Fortythirtyeight

The prize is a trophy costing about £30 but you do get to keep it and then disband your victorious team for the next season.

Then it’s just another speedway bodge, basically just an excuse to fill in fixture gaps that have been created by p*** poor organisation and lack of forward thinking. No wonder speedway gets no national coverage and isnt taken seriously but an absolute minority

But isn’t the idea that this NDL Trophy league is for them to get track time to develop into good standard NDL riders who THEN develop into Championship riders ? Not be championship riders riding against novices !

Isnt that the point of this league ? rather than having J.Thompson in the side it should be for the NDL second strings, reserves and newbies.

I didn't say it was there fault, but its speedway and its in the UK . The sport in this country is a mess and spiralling further downwards season by season. Knee jerk decisions with no long term plan and no thought given to the fans. Now we have to try to attract new fans to watch the sport by telling them that this rider rides for THREE teams….and a certain rider who rode in the premiership last season is now riding in a brand new division aimed at novices !

Never ever assume any level of professionalism or consistency with modern day UK speedway, as the cancelled Cardiff GP has just proved.

No one has said they wanted to change leagues, it may well have been they were told one thing and then it was changed. The top table have a habit of ‘tweaking things’ without full consultation. If Workington were ‘misinformed’ of the divisions competitors, and Im led to believe this was the case, then why should they then be bullied into fielding a side in a competition they didn't want to be in ?

Oh well, sign of the times, they have given up on Cardiff with it’s inflated prices and ever lowering crowd. So now we have two days at Belle Vue, hardly the same attraction but at least it’s a GP.

It’s at Oxford as they know they will attract a big crowd even without long distance travelling support so the fund will benefit but I do agree, not good for fans who travel but then fans don't seem to count much these days .

Not a pop at all, I just believe your boy is too good to race against newbies and part time second strings. Ive heard you say “its all about track time “ so knew your thoughts. Im against doubling up , as thats lost the sport any credibility, so trebling up is just plain wrong.

If you knew what was implied compared to what has developed you may have a different opinion.

When the team manager announces one day that he’s “going to make an announcement so standby” the next day , it says a lot about his ego but he must have something about him as he keeps getting a role somewhere even if it’s 4 hours away from his home town club. Sad to see that this new ‘development’ league to help bring lads on now sees two riders in this team who will be trebling up. If there good enough for the championship and can average nearly five points in it, this league shouldn’t be for them but I know I’ll just get told “it’s valuable track time “. Doubling up is bad enough but this is seriously getting ridiculous. oh well, it’s only for 8 matches, good luck with the fixture planning.

Wow! I must have missed the press release when Glasgow were announced in the NDL Trophy competition. Try reading the above post .

As evidence look at the British Youth championship, they struggle to get more than four in the 500 class but have had to create two separate classes for the 125’s. They are a couple turning 15 this coming year but there’s been very little coming through and jumping on 500’s. The fact the MDL can only field 3 teams says a lot and out of the list of riders used how many rode in 4 or more matches ? Nine ? yet three four rider teams require twelve riders. At the end of 2025 lets see how many new names appeared.

There are more 125 riders now than 500’s.

Xmas quiz… which team is geographically out on a northern limb , not announced any riders or even a press release on their inclusion and surrounded by neighbourhood teams in the NDL ?

No but the organiser has approached riders and is quite happy to tell who's in the team.

You can CONFIRM Kings Lynn but you will be scratching one team shortly.

and very understandable…..Just wait for it to be ‘official’.

So rules / agreements have never been changed in speedway before ? Well it cant be taken very seriously with only 4/5 teams in it and the riders all riding for other clubs who probably take priority on any clashes as will any championship call ups but lets hope all is rosey in the speedway garden and its better run than the rest of the sport.

Exactly….this is the same attitude that killed Buxton off.

Dont get too excited too soon, lot of rumours about discontent in this NDL 2 set up . It certainly doesnt make sense geography wise when Workingtons neighbours, Edinburgh , Redcar and Sheff/Scuny dont have to travel to Plymouth , Kent or Kings Lynn in mid week for a meaningless development fixture. Surely a north south split would have been more sensible and might even attract fans to travel.

and that’s why many of the kids don’t last long, they forget to have FUN ! Look what happened to Joe Haines, Kyle Bickley and quite a few others….all very professional and burnt out before they were in the mid 20’s !

It was always fun having them in the pits last season , Ben just likes to have fun , as KK says. You might just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, riders do have ups and downs you know, they are human after all.

A weaker league should mean other number 1’s have moved up so he could well be a fine no.1. This is a DEVELOPMENT league so it isn't ALL about winning. You certainly can have your own opinion but mine is you aren't very clued up on the individuals concerned , Phillips is still in his 20’s! , and Im very glad you’re not local.