1 valve

The approved planning permission states the track cannot be used outside 08:00-22:30 daily and no more than 50 meetings can take place a year. There is no mention of a restriction to Saturdays of any kind. It has been reported that DH has said there would be nobody to unlock the stadium other than Saturdays..But frankly that is something easily overcome...if there was any truth to that statement in the first place.

No.

Any thoughts or better still knowledge what the regular race night will be?

Uh? "sorted and deals agreed" - surely suggests everything is very close to finalization? Time required to finalise the small print and crossing t's etc? looking forward to the news breaking soon - thereby ending the rumor's and our frustrations/worries/etc

looks like there is more to this than meets the eye - or put another way, more than what we have been told, which is not a lot. speculation of who and what is behind the cause of this terrible state of affairs is doing us no good, though maybe it helps release the disappointment & frustration being felt by many. Feels like Sandhu & Horton have arrived at some sort of stalemate re part of the negotiation for the use of the stadium and for reasons not known or understood Sandhu has retaliated with some pretty strong actions. Usually its best not to do such things in the heat of the moment and this maybe something done which ultimately nobody will benefit by. Not sure whos nose has been cut off to spite whose face, but seems like speedway fans will suffer the most. such a shame - I hope it can get sorted...I have loved hating the BEES (cus I'm a Lion through & through) since the 60's and would hate to see them go especially this way..so unfair to the history of a great club.

A meeting of what committee?

It wasn't a case of fly tipping but the tipping of acceptable rubble etc from excavation work approved by LCC.

It will all be down to negotiation and who holds the position of strength (perceived or otherwise) On the one hand it could be said DH without a speedway promoter will have a white elephant on his hands (the stadium) which will be costing him money to own so he needs to be able to rent it out. However, a potential promoter needs a stadium, without it there is no promotion and as the promoter sees Leicester as a business opportunity then he needs a place to make the money from. So the crux of the matter is both parties need each other...but who needs each other the most? Good look with the negotiations chaps - us fans need you to sort it out so we can watch some speedway in Leicester during 2017 and beyond

Is there the distinct possibility that there is more than one party interested in running the Leicester promotion, both of whom convinced the BSPA that they have the necessary backing/knowledge to do so, and therefore we are now waiting on the final decision on who it will be, maybe even an amalgamation to provide the way forward. or Maybe there is only one player in town but there are still numerous i's to be dotted & T's to be crossed before any real progress can be made which over and above settling with the BSPA on fundamentals such as race night may also include reaching agreement on the ownership/use/rent of the stadium. or Maybe its a combination or permutation of all of the above. If any of the above does exist then I guess the promoters elect know by now that there is a hard core of folk who would like to know what is going on, but lets face it, currently very few teams if any know too much for certain about what is in store for their team in 2017....and so the wait goes on..hope it will be worth it.

I agree that the entertainment plays a large significant part in attracting and retaining new fans. It is worth considering that over the past few years BV have not been that dominant in terms of league position and once new visitors have got over the spectacle of speedway, the hard reality of promoting a team event means that the team performance does need to be taken into account when retaining fans. Not every team can win the league, in fact some never have done so. but being competitive and winning the majority of home meetings is paramount to long term growth and success. Also, fans need to relate to the team they are expected to support. team line ups that keep changing week to week never mind season to season will struggle to build loyalty. As an example, remember the days of PC & CM etc...almost the same line up week in week out - season to season. This meant fans had allegiance to the team and the team members not just as it is today "the brand".

No word from the AGM confirming that Saturday nights is a no go for top tier speedway aka EL now The Premiership. Not sure what to make of this, but cant help but think if any team believes it can compete with any resemblance of a strong team in 2017 then Saturdays are out of the question. Also other Elite/Premiership clubs said last year was the last as they struggle to field their strongest line ups on Saturday. If Saturdays race nights are going to be allowed and the Lions do just that then we are going to see lots of guest riders, a weak team and another dismal season...

Has it been confirmed that; There will be no top league (whatever the EL is now rebranded as) racing on Saturdays There will be one or more race nights in the top league (whatever the EL is now rebranded as) or is that still open for discussion? Is there to be a different race format than 2016? what about fast track riders? This for starters.

Well, we are staying in the EL and racing will not be on Saturdays. I for one like Saturdays when other things don't get in the way. but there again, I liked Tuesdays and when I think about it, I attended a bigger percentage of meetings on Tuesdays at Blackbird Road than I have been able to do at BP on Saturdays. Looks like we are going to have to get used to it or the new promoters are going to have to attract a new set of supporters staring with those who cant get to BP on a Saturday. Me, I am going to get used to it and hope the Lions get a decent set of riders for our fix of mid week racing.

Big Al, You and I and quite a few others are on the same page. The product has got to be appealing, like it or not riders of international/GP standing are an attraction and if promoted / publicised will bring in the crowds. Blimey remember the days when Wilson / Boocock /Olsen /Mauger were due to face off against each other? the crowds rolled in to see those duels which were well publicised ahead of the event . So to Penhall/Carter/Collins/Lee/Olsen. Now todays big guns go head to head in Poland week in week out so not really hard to see why the crowds are so high there and so too the riders wages. The UK needs to restart somewhere and it looks like one or two mid week nights for EL is as good as a place to start and hopefully provide decent entertainment which people will want to pay to watch.

Leicester are moving from Saturday as their race night because they will be in the EL for 2017 where no league meetings will run over the weekend. The best riders are available (if they are affordable) for mid week meetings in the UK which is what sets the EL apart from the PL. Please note I am not saying the racing is better in the EL just that the best riders will be available. For a summer sport, history has shown that speedway does not need to run on a Saturday to attract the best crowds on a weekly basis. In its heyday considerably more tracks operated speedway mid week than on a Saturday and as a few people have already mentioned Saturday is not ideal because of other alternative competing activities. So, running on a regular mid week evening, will enable the best riders to be available, for the best and most competitive teams to be formed, which will bring in the crowds. The concern I have is that if it is to be only one race night per week for all teams meaning only one home meeting every two weeks, how will that impact the continuity of attendance - some of us remember, "Tuesday night is speedway night" and I cant help but think we need to see a meeting a week most weeks. this of course means the need for two EL race nights per week. Lets hope the AGM comes up with the right answers!

The basic points we fans need to know are: 1. Which teams will be in what league. 2. For EL. Are the weekly race nights going to be set i.e. one or two nights per week. 3. Total team points limit 4. Any significant rule changes re Tactical substitutes or similar. If anybody else want to add any significant "wants" feel free to add.

Leicester has been a Saturday race night since the return of speedway to the City. when they have had to race mid week there has been insufficient notice for some people to make it to the meetings, with poor team performances also being the case, these two factors are the main reasons why there has been low attendance at the mid week meetings. Now, despite what you may think, the homework has been done and clearly EL racing requires mid week fixtures. If a regular race night can be established together with a winning team then the crowds will return in their numbers. Altering bends 1 & 2 will help provide good racing and I like you, wish the new promotion all the best for their team building and overall promotional ambitions.

If bends 1 & 2 are altered as per the job done on 3 & 4 last season then it will be sufficient.

I thought it had already been decided at the outset of this 2016 season that there will be no EL Saturday race nights in 2017. The decision that still needs to be made is will there be more than one race night per week i.e. EL home fixture every two weeks or will it be multiple mid week nights allowing each team to race one home meeting per week. if so what nights?

What are the chances of Leicester being allowed to compete in the Elite next year? if so then Saturday is a no go as they are banned for 2017. so maybe just maybe we could see the Lions in the Elite League in 2017with their strongest ever EL team

would keep Leicester In elite league and provide a good test for most of the other teams. It seems the thing that is missing is a promoter.

I am sure there are plenty of interest from other parties in taking on the Leicester promotion - Elite or Premier league.

Shareholders do have rights but if you are a minority member in a private company the rights are extremely limited. Are separate companies involved in owning the lease of the stadium and promoting the actual speedway albeit with DH involved in both, or is it the same company?

Thought it would be appropriate to start this topic with three questions. 1. Does anyone on the forum know if there is the possibility that the Lions will run in 2017 and if so what league? 2. What is the latest date the Lions would be allowed to declare their 2017 intentions? 3. Is a new promoter definitely required for 2017 or could it be possible that DH has not total burnt his bridges with the BSPA?

The point you well make appears to be the one factor which seems to be consistently ignored, and it shouldn't be. If the crowds were large enough to enable the promoters to run once a week then fine but currently they are not sufficient so therefore clubs need to run as much as possible on a weekly basis. The answer lies in running the Elite League over two adjacent nights thereby ensuring riders are not traveling to and from the UK. some tracks may find it difficult to accommodate a night if the stadium is required for other events such as greyhounds and clearly that would need addressing.