WHY SPEEDWAY IS FAILING

So this is my outlook why I think speedway is being to fail and if we don't do something soon it will soon fall.
Disclaimer: This is not a dig at current speedway promotion to anyone involved with speedway. This is my personal view only.
It's time to stop double down and start to building up. if you want speedway to still be here in years to come. Let me know what you guys think ?
Note: the skill set is obviously in a ideal world , the lines of the leagues will move depending on how many riders are at a set skill level.

[@Zeph1547]

Spot on! Me and my dad have been saying this for a long time. Dad a previous rider and I’m an ex-mechanic. Only 6 riders who don’t double up in both leagues, leaves young lads with no chance. Needs to be an average limit to double up(down) anything over a certain amount and you shouldn’t be able to! Totally killing the sport! Top video!

[@alanhiggs6950]

When I 1st started watching speedway, 1976, the only way a rider was allowed to ride for 2 teams was to double up, not double down as his happening now. I don't begrudge people earning money but this rule has damaged the sport massively

[@ukuleleph]

Ex Sydney boy here (Liverpool Speedway, Sydney) now living in Scotland. I started going to Edinburgh meetings (Championship). There is no Prem meetings near me, so I don’t choose to bypass a Prem meeting due to any lower standard. The vid was good but a little theoretical. I cut my teeth on Sanders, Mauger, Titman, Airey, Crump and Bowerman...but that was a golden era. What I see now in Britain is good quality speedway. There will always be Speedway, so relax. It’s not dying. Everything in life goes through cycles. One warning though...out of site, out of mind. Make sure you stay on free to air TV or Streaming. Cheers!

[@stevehill2457]

we have lost so many tracks over the years i remember British league having about 18 teams now look its equivalent the elite league has 6. the sport has been in the doldrums for many years cant see it getting any better

[@leeshaw8923]

I like this, I think it was very well presented and well thought out. But I'm not sure it's the answer for several reasons... There is a shortage of riders, if you stop the doubling down then all leagues get weaker apart from the top one. As a Speedway fan of 40 years I struggled to watch NL racing in recent times, it was often a similar standard to a Sunday training school that could be watched for free back in the 80s. People complain about the standard now and that it's not worth the money, that would only get worse. As the bikes are more difficult to ride these days then that means there are fewer riders who will reach the very top and also fewer who will progress as far up the structure as they would've done back in the 80's for example. If you look at the modern era of the sport i.e. since the late 60s, Speedway has, in reality, been in decline since the 70's long before doubling up/down came in, new forms of entertainment appeared and Speedway struggled to compete. Doubling up/down is a problem for sure but I'm not sure it's the biggest problem. Speedway meetings are just not entertaining enough for most people. Most races have little to no passing, sad to say. That's the thing that has to change.

[@ryannewbury6537]

I haven’t particularly thought of it like that but you have a very good point. Riders doubling up is dragging the prem down I’m quite confident that some championship teams such as Leicester and Eastbourne could challenge in the prem with exactly the same team they use in the championship. Another excellent point about the NDL as well you could be averaging 8 plus in that division and still struggle to score any points in the championship which then leads to some talented youngsters dropping out of the sport

[@empireman1077]

Speedway was always a family sport It is a tough sport to get into with finance and sponsorship I expect many riders from Poland and Sweden may have a different league Many Clubs UK closed down over the past 2 decades, many rides at the bottom level will just give up, many riders who are making progress will just stay in the skill capacity I does need to review the whole structure for the interest of Speedway teams and supporters It needs more media attention and get people involved with Speedway I went to school with riders, I was lucky to watch them come from grass track in the 1980s. You could have 6 laps in the heat, you could have more entertainment during the interval Just scrap the divisions and only have 3: 1) Under 21 level 2) Middle level riders. advanced but not really ready for Top flight racing 3) The Top level of world class where the highest money Glad to watch this footage, and understand the real issue of the state of British Speedway 👍🏁

[@alanhiggs6950]

Great comments from someone that knows speedway inside out. I have been s speedway fan for 45 years and have watched British League racing decline. We can know longer attract the best riders in the world due to finances and the majority of our riders cannot ride abroad because of beaurocracy. This results in many having to double up to earn the living that they are used to. However, as Paul rightly says, this is killing British speedway. Well said young man, you have definitely opened my eyes

[@empireman1077]

@@alanhiggs6950 Any small changes would be a real start Just needs the financial backing, new regulations to suit the riders who are on the verge of becoming a Speedway rider Have National debate to discuss clubs and days of meetings Have talks over local radio stations to tell kids about the Sport Education and free open days to young riders From Grass track to National League The TV channels will show more Speedway if had the attention and viewers of a young age Have 2 meetings in a day, make it worth while for the away supporters Entertain the audience

[@jamesgillingham3098]

Really interesting points. Sadly if doubling up is banned I don'ts how British speedway can be financially viable for many riders and the whole thing would collapse much quicker. Polish leagues dominating the weekends mean midweek meetings over here which are less appealing to families, and slowly the fanbase gets older without young enthusiasm to replace at the other end. Speedway needs young entrepreneurs to with fresh ideas and charisma to save it

[@thegrebe6]

Brilliant analysis and spot on. Premier League in the UK has been struggling for ages and is now in its death throws. Apart from your points the play offs are a joke, team that finishes top of league are champions we don't need a system where a team finishing 20 points behind the leaders become winners it's stupid.

[@botbets1821]

NICE to see this sort of video. It is logical. What I would say is if you have skill then you'll rise to the top anyway.

[@AshbeefyW]

Totally understand where your coming from and I can see your logic. I strongly agree about the top national league riders struggling when trying to progress. Would welcome more videos 👍🏻

[@teamstruddy]

Well put Paul as I know from my own riding point of view, the progression system which had been in place for many years has been pushed away. Currently we are in the problem of not enough riders to fill teams, however if grass roots is sorted out at MDL and National League level then there would be a enough riders. But there also needs to be a proper training programme so riders develop rather than just turning up to a practise session and not learning anything. I’ve listened to a interview with the great Jack Parker about this issue with promoters back in the 60s that they shouldn’t raise the prices to the public but make new ways of making the sport more attractive to keep people entertained. Paul I would suggest you do something on grass roots to show how hard it can be to make the grade

[@IanMaddock]

Agree with what you are saying but my view is that we lost a generation of supporters. Ask anyone on the terraces how they got into Speedway and I bet everyone will say their dad bought them as a kid. In the 80s speedway was still popular, come the 90s and promotors started getting greedy and ramped up admission fees. Problem was a cheap night out for the family became expensive so parents stopped taking their kids. Even now to watch top tier league racing it'll probably cost around £100 a time for a family to spectate (factoring in admission, a programme, food and drink and the cost of getting there are less tracks = more traveling distance) and no family can afford to cough up £100 per week between April and November.. The issue then I'd guess is because clubs are getting less fans it means prices at the turnstiles creep up further to cover running costs and the vicious cycle continues. High prices put people off & another generation of fans is lost.

[@Trees06]

You don't have to eat at speedway, eat before you go, I've never had my tea at my local club! For a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 kids under 16 but over 5) to get into Lynn in 2021 it's £55.

[@IanMaddock]

@@Trees06 fair play you don't have to eat at the track and spend £20 at the stadium snack bar, but I was more referencing the fact with many top flight matches now being on weeknights and the fact tracks aren't exactly local, you won't really have much time between picking the kids up from school and getting on the road to get to the stadium, which means it's more likely you will eat out. Also this brings me to a similar point I didn't mention above but meant to. Again, talking about the lost generation of supporters, who exactly would travel 50 miles to see Speedway on a school night. Another factor keeping families away from the sport not helped by the fact that we are currently losing one league stadium per season from the sport so fans will now have to travel further which when you have kids to get into bed before 10pm to be up for school and of course adults who are up early for work, again it lowers the numbers at the turnstiles. Still, £55 @ each week to watch basically 16 minutes of racing is still quite steep. Work that out over a season & it's a hefty chunk of cash.

[@bebmeister656]

Having a MSM programme such as World of Sport gave speedway a focus in the 1970s and 1980s that we've never had since. Sky Sports didn't big speedway up in the way many of us thought it could and should have done.

[@christumferens1716]

I think you're absolutely spot on and each and every point you've made here makes perfect sense. For someone who watches Polish leagues only the British league system is confusing as hell. From the outside the Premiership looks very much like the second tier with the Championship being the top flight. At best people would think these are two unrelated competitions. The doubling up is responsible for all this. Last year in the Ekstraliga they introduced the guest rider for teams missing a rider due to covid, all teams were abusing that rule and it was met with a massive outcry among the fans and now the rule still exists but it hasn't been used once in 11 rounds so far. All doubling up and guest riders should be BANNED from the sport, if you wanna ride for two different sides, train harder so you get signed by a foreign team. Also an important issue is the lack of promotion/relegation rules. The bottom team must go down regardless, otherwise we cause an unnecessary stagnation where teams ride to just participate without any incentive to improve whatsoever. This also cannot be done with the doubling up taking place. Most of the problems we have in Britain are unheard of in say Poland or Sweden, and most are easily rectified but it takes some spine from the powers that be.

[@christumferens1716]

Guest rider in the Ekstraliga means a rider who rides for a team in the second or third tier. I cannot imagine people turning up to a match where Tai rides as a guest for Leszno because a Kolodziej or other rider is unavailable for whatever reason. Unheard of!

[@dannycurtis4702]

I was thinking about this the other day there is literally about 5 riders who don't double up this year

[@scotiasid]

Not true, there may be only 5 Prem riders without a Champ team, but there's a lot more Champ riders with no Prem team!

[@brianmarsh4498]

Enjoyed the vid. You did not mention the number of tracks that have closed down in the last ten years which cannot help the situation. There should be more starter or training tracks available to riders. I remember someone saying that [if you pay for your own engines] a piston costs the same whatever league [or money you are on] . Then the council trying to up the rent of the track, the promoter passing it on to the public. It is not a cheap evening if you take a partner for twenty minutes racing. admission, drink at half time, fish and chips on way home=£60. Also you get or have got a situation where somebody buys a property next to a speedway track and demand it be closed down and they do! Bit like people moving in next to a church and have the bell ringing stopped.

[@finawatsonart]

Really interesting. I have been far more involved in road racing as I was based on the IOM for a long time, but since getting back into following the speedway its lack of popularity in the UK has puzzled me. Your explanation does makes sense, if I had two clubs it was possible for me to get to & watch live racing at with two different price points but similar level riders and standard of racing I am going to pick the lower cost. I have been watching the Polish speedway online and noticed how popular it is there & trying to work out why there is the difference in the sports popularity between the two countries and wonder if there is also an image issue for speedway in the UK, that is it not thought of as a great evenings entertainment.

[@12bar145ne]

My uncle, in 1980, in the states, developed a racing series nationwide, for short tracks in stock racing that used a corporate sponsor to fund his series allowing him to have a large purse for every single race weekend. That drew drivers and saved short track racing, which had been in decline for a long time. I don't particularly like corporate involvement but it saved short track auto racing in the states. His corporate sponsor was Slim Jim. The name of the series was the All Pro Slim Jim Series. He made an alliance with all the short tracks nationwide which were divided into 7 regions. At the end of the year there was a championship for all 7 regions with a $100,000 purse. The likes of the biggest stock champions in the 1990s came out of this series. NASCAR bought him out in 1990 & the series is now the NASCAR Whelen Pro Series. It allowed junior ranks to advance & make enough money along the way to keep racing & provided revenue for individual racing venues. Perhaps this may be of some help. I love Speedway & it seems it is in the same situation short track stock car racing was in at the end of the 1970s in the states.

[@Shinysideup]

Good video and worth some further thought. Maybe one league is a better option, more teams to go and watch. no doubling up but would that improve crowds I’m not so sure. I don’t see enough young people in the crowds to sustain speedways future.

[@garyalexander2480]

Best sport in the world

[@locoslococo]

Sadly i agree with you. having a premier league consisting of 6 teams and a play off system where 66.6% of the teams qualify for the play off's I have been a fan since 1975 but now i am struggling to even find the results interesting. The speedway GP's are a great holiday and Poland is a great place to visit so i think my future as a fan will be travelling abroad and to Cardiff.

[@ashleigh_simms_pt7686]

In regards to polish league v British league popularity . Just look at the countries themselves. The way of life, the traditions, the other sports, the economy. Britain has outgrown speedway at that started 40 years ago. Poland is probably 40/50 years behind Britain in there way of life. In regards to what we do about it. The spot looks amateur and dirty. Modern day social media glitz glamour and sparkling lights is what it needs. A new way of creating the excitement too, a reinvention much like snooker and darts. After all all we are offering is 15 minutes of entertainment in total give or take. That’s not enough even for free in these times

[@rbeckrbeck3593]

What happened to the rule brought in few years ago that a rider could double up/down for 2 years then have to decide on a league.

[@jamie__the__jellyfish]

100% agree with this specially with only what is it 3-5 riders from the prem not riding in the championship my only question is if you were to stop the top 2 riders in the prem teams riding in the championship would you still allow the second strings to ride in the championship

[@AnthonyPullen-is8zy]

I like your view and I like you taking the trouble to show us your view , please show your video to speedway track owners and promoters if they disagree ask for Thier opinion on why the sport is dying ,if a formula to shake it up it will be gone in under ten years

[@brianporter9508]

In 1991 I said very similar and got hammered for it - but a very nice guy, who knew a bit about speedway, called Barry Briggs, agreed to a large extent. YOU REALLY HAVE NAILED IT. I would though disagree on the 'current organisation criticism'. It's problems lie in the fact that the organisation is inward thinking and polarises all your points, not understanding the co-relationship.

[@steveallen1648]

An interesting insight into the British speedway scene from a rider's perspective. I agree with the 'skill level' clash theory, it does make sense, it's like Messi being brought into a non league football team, there will be an amateur player losing his spot in the team, however in terms of crowd I tend to think of external off track factors rather than the fan picking and choosing riders to watch at different price levels. The fan will support a team rather than one rider. Just as in business speedway is no different in price / benefit / quality ratio. So if a fan is going to a decadent stadium being overcharged for the privilege of standing in a place where the view is not that great, the tendancy is for them to limit their urge to go. I understand that safety is paramount for the riders and I wouldn't take anything away from them but in some stadiums for example the air fence might get in the way of the spectators view of the sport, so close competitive racing might lose it's edge because of the obfuscated view. British speedway needs to look further afield to see what other countries like Poland are doing to keep their attendances up, so that clubs like Sheffield, where I used to go on a packed Thursday night when I was a kid, can get back to those glory days. I think as clubs are very different one to another price points need to be more flexible otherwise clubs with a smaller stadium in a town which is not so affluent will get a lower revenue than from a club in the same league in a city which has a larger capacity stadium, population and financial reality from the former. So pricing is definately a cause. It's better to get 1,000 people in for a tenner each than 500 people for fifteen quid and the more bums on seats tend to draw in more bottoms to sit on other seats - I was invited to go to speedway by a neighbour as many future speedway fans will be.

[@JIM15165]

Too many teams for the available riders ? Too few riders to staff teams? Well presented analysis. How many team are viable?

[@Zippycat444]

Well thought out presentation. A couple of points. 1. The structure chart does not show why riders are doubling up. Perhaps a new column which should cover the 80-100 skill level - foreign league racing. This would then show the complete picture, given how poor the talent is in our leagues. Riders double up as they cannot get places in the best leagues in the world, where the stars ride, therefore they will take any money on offer anddoubling up is the only way to get extra money in. 2. The Governing structure of British speedway will always shoot itself in the foot. Decisions are made with short-term vision and in the interests of generating as much cash as they can for a season without thought to how it effects fans in the longer term. I remember when Grand Prix started and then a decision was made that only one GP rider was allowed per team as Belle Vue ran on a Saturday night. The double points tacticals for tv and green helmet colour for betting being other examples. There have been many examples of rule changes made which make speedway less attractive. Other things I would do. A) Tactical substitutes - immediately restore unlimited tactical substitutes after heat six while a team is six points down. This kept meetings relatively close and made for some great races - especially when a double was used in heat eight (oh yes I would allow that too - no protected heats). I watched the Belle Vue versus Sheffield meeting on tele this week and while the speedway was very good, the outcome of the meeting was never in doubt, one tactical is a complete waste of time and ends up with sides running away with things. B) Go back to you are either good enough or you are not. Protecting heats for young riders when the level of our speedway is so poor does nothing to bring them on as has been shown over the last fifteen years - England have not been able to produce a World Class side forever. Too many youngsters burst through and then end up being nothing more than average Prem league riders. Using juniors in Premier league who just aren’t good enough does nothing for the fans, but does keep the cost down for the Promotions. As your structure shows there are leagues to learn and get better and when you are asked to step up, you have to battle with the ‘best’ - sink or swim. C) Combine the leagues - but wait,there aren’t enough riders ! Combine all three leagues Prem, Champ and NL and there are. This would then give the NL boys the chance to score points riding at 2,4,6 and 7 and improve against the better riders. This will then give us pseudo ‘Big Guns’ like we used to have in the sixties and seventies who are clearly better than the rest. By combing the three leagues you end up with a poor mans British League but where teams ride each other twice a year not multiple times as now. You dont go one week you miss the hance of seeing a team in action for the whole season. In summary British sppeedway needs to realise that it is a second class product, not the market leader it once was. Changes need to be made to engage not the ‘die-hards’ but those who turn up looking for a fun and exciting event, who will form the core of the support over the next few years. Have off the wall ideas like having heats before the main racing to decide who gets the number 7 birth that night, do anything to engage and excite the crowd. Have a rider of the night trophy where the top eight scorers on the night on the league match race off in two semi finals and a final and have a raffle in the crowd to present it. Do something different or we can all watch speedway die quietly

[@nicholasjordan1697]

Spot on distribution of fees are also not fair those at the lower to mid range earn almost nothing to fund their sport

[@Thegreat772]

I'm only a casual and used to ride a lot of amateur but I thought they said they are/were thinking about banning doubling up? And after that announcement riders were complaining saying they couldn't survive if they banned it. I remember in the 90's Gary havelock and Co having one team in UK and one in Poland but now days they just double up 🤷‍♂️

[@dannycurtis4702]

Also I would like to know what your opinions on the rising stars situation if u haven't already made a video on that

[@poweredbypies1]

Rising star is probably one of the best programs out there for the structure to help

[@dbpole]

Very good rider's perspective. May be true for speedway in England, but speedway has an international problem with attendance and league structures are different in other countries.

[@paulnewman6241]

Spot on.

[@terrybroughton9532]

I think you have a very good point, but for me the tracks need to have a serious revamping some have been around from the 60,s 70,s and don’t produce good speedway not enough dirt and definitely space need to be bigger.I’ll name one track and that is Eastbourne awful hairpin at one end to the other,but also I think that some clubs try for home advantage by making them slick etc.The stadiums also need a look at with facilities and just to say the best speedway we have seen on tv the last couple of years from uk has been Belle Vue I rest my case.

[@kaylsbro]

I do agree but the problem is we struggle to get those 100% skill riders to ride in the uk I remember a few years back you were only allowed 2 doubling up riders in a team but due to the lack of riders that are 100% to 80% skill not wanting to ride over here also makes what you have pointed out the only way for a team to survive if we could get more riders over here to ride that would solve the problem but is how do we get riders to come and ride here and more importantly want to stay and ride and also find a way to help are riders develop and push on thought the leagues as well

[@poweredbypies1]

I can see what your saying 💯 but the bars need to move with what skill is out there in the uk , but also if there crowds go up your right in saying we could bring more riders over . Doubling up is ok I believe it’s doubling down that is causing the problems

[@retiredpainter259]

When I used to go regularly back in the day when PC was coming through , we used to have fantastic meetings , great racing and affordable meetings , we had a meeting and a second half , the golden helmet etc , now all you get is 15 heats = 15 mins of racing mixed into at least and hour and a half of bull crap , the fannying around because someone’s moved at the tapes then the restart then someone comes off and rinse and repeat then another restart , when it starts on tv at 7.45 I try and watch the first race before I have to go pick up my wife from work and sometimes 15 mins later they are still pissing about because of tape incidents , if run properly the whole thing could be over in 40 mins it’s just all spun out like candy floss these days. Get rid of this loopy tape movement rule and go back to how it was if you BREAK the tapes then your excluded if not ffks GO it’s racing get on with it

[@Orthodoxuk]

Spot on but now we would like to hear your answer to correct the problem?

[@poweredbypies1]

I think i can russle up some videos

[@marko1316]

Well put indeed. It's a mockery that riiders riding for two clubs in the same country.

[@LKnight32]

That all makes sense but in your table you should’ve moved gps further ahead of the Prem. bar 1 or 2 riders like Doyley, Fricke and Jack Holder most of the riders in the prem ride in the second division in Poland or at best the first league so the jump from British riding to the continent is even bigger! Good video tho I just wanted to highlight that the level in Britain is much lower overall then in Poland so making a career out of Speedway is even harder for the Brits now as they have to ride in Poland to make any money really!

[@poweredbypies1]

The Gps are in there to show fan base , ie skill level wich is why i used Tia as a refrence =)

[@albion1949]

Well thought out points and I couldn't disagree with them but we see highlighted races on the website and KZbin, some of them certainly ARE good but some leave you thinking that if that was the best race of the night, I'm glad I didn't go. I think Speedway would be better clustered around weekends and Bank Holidays, with semi-pro riders able to do a regular job through the week, Equipment needs to be cheaper and more reliable and guests and riders riding for two teams (except for development league riders) needs stopping. It's no excuse saying "there aren't enough riders" as a big number of clubs are in serious danger of closing and are propped up by sponsors and in some cases the actual owner. Speedway in this country should forget foreign set ups and look inward and cut it's cloth accordingly, that way it might survive.

[@neilburrows5245]

You may well have identified the problem Paul but what speedway needs is the SOLUTION. Pies for thought........ 🤔

[@peteranddorothybowles5428]

Good and prob true bud Us eagles down south are gutted

[@rbeckrbeck3593]

Exactly right, doubling up has got completely out of control and British Speedway has got itself into a hole it now can’t get out of due to the doubling up. When doubling up was originally brought in it was for the lower riders under 5.00 average to help with income, now over 90% of riders are doubling up.

[@poweredbypies1]

Doubling up isn’t the problem it’s doubling down that is the issue ;)

[@rbeckrbeck3593]

@@poweredbypies1 Yes true wrong wording.

[@davidunderhill2106]

Agree Speedway needs long term business sports planning and professionalism, with riders not being licenced to compete in more than 1 league.

[@disturbedme101]

Nothing new to racing. Same thing happens in American nascar. Top tier racers run in the lower leagues. Its about getting paid "now" not making sure of the future. Nascar actually throttled back the amount of races the top tier guys could run. Maybe look into that aspect.

[@jockmactaggart6068]

This is great..also lack of investment 40 years ago in modern stadiums like what Poland have done with the likes of torun etc..promoters lining pockets and looking after they're own club while the fans stand in dog s#*t on concrete steps...and xbox of course.

[@stephenharris3895]

I thought this for years In the old national league riders stayed in their leagues Youngsters progress then moved up to higher league's

[@jdhfhfhfhgbb8385]

mate do u know where to get a speedway bike for starting in Scotland

[@poweredbypies1]

Yes mate Facebook groups speedway buy and sell is great to get second hand stuff . Search Gary flint on Facebook aswell he may be able to help

[@jdhfhfhfhgbb8385]

@@poweredbypies1 thanks mate what would u say is a reasonable price

[@TheRip72]

I like the way you presented it. It illustrates the UK problems well but the solution is a difficult one. Riders need to double up because the sport is so expensive. The days of getting to a track with the bike hanging on a rack at the back of the car are gone. Riders now need 2-3 bikes with plenty of equipment & 2 or 3 mechanics in order to compete. If the crowds were bigger, riders could get paid more per meeting/point & manage to ride for 1 team instead of several. This does not happen in Poland for the same reason the best riders are there...they have bigger crowds & more money. So how it is possible to attract more people? I can't answer that.

[@retiredpainter259]

Allways been the way in Poland ,, it’s their national sport

[@TheRip72]

@@retiredpainter259 It did not seem like it when I was there. I spent a week working in Gdynia & couldn't find anybody in the office (about 1000 in there) to go to Speedway with. I ended up going to Bydgoszcz on my own.

[@normancobbett2891]

I went to Swindon two years ago and I was disgusted it’s a tip. Like menu speedway tracks it needs a cash investment to bring supporters through the gate to spend money . + There’s very little speedway on a weekend here in the uk. So Smarten up the speedway stadiums have weekend racing everywhere. Just saying.

[@empireman1077]

I live in Swindon,I used to go with my Dad through the late 1970's, I was going in the 80s, done taking the track I went to school with the Smart brothers It was a great atmosphere at Blunsdon I did stop going for a while, but the Robins have had some fantastic seasons with winning the league The track was one of the longest in the UK I do agree about the stadium state, it is being rebuilt in the future I expect there will be a new houses built on the old site I just think having the speedway on Sky was good in a way of watching other meetings on Monday Sky service have dominated live Football which is on in pubs all the time You won't get British speedway back to the days of Phil Crump & Martin Ashby I am sure the likes of dart players & Snooker players Have to go up the ranks to be established and earn a living Speedway clubs have been suffering for years, it is the same in football teams ( ie:) Macclesfield & Bury Finally, Any sport needs a decent Business investment with the interest of promotion I am in my 50"s, so I grew up with people around me following Speedway I would travel to Poole,Reading & Oxford These days young kids are just into gaming or, social media!

[@DenisOKeeffe1234]

Sadly, it is a very good analysis. Also, the pool of riders has reduced, making it a circus. By circus, I mean it is the same pool of riders who ride for various teams in the premiership and championship, not to mention Poland. Thereby, there is no loyalty. Speedway will probably continue in the UK. But will be for the amateur or semi amateur rider only.

[@Raluph1]

Hard to disagree. Even going back 10 years, you’d have top two from second division as reserve in the top league, so there was progression between leagues without there being as much of a huge jump in skill. And even then not every rider did so. Another reason I feel is there being a lack of top tier riders in British leagues. No GP regulars currently ride in England (although credit to Doyle who intended to do so), so no big name draws for crowds to come and see.

[@andyfarmer759]

In the 70's only the No 6 and 7 couple double down although this was in reality the lower division doubleing up. Once you entered the main body of the team, you stopped riding in the lower league. This was fine as far as it went. Riders were only contracted to one club unlike now where you can ride in several leagues across Europe. To which club is the riders loyalty? Are clubs compensated if their riders are injured riding in another league in another country? I understand all the arguements from the riders point of view relating to costs and track time etc. Look at it from the fans point of view, if every rider in your team is riding somewhere else either in lower domestic leagues or on the continent, who do those riders belong to? Do I really want to go and support 7 guest riders (which they may now have become) whilst the team I support takes on another team of guest riders.

[@npbggroup8052]

Been saying for years…that doubling up is killing speedway. It MUST stop. Riders signed for one team should not be free to sign for another. Ok so guesting is different but a rider should only be able to represent one club anywhere in the world.

[@johnmacca100]

But then riders will say they can't make enough money to Continue in the sport if they can't double up ?

[@fatapples3838]

Enjoyable video but I don't really get it and here ls why: 1) OK I started thinking of top 2 HLs in the PL and came to BV and realised Bewley and Kurtz don't even ride in the CL. OK maybe Masters and Schlein are a better example but at my local track, I know it was £20 for an adult in the PL and 17 for the CL but are Masters and Schlein GP riders or near that bracket. I would say no, so your difference in value is the strength at the bottom end where you have take Peterborough for example, Palin and currently Hans Andersen but it was Chris Harris. Now your never going to see Hans at No 7 in the CL because we'll he's the No 1 at Leicester and secondly he's going to beat 3 to 4 point average riders like 99% of the time. So there has to be a gap depending on how the team is built although tbf I think only UK riders should be allowed to double up and down imo to help our riders progress in the future. Also riders with great experience like Danny King and Chris Harris also do a lot for the young riders in their team coming through and it helps them learn with their careers and moving forward in the sport as they move towards the end of their careers, so I see nothing wrong with that either. Also a couple of other points. Coming back to the Masters/Schlein point, say for example I live in Wolverhampton and watch these guys. Why would I complain about 3 to 4 pound more watching my team at Wolves just because these guys may race one meeting down at the local rivals Birmingham with their CL clubs. I'm still going to go to the team I support. Just like in any sport your going to get some crowds that turn up less more likely when their team loses at home often than when they win because people think I have better things to do to spend my money on than watch that. Granted also poorly prepared tracks and follow the leader racing can also alter this but not much imo because it is a night out etc. Than I'm confused by your graph how you say and that's why fans won't pay to see a 40% skilled rider against a 90% skilled rider. Tbh imo that's nonsense because that happened a lot in the 70s and 80s with mismatches of riders with some kind of unknown junior would come in at No 8 or get a call to his local track only to be riding against Ivan Mauger or Phil Crump so I don't agree with that because crowds were huge back than. I don't really see speedway failing as of present.... Covid has hit it hard and clubs have had to pull out but there is still a demand for MDL and NL because its a cheap night out and crowds are slowly getting back into it after what was a tough few months for clubs like Wolves and Poole. I would say it's certainly more to do with the Polish speedway economics and the UK stadiums demands on clubs rather than whats going on with the actual structure of a doubling down system. Rider demands are far more because the continent pays far greater because the interest in the sport is actually there so the advertising and sponsorship follows so riders can be the best with the best equipment etc (and also why the SGPs are taking the piss with putting nearly every major championship meeting in Poland but that's another story). The stadiums also are ateugling in this country and at times I believe holding the clubs for ransom with their rates but probably under pressure due to the councils so its crucial clubs must be astute financially and where there crowds can equate to which division financially unfortunately unlike Eastbourne who sadly have had to fold. Hopefully they start again next season in the MDL. Anyways those are my thoughts but interesting take and good luck riding in the future

[@johnsonwdavid]

It's hard to maintain as many leagues without influx of foreign riders. The Premiership is weaker than not only Polish Ekstraliga but also Swedish Bahaus and even the top Danish League. Over the years, British league went for cheap and frequent quantity instead of quality. Overlapping of two top leagues is a direct result of top riders leaving ranks and moving to Poland and Sweden.

[@rob51e]

No problem with Speedway in Poland and other European countries and Russia, ICE speedway and long track survive no problem.

[@poweredbypies1]

So there is chance for it to survive here 🙌🏻

[@stephankl632]

The sport actually only still is alive in poland and sweeden. Thats it. But for europe those countries are not really Important in regards of immigrants and Population. Thats actually one of the most severe problems with speedway. A sport cannot survive only within two countries.

[@jamiehaden9861]

Don't agree with doubling up .. however they need to earn money.. The elite league il call it has been watered down for many years .. having 6 teams at the so called top level is embrassing..

[@MrParij]

Интересно почитать комментарии

[@michaelrasmussen9679]

Reason #1-#5 ..No Nicky, and they just go around without alot challenge.

[@jacksonirving4594]

We should be allocated more grand prix.. Grand prix is the garlic bread of speedway..

[@richardgriffiths6823]

I think you're looking too much at minor internal issues that aren't that big a fix. Speedway's biggest problem (by far) is that it needs more people coming through the turnstiles. It has just ONE income stream - ticket sales. It needs to market itself at both local and national levels if it is to avoid becoming a participant-only sport. It needs a large sports promotion partner to lead the way, then maybe franchise clubs into a super league with maybe 10 teams. Speedway needs to look at its branding and presentation (track staff in scrappy, mis-matched overalls? Please... Filthy toilets, dirty unwashed air fences etc) and a professional promotion partner managing a re-branded Premier League is the only way to clear the decks. Just messing about with details regarding the rules is a bit like complaining that the curtains are the wrong colour as your house burns down...

[@poweredbypies1]

Your right there , there are alot of problems however im highlighting the foundational problem. Its a bit like you saying at a new housing estate , they need clean workmen good house sales marketing. However if the foundations of the houses are falling to bits you will not be able to sell anything

[@tadeassvejda6589]

#makespeedwaypopularandgreatagain

[@chrisbrock693]

All great points. Doubling up is killing the sport. However riders need to earn money. Forget the Premier League in GB. It's finished. All top riders ignore GB and don't ride here. Premier and Championship should go into one. I know there is a shortage of riders and the standard would go down. However I am encouraged by the amount of youngsters riding together with older heads returning. GB has an opportunity what with Brexit and EU laws to look after our own. The important bit is that supporters promoters and riders have PATIENCE! We will reap the rewards in the future. Make it a little cheaper to watch and encourage the riders. Too many people lose their heads and want to chop and change rider.. it's easy to criticize but harder to encourage. We just need to let GB speedway breathe for a few years and we will challenge the Poles for speedway Tobe number 1 in the world again!👍🤗

[@johnmacca100]

It is cheap to watch speedway, most clubs do kids for a quid now too, if admission prices went down how do riders get paid ?

[@ashpollen65]

£24 to get in?? 👀

[@poweredbypies1]

It was hypothetical figures mate

[@frankpizzey8223]

Sorry but, this is like the Labour Party continually 'navel gazing' whilst their world disintegrates. Speedway has been on the way out since the early 50s and that trend has continued ever since notwithstanding that there have been some 'revivals' over the years. I've been attending speedway since the mid 60s and whilst crowd levels were reasonable then they have now reached critical state at many clubs. Hence so many stadiums have been lost to redevelopment which wouldn't have happened (so much) if the sport was a good earner for owners and promoters. There is little public appetite for motorcycle sport and the irony is that most people who ride motorcycles have no interest in the sport whatsoever. You either like speedway or you don't. I do but, I'm one of a dying breed who is prepared to put up with the poor stadium facilities at many tracks and around 20-25 minutes 'action' over the course of a two hour meeting. An evening at speedway may be OK for die-hards but for most it represents poor value for money when compared with many other sports. Full marks to those who still want to race but, speedway is on such a downward spiral that it's long(er) term future is now seriously in doubt.

[@simonlacey6153]

Good attempt but you’re way off the mark. Numbers aren’t the issue. They may be relevant to die hard fans but you’re not having a problem attracting die hards, the problem is that you are ONLY attracting die hards. In order for speedway to survive in the UK it needs bums on seats and that has been the issue for years. It’s stuck in a perpetual cycle of ensuring it appeals to those who it appeals to. Pissing around at the edges looking at statistical anomalies to try and demonstrate on a white board why British speedway is a failure just demonstrates perfectly why it is failing - it’s essentially the same people stuck deep inside the fabric of the sport with no ability to view it from an outside perspective trying to find new ways to demonstrate how it can be saved and you’re just another one of them I’m sorry to say. You’re too ingrained in it as a rider and a fan. Speedway needs talented people from other fields to come in and take a fresh look not fans, promotors, riders, managers or club officials constantly trying to mess around with the peripherals from their own narrow perspective, thinking it will make a difference. It won’t.

[@poweredbypies1]

Very negative nelly there Simon , while I appreciate you saying about the die hard fans, try explain to a new fan why a rider is number 1 at championship but also rides number 1 at premiership … they would come out with the same thing saying you wouldn’t get football players , playing for another team. I do however agree with your suggestion of having outside help and certainly an independent party.

[@simonlacey6153]

@@poweredbypies1 yeah, but if you scrap doubling up you suddenly think there will be a surge of people through the turnstiles and suddenly Speedway in the UK is thriving? Of course not. It will make no material difference. Doubling up is stupid, of course it is but all you are doing is identifying another one of speedways bad decisions that have been made by those at the top for the past 40 years. The same stupid decisions that have been made then scrapped, then made then scrapped and so on and so on. I admire your attempt to figure out why ‘speedway is failing’ but this isn’t it. It’s a problem definitely, no doubt about it, but changing it won’t transform British speedway.

[@poweredbypies1]

@@simonlacey6153 , No there will no be a surge of people in fact my prediction is potential you could lose a few fans. But this is about sustainability and the future. I am looking to do a part 2 & 3 and from there i hope you can see where my logic goes. Thank you

[@velo8784]

"being to fail"? I think you are failing more than speedway.

[@poweredbypies1]

Well spotted! I’ve never been great at spelling to be honest, which I why I talk. But thanks for pointing out this small mistake in the description. 🙌🏻 however all the comments you can clearly see this video has been a success rather than a failure 😉

[@Bigchurchmusic]

I disagree with the premise. Speedway is entertainment. The GP is in my opinion entertaining. The reason why is obvious. I want to watch the very best, I'm not interested in spending time/money on watching people trying to become the best. At the top level the sport is not failing.

[@TheRip72]

The video refers to UK speedway. There are no GP riders in the UK leagues & it was becoming less common long before the pandemic. So if you want to watch the best riders live, you need to go to Poland because that is where they ride. The same doubling up does not exist there. You can't have a top level without intermediate levels. It is too much of a jump to go from nothing to qualify for then compete in the GPs. There will always be those who will watch intermediate levels because it provides more good racing. (The fastest riders are harder to pass...because they are the fastest).

[@jamie__the__jellyfish]

100% agree with this specially with only what is it 3-5 riders from the prem not riding in the championship my only question is if you were to stop the top 2 riders in the prem teams riding in the championship would you still allow the second strings to ride in the championship

[@lukeperry6479]

The sport needs sponsorship to make the sport attract gp riders. I remember when syfudtinov rode for Coventry the gates were crazy. But people now a days want to see the best for 20 quid and that isn't enough to pay for riders tyres etc so you lose riders and your pool of riders becomes smaller!

[@poweredbypies1]

Good point indeed Luke !