RoundTheBoards

I didn't mention assets and debt. I'm comparing the huge losses that Football clubs make, measured against the comparatively tiny losses that Speedway clubs make. A £100k loss is a problem in Speedway because clubs are generally backed only by small businessmen who don't have bottomless pits of money. If a football club made just £100k loss it would be a mere trifle, because they have big benefactors willing to put in millions to go on the ego trip that Football's high profile gives them.

Quite right. When you think about it, Speedway clubs are quite sensibly run. Very few turn a profit, but most break even or run with comparatively small losses that a club owner or sponsor is happy to cover. Those with the most affluent owner/sponsor may lose £70k-£80k. It's chickenfeed in the grand scheme of things. Let's look at the national sport of Football. Now some (not all) of the big 6 make a profit, but clubs in the Premiership, on average, lose £30M per year. In the Championship, average losses are £13M. League 1 clubs lose an average of £5M each, and in League 2 it's £2.3M lost by each club, every year. The problem is, Speedway doesn't have the profile that Football does. It's far easier to find an owner who will pump £20 million quid into a football club than it is to find an owner who will put just £50k into a Speedway club.

Some good news. Thursday's Star has turned up today (Saturday)

To quote Dennis Healey “The first law of holes: when you’re in one, stop digging.”

Genuine question to Ipswich fans: Are you worried that there might be no Speedway at Ipswich in 2026? If "Yes", are you busy organising "Save our Speedway" campaigns and petitioning Louis not to quit? If "No", how do you think it will pan out? Someone will buy the club, or Louis will back down and continue?

God knows when I'll see yesterday's Star. Last Thursday's arrived on Tuesday this week (5 days late) along with the previouis Thursday's (12 days late)

And that would solve time travel, and allow him to be in 2 places at once?

Absolutely. Amd without 2 leagues to double-up in, the whole thing falls apart anyway. Still think a 6 team league can happen.

He was reasonably wealthy the day after the Commonwealth Final. Ooops, I mean whoever stole the takings was reasonably wealthy the day after the Commonwealth Final

Chris Louis owns Ipswich Speedway Promotions Ltd. He's the sole shareholder

Paramount+ won the auction for Champions League rights from 2027. Some reports say Paramount are now preparing a takeover bid for WBD (which obviously includes TNT)

I'm a bit confused what this has got to do with Stamford Bridge speedway. It refers to the clothes being in their racing colours of green..... But Stamford Bridge's colours were blue and white. It refers to Gys Kuhn's racing number of "42", but I'm not aware of Gis Kuhn ever racing in a number 42 jacket. Are Chelsea just flogging merch and linking it to speedway without doing any research whatsoever, and just making stuff up?

Sadly, this is the kind of irrational thinking, and failure to understand the situation, that I fear a few actual promoters have too.

I want a date with Kylie Minogue. But the way this dream plays out in my head is very different to the reality of the situation that I have to deal with.

a) Many CL teams aren't able to race on Monday or Thursday, which is needed to include riders who race in other leagues. b) Without the above riders, and without doubling up riders, there are nowhere near enough riders to fill 14 teams. c) Some teams (Workington etc) could not compete financially with others (e,g. Ipswich) and smaller clubs would fold d) We've been through the above 100 times.

Not how it works at all. All 14 clubs are equal members of the BSPL. There aren't 2 different organisations with different memberships.

Did you happen to read the post you are replying to? Because your strange reply has no relevance to his post. You're not kidding!

But apart from you, hopefully some of the non-ridiculous would want a ticket too.

Exactly this. It's been explained dozens of times, but still some people don't get it. There simply aren't enough riders to staff one big league, even if you draft in every NDL rider to make a big, weakened league. It's in every club's interest that the Premiership must survive.

The AGM these days isn't a 3-day conference to thrash out all the rules like it used to be. Nowadays the rules are thrashed out in a number of meetings, and the AGM is just a "box ticking" exercise to ratify what has been agreed. Clearly things haven't been agreed yet to a stage where they can be signed off, so last week's date was cancelled. The AGM has now been set for 6 January 2026. The Premiership is down to 5 teams, and realistically needs at least 1 more. An amalgamation into 1 league is impossible for various reasons; Several Championship clubs could not run on Monday/Thursday which would be needed to keep the top riders in Britain. Without the top riders, and with doubling-up ended, there would not be enough riders to fill 14 teams. With riders only having 1 club income and no doubling-up, they would need higher wages. Higher wage costs and lack of riders would close several of the less affluent clubs- So 1 league is a non-starter. Whilst some Premiership clubs may consider running with 5 teams, Ipswich are strongly against this, and are threatening to pull out, leaving a 4 team Premiership. A sixth team would appear to be the solution. A club moving up from Championship would solve it, but who? Rumours of a new club at Northampton is another option, a new promotion running a new team out of Oxford is another rumour. There's even rumours Peterborough could get their track back and relaunch, although that does sound far-fetched.

They really don't. The likes of Chris Harris, Danny King, Peter Kildemand, Sam Masters, Charles Wright, Richard Lawson, etc, etc, pick up a "top-up" wage from the CL, to supplement their main PL earnings. If the PL were to collapse, those riders would either need a big pay rise from their one remaining British team or they'd need a foreign league place, which would bring clashes with any British team who don't ride on either a Monday or Thursday. e.g. A collapse of the PL would see Danny King's Plymouth signing fall through. He couldn't ride solely for Plymouth money. He'd be better going to Ipswich on a Thursday and picking up a foreign league. The CL absolutely need the PL to survive, or else it will be the end for some of them.

I remember it the first time around when I was a kid. It was filmed at Rye House (and says so in the end credits). I believe Bob Garrad did the riding for Peter Duncan, and I think Kelvin Mullarkey, Hugh Saunders and Karl Fiala are mentioned at some point (Either introduced by Len Silver or announced as a race winner).

Well that didn't age well. Looks like @1 valve did know their facts, and rightly called out the garbage!

The thing is,(as many others have pointed out), there will be no one there to promote the club to. It's an enthusiasts collectors fair, and a bloody good one. But no member of the general public is going to pay £10 to go and look at old speedway programmes, books and leathers. It's entirely for existing speedway fans, and very devoted ones at that! There will be no one there who has never been to speedway, and no one who doesn't know of the existence of Workington Comets. In fact, I'd wager that the vast majority will have been to Workington as, like me, they are the kind of people who set out to visit every track in the country, and will have had Derwent Park and Northside ticked off their list already. Preaching to the converted in November is neither "thinking out of the box" nor "promoting the club". Just go along and enjoy the nostalgia and the lovingly crafted collections.

How many clubs do you think are in the NDL and NDT?