Back to Basics with One League
By Steve Haire

Many people, usually of a senior persuasion have posted "we need to get back to basics". There's a saying that goes along the lines "if you don't learn from history you're likely to repeat it", well perhaps in the case of speedway we do need to repeat history.

Back in the early sixties (before my time I hasten to add) you had a similar situation to now, you had a National League of 6 teams and a Provincial league which was the equivalent of the 2nd division. Apparently Wolverhampton were instructed to move up to the National League to which they refused and subsequently the Provincial league were outlawed which eventually led to both leagues agreeing to amalgamate and form the British league of 19 teams. It proved such a success it subsequently led to a formation of a 2nd division of 14 teams with most teams riding at new tracks.

Today you have the two leagues with the Premiership again down to 6 teams with a majority of riders riding in both leagues, there's a 'Development' league which takes place mainly at existing tracks whose top riders also double up and you have three non-league tracks still in operation, Kent/Sittingbourne/Iwade, Isle of Wight and Mildenhall.

So to me with the 'Back to Basics' I would suggest 'repeating history' by forming one league, with no maximum team averages or guests.

I appreciate this would probably lead to the league losing its top riders and you'd finish up with the clubs with more money becoming the dominant teams, however supporters would have the same seven riders each week to support with a greater variety, local derbies more meaningful knockout cup and internationals.

This is something speedway promoters seem to have forgotten, supporters want - win or lose - a team of the same seven riders with a greater variety of opposition, not the same teams every other week with riders who are riding for you one week and against you the following week.

I don't think there would be a lack of riders, obviously if it was one league then only teams that could field a team could enter. Otherwise as with tracks like Kent, Isle of Wight and Mildenhall they could run speedway in whatever form they wanted to. What every speedway fan wants is team racing, so they even could change the format and make it six man teams with 5 & 6 as reserves and have 2nd halves as they did with the 13 heat formula, giving amateurs a chance to compete against established riders.

Fixed race nights only came about because of doubling-up and foreign leagues, if there's one league and riders commit to regular British racing, there's no reason tracks can't race on any day to suit their audience and landlords.

It does seem that with at least The Championship many riders are previously successful riders towards the end of careers such as Nicolai Klindt and Troy Bachelor, with other riders such as Sam Masters, Danny King, Ben Barker and Michael Palm Toft who have seen their best days. Even with the Development league there seems riders who've been around too long to be riding in that league, Simon Lambert, Ben Morley and possibly Alfie Bowtell. All the above to me reinforces the idea of having one league. I'm sure some of the top riders would still ride in a one league as they would see it as easy pickings.

Simple fact is British Speedway needs to do something radical, it can't continue to rely on just us die-hards, it needs to make people want to come back week after week and having a team of the same riders to support is the way.

Unfortunately the powers to be will just plod along with the same thing year in year. Let's face it the Premiership only continued this year because Northampton made up the six teams.

This article was first published on 16th August 2026