Time to move to one professional UK Speedway League in 2024? 

Glad you agree that the time has come for a more radical change to try and secure the sport at a professional level for 10+ years (yes, mainly semi-professional riders except maybe a few heat leaders) rather than a limp along strategy with 2 leagues. You also have a few interesting ideas to make it more feasible for new blood to come into the sport. We will learn very shortly as the promoters are off to Tenerife for a three-day conference and should report by 18th November 2023. I am fearful it will be another limp along approach though, let us see!

You covered a lot here Paul! Yes, sad it really is and being realistic, taking the sport back to the 70s isn't going to happen and in my view it is about managing the decline so that we see professional speedway in UK for as long as possible. That is why I think the time is right to move to one professional league in the UK, lowering the cost base while having many more meaningful fixtures against different opponents.

You could well be right Rob especially as history suggests (since the sport started to decline in 80s) that UK Speedway will be short-termist in approach limping along as the sport declines a bit more each year. I think the decline needs some active management although I fear it is too late now to reverse. A move to one league, as long as still competitive (admittedly at a lower standard), could at least stabilise the situation as the league will be more interesting (I would suggest to TV audiences as well as live spectators) and may persuade some currently uneconomic tracks to keep going. With regard to TV; Sky exited, then BT Sport - don't we need to be a bit more radical or shall we just wait for Eurosport to go the same way at the end of their contract?

You have hit on a key issue Jamie as so many riders double up between the Prem & Champ. This is why I think the quality may need to dip slightly from current Championship with maybe reserves moving up into the body of the team and new juniors from NDL coming in at reserve. Once we know which teams can run next year,, some better analysis would be possible. There are also other issues to solve like what average to give to a rider who has only ridden in the premiership in 2023 like Jason Doyle. Personally, I think the cost structures necessary won't attract such riders to a one league format so I think the pool of riders is going to come those who currently ride in the Championship plus some new ones from NDL.