enotian

National League first then Newcastle's assets moved as the Diamonds closed down in 1971? I think.

ditto White City

Didn't Kings Lynn run open meetings in prior seasons? So not exactly a brand new venture. Coatbridge you could argue was a track move albeit to another city. But yes White City is it. Although you could argue opening a brand new team/track in London at the height of the sports popularity is a little removed from opening a new track in the top division in 2026 😄 Then of course, Kings Lynn aside, neither Coatbridge, White City or Bristol lasted very long anyway.

Has a brand new team/track ever started in the top flight? Apart from the first ever season of course. Although I suspect even then they'd all ran non league meetings. But let's just say since 1965 onwards. Trying to wrack my brains. I know there's been new tracks for existing clubs (Belle Vue) and resurrected clubs at new and old facilities (Leicester and Oxford) but they all had a existing or previous fan base. Leicester maybe re-started in the 2nd tier anyway. Having scratched my head I've come up with Bristol? Or was there speedway in Bristol before the late 70's? Canny big risk to set up a new track in a town which has zero fan base as far as I am aware and having to start at the highest level... however low that high might be 😄

Well there's little hope of that. Looks like there's 8 team spots to fill across Belle Vue and Ipswich. Make that 15 if Northampton Panther Bees run. With only Kurtz, Wright, Brennan, Lawson, Ellis, King, Klindt, Nicholls, Becker, Iversen, Tungate, Lidsey and Rew likely candidates. I suppose if you can attract another big name (Woffinden?) to return it might be possible but surely you don't set up a new promotion/track (Ipswich/Northampton) and give them no chance to be competitive on track. Waiting a season might be for the best

Don't disagree but there are lots of long intervals where knowing the language helps 😃 What I notice is how much a difference having a large vocal crowd makes. But what is it with this desire to have numerous planned delays? Swedish league is the same. Momentum is lost and this shouldn't be a time for a bovril sport. Those breaks must be difficult for even experienced broadcasters. How do you fill for 15 minutes if you've only seen 5 minutes of speedway, of which there might be 2 or 3 incidents worthy of discussion/replay. I imagine a much better product would be much easier to present. Just a thought, but if BSN was my business I'd reach out to broadcasters or Universities with a view to providing them with an opportunity to train their staff/students. I know Sky have an 'academy' to train presenters, reporters, commentators and technical staff of the future. What greater way to learn than by being given the opportunity to produce a live sporting event. Sure you don't get the finished article but you do get enthusiasm and raw talent trying to improve their skills. You also get on the broadcasters radar, The broadcaster might even pay for the training opportunity or at the least you get access to free resources. Realise speedway is a bit niche but the skills required to take part in a live broadcast are all the same.

Why isn't it a valid comparison? Both Johnson and Garrity have potentially ruined their victims lives. You'd have to ask their victims but that's ultimately the bottom line. You can attempt to change the narrative as much as you like but it won't change what those people had to endure. Like I say if someone is willing to offer the lad an opportunity fair play but lets not try to justify it by positioning him as a victim if he's not offered the chance to resume his speedway career. That's just disrespectful.

You miss the point. We'd all love to earn money doing what we enjoy or are best qualified to do. Given the opportunity anyone would. The point is that doing what he enjoys or is most qualified to do is not his only option to make a useful contribution to society as is being presented by some on here. "If you don't let him ride he'll resort to drug abuse and crime". Utter nonsense. He very well might but that would be on him and not those who decided it wasn't appropriate to employ him. Imagine if we all resorted to drugs and crime if we didn't get what we wanted to do? The vast majority of us just get on with it. Nobody owes this lad a living because he's was a half decent speedway rider, If any promoter is happy enough to accept the negative publicity and risk associated with the lad then that's entirely up to them. If none are willing to do so then he should accept that as a consequence of his own misdemeanours and move on and find another way of being a useful member of society. Perhaps the best comparison is ex footballer Adam Johnson. He made a despicable mistake served his time and has moved on knowing that he'd never be able to do what he was best qualified to do such was the nature of his crime. To say Garrity should be given an opportunity despite the nature of his crime because it's what he does best shows a complete lack of empathy for the victims of his crime and indeed the general public. Who naturally don't like to see people who have behaved despicably being rewarded. I say fair play to any promoter willing to give him a chance. Hopefully he takes it and lives a successful life from this point forward. But let's be clear, any promoter who does so is taking a risk and Garrity should consider himself extremely fortunate to be given an opportunity he is most certainly not entitled to just because he happens to be good at it.

I'm not really fussed to be honest but this rhetoric about it being a choice between speedway or crime is just complete rubbish. This chap will be extremely fortunate to be given another opportunity to earn a living doing something which he presumably he loved, just not as much as his other apparent addiction. But to say this is his only chance to stay 'clean' is tantamount to holding a gun to the collective speedway communities head. a. there are plenty of other occupations this chap could pursue. sure those will be limited by his qualifications and his criminal record by there are plenty of ex-convicts who obtain gainful employment. it might not be preferential but the vast majority of us, criminal or not, don't get the opportunity to do our dream job. b. what happens when he is no longer physically able to be a speedway rider? straight back to a life of crime? Like I say I have no opinion on whether or not this chap should be given an opportunity but lets not attempt to justify this as being anything other than extremely fortunate if the opportunity does arise.

Was always traditionally a Monday night track 😉

The same Saudi's that have invested bugger all in the region. More chance of the Butcher resurrecting it 😊

well argued

shall I put it this way... ...the Premiership only had 6 riders who were too good for the Championship, I know there were more who didn't tide in the championship but the likes of Becker, Brennan, Douglas and Pickering are hardly world stars. Excellent but not in the top 20 riders in the world. If you want a premium product it has to be that. This season at least two of those 6 won't be riding. Personally I don't think you can offer a premium product in this country because the infrastructure, apart from the NSS, isn't conducive to it. In terms of either the tracks or stadia. But if you do need a premium product find a format in which you can at least see a high % of those top 20 riders in the world.

The majority of fans buggered off years ago. Myself included when Newcastle closed. Well just before as it was rubbish, Whilst I'm not a fan of doubling up I don't think it has the detrimental impact in terms of credibility it once did. Look at franchise cricket. Everyone plays for multiple franchises. But it's now accepted because these competitions are differentiated. i.e. the Hundred is distinct from the Big Blast, the County Championship, the IPL the Big Bash etc. The trouble with the Premiership/Championship is that there's hardly any delineation between the two. Premiership is basically the Championship with maybe 6 elite riders added. i.e the Premiership isn't premium, the product isn't premium, apart from maybe at Belle Vue. It's clear that the majority of punters don't fall for it. A genuinely premium product might have worked but the Premiership has fallen between two stools for too long. Either do a premium product or don't.

Probably based on promoters tax returns 😉 I'm joking I'm joking interesting stats. I wonder what happens if TV viewing figures were added?