cityrebel

I was at the Belle Vue and Mildenhall bank holiday meetings. The crowds were excellent for both, exceptional for NL speedway.

You guessed right.

The problem is, there are too many tracks and not enough riders to fill the team places. The way the sport is going, things should even themselves out in the next couple of years.

For a start, the promoters would need to prepare a decent racetrack to give those riders on a handicap a chance to pass.

The problem is, a lot of speedway fans follow both sports. That wouldn't have stopped me attending Arlington tonight.

Just like they always have since 1928.

I missed the last one due to football commitments. I haven't seen the Lions ride at Arlington since 1983!

Fair play to them for making changes when the crowds are not great. They could have just sat back and done nothing. That would have been the cheaper and easier option.

It has to be a two league set up next season for the sport to survive. A championship level top flight and the NDL to develop the british talent to feed the top league. No one wants to see a reduction in standards, but what other options are there. When the likes of Poole are hemorrhaging money, the games up.

Plenty of bad luck on both sides last night, with the Kings nicking a point at the death. It was good to see a decent crowd on the island, with loads of kids in attendance.

Not at all, as an Arlington regular, I'm looking forward to it.

It's all about cost. I don't know how the Brummies are surviving on current crowd levels.

On the plus side, another home meeting against Leicester to look forward to.

Doesn't seem to bother Matt Ford.

I'd gamble, if i was local.

Could be a great leveller, if it's on.

It's the promoters fault that the sport is on its knees. They failed to invest when times were good and have failed to promote when times are bad. They are not capable of selling their product to the british public. Tinkering with the rules every year isn't going to bring the fans back. There is no solution that isn't going to cost money. A top PR man or a national advertising campaign would cost a fortune, with no guarantees of success. Preparing a decent track and putting on a slicker show would be a start, but most seem incapable of acheiving this essential task. With the Poles now bullying the FIM into submission, speedway in this country will fall further behind the pecking order, if that's possible.

I'm not always negative Steve, just realistic. I've been to sixteen meetings already this season, at nine different tracks. I'm far too old to change my ways!

League racing has been the backbone of this sport since 1929. It would have struggled to survive without it. Most fans like to nail their masts to a colour, and wouldn't go if they had no teams to support. Individual meetings started to die off in the 1980's, Cardiff is only well attended because it's a prestigious one off event. Speedway, like dog racing is a sport from a bygone era, that is not fashionable anymore. People want a lot more than fifteen races and poor facilities for their money. You only have to look at the shenanigans at Poole and Swindon yesterday to realise the sport is knackered. It needs massive investment and professional people to revamp it, both of which are never going to happen.

Which is the reason I'm going to IOW v Kent instead.

Saturdays at 3pm will become a rare occourance. As an Arsenal fan it's someting I've got used to. It's the clashes with speedway that gives me the hump.

Decent meeting yesterday with some good racing. A very healthy crowd as well.

I had a lucky escape yesterday Sid. I was planning to attend both meetings, but the weather put me off. So i stayed local and went to Kent instead.

I was at kent yesterday, but it seemed perfect last thursday.

Same as last thursday. Seems like the penny has dropped at the showground.