scribbler

Yup - Stephens and Simmons were no youngsters were they And Plymouth's training facilities...

In case anybody has forgotten - the Worrals are British and have only been riding for two seasons... So - because Scunthorpe management find and train British talent and chose to use them in their teams they are wrong

It works for Scunnie. 2010 below the limit... same team 2011 wins the League... If you don't want to see a team of improvers - riders set to join the PL and EL - that's your choice. Think Richie Worrall. No experience 2010 - PL & NL 2011 - EL & PL 2012...

We agree !!! Having lost a dear friend to this sport and knowing the family still, 43 years later (wife, child and now grandchildren) I know how dangerous and cruel this sport can be. We all tend to think of the good things about the sport. Age restrictions are there for a reason - and the reason should not be forgotten, and the rules should never be overridden, however good a rider a youngster is.

I'd presume it would come under Youth Employment Laws. Remembering my paper round there is something in law about the hours that a schoolchild can work. Also the NL is (I think) semi-professional and therefore there could be laws about that...

And so is Tai - born in Scunthorpe...

Gazza found out that he had been replaced when somebody showed him a link to the local newspaper I believe . Gazza is Speedway through and through and I really feel for him and the way he has been treated . MB doesn't see supporters - he sees £ signs MB now has his friend Seemond Stephens as manager at home meetings and someone else as manager at away meetings... How MB gets away with it I don't know .

For goodness sake stop attacking a certain manager . That manager has more knowledge of Speedway at NL level than you'll ever have .

When they are shown on Sky - not the regular amount each season that EL clubs get from Sky.

The PL and the NL don't get Sky money and they survive. If the EL can't survive without 100% of the Sky money... if they can't put aside a (very) small percentage of the SKY money 'in the best interest of British Speedway' - then the EL owners are doing something very wrong. It's supposed to be the British Elite League - not 'the Elite league for any rider from anywhere in the world' ridden on British tracks. There should be a max number of foreign riders per team. For example it doesn't do Poland etc. any harm using a rule about using Polish riders. Those countries who have such rules in place have far better National teams than GB. The league may suffer for a while - but eventually the standard of GB riders would improve and ... Of course I know this will never happen. The owners of EL teams are only interested in the money - not in the sport of Speedway. When Speedway in this country eventually dies - and it's 'committing suicide by instalments' - those owners will just find somewhere else to put their money...

EL promoters have Sky money. They could put a small percentage into a BSPA pot for the development of young British riders. They won't do it - they've already had a GB manager resign because the BSPA wouldn't put enough money in IIRC.

Because the EL promoters don't really care about the sport - only about the money that they can line their own pockets with

Poole may have been making a loss - but, as the saying goes, you have to speculate to accumulate. Poole, with all the money they have, prefer to buy success rather than 'grow' it.

I'm too ill to attend - but please let the Promotion know that we want NL Speedway to continue.

The bit you bolded... I didn't like writing it... but sadly it is true.

Surely it's better to 'blood' young riders in a meeting of no consequence... Everybody has to have their first meeting. At least some teams give youngsters a chance - rather than use 'has-beens' and 'never-was' riders who have never been good enough for the PL. Wouldn't it be better to be able to say 'I saw that EL rider in his first ever ride' - rather than 'that nipper would have made a good rider - but nobody ever gave him a chance'...

Duffyscouse - That was an absolutely brilliant bit of writing!!! (have you been taking lessons from Mr Clements???)

I think it took supporters a bit of getting used to - after all the teams are 'sworn enemies' when there's a local derby in the PL . However, the opportunity of be able to see good quality NL racing was worth - and in the end it has worked...

PhilK your post personifies all that's right with the sport If only EL teams were so gracious in defeat - or humble in success - then Speedway might be seen as a professional sport with decent supporters. Long Live NL Speedway ...and - nicking and twisting a quote from Charles Dickens "Please Mr Godfrey, can we have some more... (NL Speedway)"

I think the majority of supporters already do - it's others - on here - who question it... Before 2005 some Scunthorpe supporters had attended Sheffield for years and, for many of them, that never changed - even when Scunthorpe went PL... though it must have made local derbies interesting . This season has probably been much the same as any other with the added opportunity/interest for supporters to visit and watch at NL level. I'm sure that it will be recorded as a Scunthorpe?Sheffield team (although I do like the combined Scunfield name - and it doesn't give some forums 'hiccups with 'that' hidden word ) Good luck to 'The Saints' this afternoon. Even a draw - (like my other Saints team - football )would ensure them winning the NL Play off final

Cough

Are you saying that Scunthorpe should not replace a rider with a guest of a similar average? Young, successful riders have attained a high enough average to enable them to be replaced by a rider of the same/similar average. If that guest rider is an older or more mature rider that is not the fault of Scunthorpe - it is the fault of other teams who have not developed younger riders for Scunthorpe to use. Are you expecting Scunthorpe to use a less-experienced rider - and therefore lower the standard of their competitiveness? Should Scunthorpe be the only team to be disadvantaged in this way just to prove that they do develop youngsters? Older, more mature riders are available for Scunthorpe to use as guests because other teams use older, more mature riders. Neither the other teams or Scunthorpe are using those riders illegally. Scunthorpe prefer to use their own riders - but when they can't, like any other team, they will use guests at the same standard. Blame the system which encourages other teams to use these experienced riders in their team all the time - not Scunthorpe for using them as guests.

Just notices the GB U23 Team... 6 of the 7 named riders began their Speedway League career in the NL or CL with Scunthorpe...

He's already done that - the 'one season wonders' Bournemouth Bucaneers. He didn't get enough money - not enough punters through the gate - so pulled out of the NL.

Wanted the 'LIKE' button for your post June I've never really 'got into' PL at EWR because I couldn't attend meetings. I've always loved the CL/NL and followed it online. I'll be really sad to see Scunthorpe without an NL team - even though I'll understand the reasoning behind the decision... The NL will lose a team and management willing to develop British riders. As I stated earlier...it'll be a sad day for British Speedway if/when the Saints stop being an NL team.