thebaron Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Does anyone think that the EL in its current format can survive into 2015 and beyond?. Watching the Swedish EL last night that appears to match the criteria for an elite league ie: 7 EL riders in a team. Has the demise of Birmingham been a wake up call to EL promoters as to where the league is going ?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebrum Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Another thread we have year after year after year. Of course there will be an EL next season in some format. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adder Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 With the futures of Coventry and Eastbourne in considerable doubt and given that Birmingham appear to be unable to sustain support at EL level i'm assuming that there will be no EL next season but an expanded PL, possibly split into North/South divisions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsc1 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Another thread we have year after year after year. Of course there will be an EL next season in some format. . How do you know for sure there will be a EL next year? It may be one big league north a south without the top riders who seam to say there can't cope, LOL you ask most bham fans which league was best and I know it won't be EL............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebrum Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 . How do you know for sure there will be a EL next year? It may be one big league north a south without the top riders who seam to say there can't cope, LOL you ask most bham fans which league was best and I know it won't be EL............ Quote me next year if i`m wrong. How do i know????? Because we have had one since the year dot virtually. As for which league is best - don't even go there. That ISN'T what is being discussed. We all have different views on which league is best - none are correct. For me - if there was no EL i would become a part time supporter and a lot of EL supporters would be the same. There will be an EL next season. A big NO to a split PL standard one league. The death of Speedway in the UK if that was to happen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAST GATER Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 I hope the EL is able to carry on without a merger with the PL but please lets have 7 or even 6 EL riders and not this "fast Track " farce ,which is only used to save money nothing else . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woz01 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Whatever the top league in Britain is it will be the Elite or whatever they decide to call It. I have no idea why people get so hanged up about what the top league is called when the 2nd division is called premier. I'd be happy with a larger top division with less top quality riders, certain PL clubs would be able to support that. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellevueace Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Well you cant really call this years league ELITE can you? In that sense its already finished. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tellboy Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 I hope the EL is able to carry on without a merger with the PL but please lets have 7 or even 6 EL riders and not this "fast Track " farce ,which is only used to save money nothing else . Without saving money this year on the fast track riders,how many teams would have started the season in the EL.It's obvious it was bought in to save money but without this where would the EL be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Hunter Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) Brum have already gone. Coventry and Eastie are in doubt. No point in running a Speedway club If you are not making money and unfortunately that's the case for some at the mo. Birmingham have gone due to the rank ineptitude of their 'promoters' and Bob Dugard has decided that, at the age of 72, he's tired of it all and doesn't want to inject extra cash every year with what is probably the smallest hard core support in the EL as it stands at the moment. Coventry is under threat of redevelopment and therefore not within the remit of not making money. The thing what worries me is that if you are putting up a club for sale how can you convince new buyers? Well, that's the 64 million dollar question, isn't it? Birmingham may have a future, as both Tony Mole and Graham Drury have gone on record as saying speedway can be profitable there, and a buyer may be interested in resurrecting the club next year. Who knows, Eastbourne may also find a buyer over the winter. Whatever the top league in Britain is it will be the Elite or whatever they decide to call It. I have no idea why people get so hanged up about what the top league is called when the 2nd division is called premier. I'd be happy with a larger top division with less top quality riders, certain PL clubs would be able to support that. Yes, I've personally felt the league structure in this country is a little unbalanced - maybe two hybrid leagues may be the way forward. No top names, (ie GP riders) but part amalgamation of the existing EL and PL to operate at the higher level and for those who wish to operate with lower overheads join together the rest of the PL with the National League. Whether that's the answer or not, I honestly don't know. What I do know is that there will always be an upper and lower tier in British Speedway, whatever the leagues are called is immaterial. And a way forward has to be found. As it currently stands, speedway in Britain just seems to lurch from crisis to crisis, while the governing body also appears to just stand by and let it happen. Edited July 23, 2014 by Leicester Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduds1 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Quote me next year if i`m wrong. How do i know????? Because we have had one since the year dot virtually. As for which league is best - don't even go there. That ISN'T what is being discussed. We all have different views on which league is best - none are correct. For me - if there was no EL i would become a part time supporter and a lot of EL supporters would be the same. There will be an EL next season. A big NO to a split PL standard one league. The death of Speedway in the UK if that was to happen. You say you would be a part-time supporter if there was no EL. but surely what we are watching now isn't much better than what we would be watching if there was a combined league. At Wolves we have 2 EL riders ( although the way Woffy is riding for us for whatever reason it is possibly 1 EL rider ) 3 PL riders ( and not particularly top PL riders ) and 2 NL riders. Taking a balanced view on the above we might be better off with 7 PL riders in a PL league. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanner47 Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 A 16 team Division (no GP stars) would be lovely for those that are in it. But what would happen to the clubs that miss out? In every other sport the cream rises to the top, but in Speedway that wont happen. There's no way the BSPA would dump on one of their own members, let alone a few of them. If the cream rose to the top, Glasgow probably wouldn't be in the "biggish" League, and they'd be finished, so it eint gonna happen!!!!! They'll just cobble together something else and we'll be having this discussion for years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wealdstone Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 I am not to sure myself 60%/40% that the will be in my opinion. Brum have already gone. Coventry and Eastie are in doubt. No point in running a Speedway club If you are not making money and unfortunately that's the case for some at the mo. The thing what worries me is that if you are putting up a club for sale how can you convince new buyers? Peterborough has the best race track in the country in my opinion and the only reason why they are still running is because of Mick Horton. Mick has stated that he wanted to save the best race track in the country and it wasn't about making money however Mick is a couple of hundred paying adults short every week just to break even. Many feel that MH is the custodian temporary or otherwise for RF. Speculation in some quarters that financial help from the latter is required from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g13webb Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 I don't like the idea of one league. But if that means the BSPA will be as one, and all the Promoters singing from the same hymn sheet, than that has to be a step in the right direction...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebrum Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Well you cant really call this years league ELITE can you? In that sense its already finished. Likewise nothing premier about the PL. Both in the names are finished if you look at it that way. You say you would be a part-time supporter if there was no EL. but surely what we are watching now isn't much better than what we would be watching if there was a combined league. At Wolves we have 2 EL riders ( although the way Woffy is riding for us for whatever reason it is possibly 1 EL rider ) 3 PL riders ( and not particularly top PL riders ) and 2 NL riders. Taking a balanced view on the above we might be better off with 7 PL riders in a PL league. What we are watching is still the top league in the UK. YES its incredibly weaker than in recent years but take Kings lynn - Heat 13 and 15 Woffy and Piotr and against Iversen and Bjerre. That alone for me is worth my weekly admission price. Id pay a weekly price to watch Pawlicki alone! PL doesn't interest me. Id prefer the NL as the next generation is more interesting. That why the current EL WITH the draft riders is a win win for me. Poland and Sweden use youngsters in their top flight who often struggle so i dont see the issue that some have. Its just a personal choice. PL just doesn't cut it for to watch on a weekly basis. I don't like the idea of one league. But if that means the BSPA will be as one, and all the Promoters singing from the same hymn sheet, than that has to be a step in the right direction...... Me neither. And i bet the PL promotions want nothing to do with it as we all know they only care about their own clubs and league. I certainly hope there is no amalgamation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandorum Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Whatever happens I am sure it will be brilliant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weatherwatcher Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 The EL will still be here. The only problem is that 2 or 3 top clubs that have all the spare money can always and will always want the top GP stars in thier teams. The clubs that are the real losers are the ones who can't afford the tp riders but know they can't compete in the EL league without the big names and struggle year in year out to make a profit. The whole EL needs to be resturctured to make it an even playing field if we are not going to lose it. Where is all the advertising to say that our sport is out there. I am sure that it only the do or die base of fans that even know that we have the sport of speedway in this country. Until the BPSA get thier heads out of the sand and let the public in general know about our sport, then we are on a rocky road to see it death knell. There will always be speedway in this country as there are people who ride who do it for the love of the sport. Much like our counties grass track riders. Where you can go and get in for free at some meetings. Without the BPSA doing something very drastic in the next year or so all we will have are tracks up and down the country, where the riders ride on a pure amatuer basis, just because they love the sport. Maybe in some way this would not be to bad a thing, with young riders from this country and some from the EU and some older riders, making the sport good to see agian with some good close racing. I don't want to see that happen. But unless they pull thier fingers out and advertise the sport and get some new big sponsers on board then we will see an end to speedway in this country as we know it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E I Addio Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Peterborough has the best race track in the country in my opinion and the only reason why they are still running is because of Mick Horton. Mick has stated that he wanted to save the best race track in the country and it wasn't about making money however Mick is a couple of hundred paying adults short every week just to break even. Perhaps it would be a good idea if he paid some of his riders then. I spoke to one of them three weeks ago who told me up,to that time he hadn't been paid at all this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 What the Elite League needs to do is to copy the model Sweden uses, have a couple of days a week set aside for meetings, with eight teams you have seven home and seven away plus at least one more for a cup match and pre season opener/individuals then a play off at the end. Less is more! less meetings will mean each match is more important because if you miss one you might have to wait three or four weeks for the next home meeting, it should also allow the top riders to be able to ride over here thus making the product more attractive, those seven or eight home meetings should be "not to miss affairs"! No guest riders, rider replacement or squad system allowed for injured riders but fixtures arranged so no clashes with any other competition or country. Put the emphasis on quality of meetings not quantity of meetings. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weatherwatcher Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 It is time, that this no payment of riders was brought to a halt. If a club fails to pay its riders then the best thing they can do is stop riding for them and to stop any other riders from taking thier places until the wages are paid. I am sure if you went to work and didn't get paid that you would either leave or soon get it sorted. This has gone on far to long now. If a club can't foot it's wage bill, then they do not desrve to keep the club going, the riders can't live on fresh air and need the money not only for thierselves but to keep thier bikes and equipment in order. It is time for the BPSA to step up and to put a stop to this. Without riders then the clubs that do not pay the wage bill will no longer be able to operate. Unless a new promoter takes over the club. The promoter in question should have thier licence revocted inderfinatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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