AGM REACTION

Poole promoter Dan Ford has proclaimed the outcome of the Annual Promoters' Conference as a 'positive approach for the future of the sport' with clubs engaged in both senior tiers of the BSPL signing up to a youth development code. 

Ford said "it is a big step forward with the emphasis on youth development as we all know how important this is for the sustainability of the sport. All Championship and Premiership clubs will be participating in mandatory youth development on a tiered system. Our specific participation as to which tier we will be taking is yet to be decided but we are committed to the programme and that means there will be more youth opportunities at Poole for the 2024 season  and hopefully our supporters will get behind this and enjoy the development of the sports future.

As for team plans, now that the 38 point limit has been rubber-stamped we can continue to move forward on this front and we will be looking to make announcements on this over the forthcoming weeks. Obviously, as ever we are determined to make our side as highly competitive as possible, particularly as the amendment to the play-off system  restricts qualification to just the top four sides and we are determined to go out and win those two titles back.
With Workington up into the Championship that ensures  the make-up of the league remains at nine teams, following Birmingham's move into the Premiership and we are looking forward incredibly to going to Workington as it will surely produce a new challenge for most riders. 

Work is underway on the finalising of the fixture list and there will be two special meetings at Poole in 2024 with Kyle Newman having been granted a Testimonial meeting and Richard Lawson having had his deferred from last season. Both riders have expressed their wish to hold their meetings at Poole and further news will also follow on those two events in due course.
Overall, I must say that the rule changes have been positive, not least the electronic starting procedure, the change to heat fifteen nominations which allow for any rider to be nominated and also the amendment to the guest ruling." 

The following statement from the BSPL summarises the key points of the AGM:
    • BRITISH Speedway will launch a new programme for Youth development in 2024 as part of a concerted effort to bring through the next generation of the sport’s stars.All Premiership and Championship clubs have signed up to the new three-tier structure following discussions at this week’s AGM.This will involve each club either competing in the National Development League; or staging events in a new National Individual series; or taking part in a Youth programme to be run in second halves following senior meetings, and it is now compulsory for each club to take one of those options.
    • PREMIERSHIP 2024 (40 point limit for top six, plus 1 Rising Star): Belle Vue, Birmingham, Ipswich, King’s Lynn, Leicester, Oxford, Sheffield.
    • CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 (38 point limit): Berwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Plymouth, Poole, Redcar, Scunthorpe, Workington.
    • The Championship play-off format has been revised and will now match the Premiership, with the top four clubs qualifying for the semi-finals, rather than the previous group format involving the top six
    • PREMIERSHIP CEO: Phil Morris
    • STARTS: All British Speedway tracks will bring in the random electronic starting procedure as seen in the Grand Prix series.
    • FACILITIES: Where a club has one absent rider in their top five, they now have the option to use a guest or rider replacement in any of those positions. Previously one absent rider fourth or fifth in the team order had to be covered by the rider replacement facility.
    • HEAT 15: Any rider in a team is now eligible for Heat 15, regardless of points scored to that stage or their position in the team.
    • EIGHT-DAY RULE: The eight-day rule for guests will not apply during the play-offs, meaning a club would be able to utilise the same guest were they to stage home play-off fixtures in successive weeks.
    • GUESTS: A rider may only guest for one team throughout the play-offs, or indeed a Cup semi-final and/or Final. This is in addition to the regulation that a rider cannot guest for another team in the play-offs if his own team is also involved.
    • TRANSFER WINDOW: The traditional end-of-August transfer cut-off has been replaced by a transfer window, which will close when a club has completed 75 per cent of their regular league matches.
    • TESTIMONIALS: Four riders have been granted Testimonials in respect of their long service to British Speedway. These are Thomas Jorgensen, Kyle Newman, Charles Wright and Kyle Howarth.
    • FIXTURES: Fixtures for both the Premiership and Championship leagues are being compiled and will be available over the coming weeks.