Leicester Lions 2017

[justathought]

The whole, we will get more on a Saturday night is rubbish.

A lot more choice of things to do at weekends, Get a decent team and track and you will get as many mid week.

[weatherwatcher]

I don't think in the next few years that any club that races on a weekend will have any great problems. We have seen the sport being slowly watered dowm. Not many teams out there now need to worry about the problems they had with riders rushing after meetings to get to Poland on a Sunday. I must say I have not looked at the make up of any of the teams, but every year the big names of the sport get less and less as the years go by.

What a big change from the late 70's and the 80's when it was the place to be seen as a rider in the EL. Then they started getting greedy and wanted to expect money the promoters could not afford, quite a few clubs where nearly on the point of closing down.

They the promoter said enough, you ride over here at the wages we can afford to pay you. The rest was history.

Will be very interesting to see what happens in the next couple of years. Will speedway over here be teams made up of a majority of British riders. With some young first time overseas riders to make up the numbers.

Be great to see all the clubs packed to the rafters so to speak, but they need to get the sport advertised and some big name sponsers. Even to get a fan base close to they used to be would be a welcome change from the poor crowds we see now. I think that Sky TV had to keep the cameras at ground level so they did not show the people who came to some meetings, it must have been very close to 100 at some meetings.

[packerman]

As others have said and even at the might Poole stadium, it doesn't matter what night you race on if the team is getting a shlacking every week no one is going to come and add to it processional races makes it even worse.

 

I hope everything works out this season for the Lions as they need all the help that they can get, at least you have a secure future unlike a number of teams around the country.

[TMW]

As others have said and even at the might Poole stadium, it doesn't matter what night you race on if the team is getting a shlacking every week no one is going to come and add to it processional races makes it even worse.

 

I hope everything works out this season for the Lions as they need all the help that they can get, at least you have a secure future unlike a number of teams around the country.

Certainly it affected travelling away. It's sad that people have to win and with all this bragging rights stuff. Much better to just have fun but I have to admit it was much more fun in PL

[Shirl]

I can back you up on this Jonathan. I was on the LSSC committee during your involvement. And I remember the likes of Ken Naylor, Robert Ball, Andy Joyce and myself working extremely hard to get a decent Lions following at the NA that night. It was a cracking meeting, despite the 38-40 loss! ;-) We were thrilled you managed to get the likes of Chris Holder, Lewis Bridger, Kevin Doolan and David Howe to represent the Lions and I remember well the tv news cameras being there.

Our LSSC committee held the displays at Radio Leicester, made various media approaches and organised various supporters events such as the Q&As you did at The Blackbird Pub and an xmas party in town. As you know, all of these events supported by yourself, including the aforementioned council meetings, enabled us to eventually put in for the eventual planning application in early 2009. DH never did fully explain to the LSSC committee why your involvement came to an end, other than some vague issue regarding funding part of the application. Whatever it was, that’s between you and him.

Planning approval was achieved at a Council meeting in August 2009 and Sam got involved soon after, being presented to the fans at a Supporters Club event in November 2009. Personally I was happy with that because following your departure we’d lacked anyone with any credibility from within the speedway industry itself. Sam had a definitive vision and used to use my city centre office space for various meetings and was working hard behind the scenes to get local business involvement and funding. As the campaign’s chief designer I did numerous presentation documents and materials for his meetings with local business leaders, large companies and various enterprise groups. It should also be pointed out, we had NO money at this point. The money for the planning application had wiped out what budget we had left, and that includes DH. At one point he even wanted to introduce an ill-advised share scheme, that bombed. I remember the LSSC writing him a cheque at this time for over 2k just to cover a legal bill he had. And don’t forget we also raised £5.5k to enable a concrete terrace on the back straight.

To support the new initiatives and to make the planning approval a reality a ‘Leicester Speedway Organising Committee’ was set up. The first meeting took place in the summer of 2010 in the dilapidated changing rooms at Beaumont Park. Present were DH, Sam, Alan Jones (who had been brought in by DH to look after the PR), Ken, Andy Joyce and myself. Maybe Linda Jones too, though I can’t recall for certain. However, Sam only attended that first meeting as his fall out with DH came soon after when DH got impatient and moved the goalposts after striking a deal to tip construction waste on site. This wasn’t what Sam had spent all his time working towards and he felt it had been deliberately done behind his back. That tipping deal is what actually funded the ‘stadium’ being built - and is the reason why it was done on the cheap and ended up nothing like the plans we had originally presented to the Council and the public at various open meetings. The promised ‘sports village’ ended up being a red herring and I honestly believe planning would never have been granted had the present set up been put before the City Council. They were expecting much more, a multi-purpose sports village that featured a cycling velodrome, 12x 5-a-side football pitches, BMX and a purpose-built pavilion/grandstand in fact.

Once Sam had gone, it soon became apparent that the whole project was fast losing it’s “team” ethos, something which had worked so brilliantly for us during the 4 year campaign. Whilst on the face of it people still ‘volunteered’ for particular tasks, such as checking the lorries doing the tipping all day every day, behind the scenes it rapidly became the DH show with a “my way or no way” attitude, something he quite vociferously enforced. That soon resulted in people such as Ken, who’d spent so many years fighting for this dream to be realised to walk away. He and I ceased our involvement with Leicester Speedway Ltd in February 2011 just prior to the opening meeting, though I carried on as LSSC Chairman for another couple of months to facilitate one or two things we’d had in the pipeline. I haven’t been to BP since 2011. We still follow what goes on up there because like you say in a later post, there’s an emotional attachment, and wish the new people all the best, finally relieved that the person who without question did so much to get it back, but sadly even more to ruin it, is no longer running it. There is a lot of goodwill to repair with the many supporters and sponsors now lost. Effectively they need to start again.

Anyway, just thought I’d add this to provide a historical timeline following some earlier posts where the information was a shade cloudy.

Steve Chilton

 

Thank you very much for frank and honest account of things as they were

 

I can understand why it's taken so long for someone to come on here with factual information

 

Perhaps it may stop people coming on here spouting drivel

 

Once again thank you Steve

[robert72]

I can back you up on this Jonathan. I was on the LSSC committee during your involvement. And I remember the likes of Ken Naylor, Robert Ball, Andy Joyce and myself working extremely hard to get a decent Lions following at the NA that night. It was a cracking meeting, despite the 38-40 loss! ;-) We were thrilled you managed to get the likes of Chris Holder, Lewis Bridger, Kevin Doolan and David Howe to represent the Lions and I remember well the tv news cameras being there.

 

Our LSSC committee held the displays at Radio Leicester, made various media approaches and organised various supporters events such as the Q&As you did at The Blackbird Pub and an xmas party in town. As you know, all of these events supported by yourself, including the aforementioned council meetings, enabled us to eventually put in for the eventual planning application in early 2009. DH never did fully explain to the LSSC committee why your involvement came to an end, other than some vague issue regarding funding part of the application. Whatever it was, thats between you and him.

 

Planning approval was achieved at a Council meeting in August 2009 and Sam got involved soon after, being presented to the fans at a Supporters Club event in November 2009. Personally I was happy with that because following your departure wed lacked anyone with any credibility from within the speedway industry itself. Sam had a definitive vision and used to use my city centre office space for various meetings and was working hard behind the scenes to get local business involvement and funding. As the campaigns chief designer I did numerous presentation documents and materials for his meetings with local business leaders, large companies and various enterprise groups. It should also be pointed out, we had NO money at this point. The money for the planning application had wiped out what budget we had left, and that includes DH. At one point he even wanted to introduce an ill-advised share scheme, that bombed. I remember the LSSC writing him a cheque at this time for over 2k just to cover a legal bill he had. And dont forget we also raised £5.5k to enable a concrete terrace on the back straight.

 

To support the new initiatives and to make the planning approval a reality a Leicester Speedway Organising Committee was set up. The first meeting took place in the summer of 2010 in the dilapidated changing rooms at Beaumont Park. Present were DH, Sam, Alan Jones (who had been brought in by DH to look after the PR), Ken, Andy Joyce and myself. Maybe Linda Jones too, though I cant recall for certain. However, Sam only attended that first meeting as his fall out with DH came soon after when DH got impatient and moved the goalposts after striking a deal to tip construction waste on site. This wasnt what Sam had spent all his time working towards and he felt it had been deliberately done behind his back. That tipping deal is what actually funded the stadium being built - and is the reason why it was done on the cheap and ended up nothing like the plans we had originally presented to the Council and the public at various open meetings. The promised sports village ended up being a red herring and I honestly believe planning would never have been granted had the present set up been put before the City Council. They were expecting much more, a multi-purpose sports village that featured a cycling velodrome, 12x 5-a-side football pitches, BMX and a purpose-built pavilion/grandstand in fact.

 

Once Sam had gone, it soon became apparent that the whole project was fast losing its team ethos, something which had worked so brilliantly for us during the 4 year campaign. Whilst on the face of it people still volunteered for particular tasks, such as checking the lorries doing the tipping all day every day, behind the scenes it rapidly became the DH show with a my way or no way attitude, something he quite vociferously enforced. That soon resulted in people such as Ken, whod spent so many years fighting for this dream to be realised to walk away. He and I ceased our involvement with Leicester Speedway Ltd in February 2011 just prior to the opening meeting, though I carried on as LSSC Chairman for another couple of months to facilitate one or two things wed had in the pipeline. I havent been to BP since 2011. We still follow what goes on up there because like you say in a later post, theres an emotional attachment, and wish the new people all the best, finally relieved that the person who without question did so much to get it back, but sadly even more to ruin it, is no longer running it. There is a lot of goodwill to repair with the many supporters and sponsors now lost. Effectively they need to start again.

 

Anyway, just thought Id add this to provide a historical timeline following some earlier posts where the information was a shade cloudy.

 

Steve Chilton

Great post Steve,

 

Just wondered Who owns the stadium now Mr or Mrs Hensley?

 

The tipping of waste was an eyesore but as you said it was an income needed by DH ,still surprised the council allowed it.

[stevehone]

I can back you up on this Jonathan. I was on the LSSC committee during your involvement. And I remember the likes of Ken Naylor, Robert Ball, Andy Joyce and myself working extremely hard to get a decent Lions following at the NA that night. It was a cracking meeting, despite the 38-40 loss! ;-) We were thrilled you managed to get the likes of Chris Holder, Lewis Bridger, Kevin Doolan and David Howe to represent the Lions and I remember well the tv news cameras being there.

 

Our LSSC committee held the displays at Radio Leicester, made various media approaches and organised various supporters events such as the Q&As you did at The Blackbird Pub and an xmas party in town. As you know, all of these events supported by yourself, including the aforementioned council meetings, enabled us to eventually put in for the eventual planning application in early 2009. DH never did fully explain to the LSSC committee why your involvement came to an end, other than some vague issue regarding funding part of the application. Whatever it was, that’s between you and him.

 

Planning approval was achieved at a Council meeting in August 2009 and Sam got involved soon after, being presented to the fans at a Supporters Club event in November 2009. Personally I was happy with that because following your departure we’d lacked anyone with any credibility from within the speedway industry itself. Sam had a definitive vision and used to use my city centre office space for various meetings and was working hard behind the scenes to get local business involvement and funding. As the campaign’s chief designer I did numerous presentation documents and materials for his meetings with local business leaders, large companies and various enterprise groups. It should also be pointed out, we had NO money at this point. The money for the planning application had wiped out what budget we had left, and that includes DH. At one point he even wanted to introduce an ill-advised share scheme, that bombed. I remember the LSSC writing him a cheque at this time for over 2k just to cover a legal bill he had. And don’t forget we also raised £5.5k to enable a concrete terrace on the back straight.

 

To support the new initiatives and to make the planning approval a reality a ‘Leicester Speedway Organising Committee’ was set up. The first meeting took place in the summer of 2010 in the dilapidated changing rooms at Beaumont Park. Present were DH, Sam, Alan Jones (who had been brought in by DH to look after the PR), Ken, Andy Joyce and myself. Maybe Linda Jones too, though I can’t recall for certain. However, Sam only attended that first meeting as his fall out with DH came soon after when DH got impatient and moved the goalposts after striking a deal to tip construction waste on site. This wasn’t what Sam had spent all his time working towards and he felt it had been deliberately done behind his back. That tipping deal is what actually funded the ‘stadium’ being built - and is the reason why it was done on the cheap and ended up nothing like the plans we had originally presented to the Council and the public at various open meetings. The promised ‘sports village’ ended up being a red herring and I honestly believe planning would never have been granted had the present set up been put before the City Council. They were expecting much more, a multi-purpose sports village that featured a cycling velodrome, 12x 5-a-side football pitches, BMX and a purpose-built pavilion/grandstand in fact.

 

Once Sam had gone, it soon became apparent that the whole project was fast losing it’s “team” ethos, something which had worked so brilliantly for us during the 4 year campaign. Whilst on the face of it people still ‘volunteered’ for particular tasks, such as checking the lorries doing the tipping all day every day, behind the scenes it rapidly became the DH show with a “my way or no way” attitude, something he quite vociferously enforced. That soon resulted in people such as Ken, who’d spent so many years fighting for this dream to be realised to walk away. He and I ceased our involvement with Leicester Speedway Ltd in February 2011 just prior to the opening meeting, though I carried on as LSSC Chairman for another couple of months to facilitate one or two things we’d had in the pipeline. I haven’t been to BP since 2011. We still follow what goes on up there because like you say in a later post, there’s an emotional attachment, and wish the new people all the best, finally relieved that the person who without question did so much to get it back, but sadly even more to ruin it, is no longer running it. There is a lot of goodwill to repair with the many supporters and sponsors now lost. Effectively they need to start again.

 

Anyway, just thought I’d add this to provide a historical timeline following some earlier posts where the information was a shade cloudy.

 

Steve Chilton

 

I went to one of the functions with JC, met with DH during the day to look over all the plans etc and then the get together in the evening (have the pictures somewhere), and from what I saw of the enthusiasm that was around it's a shame to see that so many who helped Leicester Speedway get back off the ground are no longer involved.

All the clubs need people with enthusiasm, it keeps things going.

[Shale Searcher]

Maybe a lot of the anti-DH brigade will come back now..... I don't see any reason why they wouldn't, it's about as DH-LESS as it possibly can be now......

[robert72]

Maybe a lot of the anti-DH brigade will come back now..... I don't see any reason why they wouldn't, it's about as DH-LESS as it possibly can be now......

So who owns the stadium now Mr or Mrs Hemsley?

[wandersome]

I never jumped ship. Found out from a friend that someone else had been given the job. I heard nothing until I phoned Buster and was then told that someone else was doing it.

I then found out that it was the guy who has been helping me for the last 5 years. I had been talking to him weekly since the season had finished he never said a thing.

 

Glyn

good luck in the future Glyn. Looks like the people are still happy to crap on anyone in order to maintain a (minor) level of importance or power at the Lions. Looking at it from here I think you're better off out Mate, like most of us already are. I was hoping for a fresh beginning to re enthuse my interest but I for one am going to need a fair bit of convincing before going regularly again.

 

SO far, the club appears to have a promoter who, as DH's sidekick, has been to this point either a laughing stock or a disaster, depending on the view you take, a small time haulier who became a promoter on the promise of getting a bit of free stone and stuff from Tarmac under dubious circumstances that didn't seem to quite pan out, as was the norm with these things. He now appears the main promoter and the clubs saviour, no?. Then we're told the lease has yet to be signed as tying up who is going to pay or make the track improvements hasn't been agreed yet, the issue being that new leaseholders want a man who didn't appear to have pot to piss in last year but still owns the stadium to sort the improvements, at least according the flagrag. Not quite brave new world I was hoping for. As mentioned, I'm going to take some convincing for sure!

 

Mick.

Edited January 16, 2017 by volty

[Gemini]

I can't see David agreeing to pay for any track alterations being as it was Mr Darcy who financed the changes to bend 3/4 last year and now Glyn has gone who is capable of doing them anyway?

[flagrag]

VOLTY/Mick- Thé lease is signed therefore Leicester are confirmed as operating if you go back over my comments I said the track work is going ahead and that negotiations are still ongoing about the work and who pays what.

 

This is partly due to obviously the work being permanent and the promotion having a 15 year lease and also some of the work actually involves stadium infrastructure e.g lighting may need changing and what happens to centre after the work is it grassed again or tarmac

[Theboss]

VOLTY/Mick- Thé lease is signed therefore Leicester are confirmed as operating if you go back over my comments I said the track work is going ahead and that negotiations are still ongoing about the work and who pays what.

 

This is partly due to obviously the work being permanent and the promotion having a 15 year lease and also some of the work actually involves stadium infrastructure e.g lighting may need changing and what happens to centre after the work is it grassed again or tarmac

Tarmac would cost about £50k so don't know where that crazy idea has come from, no wonder negotiations are still ongoing!

 

I can back you up on this Jonathan. I was on the LSSC committee during your involvement. And I remember the likes of Ken Naylor, Robert Ball, Andy Joyce and myself working extremely hard to get a decent Lions following at the NA that night. It was a cracking meeting, despite the 38-40 loss! ;-) We were thrilled you managed to get the likes of Chris Holder, Lewis Bridger, Kevin Doolan and David Howe to represent the Lions and I remember well the tv news cameras being there.

 

Our LSSC committee held the displays at Radio Leicester, made various media approaches and organised various supporters events such as the Q&As you did at The Blackbird Pub and an xmas party in town. As you know, all of these events supported by yourself, including the aforementioned council meetings, enabled us to eventually put in for the eventual planning application in early 2009. DH never did fully explain to the LSSC committee why your involvement came to an end, other than some vague issue regarding funding part of the application. Whatever it was, thats between you and him.

 

Planning approval was achieved at a Council meeting in August 2009 and Sam got involved soon after, being presented to the fans at a Supporters Club event in November 2009. Personally I was happy with that because following your departure wed lacked anyone with any credibility from within the speedway industry itself. Sam had a definitive vision and used to use my city centre office space for various meetings and was working hard behind the scenes to get local business involvement and funding. As the campaigns chief designer I did numerous presentation documents and materials for his meetings with local business leaders, large companies and various enterprise groups. It should also be pointed out, we had NO money at this point. The money for the planning application had wiped out what budget we had left, and that includes DH. At one point he even wanted to introduce an ill-advised share scheme, that bombed. I remember the LSSC writing him a cheque at this time for over 2k just to cover a legal bill he had. And dont forget we also raised £5.5k to enable a concrete terrace on the back straight.

 

To support the new initiatives and to make the planning approval a reality a Leicester Speedway Organising Committee was set up. The first meeting took place in the summer of 2010 in the dilapidated changing rooms at Beaumont Park. Present were DH, Sam, Alan Jones (who had been brought in by DH to look after the PR), Ken, Andy Joyce and myself. Maybe Linda Jones too, though I cant recall for certain. However, Sam only attended that first meeting as his fall out with DH came soon after when DH got impatient and moved the goalposts after striking a deal to tip construction waste on site. This wasnt what Sam had spent all his time working towards and he felt it had been deliberately done behind his back. That tipping deal is what actually funded the stadium being built - and is the reason why it was done on the cheap and ended up nothing like the plans we had originally presented to the Council and the public at various open meetings. The promised sports village ended up being a red herring and I honestly believe planning would never have been granted had the present set up been put before the City Council. They were expecting much more, a multi-purpose sports village that featured a cycling velodrome, 12x 5-a-side football pitches, BMX and a purpose-built pavilion/grandstand in fact.

 

Once Sam had gone, it soon became apparent that the whole project was fast losing its team ethos, something which had worked so brilliantly for us during the 4 year campaign. Whilst on the face of it people still volunteered for particular tasks, such as checking the lorries doing the tipping all day every day, behind the scenes it rapidly became the DH show with a my way or no way attitude, something he quite vociferously enforced. That soon resulted in people such as Ken, whod spent so many years fighting for this dream to be realised to walk away. He and I ceased our involvement with Leicester Speedway Ltd in February 2011 just prior to the opening meeting, though I carried on as LSSC Chairman for another couple of months to facilitate one or two things wed had in the pipeline. I havent been to BP since 2011. We still follow what goes on up there because like you say in a later post, theres an emotional attachment, and wish the new people all the best, finally relieved that the person who without question did so much to get it back, but sadly even more to ruin it, is no longer running it. There is a lot of goodwill to repair with the many supporters and sponsors now lost. Effectively they need to start again.

 

Anyway, just thought Id add this to provide a historical timeline following some earlier posts where the information was a shade cloudy.

 

Steve Chilton

Hey Steve

 

Thanks for taking the time to put all that information together, has certainly made interesting reading for me.... and explained quite a few things.

 

Bottom line is DH told me about his plans to charge for construction waste in 2007, however he never explained that it would pay for the whole stadium build... I can only guess that is why he pushed me and others aside, he had found a way to build a speedway stadium for Free and still hold on to 100% of the shares and any future value.

 

If this is the case then I think he owes the fans the decency to sign over the lease of the ground to the supporters club, instead of keeping it for personal gain.

 

I wonder Steve if there is any way of finding out from the council (under the FOI act) if any details were kept on the amount of waste dumped on the site so the total value of what DH received could be calculated?

 

PS feel free to PM me your mobile phone number if you wish to discuss further privately

Edited January 17, 2017 by jchapman

[wandersome]

Tarmac would cost about £50k so don't know where that crazy idea has come from, no wonder negotiations are still ongoing!

 

Sorry Jonathan, I was talking about the company Tarmac Lafarge who Darcy does his work for not the actual black stuff (as i mentioned, a bit of free stone)

[lionking]

The new promotion seem to be getting some unfair criticism regarding the departure of Glyn.

 

Whilst I have the up most respect for Glyn Taylor, what he did with limited resources & what he had to put up with from DH the fact remains the club has been brought by someone who is a track curator himself in Buster.

 

Ask yourself this

 

If you were a plumber would you pay someone else to come & fix your leaking taps ??

 

The answer is no you would do it yourself , this is exactly what Buster is doing Kevin is merely a front guy & someone to help out who does not cost because Buster can-not be involved with 2 Premiership clubs .

 

Thank you for everything Glyn as track curator & team manager but i assure you he isn't the last person who won't be returning to BP in 2017.

[Glennylion]

The new promotion seem to be getting some unfair criticism regarding the departure of Glyn.

 

Whilst I have the up most respect for Glyn Taylor, what he did with limited resources & what he had to put up with from DH the fact remains the club has been brought by someone who is a track curator himself in Buster.

 

Ask yourself this

 

If you were a plumber would you pay someone else to come & fix your leaking taps ??

 

The answer is no you would do it yourself , this is exactly what Buster is doing Kevin is merely a front guy & someone to help out who does not cost because Buster can-not be involved with 2 Premiership clubs .

 

Thank you for everything Glyn as track curator & team manager but i assure you he isn't the last person who won't be returning to BP in 2017.

I think you are overlooking the way it was handled rather than the logic of the doing the job

[Shale Searcher]

I think you are overlooking the way it was handled rather than the logic of the doing the job

 

 

Yes, the way it was handled was/is the issue....

[robert72]

 

Thank you for everything Glyn as track curator & team manager but i assure you he isn't the last person who won't be returning to BP in 2017.

 

Who else is there to get rid of as you put it

Edited January 17, 2017 by robert72

[lionking]

i have no idea who or if anyone else goes the point of my comment is people come & go I am sure there will be other people who don't return like anything when there are takeover's some people decide they do not wish to be part of it under new ownership so they go.

 

Who else is there to get rid of as you put it

[Shale Searcher]

 

Sorry Jonathan, I was talking about the company Tarmac Lafarge who Darcy does his work for not the actual black stuff (as i mentioned, a bit of free stone)

 

 

 

Grassed again or Tarmac?

 

 

So that doesn't mean Grass or Tarmac?