My Two-penneth

[Hazzman]

After seeing the AJ/TRick debacle go on and the many other mis-adventures of British Speedway. It needs a major overhaul. Here's my proposal to what should be done.

 

1. The BSPA should no longer be the top dog, a more independent source should be used with more clarity but with Speedway knowledge.

 

2. SKY deals to be kept at no matter of their demand, loses Sky, you lose mass audience. But in negotations, tip the boat with them, make demands.

 

3. Get Rid of the KO Cup, Riders Championship, Best Pairs. Or place them in a junior facility. The Elite League shall be simply, 12 teams (get a Northern team to come up with mass finicial help agreed), you ride the teams home and away. It makes 22 meetings. Then make an Elite Cup to replace the KO Cup, 12 teams into 4 groups, meetings home and away. Group toppers go through, to Semi-Final which we be a two legged basis, followed by a final at a neutral track. Makes the possibility of 30 meetings, we currently have 40 plus Cup way too much.

 

15 Home Meetings, One Home Race Night A Week, makes 4 months worth of Speedway and with a couple of invidiual meetings.

 

Clubs must agree on two nights a week which the BEL can operate.

 

4. British Teams must be have three brits and before the EU argument is rolled out. Then how come UEFA are set to make a ruling meaning 7 of the squad of 18 must be from the county the Football Club orignates.

 

5. Points Limit is that of the champions Averages added up.

 

My idea is rough but I think there are some fine points in there.

[Mylor]

Plenty of Two-penneths on this forum Hazzman as you've probably already discovered. What we actually need is 30 or 40 Twentythousandpoundeths to open new tracks in competition with the BSPA, a BSF League no less.

 

Lanzilla could return from the dark side and..................

 

Well we can dream occasionally can't we.

[Grachan]

So what are you saying? That the season should only be 4 months long? Or am I misinterpreting that? If so it would start at the end of March and be over by August.

 

Three Brits in each of the twelve teams means 48 British riders in the top flight. Where are these riders going to come from? It’s a lovely theory, of course, to have all these British riders, but it just doesn’t seem practical to me. The riders will not be available (unless, of course, we get rid of the PL). What will happen to any team who can’t find the riders? Will they just have to find any raw novice going just to make up the numbers?

 

Why get rid of the KO Cup? It’s a decent enough competition. The new competition will be no more than a Craven Shield type thing or a half arsed season opener/closer that nobody would be that bothered about. At least the KO Cup is established so keeps a certain amount of prestige, even if the Play-offs mean it has lost its sheen somewhat.

 

Points limit being set to the level of the champions sounds lovely on the face of it, but where would that have left teams like Oxford, Arena-Essex and this 12th team that it is proposed join the EL? What team would even consider coming up to the top flight only to find there were absolutely no riders available to them?

[Kevin Meynell]

1. The BSPA should no longer be the top dog, a more independent source should be used with more clarity but with Speedway knowledge.

 

The reality is trying to find such a person willing to do the job. I agree though, that an appointed (by the BSPA) commissioner or commission is required to handle the day-to-day running of the sport.

 

3. Get Rid of the KO Cup, Riders Championship, Best Pairs. Or place them in a junior facility.

 

Nothing really wrong with the KOC or Best Pairs, provided the advertised riders turn-up.

 

I think I'd turn the Riders Championship into a season long competition linked to a revival of the traditional open meetings held at each track.

 

Makes the possibility of 30 meetings, we currently have 40 plus Cup way too much.

 

You need guaranteed rather than potential meetings in speedway. I'd think 30 meetings would be the minimum, so in addition to the 22 league matches, you'd probably need to have a league cup of 3 x 4 teams (6 matches) or even 2 x 6 teams (10 matches).

 

before the EU argument is rolled out. Then how come UEFA are set to make a ruling meaning 7 of the squad of 18 must be from the county the Football Club orignates.

 

That ruling applies to 'home-grown' players rather than players of a specific nationality. In other words, players who have come through a youth academy in the country concerned.

 

BTW - there is still a good chance that even this may be ruled illegal.