PIRATES chief Matt Ford admits he is getting sick of answering the same old question from supporters: Why don't you have any Brits in your side?'

"It's a question I seem to have to answer on many occasions," said Ford, who has built a seven-man team featuring three Poles, two Aussies, one Dane and one Swede for the 2008 campaign that begins on Sunday.

"But my reply is just not sinking in with people so I will say it one more time and hope the message finally gets across," added Ford, after it was put to him once more by the Echo.

With resignation written all across his face, the Poole Castle Cover co-promoter stressed he would love nothing better than pepping up his team with British riders.

However, he feels homegrown talent costs too much money to buy, and stressed the Dorset club struggled to develop their own youngsters because of time restrictions placed on the use of their track.

Ford, rather refreshingly, also reveals he steadfastly refuses to entice youngsters away from established training tracks like Eastbourne and Scunthorpe.

Ford said: "Our main problem is we have no facilities for training at Poole.

"Our track is in a town centre and we have a school a little less than 50 metres from our first bend.

"It's a school with in the region of 1,000 children ranging from ages 11 to 18 and we can't interrupt their education.

"Being in a town centre, the council will not allow us to just start the bikes up willy-nilly.

"We have an excellent relationship with Poole Borough Council and it is one we would never put in jeopardy.

"Practice at Poole is limited to time after a meeting on Wednesday, when we have to finish by 10pm, and this clearly restricts us bringing on our own youngsters.

"It's easy to see that British clubs can develop their own talent through the likes of Lewis Bridger and Edward Kennett at Eastbourne.

"Both riders live in Sussex and started their careers on the training track at Arlington, which is out in the countryside, well away from residential premises, which is a massive advantage.

"Being able to hold practices on Saturday and Sunday mornings lets a track like that build up relationships with young riders.

"So, after having a one, two or three-year period where they use their facilities, the rider inevitably tends to get a contract with those clubs.

"Just how fair would it be if a club like Eastbourne spends all of its time and facilities in helping to mature a rider, for example Lewis, and for him to then sign for another Elite League club, possibly Poole? It's not fair.

"It's one of those things that as a club we have little or no option unless we are willing to dip into the transfer market to purchase those riders."

Ford, who has co-promoted at Poole alongside Mike Golding since 1999, added: "This year we are running the Academy League team again, which we really enjoyed last year, but it is a long way from what the likes of Scunthorpe are doing, bringing through riders like Josh Auty.

"It's almost impossible for us to compete at the same level. We can't sign them because they are not available to us.

"To put our dilemma into a few words, I was quoted £40,000 for a five to six-point English rider this year.

"This is why I have no English riders in my seven this year. It may change in the future, but I can't promise it."

  • Bjarne Pedersen (Denmark), Davey Watt, Chris Holder (both Australia), Karol Zabik, Adam Skornicki, Zbigniew Suchecki (all Poland) and Freddie Eriksson (Sweden) take part in Poole's main press and practice today (start 1pm).

They will, however, be joined by that rare species, a young British rider, Jordan Framp-ton, who was born in Poole and is Pirates' number eight this year.