RobMcCaffery

So we repeat the error of earning the money then handing it straight over to riders to have glorified practice sessions while their best efforts and bikes are elsewhere? Of course with Eurosport NOT being a premium sports channel it has far more subscribers, mainly those getting it as part of a basic pay-TV package but I suspect BT get higher viewing figures. Many people receive Eurosport without ever bothering to watch it. A five year deal is fine so long as it's a benefit and not blocking better options over the five years. If, somehow the sport were to see an upturn it would be locked-into a bargain deal. Regarding potential sponsors, I take it you're referring to the claim that we may tap into Polish sponsors. Why would Polish brands like Nice, Get Well, Mr Garden, Fogo want to advertise to the UK? Eurosport's inability to maintain a stable schedule, which has been the case for 30 years, plus its lack of channels and contracts like the Olympics to be taken care of in high season it threatens to be a highly disjointed service, although hopefully not lamentable enough to start live coverage at heat 19! There is one aspect of the BT deal that is overlooked. BT take speedway seriously in its channel promotions. One moment you can be watching a top football premiership match, the next it's the next speedway event being mentioned. There were regular promotions for speedway during their Champions League coverage including the final. You see a constant flow of promos for major sports, and speedway's right in there. I wouldn't liike to even try to estimate the cost of having to pay for that publicity.

In a way they are since they merged with Eurosport in the early 90s.

The Poles only stage 7 home league meetings. Do you really want that?

All sport is meaningless, but usually fun. I just enjoy a night out at the speedway, but I suppose others must put themselves and others off just to look clever.

Rest in Peace

7 home league matches in Poland, 8 in Sweden. That's the other side of the Polish "dream" that gets ignored.

Sweden especially suffers from this with many sides tracking the minimum number of Swedes and as many Poles as they can afford, many of whom simply don't deliver. We've already become a practice league for many riders and Sweden is in danger of spending high to achieve the same bleak status.

More importantly, will C More's captions include all changes to race line-ups, especially when rider-replacement was in use? It can't have been easy for Dave to spot some of those changes that were not mentioned on the feed. Nightmare! At least he had the English language interviews to tell him the nominated heat line-ups. It's hard enough commentating 'off-tube' with ALL the information that you need.

Poland's threat to cut their senior riders from five per team to four, while probably a bargaining chip, could have wide repercussions across other leagues. It would leave eight top quality riders facing life outside the Ekstraliga. One aspect could be to intimidate the remaining riders to drop other leagues and the risk of injury, just to focus on their Polish and international duties. Equally it could put 8 riders in the shop window for Sweden or even Britain. It is highly noticeable how poorly certain Ekstraliga stars perform in Sweden, rather like many did in Britain, suggesting their best efforts and equipment were only for Polish or SGP use! I love to watch the likes of Sayfutdinov race but I can't say I really missed them from Sweden this year. The likes of Vetlanda were weaker as a result which gave us a wonderfully competitive Elitserien season. Dackarna's tactic of filling the side with top Poles backfired appallingly.

Didn't the NJL here have 250cc heats?

The rules require that in the event of a stoppage that the primary cause of the stoppage is excluded from the rerun. Of course we're waiting for some ref to argue that there was no PRIMARY cause and let all four back in. The rule is intended to prevent endless restarts if a rider cannot keep on his bike.

Thanks, I was struggling to find results & tables. So, it's the same form of mix, just with emphasis the opposite to our NDL with reserve teams being as dominant as our stand-alones. Anyway, I hope the person who asked the question has the answer now that they need. Just switching back to the NL I think my happiest seasons were when I was working in the NL or at Iwade, especially the latter. I just loved to see the families working so hard to help the son achieve their dream.....and I had the honour of meeting Brian Osborn, who kept Scunthorpe going against all odds in the 70s. He was once asked if he spelled his name with an e, to which his response was "No, I can't afford one". I met a lot of star riders in my time.....but we all have our OWN heroes ;-) (He also rode second halves at Rayleigh which earns him honorary demi-god status. Don't ask me what status Hugh Saunders and Geoff Maloney had ;-) ).

Middleditch team talk: "£50, £100, £150, £200, £250, £300, £350....................." Hawkins team talk: "How much? Bollocks to that".

Per SVEMO website: The Division 1 series consists of 7 teams and is a national amateur series with mixed A teams and reserve teams.

I thought it was a mix of reserve teams and stand-alone, just like NDL.

Belle Vue 1982. England v USA. England manager Eric Boocock sweeping out flooded pits, stops, points to sign out on centre green and says "Hope those bloody yanks have read that". Sign reads: "Keep Off The Grass"

That mention of the Wimbledon fans is one of the most touching comments I've read for a long time. Nearly half a century on Tommy Jansson's light still burns in faithful hearts. This troubled sport can still make you gasp. It's people like that who will never let the sport die.

I was trying to explain why they raced midweek, not on the specific day. I certainly remember them racing regularly on Tuesdays. The logistics of running an amateur sports team in a national league from an offshore island (just) are extreme and the normal rules don't apply. Getting cheap ferry travel is essential so meeting Wightlink's needs is equally essential. So far it seems like the IoW management are keeping the balance well. I just hope that Plymouth can plough the same path. They also have access problems in the form of distance but there's little prospect of getting help from someone like Wightlink. Having been to the SBA I do wonder if it has the physical capacity to pay for higher league racing. In many ways that was Rye House's downfall. Even if you could have filled the place (and that would have been a very tight fit even before the stadium became dilapidated) I wonder if the gate receipts could ever have been enough to cover costs at the highest level, but then they were relying on Sky money that was never going to come.

Re the NDL itself I fear that we may be seeing a two league structure next year with an expanded top tier operating between PL and CL level and a second tier for the remainder operating between CL and NDL level. The risks are stark - too many tracks trying to operate at a level with higher costs but minimal increase in crowds. Apparently it seems to have worked for Ipswich and Eastbourne this year though. A sport is really only as strong as its grass roots so a strong NDL is essential because the way professional speedway is heading in Britain it may be our only future.

Both have three leagues. Thev Swedish third tier is very similar to the NDL but Poland's is more like our Championship level. They do have a large number of midweek junior meetings staged on tracks of all three divisions. So, juniors racing at weekends for senior clubs on a 'sink or swim' basis then get a chance to ride in meetings just with riders of their own status. I'd say level but World under-21 contenders Drabik, Smektala and Kubera are eligible for many of them. They attract minimal crowds.

The Isle of Wight operate on Thursdays. It has been stated that they have to run midweek to get the discounts on ferry travel for riders, officials and supporters at what is an off-peak time for Wightlink. That's a bad choice of example.

Let us pray he's not the number 1!

Is the ESS retaining the nine team league with Thursday racing next year? Anyway, more importantly, congratulations to Smederna for bringing the playoffs to life. The narrow win over Vetlanda followed by the comprehensive thrashing of Dackarna is an achievement to be truly proud of. The dark days of a few years back must seem very distant now for Ghostwalker and his fellow fans/administrators. Gleb Chugunov was a true delight to watch. Most of all I'd like to thank ESS for their legal streaming service this year. 82 matches for less than £80 has to be one of the best bargains I've ever bought. It has been a real privilege for the first time in five decades of watching speedway to watch a complete league season. I never dreamt I would ever get that opportunity. I just hope that despite the C-More deal next year I can still watch the complete season, even if on demand rather than live. This sport can still be wonderful, if it's given the chance. Congratulations Smiths, the team of Tommy and Bengt Jansson. You truly deserved it

Do I hear the sound of a bubble preparing to burst? When you look at the many junior events held in Poland, albeit in front of one man and his dog, it's clear that there's a fair supply of juniors, but the standard is in question once past Drabik, Smektala, Kubera and based on last weekend at least Krakowiak. Mind you, the first three would be more than enough for most countries. This all seems to relate to eroding the bargaining position of riders. Certainly talking of putting eight seniors out of work would suggest that, but I wonder if opening up the junior berths to non-Poles is a response to excessive demands by their own youngsters? These measures, if adopted, would clearly be about cost-cutting. Just because the income in Polish Speedway is huge, it's irrelevant IF the costs are too high, or possibly even higher? It wouldn't be the first sporting league to find its riches ruinously disappearing into competitors' pockets.

Where? Eurosport's main channels aren't even on Freeview! There seems to be widely-held fallacy that Eurosport in the UK is a free service, It isn't. Its channels however are included in most basic level pay-TV services offered by Sky and BT rather than premium services but they are most definitely not free to air or free to view. As for them being on Freeview! - That's the best one I've heard in ages. I'd suggest you're a bit out of your depth on this one. Stick to making excuses for Poole. They have Quest as a very occasional back-up but apart from EFL highlights it's very rarely used for sport. I've just checked their schedule until October 5th. Only sport is EFL football. Their only spare channels, apart from temporary ones set up for major tournaments such as the Olympics are those that are carried on their separate subscription Eurosport Player. Anyway, can I please have a list of these alleged channels and their epg numbers please? You can stick to Freeview and Sky. I know they're not on Virgin or Freesat. The only other normal broadcast Eurosport channel is Eurosport News but it is not operational in Britain. Anyway, if taking part in a discussion about a subject I actually know something about means having to fight off the ignorance of Skidder it's best if I leave you to the childish bun fights and head back to the sanity of the international section. Sometimes it really isn't worth it.