Why 2 Leagues

[SteveLyric2]

Because there was too much difference between EL and NL - and NL meetings would often be scheduled in the same week as the EL meetings (occasionally even as a double-header).

That's not what the 'Super League/Cup' idea is attempting to do. 

You would have the One SGBP/SGBC league (split regionally if required), PLUS if there are 5 or 6 teams financially prepared to run in a 'Super League' then each of those teams could include 2-3 GP-level riders who could not partake in the lower league fixtures.

[INCOGNITO]

The Super League would only include the tracks that would want to run these extra meetings and be able to finance it. Poole, Belle Vue, Wolves, Swindon and Rye House plus Leicester/Sheffield, Glasgow and Lakeside have good owners or sponsors and this could work with just 14 meetings spread over the April - September period.

 

However it would require the sport to be running its ONE true league at a level like the Championship level as it is now but with National League / Under 21 reserves where the smaller clubs could compete on a level playing field as the big teams. 

 

The Premiership and Championship are so close to each other now it wouldn't take a lot for the Premiership clubs to scale down to that level knowing the more lucrative tracks can still operate a high level run of meetings also. 

[Grachan]

29 minutes ago, INCOGNITO said:

The Super League would only include the tracks that would want to run these extra meetings and be able to finance it. Poole, Belle Vue, Wolves, Swindon and Rye House plus Leicester/Sheffield, Glasgow and Lakeside have good owners or sponsors and this could work with just 14 meetings spread over the April - September period.

 

However it would require the sport to be running its ONE true league at a level like the Championship level as it is now but with National League / Under 21 reserves where the smaller clubs could compete on a level playing field as the big teams. 

 

The Premiership and Championship are so close to each other now it wouldn't take a lot for the Premiership clubs to scale down to that level knowing the more lucrative tracks can still operate a high level run of meetings also. 

 

So 14 top league speedway in a season. I tend to pick and choose meetings, and every match I chose would probably be a top league one, because that would be the league that matters because that would be the "first" team.

How would you propose to convince fans of those clubs in the so-called Super League that the ONE true league is the one at the lower level?

Would you expect fans of Swindon to all turn out in large numbers to watch a Swindon side where, say, Troy Bachelor and Tobias Musielak are replaced by under-21 brits?

These teams would soon want to stop running in the lower league due to lack of support. The result? Two leagues.

Edited January 10, 2018 by Grachan

[INCOGNITO]

Graham - Using Swindon as an ax ample as that is your team, then Swindon would be in the one big league along with all other tracks, so hopefully 18 home and 18 away meetings from late March to mid September.

 

As the teams would be the same strength at Swindon as it is at Redcar or Peterbourough etc then as an example only, Swindon could be a team something like Nick Morris, Tobias Musielak, Justin Sedgeman, Adam Ellis, Zach Wajtknecht, Mitchell Davey and a 2.00 NL draft. 

 

Then as they want to also compete in the Super Cup league of 6/7 home and the same away, they would name FOUR squad riders of which one must be lower ranked than the number one in the other team and these could be riders doubling up from a track not operating in the Super Cup. So Robins could name Jason Doyle, Niels K Iversen, Peter Kildemand and David Bellego and would name any two in the SC meetings while Kildemand and Bellego could cover for Morris if injured or missing and Bellego also for Tobiasz

 

The team in the big league isn't a great deal less that what you have now and with 17/18 home meetings (should be a bit cheaper than now) I'm sure they would get the support as this is the regular action and could be one of the pace setters. Then for just 6/7 meetings through the season, you would use the top five of that team along with any two of your squad riders so it could be Doyle, Iversen, Morris, Musielak, Sedgeman, Ellis and Zach W which as its only once a month and against a top line opposition, then maybe £20 would be acceptable to many to see such a meeting and crowds should be good at both levels. 

 

If they wear a Robin are you going to turn your back on one level even though five are in the other level ?

[Grachan]

7 hours ago, INCOGNITO said:

Graham - Using Swindon as an ax ample as that is your team, then Swindon would be in the one big league along with all other tracks, so hopefully 18 home and 18 away meetings from late March to mid September.

 

As the teams would be the same strength at Swindon as it is at Redcar or Peterbourough etc then as an example only, Swindon could be a team something like Nick Morris, Tobias Musielak, Justin Sedgeman, Adam Ellis, Zach Wajtknecht, Mitchell Davey and a 2.00 NL draft. 

 

Then as they want to also compete in the Super Cup league of 6/7 home and the same away, they would name FOUR squad riders of which one must be lower ranked than the number one in the other team and these could be riders doubling up from a track not operating in the Super Cup. So Robins could name Jason Doyle, Niels K Iversen, Peter Kildemand and David Bellego and would name any two in the SC meetings while Kildemand and Bellego could cover for Morris if injured or missing and Bellego also for Tobiasz

 

The team in the big league isn't a great deal less that what you have now and with 17/18 home meetings (should be a bit cheaper than now) I'm sure they would get the support as this is the regular action and could be one of the pace setters. Then for just 6/7 meetings through the season, you would use the top five of that team along with any two of your squad riders so it could be Doyle, Iversen, Morris, Musielak, Sedgeman, Ellis and Zach W which as its only once a month and against a top line opposition, then maybe £20 would be acceptable to many to see such a meeting and crowds should be good at both levels. 

 

If they wear a Robin are you going to turn your back on one level even though five are in the other level ?

I don't go to every meeting. I probably to to 4 or 5 meetings a year, and they tend to be when the opposition looks most attractive. This is down to distance I live from Swindon, convenience due to work and cost.

This would make it an easy decision which ones to attend. I would go to the "Super League" matches.

Not sure why you think it should suddenly cost 20 quid though.

 

[INCOGNITO]

2 hours ago, Grachan said:

I don't go to every meeting. I probably to to 4 or 5 meetings a year, and they tend to be when the opposition looks most attractive. This is down to distance I live from Swindon, convenience due to work and cost.

This would make it an easy decision which ones to attend. I would go to the "Super League" matches.

Not sure why you think it should suddenly cost 20 quid though.

 

 

Well if you only go that many times, I see your original point but for weekly fans I think both would get a good following.

 

as for the £20 well it's 17 or 18 now so two pounds extra to see Doyle and Iversen v Woffinden and Lindgren a few times would be worth it while the one big league would be more affordable at 10-15 so give and take from the promoters and hopefully at a lower price it may attract a few more new fans who might then be interested in the big meetings too

[A ORLOV]

On 1/7/2018 at 10:53 AM, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

 

If two teams for the same club meant one meeting a week rather than all the gaps Swindon had last season then I think many fans would attend both.

The odd week with two meetings might suffer. 

[INCOGNITO]

1 hour ago, A ORLOV said:

If two teams for the same club meant one meeting a week rather than all the gaps Swindon had last season then I think many fans would attend both.

The odd week with two meetings might suffer. 

 

Only reason there would be two in one week is catching up from rain offs or bad planning plus running one league means you can run any night you want as Monday's would only be used for Super Cup (or Wolverhampton)

[enotian]

Isn't the solution to the disparity of wealth not a GB Super League but a Euro League (or in reality the richer teams joining the Polish League)

I think the reality is the even the Polish and Swedish "Elite" leagues are not without financial problems and might welcome a new era which I think would represent the first genuine pan European sports league.  Probably run/branded by a BSI/One Sport type organisation to administrate on team strength you'd hope it could attract decent media coverage. 

Eventually developed into a 16 team European league with the bulk of teams from Poland, Sweden and the UK it could eventually incorporate teams/franchises from other nations (Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, even Russia) the 30 meeting regular season should provide enough fixtures for GP standard riders with the teams supplemented by those also riding in domestic leagues.

Whilst the standard would be a little lower than the current Polish top division it would be an uplift on the current Premiership.

Domestically in the UK there'd be a two league structure. One Championship standard (made up of those Premiership teams not in the Euro league and the current Championship teams) featuring those riders who wish to supplement Euro League racing and those riders based in the UK including youngsters from the National League.

[INCOGNITO]

23 hours ago, enotian said:

Isn't the solution to the disparity of wealth not a GB Super League but a Euro League (or in reality the richer teams joining the Polish League)

I think the reality is the even the Polish and Swedish "Elite" leagues are not without financial problems and might welcome a new era which I think would represent the first genuine pan European sports league.  Probably run/branded by a BSI/One Sport type organisation to administrate on team strength you'd hope it could attract decent media coverage. 

Eventually developed into a 16 team European league with the bulk of teams from Poland, Sweden and the UK it could eventually incorporate teams/franchises from other nations (Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, even Russia) the 30 meeting regular season should provide enough fixtures for GP standard riders with the teams supplemented by those also riding in domestic leagues.

Whilst the standard would be a little lower than the current Polish top division it would be an uplift on the current Premiership.

Domestically in the UK there'd be a two league structure. One Championship standard (made up of those Premiership teams not in the Euro league and the current Championship teams) featuring those riders who wish to supplement Euro League racing and those riders based in the UK including youngsters from the National League.

 

it wouldn't work really as the Polish clubs are far bigger than clubs in other countries and they have addressed the main finance problems there by tracks having to clear any debts before they get a licence for the following year.

 

plus riders in this Euro League would still need to ride for clubs so you have the clash of fixtures and with Poland having no real limits for strength these clubs would not want to give up their own National title in order to chase a Euro title and would want to do both.

 

if they did both you would find even more riders leaving here and Sweden as they would have more meetings there and not need the other leagues for extra income. Therefore Sweden, Britain and other countries wouldn't be able to get the big riders as the money on offer there is more than double anywhere else and more like four times what is on offer here at present. 

 

Britain can't afford to try and catch up or match them and really needs to run for a few years at one level that all current Premiership and Championship tracks can compete together at and that would mean no big earners and more spaces at the other end for British riders to do the one league and National League that would hopefully keep growing the future talent required to move forward.

Edited January 15, 2018 by INCOGNITO