HGould

Whatever Godfrey is doing, which is at least positive and trying to engineer scenarios, it is currently impossible to see any scenario where crowds of any sufficient number will be allowed back in to watch any sport. At some point the Government will have to give an indication of when crowds can gather, in what sports and in what numbers and with some indication of the steps back to anything like the old norms. Hard to see that being in 3 figures in 2020 at the moment. Our death rates are staggeringly high still compared with other parts of Europe. We may see it take a year or more for all seater stadia as an example to be allowed to sell all seats. There will be some form of social distancing until any fear of wave 2 has receded and it's hard to see that being any time other than after winter 20/21. The most likely scenario is that speedway may be able to restart with some restrictions in April 2021.

Time for some people to stop living in a parallel universe. There is not going to be any Sport in UK and probably most of Europe in 2020 with any substantial Crowd allowed to attend. The only scope GP currently has would be "behind closed doors in Poland" where most of the riders are based until at least September. It will be many months before any Crowd of more than a few hundred is allowed (indoor or outdoor) and most likely that Countries much farther along the wave 1 recovery curve will lead the way. New Zealand, no deaths and no infections for over a week as an example is talking about crowds of up to 100 by SEPTEMBER if those trends continue.

Poole hard done by lol...

If you actually read you'll understand the question is will those Clubs ONLY be running at NL level next season to cut costs and ride out the Covid financial storm.

With Garrity likely looking at a stretch inside, Tomas H J letting us down at start of the season and a less than adequate replacement, I wonder if Peter and David aren't secretly hoping that there will be no real League Racing in 2020, get a few Open meetings in and go again in 2021 with 2 proper replacements as the other 5 look very solid?

Does anyone else think that a number of Teams will seek to drop to National League for a few seasons just to keep going with much reduced costs. Be ironic if the league the Fuhrer tried to destroy became the one that saved a lot of Clubs in crisis. Not hard to see IOW, Mildenhall, Plymouth being joined by Kent (NL only); Brummies and Eastbourne (back to NL again); Newcastle ; Edinburgh , Redcar and may be even Poole and Somerset seek that level for 1-2 seasons to keep going as better option than closing.

yes I definitely meant Stefan and not Hans....chalk and cheese to put it mildly.

which is why I put them in quotation marks!

Neilsen has a terrible reputation amongst other riders to this day.

Just think of an ex Poole rider who had a career ending injury. Google him and work back through various allegations and a trial where defendants were found "not guilty".

The Speedway Star has been outstanding during Covid and everyone involved editorially deserves a massive pat on the back. The Distribution in these challenging times has been excellent. I have though noticed a trend in the articles each week involving current weekly Club updates. An increasing number end with a plug for a Curtis Sport magazine/programme. That's fine if the article would have been written anyway but it's becoming a bit too obvious that some Clubs (some dormant) are getting column inches for nothing much more than an advert. Would it not be better for that Organisation to pay for and take out an advert, supporting the Star financially, rather than it's writers to piggy back Club news with what is basically an advert? 6 Clubs have this type of advert in 5 pages dedicated to "news items" this week between pages 10 and 14. Further plugs on page 39 and 41. Major advertising income opportunity being missed here?

Who do you view as the "few more proactive promotions" You seem one of the more realistic progressives yourself.

Len wrote an excellent piece in Speedway Star in early April, basically said, health and welfare was paramount, at his age he can't take any risks and thought at that time that Speedway should think about 2021 not 2020. Have since seen a link of Social I think to something more local to Kent with similar message. I think its hard to see restrictions being eased any time soon in terms of crowds anywhere near high enough to make sport viable for any promoter.

Reckon Kent will be the last Club to open based on a few articles I've read from Len, in Speedway Star and one he did with Kent based paper that was widely shared on social media. He is pretty clear that aged in his late 80's he is in no rush to take any risks and neither does he think it right to expose his supporters to unnecessary risks nor to risk his business racing in front of smaller than normal crowds. Some Promoters rushing to race would be wise to listen to Len.

The crisis is nowhere near over. R date is rising again in most parts of the Country. A + E is quiet as many are avoiding due to fear and many who use it because of day to day accidents are not getting hurt as locked down. Don't even start on the drinks and druggies

Poles don't need Crowds for top League, a bit like PL soccer, is a small % of turnover, they have massive TV / Sponsor deal and that will cover costs for a season and also keeps Sponsors and TV happy.

A few Clubs have put up Home defeats. Not all are like Poole. Since Poole arrived in the CL acting like big time charlies, it has certainly been to the detriment of the CL. Soonest out and in the PL or more likely NL as Matt Ford calls time, the better. Be nice if Barry Bishop took over Poole and taught you all a bit of humility and reality, and how to win friends.

Thank God Arthur for some sanity. I challenge anyone offered the chance to work for very good money indeed better than available anywhere, not to take up that opportunity. To hear the bleatings of some on various forums and social media, you would think speedway riders were being kidnapped, taken as speed slaves to some god-forsaken hole and mal and mistreated. The Poles have made it clear that there will be a significant reduction in pay, strict travel conditions and a need to abide by Polish rules. Anyone going is going with their eyes wide open, anyone not has the right to decide. Britain is still letting 15,000 people in per day with no testing, no quarantine and the excuse in the Papers today that "if doesn't matter as the Covid rates are so high anyway" is the most inhumane stupidity ever hear. The sooner UK adopts Polish Border regulations the better. Those LUCKY enough to be invited to join a Polish top tier Team have 2 considerations (a) do I want to leave family and friends and go over there for possibly 4 months (b) do I want to ride speedway and earn some money. Simple as that. Anyone thinking as we now are that there is going to be ANY Speedway in the UK in front of anything more than 50 people (e.g practice) before October is I think living in cloud cuckoo land. Any Speedway anywhere in Europe in 2020 is almost certain to be behind closed doors and that includes SGP. The only chance I see of Speedway in UK this year is possibly a variant of SON at Belle Vue right at the very end of October (basically with any Nation who'll turn up) and possibly a few Challenges / Testimonials and Individuals from the handful of Clubs who can either afford to race in front of very small crowds or who can find ways of encouraging enough to come out and take the risk. If we can start "on time" early April 2021; I think that right now, that would be an absolute result. The stark fact is that we may still be in some form of strict crowd control and social distancing measures well in to the summer of 2021.

Another great edition thank you, loads of variety Zmarzlik; Craig Cook, Michelsen; Shaun Moran interviews, Off the Beaten Track is always excellent and news too about Tim Dixon, The Ultimate Eagle rider; Jan Staechmann and especially Rovno all very interesting too. Smashing read!...

Some fans at some Clubs clearly can and have been able to communicate. Kent / Redcar to name but 2 and there are no doubt some others Generalisations serve no purpose

In danger of repeating the blindingly obvious. It has nothing to do with BSPA/SCB what 22 individual Clubs do! In the same way that when Workington and Lakeside and Rye House went bust, it's 22 individual Clubs, 22 sets of Directors and 22 different strategies to the issue. Your season Ticket Refund is between you and your Club. No one else. Some Clubs have refunded. Some Clubs have clearly set out processes to refund on request. Some Clubs appear to have done nothing.

It's all about opinions isn't it Sidney; and Davis was always a bit of a "marmite" character as I remember having long arguments (friendly banter) about Mavis back in those days. We all have our favourites and those we just can't understand what the hype is about. That's speedway and it's an interesting thread for that reason.

Mavis Davis for me would be in the "vastly over-rated category" out and out gater, backed by very wealthy family and often picked by National Team over far better riders like Betts / Wyer / Kennett (in earlier career) L Collins / Phil Collins / Grahame's later on. He was a good rider no doubt, a gater who could beat anyone on a slick track, but nowhere near the greats.

JJ they are more now but we did sign a couple of Danes last season when may be better options at the time available in the UK now snapped up elsewhere.

Totally agree. I agree with your idea of protected U21 reserves. It is sad that in the Championship so many Clubs still prefer to bring in often unproven foreign riders sometimes on false averages they cannot attain rather than invest in British riders. My Club seems sometimes to be obsessed with that. The asset system though has a lot to answer for as some big Clubs sweep up riders and once on asset list do little to help them.