JamesHarris

That made me laugh but you are spot on. There have been some very good Americans in the sport who both entertained and pulled in the crowds but there has also been some terrible ones too. The fans do tend to get excited when they are promised the next Greg Hancock who then turns out to be the next Brian Yarrow. Promoters are just as guilty on this matter too. Until Covid restrictions put an end it nearly every promoter would go weak at the knees for any rider with an Aussie accent. They all believed they were signing the next Darcy Ward all too often based on a good word in the ear from the riders UK based mates.

Just thought I'd share a few stats with you (got too much time on my hands tonight). There are 6 teams in the Premiership which means a total of 42 riders. Of those 42 riders 37 of them also race for teams in the Championship. That is 88% who will wear another race jacket for another team depending on what night of the week it it. So that is only 5 riders who are exclusive to the highest tier of racing in the UK and one of those is Josh Bates Can someone remind me again what is the point of the Premiership???

They do hold all the cards but by all accounts they won't listen. It's a private old boys club who live in the past. A few select of that club hold all the power and run British Speedway as their own little fiefdom supported by their minions who aspire to be top dog themselves one day. It will never change until the BSPA or whatever it's called now is ripped out root and stem.

Just spent the last hour thinking how British speedway could re-attract the punters and provide value for money - sorry to waffle on... 1. Scrap doubling up once and for all. If there's not enough riders to fill both leagues then combine the two leagues into one. All we see now is the same riders racing each other all of the time just in different race jackets depending on what night of the week it is. If a football player turned out for Chelsea on Saturday and then Millwall on Wednesday it would be called a joke! 2. Bring back the aggregate bonus point. This current point system is stupid and confusing. The old bonus point gave a meeting something to race for even if a team was losing on the night and sometimes we even had a run-off. 3. Revert to the old 13 heat format. Have a full 2nd half which includes junior league races and individual heats. How about also staging say 4 80cc races prior to the main meeting? 4. Employ a centre green announcer/ master of ceremonies that can actually entertain the crowds with a bit of humour and also one that knows what they are talking about. This was the one key area where most tracks fail. Most of them are boring dinosaurs from the 60's. Also do away with the boring rider interviews. Most of the time the riders don't want to talk and what they do say is boring and can easily cure a sleep disorder. 5. Actually promote the sport. Local radio and other media is a great thing. Don't just open the gates and expect people to turn up. Those days are gone.

Just spent the last hour thinking how British speedway could re-attract the punters and provide value for money - sorry to waffle on... 1. Scrap doubling up once and for all. If there's not enough riders to fill both leagues then combine the two leagues into one. All we see now is the same riders racing each other all of the time just in different race jackets depending on what night of the week it is. If a football player turned out for Chelsea on Saturday and then Millwall on Wednesday it would be called a joke! 2. Bring back the aggregate bonus point. This current point system is stupid and confusing. The old bonus point gave a meeting something to race for even if a team was losing on the night and sometimes we even had a run-off. 3. Revert to the old 13 heat format. Have a full 2nd half which includes junior league races and individual heats. How about also staging say 4 80cc races prior to the main meeting? 4. Employ a centre green announcer/ master of ceremonies that can actually entertain the crowds with a bit of humour and also one that knows what they are talking about. This was the one key area where most tracks fail. Most of them are boring dinosaurs from the 60's. Also do away with the boring rider interviews. Most of the time the riders don't want to talk and what they do say is boring and can easily cure a sleep disorder. 5. Actually promote the sport. Local radio and other media is a great thing. Don't just open the gates and expect people to turn up. Those days are gone.

Sadly I think you may be right there. I know Birmingham did pretty well in the 70's come early 80's at the old Ladbroke Stadium (now the one stop) but that was way before my time. The sport failed miserably in 85/86 when they raced at the Wheels Centre. I've been to Perry Barr a couple of times since the Brummies re-opened in 2007. The first couple of occasions had some good racing. I watched half a meeting from inside behind the glass and that was a boring experience. The last occasion was probably around 2012 and the racing was a dull affair and lots of dust. On each occasion I've been there I've never seen big crowds, only the die-hards and a few away fans. In the old days if promoters were not getting the crowds they would up sticks and move the operation to another track. Oxford could be an option??

I've just been reading Birmingham's statement from this morning. I really feel for the Brummies owners and hope things turn around but their statement has three points which I think relate to what's going wrong. Firstly - Kent are visiting with the legendary Scott Nicholls. Is that meant as I've got to go next next week because I get to see Scotty Nicholls ride? No disrespect to Scott but I saw him ride 20 years ago when he was at his prime. If it was Tai Woffinden or Bartosz Smarzlik in town then maybe yeah - I'd go. Secondly - Fan can now pay on the gate so there's no excuses from here not to come - Goes back to my point of you can't just open the gate anymore and take your customers for granted. Thirdly - One last chance for the people of Birmingham to show us they want speedway - I want to have a pub in my village but if they served flat beer and crap food I wouldn't bother going.

I don't think it's dead but it does need to evolve. If I'm honest I haven't been to a meeting since the end of 2013 as I wanted a complete break from the sport. I am tempted to go and watch a meeting this year (probably at Leicester) but even though I am fortunate to be financially comfortable, I am still asking myself is it really worth it at £18 each and then £3 for a programme plus food and drink? If I was going to see some of the best riders in the World and be a part of a buzzing near to capacity crowd I wouldn't hesitate but deep down I know I won't be getting good value for that money. I could go out for a really nice meal and drinks for less. I could go down to my local non-league football club and watch a decent game with a decent sized crowd and have a good laugh for £7. For less than the two adult admissions and programme we could go to the cinema or the bowling alley and have a much better time. The promoters need to understand their audience and what their audience expect for their cash. You just can't take them for granted anymore. The days of opening the gates and expecting the same crowd plus more to come and watch more of the same are over. I've said before that speedway in the UK is mostly played to a die hard working class audience. One you price those loyal customers out then the game is over. The biggest problem speedway has IMO - you are basically seeing the same riders race all the time. Just in a different race jacket depending on what night of the week it is.

What's the traffic like around Perry Barr in the evenings? I've been there a few times recently in the day and it has been a nightmare with all the roadworks and building work going on. Surely that can't be helping?

Not read through all of the posts so sorry if I'm a bit late to the party here, but are admission prices extortionate? It's a hard one to answer. It's not as extortionate as say paying to watch Premier League football but it is a very expensive night out. The question you have to ask is are you getting value for your money? Sadly I think the answer to Speedway here is no! Speedway has always played to a selective typical working class audience. The demographics of that audience tend to be older people and die-hard supporters. What promoters risk doing is pricing those die-hard supporters out and then you are in trouble. Promoters have to cover insurance costs, medical cover, stadium rent, staff costs, rider wages etc, etc and also make a bit for themselves (it is a business after all). It's a very fine line but you do have to ensure that you are giving the punter a good night out for their hard earned cash.

Losing interest? Once a Speedway fan always a speedway fan or you wouldn't be bothering browsing sites like this. I've watched a couple of televised meeting now they are back on Eurosport and it's been a bit of a mixed bag. I enjoyed the Peterborough v Wolves match and was very impressed with Luke Becker. I watched a few heats of the Ipswich meet on Monday and turned it over because it was boring me. I think with the lack of foreign superstar riders over here now Speedway in the UK has a golden opportunity to re-set itself.

At the end of the day it's their land and they are entitled to do what they see fit. Business is business. However the loyal Somerset fans who have spent their hard earned cash at both the speedway and the clubhouse over the years deserve honesty. The Hancock's would have more respect out of this if they were just honest and said "look, we've had an offer on the land we can't refuse and have sold it". Disappointing yes but at least honest. Hiding behind the Covid curtain and blaming it all on that is just a blatant lie. I was in the area last month and went and had a nosey. The land was being dug up and most of the signs for speedway were being removed. It was fairly obvious what was happening. Honesty goes a long way.

Don't make any apologies for having an opinion mate. The social media "blackout" is just token bandwagon jumping. Some things do get very personal on here I agree and the perpetrators are a small minority of keyboard warriors. Criticism is a good thing as long as it's constructive. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but it is becoming the norm now that you are not allowed to have one unless it is the correct one and on the approved playlist. Unfortunately everything now has to be this sugar coated world of unicorns and rainbows.

Cardiff is like the Monte Carlo of the Speedway GP - It has glitz and glamour. It is set on a waterfront. It is a temporary tight small circuit and just like the Monte Carlo of F1 overtaking is minimal and first out the traps usually wins. I'd love to see the GP return to Osdal. A proper big, wide, racers track. Maybe they could stage a Commonwealth GP?

I was in the area on Thursday and went to have a nosey. I drove past and saw the land around the arena was being ripped up. The arena is still there but if speedway was to continue i don't know where the parking would be. Also sign's for the clubhouse have been taken down. I think this is the end for Somerset speedway and the reason of the uncertainty of covid was just a cover. Saying that if you were in the Hancocks shoes and offered big bucks for the land what would you do?

That is true. But unfortunately I personally cannot support "ghost teams". The BSPA finally ran out of patience with them and when Cradley closed shop it finally gave them the excuse to remove that thorn from their side. Ghost Teams are run by enthusiasts that can't be denied. BUT there is a distinct difference between those that genuinely are seeking to bring back speedway to towns and those that are using a name from the past to play fantasy speedway without any intent of putting their money where their mouths are. Without naming names a very successful "club" in the early years of the MDL gave it large how they wanted to bring back speedway to the area. I told them how the owner of a certain greyhound circuit within a racecource was a motorsports fan and they should approach him. Said fantasy club were not interested. Enough said.

Just want to say a big thumbs up to Laurence for keeping this going. It may only be 3 teams but it keeps the league alive when it looked like it was dead. It will be 10 years in June since the MDL (MSDL) launched.

Sorry just had to start this thread.

Have you ridden a speedway bike before?

Fair enough if that's how you feel. I would suggest though that you put yourself forward, make an offer to the promotion and put your money where your mouth is.

Have you been to any speedway meetings in the last 10 years? There was this thing called the Midland Development League

Maybe Hans Nielsen has been approached about a comeback?

Well it's a bold signing that's for sure but one can't help think the owners are throwing their money around with more focus on winning a trophy than focusing on managing the finances. As someone else has pointed out Workington comes to mind. Very risky for a track that has been operating in the National League and still would be if it had not been for Somerset deciding not to run. I wish them luck but I really hope this doesn't end up being a reckless move that will bankrupt the club. British speedway has lost enough tracks over the last decade without losing any more.

Its Crazy isn't it. Can you imagine if in Rugby Union they said Wasps and Leicester Tigers couldn't play their respective home games on a Saturday because Leicester were the senior team and had priority. Or Even in football. It would never happen. Each team has its own support base. If Plymouth ran on a Friday night it would have no effect whatsoever on Scunthorpe's attendance.

Simple answer. The BSPA does not like what they refer to as "Ghost Teams" unless it suits them of cause. There have been a few such teams using such names operating in the junior leagues over the last few years but prior to the 2020 season the powers that be banned them. I think Cradley not running was finally the excuse they needed to remove this thorn from their sides. I think it got to a case where some of the people (not all I may add) running the ghost teams were nothing more than a bunch of glory hunters using defunct names to play real life fantasy speedway. The BSPA gave them a criteria that they had to show concrete proof that they had acquired land to build a new track in the catchment areas of the said defunct clubs but the reality of that happening is like Donald Trump becoming the president of Greenpeace. Things can change though and if Rob Godfrey ever decided it may be good business to run a second team in the National League as either Halifax Dukes or Hull Vikings the ghost team rule would change overnight.