2017 - 1 Or 2 Fixed Race Nights And When?

[stevebrum]

Sadly i think you could be right Fast gater in a few years time i think it will be one large Premier league(after trying all they can to get the top boys back.But i think its all about the money of which most clubs dont have any more.

If you look at this year the Elite league has only 5 so named top boys Zagar.Holder,Jonsson,Doyle and Kasprzak.The league needs at least 8 as all the teams need a top rider for the league to be competitive.Look at the problems it has caused Kings Lynn and Leicester this year.If you look at the teams in the Elite league this year i think it is the least competitve list of teams i have ever seen in my 44 years of watching speedway.

So going Premier league means we will loose 5 top riders the above 5 who could decide at any time that they dont want to ride here anymore.I think that a large percentage of the other riders will still want to ride over here so the change over as things are now will not be that massive.I m o i think more fans will be lost this year because their team is not competative rather than them not having a top man ride for them.

If we all do go Premier league what will happen ?.We loose 5 top riders and possibly a few others.The remaining riders that want to ride over here would be spread around the league making the Prem league a little stronger.We would have approx 20 meaningfull fixtures seeing 20 different teams a year.There would be no double uppers to worry about missing meetings.All fans would get to see their teams riders every week and chosen race nights would not be as much of a problem.There would be enougth meetings for the riders to make a living.

After watching top league speedway for 44 years i would love the Elite league to stay alive and if they can get a lot of the top boys plus many other quality riders that choose to just ride in Europe back i would be over the moon but the way things are these days i just can't see it happening(i hope i am so wrong)But if they can't get them to come back in numbers the Elite league as it now is bobbins there are just not enougth quality riders to go around and changing to all Premier league is to me a better option than what we have now.

If we ever fall that low then it's game over for us a professional sport.

 

With a loss of probably 20-25% of its audience.

 

That will be a sad day for speedway, and the day I give up on taking the sport I love seriously anymore and the loss of a regular fan.

[RobMcCaffery]

If we ever fall that low then it's game over for us a professional sport.

 

With a loss of probably 20-25% of its audience.

 

That will be a sad day for speedway, and the day I give up on taking the sport I love seriously anymore and the loss of a regular fan.

Someone was talking about 'forum dreamers'. It seems that if stevebrum wants something then everybody else does. He'd rather drag the sport into oblivion than accept great speedway can happen without 'names' riding round on their own, half a lap clear of the rest.

 

Humphrey Appleby and BV72 have given impeccable explanations of the reality of the situation.

 

Sadly characters such as stevebrum can only continue shouting wild assumptions into the wind.

 

Yes we'll lose people him and that could well be a mercy for many. Why pander to people like him if the price is trying to maintain the current farce, dreaming that if we do a few simple things then the 'names' will come flocking back.

 

British speedway needs to rebuild in a sustainable form. Double-upping, restricted race nights and pandering to the constant needs of Poland, BSI and One Sport will simply not do it.

 

Time for a clean break and for people to realise that, pretty uniquely amongst team sports, you do not need the greatest talents to have the greatest level of competition.

 

It's all about four riders racing four laps. Spending a fortune to use riders whose cost cannot be covered by the increase in crowds may attract is the economics of the madhouse.

 

No matter how much hot air is blown, top riders are not in Britain because they can make far better money elsewhere.

 

Rebuild, see if we an get crowd levels back to the point where we can offer good money, then see what happens.

 

Best of all we lose one of the worst forum obsessive bores!

[B.V 72]

If we ever fall that low then it's game over for us a professional sport.

 

With a loss of probably 20-25% of its audience.

 

That will be a sad day for speedway, and the day I give up on taking the sport I love seriously anymore and the loss of a regular fan.

Sorry to say steve we are not far off that now.I would think that most of this years Wolves team would still want to ride in a changed league.We already have a big proportion of Premier league class riders in the Elite league now and a massive amount of class riders have already gone missing and you are still willing to go so with the just the loss of the big 5 mentioned would it really stop you going.To me its not about G P riders its about team racing and it would be not that much different than it is now.Other than the point that most of the teams would stand a chance of being evenly matched of which they are not this year.

[stevebrum]

Someone was talking about 'forum dreamers'. It seems that if stevebrum wants something then everybody else does. He'd rather drag the sport into oblivion than accept great speedway can happen without 'names' riding round on their own, half a lap clear of the rest.

 

Humphrey Appleby and BV72 have given impeccable explanations of the reality of the situation.

 

Sadly characters such as stevebrum can only continue shouting wild assumptions into the wind.

 

Yes we'll lose people him and that could well be a mercy for many. Why pander to people like him if the price is trying to maintain the current farce, dreaming that if we do a few simple things then the 'names' will come flocking back.

 

British speedway needs to rebuild in a sustainable form. Double-upping, restricted race nights and pandering to the constant needs of Poland, BSI and One Sport will simply not do it.

 

Time for a clean break and for people to realise that, pretty uniquely amongst team sports, you do not need the greatest talents to have the greatest level of competition.

 

It's all about four riders racing four laps. Spending a fortune to use riders whose cost cannot be covered by the increase in crowds may attract is the economics of the madhouse.

 

No matter how much hot air is blown, top riders are not in Britain because they can make far better money elsewhere.

 

Rebuild, see if we an get crowd levels back to the point where we can offer good money, then see what happens.

 

Best of all we lose one of the worst forum obsessive bores!

Where did I say everyone wants what I want?? Making things up again.

I know, an opinion is a terrible thing to have.

What a sad post which says more about you than it does me.

And thanks for sharing that for everyone to see.

 

Don't forget to mention updates loses one of its regular updaters but your post proves you are a close minded poster.

 

If you seriously think speedway (and that's in ANY European league) can have any credible league without the top boys then you clearly can't see the big picture which of course doesn't surprise me.

 

And we'll done on attacking me in a post, you must be very happy with yourself.

[B.V 72]

Just to let you know steve i liked rmc post re the points on speedway not his personal opinion of your good self of which i do not share. i think this forum should just stick to speedway comments and not personal ones.

[stevebrum]

Sorry to say steve we are not far off that now.I would think that most of this years Wolves team would still want to ride in a changed league.We already have a big proportion of Premier league class riders in the Elite league now and a massive amount of class riders have already gone missing and you are still willing to go so with the just the loss of the big 5 mentioned would it really stop you going.To me its not about G P riders its about team racing and it would be not that much different than it is now.Other than the point that most of the teams would stand a chance of being evenly matched of which they are not this year.

firstly let's see how successful the plans for next season go first because despite the bleating by some (not you) the BSPA seem to be in agreement with me that we NEED the top boys here to save the top flight which we, and some clubs need to survive with any credibility.

It's something they (BSPA) should have done 5 or 6 seasons ago when it became clear that we no longer held that much of an attraction for riders abroad.

Whilst it's about time we brought in squads and job sharing for the EL my own fears is that it's a little to late.

 

Let me add good speedway is good speedway in any league. I've never disputed that. I watched regular NL at Birmingham because I work there.

However like the PL I would only pay to watch it a few times a year because I have a preference to watching the best riders on a weekly basis. That's just my preference which is likely to be shared by fellow EL supporters .

Yet such an opinion isn't a valid one according to the ridiculous posturing of rmc, which of course is a ridiculous one (a bit like his post).

Just to let you know steve i liked rmc post re the points on speedway not his personal opinion of your good self of which i do not share. i think this forum should just stick to speedway comments and not personal ones.

That's fine.

I doubt many share his personal opinions (no doubt he will quote scores of people that apparently (and falsely) agree with him - well in his mind maybe).

Edited February 18, 2016 by stevebrum

[B.V 72]

firstly let's see how successful the plans for next season go first because despite the bleating by some (not you) the BSPA seem to be in agreement with me that we NEED the top boys here to save the top flight which we, and some clubs need to survive with any credibility.

It's something they (BSPA) should have done 5 or 6 seasons ago when it became clear that we no longer held that much of an attraction for riders abroad.

Whilst it's about time we brought in squads and job sharing for the EL my own fears is that it's a little to late.

 

Let me add good speedway is good speedway in any league. I've never disputed that. I watched regular NL at Birmingham because I work there.

However like the PL I would only pay to watch it a few times a year because I have a preference to watching the best riders on a weekly basis. That's just my preference which is likely to be shared by fellow EL supporters .

Yet such an opinion isn't a valid one according to the ridiculous posturing of rmc, which of course is a ridiculous one (a big like his post).

 

That's fine.

I doubt many share his personal opinions (no doubt he will quote scores of people that apparently (and falsely) agree with him - well in his mind maybe).

As i said Steve i really hope that they can attract more of the top boys back.But if it stays the same as this year with not enougth top riders to go around all the clubs and causeing very uneven teams then i think our league as a team sport would run better without any of them.

Edited February 18, 2016 by B.V 72

[stevebrum]

As i said Steve i really hope that they can attract more of the top boys back.But if it stays the same as this year with not enougth top riders to go around all the clubs and causeing very uneven teams then i think our league as a team sport would run better without any of them.

I hope it work for the sake of the EL too!

Fingers crossed but I have a sinking feeling it's too late and yes I can see the sensible way forward would be to have one big PL without the top boys. That said I still think we will be extremely short of riders so would be very hard to work as well. No doubt that point not seen by the blinkered few.

Put in 8 more teams with a large number of riders doubling up/down and take out say 12-16 of the top boys it's not difficult to see that's going to be a tough one to get right too.

There is no easy answer for the future of Speedway in the UK however we look at it.

[krompa]

Hi guys

 

is it speculation only or something confirmed by BSPA/clubs? I mean whole idea of 2 fixed race nights in 2017.

That would be great step forward.

[Humphrey Appleby]

If you seriously think speedway (and that's in ANY European league) can have any credible league without the top boys then you clearly can't see the big picture which of course doesn't surprise me.

A credible league is one that's sustainable in the long-term, which means not paying over the odds for riders that don't actually cover their increased costs. British speedway was for a long time living beyond its means, and quite probably still is, but the number of sugar daddies willing to do a wedge are getting hard to come by.

 

What Poland and Sweden do is up to them, although the signs are that costs are unsustainable there too despite the bigger crowds and undoubted higher levels of sponsorship.

 

It astonishes me how British speedway is still able to continue as a professional sport on the grounds and minimal television and sponsorship it gets now. It simply does not have the money to be chasing after riders who will put the British leagues at best third in their list of priorities.

[stevebrum]

Hi guys

 

is it speculation only or something confirmed by BSPA/clubs? I mean whole idea of 2 fixed race nights in 2017.

That would be great step forward.

 

It's been confirmed.

One of the nights appears to be Thursday, the other appears speculation.

[Gemini]

A credible league is one that's sustainable in the long-term, which means not paying over the odds for riders that don't actually cover their increased costs. British speedway was for a long time living beyond its means, and quite probably still is, but the number of sugar daddies willing to do a wedge are getting hard to come by.

What Poland and Sweden do is up to them, although the signs are that costs are unsustainable there too despite the bigger crowds and undoubted higher levels of sponsorship.

It astonishes me how British speedway is still able to continue as a professional sport on the grounds and minimal television and sponsorship it gets now. It simply does not have the money to be chasing after riders who will put the British leagues at best third in their list of priorities.

Put me down for agreeing with that. Watching top riders is not my priority as I am a fan of Speedway itself rather than wanting to see the likes of Greg Hancock, Nicki Pedersen etc. I don't need them to enjoy it. In fact some of the best races I saw last season were at the NL Storm matches.

[mrcts]

Someone was talking about 'forum dreamers'. It seems that if stevebrum wants something then everybody else does. He'd rather drag the sport into oblivion than accept great speedway can happen without 'names' riding round on their own, half a lap clear of the rest.

 

Humphrey Appleby and BV72 have given impeccable explanations of the reality of the situation.

 

Sadly characters such as stevebrum can only continue shouting wild assumptions into the wind.

 

Yes we'll lose people him and that could well be a mercy for many. Why pander to people like him if the price is trying to maintain the current farce, dreaming that if we do a few simple things then the 'names' will come flocking back.

 

British speedway needs to rebuild in a sustainable form. Double-upping, restricted race nights and pandering to the constant needs of Poland, BSI and One Sport will simply not do it.

 

Time for a clean break and for people to realise that, pretty uniquely amongst team sports, you do not need the greatest talents to have the greatest level of competition.

 

It's all about four riders racing four laps. Spending a fortune to use riders whose cost cannot be covered by the increase in crowds may attract is the economics of the madhouse.

 

No matter how much hot air is blown, top riders are not in Britain because they can make far better money elsewhere.

 

Rebuild, see if we an get crowd levels back to the point where we can offer good money, then see what happens.

 

Best of all we lose one of the worst forum obsessive bores!

This post is probably the best one I've read for ages.....you are spot on.

[krompa]

It's been confirmed.

One of the nights appears to be Thursday, the other appears speculation.

Any link to confirmed info then?

Thanks in advance Stevebrum.

 

As a British speedway fan from Poland I can only see positives:

-no more mess in speedway schedule (Tuesday Sweden, Wednesday+ Thursday UK, Friday and Saturday world and euro qualifiers/finals/GP's, Sunday Poland). Other leagues like Russia, Germany and Denmark are small enough to fit them somwhere in without much impact on top 3 leagues.

-proper Elite League table during regular season (only affected by rain-offs which happen in every league)

-much easier planning for both riders and fans (just book few Wednesdays/Thursdays off in advance and you are sure to catch EL speedway action)

-possibly better TV coverage on Sky with a chance to have something like weekly EL summary with highlights, interviews analysis (we have one in Poland every Sunday evening and is pretty popular)

 

Will it attract more top boys? Surely some of them yes as schedule + time for travel will not be that busy anymore.

Will it bring more money to British speedway? Possibly. All the mess you guys have over there right now just simply has to be stopped.

I would add some kind of squad system (with shared no. 1 positions for example) and remove all guests and R/R rules to let fans finally feel that the team they are watching is the same all season long.

[stevebrum]

Any link to confirmed info then?

Thanks in advance Stevebrum.

 

 

As is usual with the BSPA they can't be bothered to put out any relevant info.

The info came from CVS at the talk in in November, that 2 day EL racing will happen in 2017 along with job shares.

Plus evidenced by the various club press reports and Kings Lynn confirming they have moved in readiness for next season and supposedly to accommodate a number one for this!

 

I did put a report on the wolves thread at the time from the talk in about all the news about the club and BSPA plans.

[E I Addio]

 

Sadly characters such as stevebrum can only continue shouting wild assumptions into the wind.

 

Yes we'll lose people him and that could well be a mercy for many. Why pander to people like him if the price is trying to maintain the current farce, dreaming that if we do a few simple things then the 'names' will come flocking back.

 

 

 

Stevebrum, love him or loathe him, is at least a regular fan with a love of the sport. Like most other passionate supporters he talks with a mixture of sense and nonsense with a bias towards his own club. The sport is much better of with the stevebrums of this world than the armchair fans that offer advice but don't go as far as actually going through the turnstiles, for whatever reason.

[Red Panda]

One/two night racing is a good idea in theory but in practice it will never work.............

 

Two reasons - one is that most stadia are shared with other users and and therefore may be expected to change the nights their events are held which could be to the detriment of their sports................

 

Two - local authority restrictions of use................example each club has a set race night but do they have to get permission from the local council to race on a different night or if they can race til a different time Poole race Wednesday with the occasional Monday for TV and have permission to race Thursdays as well as an alternative race night...........not all teams have that option............

 

RP

[mikebv]

If we ever fall that low then it's game over for us a professional sport.

With a loss of probably 20-25% of its audience.

That will be a sad day for speedway, and the day I give up on taking the sport I love seriously anymore and the loss of a regular fan.

Havent the 'top riders' ridden over here for most of the past 20 years and the crowd levels have been decimated in this time?

 

I actually think that the way the league restricts teams in putting competitive sides together all season long has had far more impact on the ever dwindling attendances than possibly any other reason considered. (Apart from maybe an admission fee which reflects more the out of control operating cost levels rather than the sports standing in the consciousness of the wider sports watching public)..

 

Look at these numbers..

 

2011 58 - 22

2012 72 - 15

2013 56 - 30

2014 70 - 25

2015 65 - 27

 

These numbers are the points scored by the top and bottom teams at the end of the season (Brum has not been used for 2014 figures as they didnt complete their fixtures and BV who have been included in 2012's figures had two matches not raced)

 

I can virtually guarantee that the teams bottom of the league each season, cut miles adrift, ended their home meetings with far less fans than they started the season with...

 

I have mentioned elsewhere the year we brought Crump back, to do so we had to lose Risager as we would have been 'too strong'. He went to the team who were at that time 50 points in front of us!! Absolutely Crackers!

 

The sport takes great lengths for everyone to start the season 'equal' yet every year there is a huge disparity between the top and bottom...

 

The solution?

 

Possibly with there being 28 matches, maybe after 10 and then 20, a 'transfer window' opens and all teams are then able to strengthen up to the team with the highest average?

 

This may also help bring 'top riders' back as teams (like BV did with Crump) realise desperate measures are needed to appease discontented supporters who have voted with their feet, and the riders may see a shorter term contract as a possibility..

 

One thing is for sure, as we see year on year, teams getting hammered at home week in week out will be racing in front of an ever decreasing fan base..

 

Maybe working out how to lessen that all too familiar scenario would be more beneficial to the sport overall than a 'lets get Tai back and everything will be ok' plan?

 

Competitive teams, all season through, may not attract any new fans, but I suggest it would help the clubs down the league in particular maintain most of its fan base which can only help the sports overall position.

 

If it includes 'top riders' great, if it doesn't, so be it...

Edited February 18, 2016 by mikebv

[A ORLOV]

I like the idea of a window at which point any club can strengthen their team up to the highest average in the league.

[stevebrum]

Havent the 'top riders' ridden over here for most of the past 20 years and the crowd levels have been decimated in this time?

 

Yes I agree crowds have dwindled as a pattern with every weakening. However you have to include those who have grown tired of the way the sport is run over the same period as a valid point also and what is clear in the say past 5-6 years crowds have gone from what looks like a fair crowd (in consideration of other leagues) to almost barely breaking even.

Crowds have dwindled but it's been about 6-10 years since the majority of top riders and upcoming young talent used to be here so the decline has been rapid and noticeable in comparison to the slower dwindling years.

I guess this is what the BSPA have also noticed (who can really tell what they notice given the short term measures they have tried before) and it's not rocket science that the top riders bring more people thru the terraces. Just goes to show how desperate attendances have become for them to finally try and reverse the halt.

As is always it's likely to be too little too late.