25yearfan

We ope!

A Eutopia I'd like to see as well! As a lapsed Norwich fan (very lapsed considering we last competed in a League in 1964!!) I know that I'd love nothing more than to see a Norwich team in the 3rd tier of British speedway! I think Coventrys pull out is more political so I'd assume they aren't interested in running NL, while it looks like Peterboroughs sugar daddy Rick Frost has said enoughs to bankrolling 6 figure losses but if Peterborough can run in the NL(or any EL,PL, Coventry as well!) in order to keep going then that'll be better than nothing and the racing at NL can be very entertaining. From what I've seen of Peterborough home meetings in recent years, a healthy crowd isn't a regular occurance while low crowds were much regular. So a drop down to a level where their low crowds would more financially viable wouldn't be such a bad thing?

Speedway will never return to Romfords Brookland stadium because it was knocked down in the late 0's and now has housing on the site! Romford Dog track could fit a speedway track inside though like you said they' be guarantees that it would be supported by sufficient numbers, though I'd give it a better chance than many!

If no takeover is forthcoming then Ipswich will be better of in the PL cause another season like this one would see the club all but collapse! But the Louis' have to remember that a substandard team in the PL will have the same effect! Surprised that Birmingham could be moving up. I thought Tony Mole was too astute with his money to do that?

I've been going to speedway since first setting foot in the Firs back in the 1950's and believe me I've never seen the sport, in particular the top flight in such a poor state. I first went to Ipswich speedway sometime in the late 1950's and I've never seen the Witches at such a low ebb as what they have been this season. I never thought I'd see crowds as low as some of the poorly attended ones at the end of the season! Thats not being a drama Queen, thats the truth! Keeping the EL as it currently is will not help the sport progress. It will only push the sport further into decline!

But Orion does know best! I don't let him/her annoy me! All I know that is relevent to this thread is that things have to change at Ipswich speedway and so does the EL! If they don't change then Ipswich speedway and the EL will deterioate even further! I'd like Orion to post saying what he thinks is right about the EL and if it needs to change or not!

Yes that 1989/90 2 season spell in the old National League were in my opinion (and many others) some of the best seasons of speedway ever seen at Foxhall and I go back to when the speedway track was where the current stock car track is now! But Ipswich also had multi talented riders like Loram, Louis, Standing Mogridge and others so if they are to drop down next season they can't afford a sub standard team! (Mr all is well in the EL. Wake up please!) Orion totally misses the point I'm making. I've never said that all is rosy in the PL, certainly all levels of speedway af struggling in this Country currently. Though its fair to say that the PL is more financially viable than the EL simple as! Most of the EL teams are losing money hand over fist just to say they are in the top flight. I'd say that the current EL is viable for about 3 teams, 4 at the very most. The rest, Ipswich, Lakeside (did you read Stuart Douglas' piece in the speedway star last week?) Eastbourne, Peterborough and Belle Vue are just in the EL because they are perceived as regular top flight clubs. King's Lynn were a regular top flight club from the mid 60's to 2002(bar one year in 1996 closed) when they finally saw sense and moved down. This is the best thing they've ever done and I bet the club is more profitable than it was for many years in the top flight. In fact when they had Brian Griffin on board the club was getting bankrolled and losing lots of money. After Griffin got out, that was when Wagstaff couldn't afford to do it. King's Lynn should of really dropped down around 1986/87 when Martin Rogers was struggling and he wanted to but the fans then insisted it was topflight or nothing. The current EL is p iss poor and needs changing. If it remains the same then it'll only get worse next season. If you went back to say 1975, a year slap bang in the middle of speedways golden era in this Country and stripped the top flight down to 9 teams, only had a maximum of 20 or so Brits in it, made tracks run on irregular racenights, had many of the riders not giving it 100% every meeting, had no test matches, and had a fixture list with teams riding each other twice at home and twice away then even in them days you'd of ended up with a struggling League. I've been going to Ipswich for many many years so know that the club if run properly by a go ahead promotion is one of the Countries speedway hotbeds, capable of getting crowds most tracks only dream off. Under the current EL while the Louis remain in charge, a return to such glory days isn't going to happen. It could be with a cash cow person throwing money at it like Rick Frost at Peterborough but these sugardaddy hobby promotors are only papering over the cracks of an unsustainable League! Things need to back to an even keel! Get back to basics would help which are - The best Leagues in speedway are the big ones with lots of variety where you don't see the same teams and riders over and over. More Brits in teams. Create more local interest and theirs enough PL Brits who could ride at a level a bit higher. Regular racenights. Supporters are creatures of habit, even more so the casual fan. No shuffling around rearranging everything around the GP's. Hardly any GP riders ride in the British Leagues now anyway and teams should be restricted to one GP rider. If a team wishes to run on a Friday or a Saturday night (the best 2 days for speedway) then they would have to bite the bullte and no GP rider or if the have a GP rider (which is their perrogative) face having some meeetings without the rider or shuffling fixtures around. If these basic aspects of a good British League set up are followed then the top flight would be much better of. This is why my blueprint of a 16 top flight at a level inbetween the current EL and PL, with a 10+ 2nd tier (where all tracks wishing to operate in the top 2 Divisions would have to start in, hopefully team numbers will increase) at a level inbetween the current PL and NL and a 3rd tier without the many riders who could ride at higher level could work? Keeping the EL as it is not an option as far as I'm concerned and the Ipswich situation epitomises why!

I'm afraid such a sweeping move is necessary! Yes posters are right in saying that Ipswich could be viable in the current EL with rich owners and not the Louis'. But then its likely they'd just be like most of the other EL clubs in being a massive loss making venture being propped up by a ruch sugerdaddy. The crowds that Peterborough get at times make me cringe and their not the only ones. What will they do if Rick Frost says enoughs enough and gets out? No this culture of clubs losing money hand over fist has got to be reversed but that won't happen if the League stays the same or drops to 8 teams which then it would get worse. Crowds are at an all time low and a big reason for that is way the EL is run - it isn't value for money and not not supporter friendly.

The PL is more sustainable than the EL. I bet if we access to the accounts for the clubs that competed in the 2010 EL and PL I bet the PL would of lost far less than the EL although like you say the PL has its problems! This is why King's Lynn, Sheffield and possibly others that we all know if we're being honest are bona fide top flight clubs won't go up. I take it your a Coventry fan? Take Sandhu away and Coventry would more than likely be in a similar situation to Ipswich! In Ipswichs case, I would rather they were in a top flight but unless either the Leagues gets restructured and/or new investors come in they will better of in the PL!

Absolute myth from those who think the EL is the be all and end all! One of the most enjoyable meetings I went to at Ipswich last season was the meeting V's the American touring team. This meeting was mainly NL level and it was more interesting than many of the borefests we saw at Foxhall in the EL last season. Thank god for Scotty Nicholls or many meeting would of been very painfull! For me in my area where Ipswich, King's Lynn and till their mid season closure Mildenhall operate I think and I'm sure many others do, that Mildenhall more often than not offerd the best value racing even though its the lowest level! In my proposed restructuring the top flight would be enlarged to 16 teams and would be at a level inbetween the current EL and PL. The change in levels I suspect in practise wouldn't be that different to the current EL except that more of the Brits who are in the current PL would be in the League. The likes of Chris Harris and any other top names would have places in a newly structured top flight. During the golden era of the British League from 1965 to the early 80's the League was bigger, had more Brits but the standard was probably lower than the current EL yet it also had more of the top stars! If what Peter Adams said is true then things have to change otherwise the EL will continue to struggle and rely on the likes of Sandhu, Rick Frost, Stuart Douglas and others to continue being interested and bankrolling their clubs. Like I said I respect totally what the Louis' have done for Ipswich speedway, indeed they are two of the biggest legends the clubs have had but in the current era their finances and charismas are old hat and unless the Leagues get restructured then they have to sell Ipswich speedway to someone who can bankroll the high costs of the EL!

The current EL is unsustainable. Anyone that say otherwise is living on cloud cuckoo land. The poor state of the EL is fully epitomised at Ipswich more than other tracks because they aren't being bankrolled like other clubs are! A situation similar to 1995/96, with riders shared around this time, needs to happen and the top flight drops its costs and stop worrying about the GP. Quite simply as others have said if Ipswich agree to go in next years EL just to make the numbers up, without fresh investment then this would be much worse than dropping down to a level more sustainable!

I respect the Louis' for all they've done for the club and the continuity Ipswich speedway has had since 1989 but its now come to the point where things have to change and they seem to be indicating this. Whatever happens the main thing is that we have speedway at Foxhall next season. If it has to be 2nd Division then fair enough. Thats better than nothing so no one should moan if that is what happens. But the Louis' if they stay in charge in the PL need to realise that you can't go in that League and scrimp on team building cause that will only end in a continuation and worsening of the poor situation we saw at Foxhall last season. Look at the debacle that was Mildenhalls last 2nd Division campaign in 2008 for nearby evidence of a club trying to run PL speedway on a ridiculously low budget. I hope those at the BSPA conference bite the bullet and realise the truth that they and most fans have been saying for years now. The EL is not sustainable. Its too expensive and apart from the play off matches have long been a big repetitive turn off for the paying supporters. The top flight needs to get bigger, include more Brits and be at a level closer to the current PL. It also needs to stop arranging its calender around the GP. Afterall how many GP riders will be riding in the UK next season. 5 at the most I'd predict. If a team wants to run on a Friday or a Saturday fair enough. If a team wants to have a GP rider in their line up then they'll have to arrange their away matches at Friday or Saturday night tracks accordingly. Whatever happens lets hope that Ipswich and no other team close!

Romford was a place I didn't mention in my list in this thread but that place supported speedway in huge numbers before and I'm sure if someone could get the sport introduced to the very smart dog track then that place would enjoy big crowds! It would be nice to have a leisure firm buy the GRA with the intention of maintaining the stadiums cause we'd have Oxford and Wimbledon back in speedway!

Hopefully there'll be some new teams in the NL to make up for the likes of Bournemouth closing along with others and Plymouths proposed move into the PL but I'm not holding my breath! Bournemouth was run under the Poole promotion which is very possibly the best supported track in Britain. If they can't make NL racing viable then it doesn't give much hope for others? As for for new standalones, well if any were intending to open for next year we'd of probably heard about it now. The (possible/probable?)reopening of Mildenhall is all we'll get in this area I suspect? The likes of Norwich Great Yamouth, Iwade, Bristol, Exeter, Cornwall, Long Eaton, Boston, Ellesmere Port, Crewe, one in Scotland, Sunderland, Milton Keynes/Northampton, Hull, Wimbledon, Swansea and probably others could support 3rd tier racing and maybe higher but the chances of any of these and other surfacing in time for next season would be extremely low!

Well done Buxton who have been in the 3rd tier since day 1! The place is never going to attract big crowds and therefore move up so it has to be run on a shoestring but Buxton speedway is the almost perfect 3rd tier role model club! I've said many times that if the National League had 5 or more Buxton like set ups dotted over the Country then British speedway would be in a much healthier state!

Wishful thinking I suspect but it would be nice to see a stronger 3rd tier! The Heathens are a different entity to any other club because they were the best supported club in the Country, their closure is still reasonably recent (1995 at Cradley) and they have 2 tracks Wolves and Birmingham that are 15-20 miles and under away from their heartland which is not such a chore for fans to get to! The idea of resurrecting defunct clubs at neaby tracks sounds good in theory but in reality existing tracks are stuggling with poor crowds and one track supporting 2 teams has never been financially viable not even in better times. Also fans of defunct clubs don't really see their ressurected teams running at another team as being the real thing so don't support it. The Boston operation of 2000-2008 was born out of a desire to persuade the local Council to provide them with land to build a new track. When that became obvious it wasn't going to happen interest in Boston home meetings at King's Lynn dropped big time! Crewe last ran in 1975 so their can't be that many around who'd remember them although I know efforts were made a few years ago to build a new track in the area! Leicester will have enough on their hands running for the 1st time since 1983 without having to worry about starting a 3rd tier team as well! My old team Norwich last ran in 1964 and I don't think running a 3rd tier Norwich team out of King's Lynn or Mildenhall would see loads of fans flocking in from Norwich. Afterall I bet not that many fans from Norwich go to speedway anywhere at present. Mind you a new track in the Norwich area would be very well supported I suspect! Running 3rd tier speedway at Iwade (who called themselves Sittingbourne) is difficult and I'm no sure if the owners wants to or not so I wouldn't hold my breath there! As with any defunct track, reopening after closure is rarely straightforward so Mildenhall returning is not by any means guaranteed particularly with the rather awkward stadium owner who wants too much rent money! I think Plymouth have now got to the stage where they need to move up in order to maintain/increase crowd levels but their promotor is well known for making big statements that end up not materialising! Hopefully Weymouth will be bought out by people capable of making a good go of it! Also hopefully the owners of Oxford stadium will see sense and let speedway return but again no guarantees! I hope the 3rd tier survives but like in the past it has a struggle cause speedway as a whole in this Country is struggling at League level!

Phil Clarke R.I.P Norwich Stars speedway legend!

Not a good advert for speedway I'm afraid! Very little passing, substandard line up and many riders looking like they were just going through the motions! Some of the missing riders I'm sure would have poor excuses for missing the meeting although Belle Vue had little options so their poor pairing could be justified. As for the Ipswich pairing - Tonights performance from Danny King shows why they have struggled all season cause hes not a genuine EL 2nd heatleader while Scotty done his usual big meeting no show. I had been looking forward to this meeting since the start of the season and while it was nice to go out it wasn't good value and I don't think I'd go to another EL pairs after this one and the poor one at King's Lynn 3 years ago. I feel sorry for fans who travelled long distances to come! Congrats to Coventry cause they were the hungriest and best pair on show all night!

I understand your frustrations but I'd suspect if every club stopped running cause it didn't make money one year we wouldn't have many tracks left! Like others I have heard stories originating from people close to the management at Mildenhall about what happened and it certainly sounds different to whats been said in the speedway star. This season was certainly a sad story regarding Mildenhall speedway but whats done is done now and those involved in trying to resurect the Fen Tigers have to look to the future and hopefully learning the lessons from the mistakes that have been made this season. Mildenhall speedway in the 3rd tier of British speedway is viable if ran properly by those in control of the club!

The too small EL with its twice at home and twice away fixtures is repetitive, offers no variety and combined with foriegners missing, not enough British riders, racenights all over the place - doesn't work! What needs to happen and what most people with an interest in British speedway would know deep down is that the EL needs to amalgamate with the PL and have a new top flight with 16 teams and a new 2nd Division featuring the 7 former PL teams not in the new top flight plus Plymouth, and any other 3rd Division team wanting to step up and any possible new tracks like Leicester, Sittingbourne, Oxford. This new top flight would be at a level inbetween the current EL and PL but closer to the PL. The new 2nd Divison would be at a level in between the current PL and NL. A proper 3rd Division for any standalone tracks not wanting to ride in a new 2nd Division and reserve teams from senior tracks would be formed and would feature British riders only! As for Birmingham not being able to afford the EL. Well that could probably be the case but I bet that Birmingham get bigger crowds than at least one EL track. The bottom line is that the EL is unaffordable for neary every track in the Country apart fom 4-5 tracks! Anyway Birmingham have got to gain full planning consent before they can think about next season!

What an amazing life!

Very sad news indeed! I respect the fact that Ray Mascall put his money where his mouth was (unlike any of us!), he is the wrong age and mental state to be a promotor, hes had big traumas in his personal life recently and being in charge of Mildenhall speedway was very difficult for many reasons but - The very reason for Ray Mascall buying the club before the 2009 season was to secure its future. Pulling out mid season this time around has effectively pulled the rug out from Mildenhall speedway. Ray had been making it known to various persons from before the start of this season that he wanted out! More delegation and better comunication could of seen a solution found to see out this season, then set about securing the future of Mildenhall speedway when there'd be more time in the close season to sort things out. I could go on but I've said the main bits that people involved in Mildenhall speedway will think but won't say! Lets hope that Mildenhall speedway can be resurrected in the future which I believe stadium owner Dave Coventry wants!

Joe Abbot rode for many years from the early beginnings of the sport in this Country in the late 20's until he got killed at Odsal I think in the late 1940's or early 50's when he was in his late 40's I believe.

Ivan Mauger Barry Briggs Hans Nielsen Tony Rickardsson Ove Fundin Ole Olsen After that I can't think of any definates though the likes of Jack Parker, Peter Craven, Peter Collins, Jason Crump, Eric Gunderson, Nicki Pederson, Ronnie Moore would have to be considered for the last spot!

In todays EADT it reports that Mildenhall speedway are close to folding! Worrying news indeed.