run the clubs, make the big decisions and the promoters merely promote the events. there's nothing wrong with this nor anything we supporters can do about it. But please unless there is a clear explanation which disproves this thinking, stop continuing to insult our intelligence (or maybe even your own) with a smoke and mirrors attempt to convince the paying public otherwise.

On a point of order you actually said: "Plans are well into place for 2019 which will please some fans but maybe not all will like the changes the club will be bringing" - there was no mention of dropping down or changing to Saturday. Your "Prediction" could have also run true with " staying in top flight, racing on Mondays Jason Doyle at number One and admission £25 for adults and no concessions. just saying

looking back. attendance dropped over time from extremely high numbers mainly to poor results and lack of real racing/entertainment - The new input of fans by and large gradually dropped away leaving the hard core (elder) speedway fan as the true supporter. Just taking a look (as I did) at the attendees and gauging their age last season would confirm this point. Since the Lions first moved from Saturdays, the track has been improved by the shortening of the straights and the introduction of banking on what are now deeper corners. This demonstratively gave the top racers more to go at around Beaumont Park & passing finally made an appearance. The team also had some mid season success at home in 2018 and the crowds helped by good weather grew and remained fairly consistent even when the run of results turned negative and the Lions were on receipt of some pretty big thumping's on their own track Now for 2019 the top boys have disappeared. The track still remains a tactical track i.e. not easy to ride meaning that as witnessed from National League racing and lower average premier league riders we will can expect to see a disappearance of passing (unless the bloke in front makes a mistake and does a wobbly) and more delays & longer meetings caused by riders falling off. One only as to go back to the last time the Lions were in Division two to confirm the latter. So yes, Lions could be more successful at home (to be seen but not hard to imagine v last 2 years) but "no" the entertainment will not improve, unless you call 4 riders being unable to control bikes for four laps entertaining....as for Saturday nights, well people have more things to choose from on Saturdays than Mondays so overall - not likely that crowds will improve greatly...but at least for the promoters it will be cheaper to run and hence a lower target for breakeven/profit.

Monday or Wednesday?

Well I guess the promoters have their reasons for opting to join a watered down version of league racing - i.e. 38 point team limit designed to help make the 42.5 top flight teams look stronger and help the club survive on lower costs because they don't have the skill and knowledge on how to invest and PROMOTE the sport in a City the size of Leicester. And they have the audacity to call themselves "PROMOTERS" ? Pathetic!

This seems a good idea for a bit of fun. However. maybe you have gone for too many awards in one go. It may prove difficult to control given all of the permutations that are likely. why not go for one award per week and finalise nominations with a reply per nomination then all we will have to do is "like" the appropriate reply/nomination. May help pass the winter months - Good luck

If that were to be the case then the relevant documentation associated with the granting of appropriate planning permissions will be available in the public domain should anyone wish to check with the local authority and provide validity to the rumour.

Assuming there is a somebody out there who wants to invest in a speedway club?

If the Lions do capitulate & drop down a division then besides Connor Mountain they will need to find 6 new riders because all others were either doubling up or as in the case of Hans not likely to be available to ride in the lower league Hopefully we will see an enlarged top flight including the Lions in 2019

Any club with real ambition should strive to compete & be successful at the highest level rather than opt out because it’s tough to do so. This is especially the case for a team like Leicester who would benefit from success with increased attendances due to the large catchment area.

Is it allowable for two clubs to have the same owner in a league they are both in?

Because the owner of the stadium has no reason to fund or approve such changes?

Seems logical. Although we had a great summer weather wise, the start of the season was marred with a lot of rain and it appeared bend 3 suffered through poor drainage which left a good portion of it in a soft condition longer than the remainder of the track as drier conditions arrived. Subsequently, it was evident entry into turn 3 was affected by bumps no doubt caused by the inclement weather and less than comparable and satisfactory drying factors which the intended remedial work will resolve.

Agreed. But is there still the possibility of a conflict of interest arrising when the owner is the same? Or does the rule only limit promoters not owners in the same league?

isn't there a rule in place that prevents one promoter running/owning more than one club in the same league?

With a new Team Manager and Co-Promoter already on board for 2019 can anybody who is truly "in the know" shed any light on the owners intentions for next season in terms of staying in the top flight or dropping down a level. Whilst no doubt speedway fans will as usual have to endure a long winter of speculation and forum trolling as well as debate concerning the possibilities and merits of one league, two league or no leagues It would be encouraging to hear something regarding the Lions future intentions ASAP. Over to you guys

It was written by a well meaning fan but lacks data to base the assumptions for growth. i.e. “do this at this at x cost and you will get this y return based on the current z situation“ But some good observations made. Just not as comprehensive as the sport needs

Interesting read. However the way it is structured does not follow a format a consultant would utilise to cover such a topic. Also it is missing basic financial (past and future) factors so most probably been written by a well meaning fan rather than somebody engaged on an officially retained basis.

Stepping down, staying where we are? joining one big league? who knows right now? whatever the outcome it does look like there will be speedway at Leicester in 2019. Seems a good place to start, now to wait and see what develops over the winter.

i Isn’t Hans already a Poole asset? NBJ would be a good signing

Almost to a man in every race in the last 4 meetings (home or away) the Lions riders have failed to make decent start from the gate. in some cases they have been so far behind coming out of the second bend it has been embarrassing. There lies the problem. has to be the slowest gating team of all time. Please get it sorted.

They should. But to do so. Clubs need to provide seats for everybody and/or good clean open spaces with quality views. And pricing for 2 adults 3 kids @ £37.00 To be fair to the Lions they do better than that for the last bit. £34.00 cuz kids are free. Big difference is that 20/20 is well promoted at both national and local levels n

£15.00 admission gives the promoters £12.50 after VAT. So 880 paying adults would be required not 733 On top of the riders direct costs there is also. - cost of Fuel, Tyres, insurance and officials. Before all of that there is the fixed cost of stadium hire/running which in some cases of hire does not include maintenance (shale to start with) or cost of power and replacement/repair (air fence?) parts Bottom line, You need at the very least to double your projections of cash required to get remotely close to a being break figure, even for a promotion running at the lowest cost. Put another way, if you want to pay riders the level you suggest, in a full speedway meeting then you need £17k/£20k per meeting and hope there are no rain offs. then you may break even.