ITEM: It's good news/bad news this week on the "clubs in trouble" front.
The announcement that Mike Bowden had reached an agreement to sell
Plymouth to a local consortium headed by Devils' legend Seemond Stephens
was tempered by the news from Workington that owner Keith Denham was
about to close the club down.
Bowden resurrected Plymouth speedway a decade ago, opening a track on a school rugby field under a flyover, and building a successful operation. However, the wheels seem to have come off in recent years, with lax administration, uncompetitive teams, and rumours of riders going unpaid becoming a constant theme. Talk of selling up has seen Bowden entrench his position but thankfully common sense seems to have prevailed, and hopefully the 2013 Devils will return to the successes of the past.
The Comets, meanwhile, have seen their attendances plummet, with estimates that they have halved since the beginning of the season. The economy will have played its part, of course, and Workington have had a torrid season injury-wise. But to listen to the fans it's a similar story to Plymouth, that of an owner-promoter alienating his fanbase with a series of "my way or the highway" decisions. Worse still, Denham doesn't seem open to selling the club, preferring to close it rather than see someone else try to make a go of it.
No-one can dispute that, without the backing of an owner, clubs like Plymouth and Workington would struggle to operate, and - in business - a company stands or falls by the decisions of it's owner. However, sports clubs are no ordinary business. They belong as much to the fans and the community as they do to the man who pays the bills, and a smart owner realises he's just the current custodian and works with his "customers".
With other clubs openly, or rumoured to be, struggling or operating in a manner not conducive to keeping the fans onside, I wonder if it is time for the BSPA to investigate a system for the "fan ownership" model that has been a roaring success at lower level football clubs. The pioneers of AFC Wimbledon are always willing to advise on a potential takeover (or, as is most often the way, a rescue) and may also be willing to advise the BSPA.
While they may be uncomfortable at the thought of the great unwashed sitting down with them at their AGM, few could argue against more stable speedway clubs in this country. Time to act?
ITEM: There was nothing in Pravda this week from the south coast on the prospect of two "top" rider sharing the number one position, and it was all the better for it.
Tai Woffinden joined his fellow Australian Darcy Ward in intimating, on Twitter, that he was looking at skipping the UK next season if a full schedule was on the cards, although I'm not sure anyone would have Woffinden in mind when thinking of the calibre of riders this scheme would attract.
More likely it should be the Grand Prix regulars who are not currently riding in the UK. This numbers just seven riders - Hancock, Gollob, Crump, Pedersen, Sayfutdinov, Hampel and Jonsson - far short of the kind of numbers we'd need to make it a success, even if you throw in the likes of Vaculik and (stop sniggering) Ljung.
This also assumes, of course, that all those riders would want to ride in the UK, even on a half schedule, and also that those who currently seem happy to do a full season - Holder, Iversen, Lindgren, et al - would be willing to take a cut in their earnings.
Some have argued that it should be optional, and that clubs who cannot afford these top riders would not have to employ them. This would create an uneven playing field, with the richer clubs able to choose between their top men, always using the fit and in-form when their poorer rivals struggle on with number ones who may be out-of-form and carrying knocks.
It also begs the question, if a club employs a top rider for half its fixtures, perhaps with a lesser light sharing the slot, then why would they use the top guy for anything other than their home meetings? Why pay top money to give your rivals a box office boost? We could end up with an imbalance between home and away teams that goes way beyond home track advantage.
So a lack of riders to fill such roles, an advantage gifted to those who can afford them, and an understandably selfish attitude towards sharing your investment... All good reasons why this idea should be a non-starter. However, as with other changes in recent seasons, when the impetus seems to come from the Dorset coast these things have a habit of getting through.
The sport is again at a crossroads, and we're set for another interesting AGM in so many ways - let's hope common sense prevails on this one, at least!
ITEM: David Howe speaks a lot of sense. This has been made clear in the past week or so, with the Scunthorpe rider making a case for slowing bikes down by using alternative tyres, and schooling Tai Woffinden in respect.
With costs spiralling out of control, and the sport becoming expensive to start in, and extortionate to compete at a decent level, Howe took to the pages of the Speedway Star to explain how different tyres would slow the bikes down, altering the way riders race, and making an expensively tuned, fast engine unnecessary to win races. This change, he said, would make speedway more competitive, allowing those who can't afford the services of Peter Johns and his ilk to compete with those who can.
This has long been a source of debate, with many in the sport arguing for a standard, sealed engine, and uniform specifications, but nothing has ever been done towards that end. Howe, at least, seems to have an idea of how this could be approached, and the powers-that-be would be foolish not to listen to him (and I'm led to believe that the BSPA management committee has asked for details).
Speedway has always had a wealth of untapped experience and insight on the terraces, and now it seems that the riders, too, are making suggestions for the improvement and survival of the sport they obviously love. Since Shane Parker stood down as chairman, the Speedway Riders Association has lain fallow, and it's time that it reared its head once more, perhaps with Howe at the top table. Buxton's Dean Felton, always willing to explain to, and engage with, fans seems knowledgeable and passionate, and he, too, would make a decent representative.
If the SRA can pull itself back together, we will have another voice joining the debate on the future of the sport, and that can only be a good thing. It's up to the BSPA whether they listen...
ITEM: So the Elite League play-offs are set and... well, the semi-final line-up is hardly mouth-watering, is it?
Lakeside scraped in after Peterborough's expensively assembled team fell apart in its last two matches, and Birmingham secured a slot by not losing at home by a big enough margin. This is how this season has panned out, with everyone other than the top two benefitting from others' misfortune rather than their own consistent performances.
It should be a Swindon-Poole final, of course, with the all-round strength of the Wiltshire side coming up against the top heavy, and slyly manipulated, Dorset Pirates.
Lakeside's chances of the title were hit by the loss of Lee Richardson, but blown out of the water when Richie Worrall, averaging over seven points a meeting in his debut season, broke his leg. Neither man has been adequately replaced, and so they are spoilers at best.
On paper, at least, Birmingham mount a stronger challenge, but are inconsistent in the extreme. Besides, even if they manage to get past Swindon, which on this season's results seems unlikely, they can be sure of nothing but a poor performance from their number one Bjarne Pedersen, whose performances against his parent club Poole have been nothing short of disgraceful this year.
So Swindon versus Poole, then. Never would have seen that coming in March, would you?
Bowden resurrected Plymouth speedway a decade ago, opening a track on a school rugby field under a flyover, and building a successful operation. However, the wheels seem to have come off in recent years, with lax administration, uncompetitive teams, and rumours of riders going unpaid becoming a constant theme. Talk of selling up has seen Bowden entrench his position but thankfully common sense seems to have prevailed, and hopefully the 2013 Devils will return to the successes of the past.
The Comets, meanwhile, have seen their attendances plummet, with estimates that they have halved since the beginning of the season. The economy will have played its part, of course, and Workington have had a torrid season injury-wise. But to listen to the fans it's a similar story to Plymouth, that of an owner-promoter alienating his fanbase with a series of "my way or the highway" decisions. Worse still, Denham doesn't seem open to selling the club, preferring to close it rather than see someone else try to make a go of it.
No-one can dispute that, without the backing of an owner, clubs like Plymouth and Workington would struggle to operate, and - in business - a company stands or falls by the decisions of it's owner. However, sports clubs are no ordinary business. They belong as much to the fans and the community as they do to the man who pays the bills, and a smart owner realises he's just the current custodian and works with his "customers".
With other clubs openly, or rumoured to be, struggling or operating in a manner not conducive to keeping the fans onside, I wonder if it is time for the BSPA to investigate a system for the "fan ownership" model that has been a roaring success at lower level football clubs. The pioneers of AFC Wimbledon are always willing to advise on a potential takeover (or, as is most often the way, a rescue) and may also be willing to advise the BSPA.
While they may be uncomfortable at the thought of the great unwashed sitting down with them at their AGM, few could argue against more stable speedway clubs in this country. Time to act?
ITEM: There was nothing in Pravda this week from the south coast on the prospect of two "top" rider sharing the number one position, and it was all the better for it.
Tai Woffinden joined his fellow Australian Darcy Ward in intimating, on Twitter, that he was looking at skipping the UK next season if a full schedule was on the cards, although I'm not sure anyone would have Woffinden in mind when thinking of the calibre of riders this scheme would attract.
More likely it should be the Grand Prix regulars who are not currently riding in the UK. This numbers just seven riders - Hancock, Gollob, Crump, Pedersen, Sayfutdinov, Hampel and Jonsson - far short of the kind of numbers we'd need to make it a success, even if you throw in the likes of Vaculik and (stop sniggering) Ljung.
This also assumes, of course, that all those riders would want to ride in the UK, even on a half schedule, and also that those who currently seem happy to do a full season - Holder, Iversen, Lindgren, et al - would be willing to take a cut in their earnings.
Some have argued that it should be optional, and that clubs who cannot afford these top riders would not have to employ them. This would create an uneven playing field, with the richer clubs able to choose between their top men, always using the fit and in-form when their poorer rivals struggle on with number ones who may be out-of-form and carrying knocks.
It also begs the question, if a club employs a top rider for half its fixtures, perhaps with a lesser light sharing the slot, then why would they use the top guy for anything other than their home meetings? Why pay top money to give your rivals a box office boost? We could end up with an imbalance between home and away teams that goes way beyond home track advantage.
So a lack of riders to fill such roles, an advantage gifted to those who can afford them, and an understandably selfish attitude towards sharing your investment... All good reasons why this idea should be a non-starter. However, as with other changes in recent seasons, when the impetus seems to come from the Dorset coast these things have a habit of getting through.
The sport is again at a crossroads, and we're set for another interesting AGM in so many ways - let's hope common sense prevails on this one, at least!
ITEM: David Howe speaks a lot of sense. This has been made clear in the past week or so, with the Scunthorpe rider making a case for slowing bikes down by using alternative tyres, and schooling Tai Woffinden in respect.
With costs spiralling out of control, and the sport becoming expensive to start in, and extortionate to compete at a decent level, Howe took to the pages of the Speedway Star to explain how different tyres would slow the bikes down, altering the way riders race, and making an expensively tuned, fast engine unnecessary to win races. This change, he said, would make speedway more competitive, allowing those who can't afford the services of Peter Johns and his ilk to compete with those who can.
This has long been a source of debate, with many in the sport arguing for a standard, sealed engine, and uniform specifications, but nothing has ever been done towards that end. Howe, at least, seems to have an idea of how this could be approached, and the powers-that-be would be foolish not to listen to him (and I'm led to believe that the BSPA management committee has asked for details).
Speedway has always had a wealth of untapped experience and insight on the terraces, and now it seems that the riders, too, are making suggestions for the improvement and survival of the sport they obviously love. Since Shane Parker stood down as chairman, the Speedway Riders Association has lain fallow, and it's time that it reared its head once more, perhaps with Howe at the top table. Buxton's Dean Felton, always willing to explain to, and engage with, fans seems knowledgeable and passionate, and he, too, would make a decent representative.
If the SRA can pull itself back together, we will have another voice joining the debate on the future of the sport, and that can only be a good thing. It's up to the BSPA whether they listen...
ITEM: So the Elite League play-offs are set and... well, the semi-final line-up is hardly mouth-watering, is it?
Lakeside scraped in after Peterborough's expensively assembled team fell apart in its last two matches, and Birmingham secured a slot by not losing at home by a big enough margin. This is how this season has panned out, with everyone other than the top two benefitting from others' misfortune rather than their own consistent performances.
It should be a Swindon-Poole final, of course, with the all-round strength of the Wiltshire side coming up against the top heavy, and slyly manipulated, Dorset Pirates.
Lakeside's chances of the title were hit by the loss of Lee Richardson, but blown out of the water when Richie Worrall, averaging over seven points a meeting in his debut season, broke his leg. Neither man has been adequately replaced, and so they are spoilers at best.
On paper, at least, Birmingham mount a stronger challenge, but are inconsistent in the extreme. Besides, even if they manage to get past Swindon, which on this season's results seems unlikely, they can be sure of nothing but a poor performance from their number one Bjarne Pedersen, whose performances against his parent club Poole have been nothing short of disgraceful this year.
So Swindon versus Poole, then. Never would have seen that coming in March, would you?
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