Team Building For 2011

[RHayes]

Here's my attempt

 

- 1 rider over 25 years of age

- 1 D/U Rider allowed in each team

- 6 riders between the ages of 15 - 24

- 2 riders from the commonwealth

- 2 riders at reserve which are under 20 years of age

 

Points Limit of 40.00

 

If Plymouth go PL and if Bournemouth don't run, hopefully they will and Mildenhall come back then that should 8 or 9 teams from memory so 16/18 fixtures.

 

- Team who tops table wins the league after all the fixtures wins the league

- No play offs to decide the league title

- Cut off date for league fixtures is the 30th September

- League season begins first weekend of April (excluding challenge matches)

- Top 4 compete for the National Shield over 2 home and away legs, winners of both semi finals go through to the final and race over 2 legs

- Keep the KOC & National Trophy

- All teams should compete in the NL Pairs and NL Fours

- NLRC should be held at a neutral venue i.e Stoke

- 1 Home and away fixture

Edited September 17, 2010 by LFC1892

[montie]

but when you start to have 2/3 riders over say 25 in a NL Team then whats the point, they are not going to improve,and if they are not of PL standard by that age, then i am sorry, and it may seem harsh but they should not clog up the system for youngsters who are trying to make there way in the sport.

 

 

 

What if some british road racer or moto x rider gets to the age of 25 and thinks sod it,im going to race speedway??????????????

Edited September 17, 2010 by montie

[torpointfanatic22]

What if some british road racer or moto x rider gets to the age of 25 and thinks sod it,im going to race speedway??????????????

 

Very good point this. There have been a few riders who have done exactly this. Seemond Stephens didn't start speedway until he was in his 30's albeit he rode several years at PL before dropping down to the NL. But Scott Anderson is a classic example of when he was up at Scunny. When the grading system was in place the BSPA penalised riders over 30 if my memory serves me correctly and Scott had he grade raised by at least 1 point despite only having limited experience, (Malc can probably correct me on that). Anyway whilst I totally agree with limiting the riders over 25 in each team, it should be based on experience rather than age. So maybe only 1 rider over 25 with minimum 3 years experience or something like that.

Edited September 18, 2010 by torpointfanatic22

[greyhoundp]

What if some british road racer or moto x rider gets to the age of 25 and thinks sod it,im going to race speedway??????????????

 

Simple...Then they bugger off to the Pl or El..

[montie]

What if some british road racer or moto x rider gets to the age of 25 and thinks sod it,im going to race speedway??????????????

 

Simple...Then they bugger off to the Pl or El..

 

Dumb ass response!!! is the league meant ofr rider to learn the trade and get a start??

[Scunny Stag]

The main reason the points limit has to come down significantly is to create more opportunities for young British riders and for those who are using the low numbers in the 500cc class of the U-15 as a reason for not doing this please look at the riders either too old or too young for the rather narrow 500cc U-15 class.

 

The reality is we are only talking about substituting one experienced rider with one junior so perhaps ten riders in the whole country.

 

Of course there is also an argument that if there were more opportunities for young riders in the National League then there would be more riders in the U-15 Championship.

[shippy22]

From a team strength point of view, I think this years National League has worked well. There are no super strong teams, and no very weak teams, which there have been in many seasons in the past.

 

Some people have suggested only allowing 1 rider over 25 in each team. Apart from being very unfair on riders who start later, it would also result in a bigger difference between the stronger and weaker teams, and also not reduce the costs.

 

Thers are only a certain number of 6.00 point and higher riders under 25, and the better ones would be able to demand higher points money, knowing they would be even more valuable than they are at the moment.

 

Some teams could struggle to put out a competitive team. For example, Isle Of Wight would have to lose 3 riders from Danny Warwick, Lee Smethills, Dean Felton and Nick Simmons. Where would the replacements come from ?. Bearing in mind that other teams would also need more riders under 25, and the richer teams would probably snap up the best ones.

This could result in teams like IOW having a very weak side, losing support, and eventually closing. How would that help the National League??

[Jayne]

Well put Shippy22. This was part of the point I was making in that there are just not enough riders sat on the sidelines to replace the older riders. Reducing the points limit drastically only places a higher price on those with low averages and the potential to improve. It also makes the product we are trying to sell weaker. There are lots of comments in the EL section about supporters not paying inflated prices for inferior products, you have to get the balance right between being competitive and offering opportunities for 'new blood'in order to retain the support.

[gsmills]

its ok calling for bans on this and bans on that, but the basic problem is that the costs to ride speedway are just beyond most peoples pocket, i would love to see all british riders and good crowds supporting, but its not happening,we have to ask why do aussie produce so many good youngsters? simple our grass roots is total rubbish, scunny ,rye and sittingbourne poss are the only tracks to train on regular and its not cheap i know.Talk to motocrossers and they cant beleive £35 .00 for ten minutes racing, they just dont think it value for money, im not taking away from the hard work of many people out there but why is the sky money not coming down to the bottom level somebody tell me what the bspa actually do,

[June]

I'd like to see an all british N/L . our youngsters deserve a chance to get to the top by going through the leagues. Foreign youngsters have their chances in their own countries. I'd like to see all foreigners starting in the prem. If the NL was all british to start off, with riders at differing levels it could work. For beginners to the sport there should be a level they have to achieve befor entering as a reserve. That would mean we would not have to bar any british lads from this league, however I think there should be a top level when they should go prem. I think a team average of 36 could work.; No1,8pts max with Nos.6 & 7 3pts ea. for team building.

[gsmills]

I'd like to see an all british N/L . our youngsters deserve a chance to get to the top by going through the leagues. Foreign youngsters have their chances in their own countries. I'd like to see all foreigners starting in the prem. If the NL was all british to start off, with riders at differing levels it could work. For beginners to the sport there should be a level they have to achieve befor entering as a reserve. That would mean we would not have to bar any british lads from this league, however I think there should be a top level when they should go prem. I think a team average of 36 could work.; No1,8pts max with Nos.6 & 7 3pts ea. for team building.

[gsmills]

i really agree with you but everybody seems to be missing the point speedway in this country is so hard for a normal lad,the costs are just to much to get to a good level,basicaly £100 a practice on average,so many young good lads ive seen forced to pack up because of financial reasons.there is no support for good juniors, nobody spots them ,what i want to see is academys to bring lads on,let them train cheaply and then we could have a good national league and maybe junior racing, promotors dont really care about the future speedway is in the doldrums and i cant see a way foward

[Edwardian]

i really agree with you but everybody seems to be missing the point speedway in this country is so hard for a normal lad,the costs are just to much to get to a good level,basicaly £100 a practice on average,so many young good lads ive seen forced to pack up because of financial reasons.there is no support for good juniors, nobody spots them ,what i want to see is academys to bring lads on,let them train cheaply and then we could have a good national league and maybe junior racing, promotors dont really care about the future speedway is in the doldrums and i cant see a way foward

try scunthorpe mate good facility's good people

[scribbler]

try scunthorpe mate good facility's good people

 

With training facilities AND Amateur Racing... and I gather that the riders at these meetings are a friendly,helpful bunch

[gsmills]

try scunthorpe mate good facility's good people

we have done cant fault it,its just the lack of help for kids, they have a go then hit a brick wall, i know theres some good kids out there, but will they keep interested, you have seen the under 15 only 5 or 6 riders where are the rest gone, same as my lad no training on big tracks,chucked in at the deep end and they walk away ,we need to make it fun for them and encourage these lads where else do you see such a poor outlook

[Halifaxtiger]

I personally think that 36 is far too low. Lowering the points limit in the EL hasn't really helped with costs in fact I dont think it will have too much effect on costs in the NL if anything it will push the lower averaged riders demands up because they will be more in demand especially if they are on false averages. Its swings and roundabouts really you push the top guys out in theory to save money but then the lower guys become more valuable. If you listen to the comments made regarding the EL and the lowering of the points limit it has made the product less competitive as the standard is not as high but the costs do not reflect the standard of the league which some feel isn't that much higher than the PL. I agree the league needs a major shake up as costs are spiralling both for riders and promoters how we do that though is anyones guess.

 

As for the Australians in the league you can only have two per club anyway so dont think this needs to be limited any further. What does need to be done though is stringent policing of such riders so that there is no suggestion of ineligible riders competing. I personally just dont see where all the extra riders are coming from if you ban the aussies and lower the points limit drastically. There are only a handful of riders competing in the 500cc class of the U15s this year and very few riders on the sidelines who want to or are able to hold down a team spot.

 

 

This is a very fine post Jayne and one that I think most people outside north east Lincolnshire will agree with (and probably a few there will, too).

 

I have to say I'd sooner see 1 Australian rather than two per team but a total ban would lose the entertainment and crowd pulling appeal that these lads give.

 

There is no doubt that the suggestion that the NL has become a bastion for Australians is nothing but an utter myth.

 

It should never be forgotten that for yourself and others the running of your side is your bread and butter - you are not putting out an NL side to produce riders for a senior team and hence might be prepared to stomach the losses in attendance that could easily be the result of devaluing the product too much. That is something which must be part of the equation when the points limit is considered.

 

 

Well put Shippy22. This was part of the point I was making in that there are just not enough riders sat on the sidelines to replace the older riders. Reducing the points limit drastically only places a higher price on those with low averages and the potential to improve. It also makes the product we are trying to sell weaker. There are lots of comments in the EL section about supporters not paying inflated prices for inferior products, you have to get the balance right between being competitive and offering opportunities for 'new blood'in order to retain the support.

 

Another fine post and I can assure you that the points you make regarding the lack of available riders are not lost on other NL team managers.

 

What I am most encouraged by here is the consistency of your views and your willingness to try and find an acceptable solution with two of those gentlemen I have referred to in my earlier post. There is unquestionably hope for the continued existence and indeed prosperity of the NL when such leading figures are prepared to put at least some of their self interest aside for the benefit of the common good.

[Swift Saint]

scunny ,rye and sittingbourne poss are the only tracks to train on regular

 

Please make sure of your facts before making such a sweeping statement.

 

Training takes place at least once a week at Stoke and not just doing laps without help. There are also opportunities at Northside (Workington) and Weymouth and Plymouth have also staged sessions.

 

There amy well be others.

 

Malcolm Vasey

[Parsloes 1928 nearly]

Please make sure of your facts before making such a sweeping statement.

 

Training takes place at least once a week at Stoke and not just doing laps without help. There are also opportunities at Northside (Workington) and Weymouth and Plymouth have also staged sessions.

 

There may well be others.

 

Malcolm Vasey

 

There are. Well, there's certainly Lydd (like Iwade in Kent...) as well...

[SimonB]

I am with Jayne on the issue with lowering the average limit, it would just make other riders more expensive instead and would not have sucha great impact on the costs of the clubs. My view continues to be that the clubs should be allowed to make their own decisions on how much to pay riders and who to employ within the points limit set by the BSPA. The owners take the risks and should be given the freedom to decide how to provide their customers with the product that they want.

 

In terms of bringing kids on I agree the costs need to be reduced but a large amount of the cost is in the equipment which obviously impacts everyone in the sport. Ticket prices, riders wages and the clubs financial stability are all clearly impacted by the cost of equipment. Making bikes more standardised and cheaper to maintain would really help the sport but how that can be acheived is well beyond me.

[Swift Saint]

Making bikes more standardised and cheaper to maintain would really help the sport but how that can be acheived is well beyond me.

 

Certainly not by making newcomers who are mainly kids have to compete against the free for all influx of PL riders doubling down into the Development League which you advocate Simon.

 

There are many riders without League places without bankrupting any more Clubs in a free for all.

 

Malcolm Vasey