Deano

Matey, we have a lot more than 500 fans. But would 500 of them be willing to save the club.... ?

Would that bring in £70,000 though. Also we don't know if the 5K per meeting will cover existing debts, which is also just as important.

Would 500 Brummie fans sign up to sponsor £10 per meeting to cover the £5000 shortfall? I would..... with 14 meetings left to go.... just a thought.

Thanks for the pish take, but it was genuine.

So am I thinking there is another option that Cradley move in? Expensive, yes, but at least the venue would not be lost..... ? A very sad day if Birmingham close after all the hard work we put in.

Sorry, forgot to answer this. There were plenty of kids in the march, some on shoulders, some not and walking. In fact knowing the police were there actually made it feel safer. 5000+ people heading down a designated route can be intimidating in itself, so some control is needed if there are a couple of idiots. Read my post again, I haven't blamed the old brigade for the demise of speedway. I said and mean the demographic profile of speedway in this country is tipping too much into the coffin dodger territory for this sport to have a future.

There are people going this year for the play offs etc. But won't be doing them myself. I'll be going again next year and I'll put together what it cost me in a PM to you mate.

I was there and lived the moment in a filled two tier stadium... not an oldy in sight. Where did I blame oldies for the state of speedway. The fact is British fans are dying and not being replenished, is a fact that shouldn't be ignored. In fact the British contingent (who incidently rarely go to speedway in Britain anymore) were the eldest there!!!! So yes, pulled straight from my ......

Many people, my friend, do appear to be voting with their feet.

Okay, so everything is fine. Just put more dirt down down get better racing, open more tracks and they will come. Everything that speedway could be compared with in the 50's, 60's and 70's is of course in the same position as speedway. That's how it works.

Hopefully (if rumour is to be believed) will be at the Birmingham v Leicester for a demo if they get permission.

Have you been? It's no wonder the several hundred thousand Poles that live around our speedway tracks rarely, possibly never, venture in. I will do yes, but to be honest after using Ryan Air and polish transport, to watch speedway at polish prices. is it much more expensive to attend a Polish match than it is to attend an away meeting here?

Possibly, but more and more Brits are heading overseas for their speedway. I've now had a piece of the Polish cake, do I want to go back to cold custard.

Have you been to Poland and "witnessed" a league match in the flesh? I was pretty critical of Poland and it's dominating ways in which it "owns" riders and dictates where and when they ride. Tell me where in British speedway can you go to a place youngsters go and drink a pint of beer in a glass with the local teams riders etched in? Tell me where in Britain you can go to a shop with a coffee bar selling advance tickets and showing none stop speedway with people sat down on sofa's enjoying the view. Tell me where in British speedway you can buy clothes that look good on twenty somethings and not designed specifically for the "grey scene". At that from a shop in a modern environment, not from a guy with a decorators table of badges laid out. Tell me where in british speedway do 5,000+ fans before a league match congregate in the town square and march singing and chanting a designated route to the stadium lined with riot vans and riot police!!! Being filmed by local media, newpapers and fans like a carnival. Tell me where in British Speedway league matches take part in a Cardiff style stadium with Cardiff style views. Tell me where in Britain you walk through a town with a speedway logo on and people stop you and chant the club song. Why is it in Poland you have 14 riders that cover the circuit within a few milli seconds of each other, creating one race, not two! British speedway is the equivalent to attending a sunday morning church service, drab and boring, compared to what I joined in with the weekend. Constant song singing, constant chanting trying to out do the 800 travelling fans, yes 800 travelling fans.

Having just got back from Poland. Their "looney" ways in promoting certainly pays off, something we should be aspiring too not criticising.

Having just got back from Poland after watching a league match, I can say British Speedway is a lost cause. It's gone too far down hill, the whole demographic profile of the fan base is too old, too many anorak tendencies and just plain wrong. That's before we even get onto facilities. If Polish Speedway is like Gateaux British Speedway is like two day old cold custard in comparison.

You always get one fat drunk bloke on a stag party who has to flash his hairy cheeks....

Agreed, Barker with all his doubling up now rides like a Premier League rider. He's lost that "smoothness" that goes with Elite League, he's constantly over correcting himself.

I agree, there is very much a chicken and egg scenario. A low crowd doesn't help the atmosphere and no atmosphere isn't going to bring in the crowds.

Speedway as a whole is missing something. There's nothing to get excited about it anymore. There is nothing going on to get people talking in the pubs. There is no bad guy at every meeting. There is no one to wind the fans up during the meeting. It needs more than speedway racing and 14+ nice guys turning up to entertain to get people through the turnstiles.

Lol, Pounds and Pence become Ponks and Schlibs, it's going to be a nightmare at the currency exchange in Gretna....

Yes it is woolly, but how I read it: It doesn't matter whether you have permission to make noise. If someone moves in and finds it a nuisance, they have a right to put in a complaint and get the status quo changed. The law has been like this since 1800 apparently.... ?

Anyone read the ministerial response? Copied below for anyones benefit... The e-petition 'Save Mildenhall Stadium and give rights to existing activities with planning permission and local residents’ support.' signed by you recently reached 13,475 signatures and a response has been made to it. As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response: The Government cannot comment on or intervene in cases which have been the subject of judicial consideration. The judiciary are constitutionally independent of the Government and to do so would be a breach of this fundamental principle. We do not propose to make changes to the law of private nuisance as it already enables an appropriate balance to be struck between the protection of an individual’s private rights and the needs of business. Private nuisance is an age-old common law tort, or civil wrong, which affects a person’s private rights in relation to land. The wrong is committed where an act generally connected with the use or occupation of land causes damage to another person in connection with their use of land, or interference with the enjoyment of their land or of some right connected with that land. This includes causing physical damage to property or injury to the occupier’s health and comfort. A person whose rights are affected by a private nuisance can issue legal proceedings. A civil court will deal with the case and may grant relief such as an injunction or damages if the nuisance is proven. The law of private nuisance recognises that, in general, every person is entitled to the comfortable and healthy enjoyment of the premises owned or occupied by them. The act of a person’s neighbour will be an actionable nuisance if it materially interferes with the ordinary comfort of that person’s existence when judged by a certain standard. This standard is an objective one based on what is reasonable to the average person. It is also necessary to take account of the circumstances and nature of the locality in which the complainant is living. Since the late 1800s, it has become well established in case law that once it is established that a particular act amounts to a nuisance it cannot be justified on the basis that the complainant ‘came to the nuisance’. In other words, legal proceedings can be taken in relation to issues that can constitute a nuisance, regardless of whether those circumstances arose before the complainant became the occupier of the affected premises. This principle applies equally between two business occupiers or two residential occupiers as between a resident and a business. However, as stated above, the standard for determining whether an interference with comfort amounts to a nuisance is an objective one and the nature of the locality will be taken into account by the court. The planning regime has an important role to play in helping to prevent nuisances. Planning policies and decisions should avoid noise from giving rise to significant adverse impacts on health and quality of life as a result of new development, and mitigate and reduce to a minimum other adverse impacts on heath and quality of life arising from noise from new development, including through the use of conditions. However, the grant of planning permission does not license a nuisance and in some cases businesses may need to do more than just comply with their planning conditions to avoid causing a nuisance. Where appropriate, the courts will look at planning decisions and compliance with any planning decisions when assessing whether a nuisance exists. This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.

Well said. Without AP there would be no speedway in Birmingham. Speedway fans seem to think promoters are dispensable and as one fails there's another one waiting in the wings. We are pretty much on our third one now since 2007 so you'd think everyone would get behind him.

Possibly, but it's a gamble worth taking surely? The club needs funds and going to it's supporters is one way to get something and offer something in return. This could bring in £50K (less anything the Inland Revenue want of course). Is it worth it? Maybe, maybe not, but let's hope there are 100 supporters willing to help the club. Again, Phillips could have dumped the club, but has chosen not to and appears determined to make it work somehow.