It may be time for 'once-a-week' (From Bournemouth Echo)

It may be time for 'once-a-week'

7:00am Monday 2nd June 2008 in

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PIRATES chief Matt Ford believes it is only a matter of time before the British Elite League follows their continental cousins' lead by introducing once-a-week speedway.

The Swedish Elite competition, which comprises 10 teams, stages the majority of its meetings on Tuesdays.

In Poland, the eight-strong ExtraLeague runs mainly on Sundays, with most exceptions being on Bank Holidays.

Swedish top-flight clubs only race 18 fixtures - nine home, nine away - before the play-offs.

Polish tracks have even fewer - 14 ahead of the play-offs.

Both leagues alternate their fixtures, with a club at home one week and away the next so there is a gap of a fortnight between each club's home matches.

Crowd figures, which are published in both countries, are much bigger in Poland, where attendances on May 11 were Leszno (19,000), Gorzow (8,000), Czestochowa (8,000) and Tarnow (7,000).

They are smaller in Sweden, probably more comparable with Britain, with their May 13 figures being Lejonen (3,564), Vastervik (1,883), MasarnaAvesta (1,835) and Piraterna (1,775).

Poole chief Ford, who believes attendances in Britain would rise under the once-a-week formula and halving of the number of fixtures, said: "I think it's inevitable we're heading that way.

"I think the first step would be we would go probably two nights a week."

Ford, who has 10 years' experience as a promoter, added: "Playing devil's advocate I would say that would be Wednesday and Thursday first so not to conflict with Sweden and Poland.

"The only thing I would say to anyone considering going to a Wednesday with the amount of live sport on TV is I don't deem Wednesday to be an acceptable alternative to anyone else's race day.

"Having said that, if we were to have one home, one away and were to run on a fortnightly basis we could schedule our calendar to avoid clashes with Champions' League and that would still give us the option of running on a Wednesday."

Ford added: "As far as I'm aware every clubs crowds are down but it's not just speedway, it's all sports.

"Take a look at cricket. We were all led to believe Twenty20 would be the saviour of the sport but I know less than 300 people paid to see a Championship cricket match this season.

"Clearly the whole country is struggling at the moment. Everything is rising in price.

"Filling your car with petrol is costing more and more. London to Poole and return costs £71 and was £54 last year.

"That was quoted as a government fact on ITV News - it's not Matt Ford saying it.

"You're looking at a 25 per cent increase in food bills in the past eight weeks.

"It isn't just speedway. Everything in our lives is changing.

"Something has to give.

"Many of our supporters are struggling to afford to come on a weekly basis so perhaps if we were to run once a fortnight, it would be beneficial to them because they still wouldn't have to miss a meeting."