25yearfan

Build it and they will come, fans and riders! - Its always surprising who comes out of the woodwork!

Don't get involved in any petty nonsense Rob cause its a waste of energy and hasn't done you or Steve Ribbons any favours in the past! Good luck in your efforts to resurrect Rye House speedway, like I've said in the past, something that the BSPL should have done cause that place has the potential to be the Scunthorpe of the South! I hope you succeed and then you can let your actions do the talking!

Yes King's Lynn combined with Ipswich and Mildenhall would try to hinder any attempts to reopen speedway in Norwich cause they think their crowds would be affected but I think even in todays lean times all four tracks could survive running at the same time.

What about the Oxford Cheetahs Academy, wern't they called something like that before?

Over 850,000 people live in Norfolk, 213,000 of them in Norwich then 63,000 to the East in Great Yarmouth! I still think theirs enough people in the Norwich and East Norfolk area that currently don't go to speedway who'd be interested in spectating at a new track in Norwich without impacting on the nearby Ipswich, King's Lynn and Mildenhall tracks. I doubt anyone from the Norwich area goes regularly to Peterborough speedway which is the best part of 2 hours drive away! As for riders well as is the same with fans the more tracks the more people come out of the woodwork to spectate and ride. Indeed one of East Anglia's greatest riders ever John Louis only took up speedway once speedway returned to Foxhall in 1969. - If Messrs John Berry and Joe Thurley wouldn't have reopened in 1969 its highly unlikely Louis would of even thought about speedway!

Lets hope Rye House speedway return cause I'm sure a properly ran operation on a Saturday night in the NL or the Championship would draw viable crowds!

Dave Gooderham and Ted Howgego as well! Going back to my days watching at the Firs, John Debbage and Reg Trott! Years ago keeping a regular line up mattered more than chopping and changing to try and win the League! - All four of the above steady middle order/reserve stalwarts of Ipswich Witches and Norwich Stars would be dropped nowadays! Yes the achilles heel for the Witches will be either Heeps or Starke in the main body. I don't think either of them will get any better and has Heeps the motivation needed after a poor season and a number of years before that of treading water? Also Batchelor and Riss need to up their games from last season. I'm also not totally convinced that Doyle, who I think is on the wane will be the out and out heatleader hes expected to be?

Yes thats why there's more than a few Norwich City football fans who often attend Ipswich speedway rather than fellow Norfolk outfit King's Lynn speedway!

I wish they were still attending Stoke speedway, another sadly defunct speedway club.

Mildenhall speedway is virtually the same distance from Norwich as what King's Lynn is and Ipswich is only a few miles further. I know in the past Ipswich speedway have got quite a few supporters from the South Norfolk area cause its closer than King's Lynn. People underestimate how big a County Norfolk is. For many in South Norfolk, Colchester in Essex is closer than King's Lynn and places in North Norfolk. I've heard from reliable sources that a certain Norfolk speedway promotion in the past would have liked Mildenhall speedway not running cause their theory is some of Mildenhalls regular support would switch over to them, something which in reality doesn't occur in any substantial numbers. In fact when a track closes most of its crowd stop going to speedway altogether. I wonder what effect on crowd levels, two of Britains Midlands speedway hotbeds Coventry and Cradley reopening in current times would have on existing West Midlands outfits Birmingham and Wolves and even East Midlands outfit Leicester? Do many Coventry and Cradley fans still go to speedway at other venues?

Yes the land behind the Marsham Arms at Hevingham where Cyril Crane staged an unlicensed meeting with junior riders around Xmas time in 1976 and had plans to introduce 2 Division racing is still not developed. What stopped it was the poor entrance to the venue on a main road in front of a virtual blind bend where vehicles are going fast onto where vehicles would turn into the venue and speedway and Council authorities being unimpressed by Cyrils total disregard to rules. Shame cause at the time it would have worked as a 1970's National League venue with Norwich being a hotbed of speedway interest and Cyrils competence/experience in building and running speedway tracks. The venue had the potential to be improved/expanded and progress to the British League with Norwich's and Norfolks large catchment area. It could still be turned into a speedway venue but that would take bravery when taking into account speedways decline/ageing fanbase, big finances and a thick skin to battle those already involved in the sport, namely current tracks nearest to Norwich who'd see speedway returning to Norwich as a major threat to their crowd levels. - Personally I don't think that many fans from the Norwich and East Norfolk area go to speedway at King's Lynn, Ipswich or Mildenhall so a new Norwich speedway set up wouldn't have a negative effect on their attendance levels. The best place for speedway to return to Norwich would be at the Norfolk Showground on the outskirts of the City but as another poster points out, after the last attempts there nearly a decade ago Showground owners, the Norfolk Agricultural Society would need assurances any prospective promotors would actually be able to afford to do it! I live in hope I'll see speedway again in my home City but I'm getting on so I won't be able to live in hope for too much longer!!!

The only things Laurence Rogers are guilty of is being obsessed with speedway and getting a bit carried away at times. It looks likely that without his recent time consuming efforts to keep Birmingham speedway going, we'd of lost the Brummies and once its gone its hard to reopen in the future!

Which ones?

Even better if some actually opened up for speedway, very, very long shots but fact is often stranger then fiction!

The thread was inviting people to post what they think are potential stadiums, not whether they have any chance of actually happening! Every venue I mentioned are potential stadiums for speedway but the chances of 95% of them actually happening are akin to winning the jackpot on the National lottery!

Norfolk showground, Brandon stadium, Coventry. Smallmead, Reading. Buxton. Eastbourne Hove Greyhound stadium Ingliston showground, Edinburgh. Rye House Brafield stock car track. Swaffham stadium Crayford greyhound stadium Hednesford raceway Cowdenbeath stadium Lydd speedway Iwade Great Yarmouth stadium Somewhere on Olympic site Crystal Palace stadium Exeter racecourse, Haldon. Westpoint showground, Exeter Par moor, St Austell. Any Imerys pit in Cornwall. Tottenham Hotspur stadium West Ham stadium Wembley Odsal Doncaster Greyhound stadium Northside, Workington Weymouth FC. Harlow greyhound stadium Romford greyhound stadium Sunderland greyhound stadium Swindon Any other greyhound stadium Any other horse racing course Any other showground Skegness stock car stadium

Like I said good luck in your efforts to reopen Rye House speedway, your doing what the BSPL should have done a couple of years ago! I think anyone with any sense will fully endorse the above statement. But also like I said you need to lay of all the paranoid defensive ramblings cause this is what causes your issues with many. One thing I've learnt in my long years is that whatever you do someone won't like what you do and will criticise. Keyboard warriors should be ignored and you should let actions and fact do your talking - Again like I said if your successful in getting speedway back to Rye House you won't need to say anything to anyone cause the facts will be there for all to see!

And many more famous old teams that even in todays lean times would still draw a viable crowd! While I appreciate the role Iwades played in providing a place for speedway riders to hone their skills since the early 70's, its not ideal as a League venue with its limited spectator facilities. But while Central Park was nigh on perfect as a Kentish League venue it looks like that option could be closed off for now, so Iwade will be able to fill in and will help to boost numbers in the National League. I feel the Kent Kings belong at Central Park so any NL team operating out of Iwade should be called the Sittingbourne Crusaders which is what previous 3rd tier teams at Iwade have been called.

I'm afraid thats the nature of social media, I avoid most of it apart from going on here cause I like to see whats going on in the speedway World. Still in your current position of trying to convince persons with the power to say yes or no, that reopening Rye House speedway is worthwhile, arguing online and biting at people who maybe aren't saying correct things and/or have a different opinion to yours isn't productive. Now I fell out with your mate Steve Ribbons on here years ago cause I correctly said that he isn't the right person to run a speedway outfit but I respect him cause he was a major player in the 1999 rebirth of Rye House speedway and the 2002 reopening of Wimbledon. - History proves all this correct. I see a similar story possibly emerging at Rye House. I wish all your efforts in reopening Rye House speedway the best of luck. Like I said before the (so called) BSPL back when the last promotion running it folded, should have made more effort to keep the track going cause Rye House is a proven League track and also has less restrictions which means it can be used for training purposes! Best way to beat all your critics is to prove them wrong by a successful conclusion to your campaign with speedway taking place at Rye House again, good luck again!

Good luck to those involved in trying to resurrect Rye House speedway, if ran properly it has been proven in the past to be more than viable. I suggest that maybe if the stifling set racenights hadn't been enforced then possibly Rye House wouldn't have closed a few years back cause Saturday nights in the top flight were well supported? But Rob you've fallen into your mate Steve Ribbons trap of getting involved in petty arguments on forums which can make you look amateurish, looking for notoriety and rub people up the wrong way. I think you and Steve mean well and your doing what the BSPL should have done a couple of years back with Rye House with the generous planning on offer and just basically keeping a track going but I think it'd be wise to keep your distance from online forums.

Sam Ermolenko because he rode for longer than Olsen and Nielsen did at Wolves! Olsen had a massive impact at Wolves as did Nielsen!

I think Heeps has reached his ceiling in speedway but could still be a 5-6 point rider for Ipswich next season if hes fully focussed which has been the issue all along with him.

Lots of stadiums have this ridiculous no food or drink ruling. A lot of football stadiums play the non violence card saying that full bottles can be used as weapons, so take them away but then when you get in the ground they are selling drink! Alot of people with specific dietary requirements, health issues, oldies (myself included) don't/can't eat unfrozen cheap fastfood or fizzy drinks stodge so need to take food and drink with them. I know King's Lynn have this rule (whether it is enforced more at stock cars than speedway I'm not sure ) which doesn't effect myself cause I don't go there nowadays but if I ever did decide to go back and was refused entry cause I had a bottle of water of some light refreshments then I'd ask for my admission money back and go home, probably never to return! Back to the subject matter - good luck in saving the Birmingham Brummies. If the consortium pulls this off then it may work out better than the Masons era cause living that far from the track you promote at like David and Peter did can't always be conducive to the tracks well being?

In fairness that septet were all riders that had decent lengthy careers and the in the case of Jessup and Louis two riders close to being World champion! Mullarkeys wind ups would have made the pope swear in all fairness while I suppose you've put Rob Hollingworth in there due to his long association with Panthers long lost old Derby rivals Boston!? Monaghan rode for Peterborough when past his best at the end of his career when he was hanging on for a money spinning testimonial, but he was a good value NL heatleader during his spells at Mildenhall and Stoke!

Hope so! Buxton first ran in 1994 and was the epitome of the 3rd Division. Its still there! Loved the original nickname!