Rebel1 Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 Isle of Wight may boost the NL numbers. Could we get numbers to match the PL? Surely the NL should be the largest league thereby offering youngsters more opportunities and alongside more experienced riders. Must admit it did not work out for Kent this year as the 3 pointers failed to respond on track. Danny Ayres improved significantly and James Shanes also. This identifies that across the league some riders upped their averages some stagnated and some went backwards. At least this helps team managers when recruiting but teams with improved rider bases end up having to release riders who supporters like to get behind. Perhaps every team must include at least one rider new to the league and not from the senior leagues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRKYLANE Posted October 23, 2015 Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 It is time for the NL to get back to being a training ground for new riders. Â Two ( maximium ) riders with experience to pass on knowledge and the rest as newcomers (1,2 or 3 years experience only ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*JJ Posted October 24, 2015 Report Share Posted October 24, 2015 No - the NL is a fully-fledged professional league. The training leagues are the MDL and NJL (although the time I went to BV for an MDL meeting it was cancelled because a BV rider had a temper tantrum and delayed everything). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee jay Posted October 24, 2015 Report Share Posted October 24, 2015 It is time for the NL to get back to being a training ground for new riders. Â Two ( maximium ) riders with experience to pass on knowledge and the rest as newcomers (1,2 or 3 years experience only ) oh here we go, only just joined and wanting to change the rules to suite themselves already. if you want to develop newcomers do it in the junior leagues. why should mildenhall, buxton, cradley, birmingham, eastbourne, stoke, and till now kent be nurseries for the rest of british speedway ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex2000 Posted October 24, 2015 Report Share Posted October 24, 2015 No you can do what you like just makes it easier for us to beat you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Leslie Posted October 24, 2015 Report Share Posted October 24, 2015 No - the NL is a fully-fledged professional league. The training leagues are the MDL and NJL Wrong. Â The Speedway Regulations state that the National Development League "is the entry level league dedicated to the training and development of young home grown riders" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRKYLANE Posted October 24, 2015 Report Share Posted October 24, 2015 (edited) Reply to gee Jay   This has always been my stance re the bottom league since 1968 when the original div 2 was formed.  Indeed this was the principal intention of the league which produced many young talented riders.  In recent years, some teams have bought their league title by filling their team with experienced riders within a points limit that was far too high.... Leaving teams like Buxton struggling to sign a number 1 rider because they could not afford the wages that others were wiling to pay for a number 1.  Last year they had the sense to seriously lower the team limit which meant teams had to employ some 3 point riders giving them their first chance of NL experience . This made the league itself far more competitive and interesting  MDL and NJL are fine vehicles for helping riders develop.... but they are not paid and only receive help with fuel and if their lucky travel expenses..... A cheap second half for promoters whilst affording good experience for youngsters. Edited October 24, 2015 by KIRKYLANE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*JJ Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 The fact is, that you can't just go into the NL these days: it is far too advanced, as many have found out (Harvie Banks, for one). A rider has to serve his apprenticeship in one of the (even) lower leagues before making the step up unto the NL - and it is a big step up. (I expect that someone is going to say 'Wot about Zach Waitknecht, then?' But he came up through grasstrack and the junior speedway system). I have spent the last three years helping a young man who wants to be a speedway rider. He has not done any grasstrack or any other racing, solely speedway. He had done a year in amateur racing and this year the MDL; perhaps if he keeps making the same progress next year, he may be ready for a try at the NL next autumn. But he, like most riders, has got a LOT of learning to go through before he is good enough for even semi-professional league speedway like the NL. While the NL is a development league in that riders have to enter it before they are ready for the PL or EL, it is certainly not the first step in a rider's development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMW Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) It is time for the NL to get back to being a training ground for new riders. Â Two ( maximium ) riders with experience to pass on knowledge and the rest as newcomers (1,2 or 3 years experience only ) You will never get that while there are stand alone's in the league...... Edited October 25, 2015 by TMW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 Reply to gee Jay   This has always been my stance re the bottom league since 1968 when the original div 2 was formed.  Indeed this was the principal intention of the league which produced many young talented riders.  In recent years, some teams have bought their league title by filling their team with experienced riders within a points limit that was far too high.... Leaving teams like Buxton struggling to sign a number 1 rider because they could not afford the wages that others were wiling to pay for a number 1.  Last year they had the sense to seriously lower the team limit which meant teams had to employ some 3 point riders giving them their first chance of NL experience . This made the league itself far more competitive and interesting  MDL and NJL are fine vehicles for helping riders develop.... but they are not paid and only receive help with fuel and if their lucky travel expenses..... A cheap second half for promoters whilst affording good experience for youngsters. While I agree with you, there is an easier way to get riders out of the NL. Drag them into the PL/ It's not good forcing top riders out of the NL because they have been around 2 or 3 season if the PL won't sign them is it? If the PL HAD to sign a NL rider every season you'd soon see the NL riders being promoted up the ranks and not needed the NL for so long. After a spell in the PL they would then be dragged into the EL and with any luck we'll soon enough see an EL and PL full of British talent.  But while the PL does very little (they have made a half arsed effort in 2016) this just won't happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben91 Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 NL riders are not professionals, most have other jobs or are kids funded by their parents (and sponsors before someone kicks off about that). You couldn't sustain your equipment and fund your day to day life as a NL speedway rider solely (or PL for that matter probably). Â Unfortunately there are many blokes in Britain who race and seem to think they've made it and are pro speedway riders yet complain that they're struggling to make ends meet because their 8 odd minutes of work each week isn't giving them enough in the way of wages. Â A bit of a tangent from the thread but hey ho. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topsoil Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 NL riders are not professionals, most have other jobs or are kids funded by their parents (and sponsors before someone kicks off about that). You couldn't sustain your equipment and fund your day to day life as a NL speedway rider solely (or PL for that matter probably). Â Unfortunately there are many blokes in Britain who race and seem to think they've made it and are pro speedway riders yet complain that they're struggling to make ends meet because their 8 odd minutes of work each week isn't giving them enough in the way of wages. Â A bit of a tangent from the thread but hey ho. Good luck to them if they can make a living from speedway, but unless they can get themselves a lot of sponsorship, speedway in this country just cannot support professional riders, unless they can supplement it by doubling up or riding abroad. Part of the reason that the sport is in such a bad state financially is that there are too many riders who try to make a living from the sport only. Don't like to live in the past, but when you look back to previous decades, nearly all of the riders had part time jobs to supplement riding. I know standards have risen considerably due to the "professionalism" but the sport just cannot afford it and a happy medium has to be found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMW Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 (edited) NL riders are not professionals, most have other jobs or are kids funded by their parents (and sponsors before someone kicks off about that). You couldn't sustain your equipment and fund your day to day life as a NL speedway rider solely (or PL for that matter probably). Â Unfortunately there are many blokes in Britain who race and seem to think they've made it and are pro speedway riders yet complain that they're struggling to make ends meet because their 8 odd minutes of work each week isn't giving them enough in the way of wages. Â A bit of a tangent from the thread but hey ho. In.my experience it's not the fact that they don't get enough meetings to earn a living it's enough meetings to race at a good level. When you go 2 and 3 weeks without a meeting you can't compete. Richie Worrall said the same about only riding in the PL and they have twice as many meetings. If you aren't riding it's not costing you. Practicing isn't the same as you don't push yourself. Edited October 31, 2015 by TMW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigred Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Anyone got any thoughts on a team line up yet ? max clegg ,matt Williamson , mike Neale my guess of first 3 all being local lads,and maybe dave holt from the colts mdl side as a reserve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*JJ Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Anyone got any thoughts on a team line up yet ? max clegg ,matt Williamson , mike Neale my guess of first 3 all being local lads,and maybe dave holt from the colts mdl side as a reserve. That will have the Heathens faithful biting the carpet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander15 Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Anyone got any thoughts on a team line up yet ? max clegg ,matt Williamson , mike Neale my guess of first 3 all being local lads,and maybe dave holt from the colts mdl side as a reserve. I'd say Holt is a near certainty seeing as Belle Vue wouldn't let Buxton buy him this year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigred Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 That will have the Heathens faithful biting the carpet! hope they don't take the old carpet into the new bar then . this years heathens will all want a job .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Leslie Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 hope they don't take the old carpet into the new bar then . this years heathens will all want a job .. Guess a lot will depend on whether Belle Vue, Isle of Wight and any others get accepted into the NL And whether Cradley and any others drop out. Â Aren't we at least another month away from finding out at the AGM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sings4Speedway Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Guess a lot will depend on whether Belle Vue, Isle of Wight and any others get accepted into the NL And whether Cradley and any others drop out. Â Aren't we at least another month away from finding out at the AGM? Â Yep and yet all teams bar Kent were signed by before Christmas last year. There will be plenty of phone calls and provisional deals being done at the moment. If Belle Vue & IOW aren't doing this also they may suffer a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander15 Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Guess a lot will depend on whether Belle Vue, Isle of Wight and any others get accepted into the NL And whether Cradley and any others drop out. Â Aren't we at least another month away from finding out at the AGM? AGM is December 2nd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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