Switching Nationalities (and other things)

ITEM: There was an interesting little news story that broke over the weekend which reported that Rory Schlein had turned down a place in the Australian squad and was intending to take out an ACU license this season. Schlein has tweeted that he didn't give an interview to the site that reported the story - Polsky Zuzel - and that no-one knows his plans for the coming season. To my cynical eyes it's less a denial than an "I can't believe it's gotten out", which lends an air of plausibility to the story.

There are a number of things at play here. First is the relationship between speedway and the media, particularly social media, in the modern age. Much of speedway would like to pretend that it's still the 1950s, where the only things reported in the press are sanctioned and often dictated by the governing bodies, clubs, and riders themselves. For most of its history, speedway has enjoyed a compliance from the press bordering on fawning - not other sport, save perhaps professional wrestling, has found journalists willing to report the stories given to them, and it's up to you how much good or harm you think that has done to the sport.

Last year the speedway correspondent for the Edinburgh Evening News reported that Craig Cook had signed for both Edinburgh and Belle Vue for the 2014 season. Cook had already tweeted some time before that he'd done deals with both Elite and Premier League clubs for 2014, but angrily denied the story was true. A few days later he announced that he'd signed for, you guessed it, Edinburgh and Belle Vue. What Cook should have done, rather than denying the story's veracity outright, is express disappointment that the journalist had reported it ahead of a scheduled announcement, and it is possibly with this in mind that Schlein hasn't expressly denied that he's becoming, to all intents and purposes, a Brit for 2014.

And that's the second thing. Schlein is the archetypal proud Australian. This writer has taken issue with some of the things he's said in the past, in my opinion (although not in the eyes of others) bordering on racist, in support of his country. When not racing in club kevlars, he chooses to wear the yellow and green of Australia, and he glories in the nickname, "Roo Boy". This is not a Nick Morris or Tai Woffinden, born in the UK or to a father fully intending him to ride for his mother country. For him to turn his back on his country for professional reasons would be a blow to his "Aussieness", and possibly disqualify him for life from drinking Fosters, watching Neighbours, or listening to Acka Dacka. It is not a move taken lightly.

The third thing, of course, is should we welcome Schlein as a Brit, and take advantage of his "Britishness" for international purposes? It's a tricky issue that has affected other sports over the years more than speedway. Both rugby codes and cricket are chock full of adopted Brits from the former colonies, and the thinking seems to be that, as long as they give their all for their nation of choice, it really isn't an issue. And if it remains that it's just one or two or a handful of riders, from whichever nation, taking that path then it shouldn't be a problem for speedway, either. Where it does raise potential issues is if the development of young British talent is held back by a rising tide of license-switchers, but with a watching brief I'd say it's not an issue we need to worry about at this juncture.

Two notable nationality changers of recent times are Rune Holta and Robert Branford. Holta considered his chances of success on the world stage to be greatly enhanced by becoming Polish rather than staying Norwegian, and who can say whether he'd had have so many years at the top, competing in the Speedway World Cup and Grand Prix series for his adopted nation, if he'd stayed loyal to the country of the first twenty-nine years of his life? Certainly, in speedway terms, Norway is a third world power, and although I wasn't around speedway at the time, I don't recall reading of too much controversy about the switch (although, as always, I invite any views to the contrary).

Robert Branford has a British mother, and used this fact to ride in the UK as a British rider, competing in the Brits-only National League, and then racing for - and winning - the British under-21 championship at Wolverhampton last year. To take part in the championship, Branford had to sign a memorandum agreeing to ride on an ACU license (and thus be "British") for at least five years. This is enough of a guarantee for me that both sides can gain from the arrangement, and it's certainly something I'd ask Schlein to do if he's considering going down the same route.

The reason given by Polsky Zuzel for Schlein's switch is to make it easier to get rides on the continent, specifically citing Germany as an example. If this is the reason, and with others having done the same in the past, I do wonder how long it will be before we see riders affiliating to non-speedway European nations like Luxemboug or Portugal, as has happened in boxing and other sports, enjoying the same advantages without the negative connotations of switching nationalities.

Regardless of the reasons, or even if it's true at all, it does create a useful discussion point for the possibility of this kind of thing happening more often. With Australians having increasing difficulty obtaining visas to race in the UK, and with opportunities opening up for ACU license holders through the Fast Track Draft, we may see more of this in the next few years. Perhaps time to decide, then, how we feel about accepting a Rory Schlein to race under the Union Jack. Me? I'm all for it, as long he understands it gives me carte blanche to rip it out of him at every turn. It's only fair (dinkum)...

ITEM: The Midland Development League announced that a record ten teams would take to the track in 2014, a far cry from the five teams (on just three tracks) that competed in 2011. Three years ago, the league was fought over by Long Eaton Invaders (based at Leicester), Scunthorpe Stags, Sheffield Tiger Cubs, Halifax Dukes (riding at Scunthorpe), and Team Viking Academy (racing at Sheffield), and won by Long Eaton. The following year saw an increase in both clubs and tracks taking part, with seven of each competing for the trophy. Long Eaton (once again at Leicester) were back, as were Scunthorpe and Sheffield, and Team Viking moved to Coventry to become the Coventry-Mercia Vikings. They were joined by Belle Vue Colts, Stoke Spitfires, and a Milton Keynes Knights team racing out of Rye House. It was the Knights, featuring current Peterborough reserve Olly Greenwood, who triumphed over Belle Vue in the play-off final at Coventry - the first success for a team from the new city since Troy Butler won the NLRC in 1988, ironically also at Brandon. The inaugural MDL Riders' Championship was also held, at Leicester, and won by Dan Greenwood, who was included in this season's Fast Track Draft, representing Coventry.

Seven teams took to the track once again in 2013, with Castleford Kings replacing Scunthorpe Stags (although riding at Scunthorpe), and King's Lynn Lightning jumping ship from the defunct Anglia Junior League to replace Sheffield Tiger Cubs. Belle Vue Colts, who made good use of 2014 Leicester reserve Max Clegg, won the title, while Stoke's Shaun Tedham sponsored by yours truly) was a surprise winner of the MDLRC. As well as Clegg and Dan Greenwood, Lewis Rose also came through the MDL and was included in the Fast Track Draft. As well as Rose and Olly Greenwood, there are PL places for Josh Bates, Liam Carr, Luke Crang, Adam Ellis, Joe Jacobs and Matt Williamson, all of whom came through the MDL, AJL or Northern Junior League.

Of the original five league members, only Long Eaton Invaders and Sheffield Tiger Cubs (returning after a year out) return in 2014, but they are joined by 2013 returnees Belle Vue, Castleford, Coventry, King's Lynn, Milton Keynes (based at Mildenhall this season), and Stoke, and by new entrants Buxton and Rye House. League rules allow for one rider currently in a National League 1-7 to ride (assuming he has an NL average of less than 5 and under 50 NL matches under his belt), but the other three slots are filled by riders keen to make it in the sport. The majority will rise no higher than development league level, but with two EL, eight PL, and at least twenty-six NL places occupied by riders who have come through the development leagues, the value of this level of racing is clear to see.

As well as the MDL, the Northern Junior League will operate once more - back again for its fifth season. This year five clubs will take part - Berwick Border Raiders, Castleford Castles (doubling up with their MDL counterparts, but racing at Redcar), Northside Stars (racing at the Northside training track in Workington), Redcar Bear Cubs, and Workington Meteors. The NJL has a new innovation, and will be including under-15 years old, 125cc riders alongside their (slightly) more senior counterparts in the scorecharts this season. Similar systems operate on the continent, and two British lads - Daniel and Ethan Spiller - have based themselves in Germany to take advantage of it. Hopefully if it is a success in the NJL it can be spread out, and the need for families like the Spillers to up sticks to the continent to bring on their prodigies will lessen and disappear in time.

Of the 27 tracks staging league speedway in the UK this season, you can see second-half, development league action at 13, as well as Northside. This, of course, means that there are 14 tracks not staging development league speedway: Birmingham, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ipswich, Kent, Lakeside, Newcastle, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Somerset, Swindon, and Wolverhampton. A handful of these have strict curfews (although Lakeside did used to run their Anglia Junior League meetings before the main meeting), but others have no good reason - or have at least never given any good reason - for not giving local youngsters competitive racing experience. Hopefully the positive benefits reaped by clubs like Coventry - who, thanks to a tie-up with Peterborough, can now offer a progression through racing at all four competitive levels in 2014 and beyond - will begin to echo around the rest of the leagues, and we'll be talking about one or two tracks not getting involved rather than a dozen.

If there are any fans reading this who haven't sampled any development league racing at their track, I'd ask them to give it a go. It's not always pretty, and there are times when - despite their best efforts - you have to stifle a laugh at some of the boys, but with support, encouragement, and opportunity they'll develop into the stars of tomorrow.

ITEM: The FIM must be breathing a sigh of relief that it has not scheduled any of this year's individual or team competitions for Russia or Ukraine, given the de facto state of war that exists between those two nations at the moment. Russia's speedway heartland is far away from the both the border with Ukraine and the Moscow base of power-mad loon Vladimir Putin, but there must still be concerns over the safety of foreigners entering Russia, particularly those from "the West" (ie, the US and UK). What's left of Ukraine's speedway scene is securely in the anti-Russian west of the country, although it remains to be seen what, if any, speedway meetings are scheduled for Ukraine this year.

There is a big meeting taking place in Russia this season, however, with the second round of the European Championships being held in Togliatti, and - of course - Russia's Emil Sayfutdinov is competing in both this series and the Grands Prix. The talking about what to do about Russia's naked aggression in the Crimea (and its possible spread to the rest of Ukraine) is still ongoing, with various veiled threats being made by the UN, the G8, the EU, and the other western powers, and it remains to see just how the Russians will be punished for their actions, if at all. Sporting sanctions have been applied before - most notably against apartheid-era South Africa - but boycotts have also taken place of Olympics games, and other events, for a variety of political reasons. It is unlikely, but not beyond the realms of possibility, that sanctions could be applied against Russia, and this would affect both Togliatti and Sayfutdinov.

Politics and sport don't mix very well. The vast majority of participants are apolitical, or at least do not let their politics interfere with their competition. I have no idea which side Sayfutdinov - or the Lagutas, or Ukraine's Loktaev and Karpov - support in this conflict, and I hope that remains the case. However, the nations hosting and participating in sporting events often use them for political gain, despite the denials by the (well-compensated) governing bodies that dispense such rights. Would I like to see a boycott of the SEC in Togliatti or Sayfutdinov prevented from taking his place in the SGP? Ideally, no, and the impact of a boycott/sanctions in speedway would be extremely limited. But if it's as a part of something bigger, and a solid chance to send a message to the Russians? No hesitation at all.

What a world!