Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:07:22 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/ Official Oxford Speedway 2007 en-gb http://www.oxford-speedway.com/images/text-print.gif http://www.oxford-speedway.com/ website@oxford-speedway.com http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=894 With the chance of any speedway taking place at Oxford this year rapidly diminishing, attentions have switched to making sure the sport returns to Sandy Lane as soon as possible – hopefully in 2009. And those who have led the fight to save the Cheetahs have taken time to thank the people who have contributed towards the cause. SOS spokesman Chris Brown said: “Although it seems certain that the fight has been lost for this year, we have been very fortunate that a number of people have thrown their weight and support behind the efforts of the SOS and Supporters’ Club groups. “We cannot thank enough the efforts of the local politicians to try and help us retain our great club. “The supporters groups would like to place on record our thanks to local Oxford city councillors Bob Timbs and Rae Humberstone, as well as Oxfordshire county councillor Val Smith. “Their attendance at our fans meeting was a real boost at a time when our campaign really needed it. “They all made a number of commitments on the night and we are delighted that they did deliver on all the actions that were committed to on the night. “In addition thanks also go out to Andrew Smith MP, who has also been on hand to offer support to the club when required. “While 2008 looks hopeless, the council is still working hard to ensure that Oxford Stadium remains a facility where speedway could potentially be enjoyed in future years.” One alternative would to be to look for a different site, but gaining planning permission in Oxfordshire is notoriously difficult. Brown added: “There is little doubt that the only hope of speedway in Oxford in the near future lies within Oxford Stadium. “A purpose built new venue would be a nice dream, but it took Oxford United 25 years to secure a new home in the city and we have to be realistic about how difficult this would be.” A major difficulty over the winter has been trying to engage in meaningful dialogue with stadium owners, the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA). One of those giving regular calls to the GRA has been BSPA Chairman Peter Toogood. Brown said: “Peter had the unenviable task of having to step in to try to save Oxford twice in one year, and his dialogue with the fans groups and his support are very much appreciated. We thank him for his efforts. “And while there appears to be little sign of it happening, it was a great suggestion by Lakeside promoter Jon Cook that Oxford should be given some major meetings this season to preserve speedway at the venue. We thank him for his selfless suggestion.” It’s now over a month since Cook, a former second half rider at Cowley, made his proposal, but only Poole boss Matt Ford has come forward to publicly state his support. Brown concluded: “While all the efforts have seemingly been unable to save the club for this season, they have put the protection of Oxford Stadium as a sporting venue very much on the local planning agenda and this has to be a good thing. “The club may be in hibernation for a year, but fund raising will continue and all efforts will be made to plan a return in 2009. “Oxford Speedway has a long history – and we are not far short of the 60th birthday of the Cheetahs. The club is not ready to be consigned to the scrapheap just yet.” * Please note that there will be no meeting at the Town Hall, as there is no fresh news at the moment. We will keep you updated of any news as we receive it, and also keep you up-to-date of any SOS and Supporters' Club activity. OXFORD CHEETAHS UPDATE Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:07:22 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=893 Although nothing official has yet been agreed, it's likely that there will be a meeting for Oxford Cheetahs fans at Oxford Town Hall sometime during the middle of February. This will give local councillors an opportunity to feed back any progress they have made. Should this meeting take place, an invitation will also be extended to stadium landlords, the GRA. OXFORD CHEETAHS UPDATE Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:38:20 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=892 Oxford Speedway has today received the news it was dreading as notification came from the Greyhound Racing Association that league speedway will not take place at the Cowley Stadium in 2008. Confirmation was received in a telephone call made by GRA Managing Director Clive Feltham, who called Councillor Bob Timbs to inform him of his decision. He said that the GRA had made their decision and the decision was not reversible. Clearly this has come as a massive blow to the campaign to maintain speedway in Oxford in 2008. Feltham declined the opportunity to talk to supporters groups to further explain his decision. In outlining his reasons for the decision, Feltham outlined a number of factors which led to the decision. Firstly not enough people were coming into the stadium to make it worthwhile for the GRA to open up the stadium and the lack of revenue was leading the GRA to lose money of speedway. He felt Oxford needed to run in a higher level of speedway to ensure that the required people entered the stadium. He also claimed that the GRA had been let down by recent promoters at Oxford with bills being left unpaid. While declaring that the stadium would not be made available for league racing in 2008 he did not discount the running of major meetings in the stadium, saying that he was willing to talk about any proposals regarding this. Oxford Speedway had been given a deadline of Thursday 24th January, the date of the Conference League Promoters meeting to have an agreement in place with the GRA. With this deadline now here an extension to this deadline has been requested from Peter Toogood, the Chairman of the British Speedway Promoters Association who will seek this extension on behalf of the club tomorrow. It is however felt that even if an extension is granted this is unlikely to lead to Oxford being able to enter a league in 2008. On hearing the news, Andrew Smith MP has written to the GRA requesting an urgent meeting to discuss what options there are which would maintain the sport and Councillor David Rundle, the portfolio holder for leisure on Oxford City Council has also expressed his support. Commenting in the news SOS spokesman Chris Brown said “Clearly this is devastating news and puts us in a position where is looks almost certain that Oxford will not race in 2008. We have not given up the fight though and while it looks an impossible position, the fight will go on. We will work to ensure that should Oxford not take to the track in 2008 then we can secure a long term future for the club. Whether this be at the Stadium or at another venue remains to be seen but the GRA while being clear there will be no speedway in 2008 appear to have not ruled out speedway taking place in future years.” In closing the door to league speedway in 2008, Feltham did dismiss the idea that speedway would be replaced by stock cars, commenting that Oxford Stadium had no plans to introduce stock cars at Oxford. Brown also added “it is important that we continue the fight to see the club continue. SOS will continue its fundraising throughout 2008 to ensure we are creating a fund to allow the sport to continue in the future. We cannot let our Diamond anniversary to pass without celebration and we will work to ensure we celebrate this important anniversary” OXFORD CHEETAHS UPDATE Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:51:39 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=891 Earlier today (Monday), the latest move in the fight to keep the sport of speedway in Oxford saw Chris Brown of the "Save Our Speedway" Organisation address a full council meeting. "It seemed to go well," said Brown, "and I also had the opportunity of having a one to one brief chat with the Lord Mayor to explain the position. Brown's address (termed petition) to the Council, the text of which is below, will now be placed in the hands of the Council's Chief Executive who will respond on their behalf in due course. This is what Brown said to the council: "Good afternoon ladies and gentleman and thankyou for the opportunity to address you this afternoon. Firstly can I introduce myself as Chris Brown, a member of the Save Oxford Speedway group, founded in 2000. Oxford Speedway is due to celebrate its Diamond anniversary in 2008, entering its 60th consecutive year of speedway in the city. This should be a season of great celebration with such a magnificent milestone being reached but sadly the sport is in very grave danger of closure over the next 7 days. We have successfully cohabited at the Oxford Stadium with other sports for many of these years and would like to think that this can continue to be the case. The club was due to race in this years Premier League, the 2nd tier of speedway in the UK but sadly the previous club owner has been unable to come to an agreement with the stadium owners, the Greyhound Racing Association about a rental deal. Oxford had to declare their intention in early December to run in this league and were unable to do so despite being given an extension in time by the authorities due to having no rental agreement. Faced with this the previous club owner declared his decision in December to not move forward with promoting speedway in Oxford. This has left the club without an owner and in grave danger of closure. It is our understanding that the rental required by the GRA was double that agreed for racing in 2007. At the end of the day the GRA are a commercial operation and entitled to run their business as they see fit and our concern at this stage is not the amount of rent they proposed to charge to run speedway. The previous owner as part of his negotiations was made aware of the GRA’s intention to seek permission to run stock cars at the Stadium. From this point the fight has been to find a new owner, this can only be done provided a deal could still be reached with the stadium owners. The head of the sport in the UK, Peter Toogood, the Chairman of the British Speedway Promoters Association has since early December been attempting to contact the head of the GRA to discuss the future of speedway in the city. To date the GRA have been unwilling to speak to anyone regarding the current situation. Many people have attempted to make contact with the GRA including myself, local Press and Media, Andrew Smith MP, Councillor Timbs and despite continual attempts, no responses have been forthcoming to requests for a telephone conversation or meeting. This situation means that the sport has no way of moving forward. The current situation leads us to believe that the GRA have no desire to see speedway continue in Oxford. If this were to be the case we are concerned about their future intentions for the stadium use. We are continuing to make daily calls to contact the Managing Director of the GRA and will continue to do so In order to be granted entry to the Conference League, the last remaining option for the club we are told by the sports governing body that we need to have made an agreement by 24th January, the day the league’s heads meet for their annual meeting The silence from the owners is leaving us in an impossible position where we feel the need to understand what the possible alternative options the stadium owners have for the stadium should they not want speedway. We see two possible options, one would be to replace speedway with stock cars. There is little doubt that this will mean that we have seen the last of speedway in Oxford, as in a small stadium such as Oxford, it would not be possible for the two sports to run side by side. Speedway generates noise for the residents but over many years we have ensured that noise is contained within agreed levels and we ensure meetings are completed within the agreed completion time. Stock cars has previously run in Oxford in the 1970’s but we believe that the noise nuisance from running stock cars in Oxford would be far in excess of what is acceptable to local residents. In addition to this the logistics of moving large vehicles in the area will be extremely disruptive for the local residents. Another potential option may be to redevelop the site for another use. It is my understanding that a covenant exists from the mid 1970’s, placed by the City Council protecting the site from development into anything other than a Leisure facility. We would be keen to see this covenant remain in force and leave the GRA in a position where they have limited options to otherwise use the speedway circuit. So what are we asking the City Council to do? We would wish the council officers to support the campaign to protect speedway in Oxford. This can be done by having a clear policy that ensures that Oxford Stadium cannot be redeveloped for alternative use and to oppose any plan to see stock cars replace speedway at Oxford Stadium from a planning perspective. Oxford Speedway enjoys substantial support from all ages, it is a unique sport where all fans, young or old irrespective of which team they follow can stand together in a safe, friendly environment. Our research tells us that 60% of the fans who attend the sport live within 5 miles of the stadium and therefore support from city residents is very strong. We would ask for your support in protecting 59 years of history, a history which shows Oxford as one of the most successful clubs in the history of the sport. Oxford Speedway is a vital part of Oxford’s sporting history and must not be allowed to die." OFFICIAL UPDATE Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:31:27 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=890 SOS representive Chris Brown has been given the opportunity to address a full meeting of Oxford City Council this coming Monday. This has been granted as an emergency measure and he will have five minutes to inform the full council of our plight and tell them what we are looking to them for in terms of assistance to achieve the aim of maintaining the sport at Cowley. Proof indeed that the councillors at the public meeting in Kidlington on Tuesday of this week are fulfilling the commitments they made to those present. OFFICIAL UPDATE Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:36:51 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=889 With the current uncertainty surrounding Oxford Speedway, the OSSC Committee feels it would not be advisable to hold the Supporters Club AGM on the 25th of January. The AGM has therefore been postponed and will be rearranged for a date when the situation has been resolved or at the very least clarified and we can update the members of the Oxford Speedway Supporters Club on plans for 2008. Once the new date has been agreed it will be communicated to our members once more. The OSSC is committed to securing speedway in Oxford and is working closely with the SOS to bring the current situation to a swift and amicable conclusion. We hope our members will stand by us and understand our reasons for delaying the AGM. OFFICIAL UPDATE Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:23:05 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=888 Despite horrendous weather in the area, there was a massive turn out at the meeting of Oxford Speedway Fans that took place at the Kidlington Green Social Club last night. And whilst representatives of both the 'Save our Speedway' organisation and the Supporters Club were unable to bring any positive news regarding the immediate continuation of the sport at the Cowley Road venue, those present heard County Councillor Val Smith and City Councillors Rae Humberstone and Bob Timbs all pledge their support to the cause. Val's husband Andrew, the local MP, couldn't attend the meeting because he was required at Westminster but he too has vowed to do all he can to aid the cause. Speaking to the meeting Rae Humberstone, the city councillor for Blackbird Leys said, "Blackbird Leys gets a bit of a bad press at times - which is, to a large extent, undeserved. Speedway shows the good side of Blackbird Leys - and it would be a tragedy if it was lost. "It's a unique sport - with a friendly atmosphere and no tribalism between sets of supporters.  Segregation is not necessary and everyone admires the skill of the competitors." Fellow city councillor Bob Timbs said: "Andrew Smith would have loved to be here tonight, but had to be in Westminster. But he will give the fight to save Oxford Speedway his strongest possible support.  He'll do everything he can to find out the stance of the GRA and then take it from there."   And speaking of rumours of the possibility of stockcar racing replacing speedway at the venue Timbs added: "We would not be happy for stock cars to take place at Oxford Stadium. Sandy Lane is not a big enough road for the large trailers to travel down.  Also I've been to a stock car meeting and it's very noisy - much louder than speedway. I've spoken to the head of environmental health, and the introduction of stock cars would be blocked - it's a definite no-go."   County councillor Val Smith said: "There are certain areas set aside for leisure and recreation. The stadium is a sporting facility - and we will making enquires and then taking the appropriate action to make sure it remains that way. Speedway & Greyhounds have worked together well in the same stadium for years.  We can be very persistent.  We'll keep on going until we get the answers we need." And in that respect it is understood that it is the intention that an emergency motion appertaining to the situation be tabled for discussion at next Monday's Council meeting. Reflecting on the night's event SOS spokesman Chris Brown said, "We were staggered by the turn out especially given the horrendous weather and a huge thanks must go to Val, Rae and Bob in particular for coming along and adding their weight to the cause together with MP Andrew Smith. The fight to keep speedway at the venue will very much go on although whether that will include any action taking place in 2008 remains to be seen of course. One thing we have investigated is whether six meetings have to be staged at the stadium in 2008 in order to maintain planning permission and we believe this is a myth. There's no such requirement.  The only concern is if we missed a year would be the environmental concerns - i.e. noise but such are the strict regulations in that regard within the sport itself nowadays, that should present no real problems. So the fight to save speedway in Oxford very much goes on and we pledge to keep you informed of ALL future developments as and when they happens. OFFICIAL UPDATE Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:46:13 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=887 A FINAL REMINDER!!!! Yes a final reminder that ALL Oxford Speedway Fans, if you are able are being urged to attend the meeting that has been arranged to take place tonight at the Kidlington Green Social Club, Green Road, Kidlington commencing at 7.30pm. BE THERE IF YOU CAN! OFFICIAL UPDATE Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:16:29 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=886 Oxford Speedway Fans are being urged to attend the meeting that has been arranged to take place tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Kidlington Green Social Club, Green Road, Kidlington commencing at 7.30pm. There they will be brought up to date on any progress made by those fighting behind the scenes to try and maintain the truly exciting sport of speedway in the Oxford area and, in particular at the GRA's Greyhound Stadium in Sandy Lane. Save Our Speedway spokesman Chris Brown has urged as many people as possible to be at the meeting saying, "As I've said before, it will be a tragedy if the sport ceases to be staged in the Oxford area given the club's lengthy history. "However it has now developed very much into a race against time and that time is running out particularly in terms of us seeing speedway staged this year. "Both ourselves and the Official Supporters Club are refusing to give up hope and are working as hard as we can towards our aims, including enlisting the help of local MP for Oxford East, Andrew Smith. "At tomorrow's meeting we will inform those attending exactly what the current position is and discuss future moves, listening to any ideas that might be put forward from the floor as it were. "Without doubt this meeting is vitally important so be there if you can!" OFFICIAL UPDATE Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:36:17 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=885 After a number of weeks of frustration in attempting to help facilitate an agreement to see speedway continue into its 60th consecutive season at Oxford, the SOS Organisation and Oxford Speedway Supporters Groups have decided that it is time to extend the campaign to save speedway at one of the country's most successful clubs. Despite numerous attempts to seek a meeting with the GRA, neither British Speedway Promoters Association Chairman Peter Toogood or the supporters groups have been able to secure any contact at all with Clive Feltham, the Managing Director of the owners of the stadium in Sandy lane, the Greyhound Racing Association. To date there has been no response to any attempt to talk with the GRA and at no stage have the GRA made public their thoughts on the continuation of the sport in their stadium at Oxford. With the Conference League Chairmans' meeting taking place at the BSPA HQ in Rugby in two weeks time, Oxford have until the 24th January to secure a deal with their landlords before the curtain will fall on any possibility of league racing at Oxford in 2008, a situation which will leave severe doubt as to whether the bikes will ever be seen again in Oxford Fans are therefore being urged to a attend a meeting has been called for next Tuesday, 15th January where fans can be updated on the efforts so far to see racing continue and discuss what the next moves are. The meeting will take place at the Kidlington Green Social Club, Green Road, Kidlington, Oxford and will commence at 7.30pm. SOS spokesman Chris Brown said, "It would be an absolute tragedy if the staging of speedway racing were to disappear from Oxford given the club's long history and it's time for urgent action for the SOS organisation, together with the supporters club realise that it's now a race against time for us to try and prevent that happening." And, speaking on behalf of the Oxford Speedway Supporters Club secretary Paul Guest added, "we urge people to come along next week and put forward any suggestions that might help us save the club." There is no doubt that the next 14 days are crucial to the future of this great club and, with it, the very future of speedway racing taking place in the Oxford area. We would encourage as many people as possible to come to the meeting next week at the Kidlington Green Social Club to help the supporters associations with the fight to save our great club. OFFICIAL CHEETAHS UPDATE Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:36:53 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=884 On behalf of everybody connected with the fight to keep the sport alive in Oxford, our webmaster, Rob Peasley who helps me update news stories and myself Bryn Williams in particular, may I wish everyone a VERY HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR - and let's hope that we DO see the thrills of speedway taking place at Sandy Lane in 2008. OFFICIAL CHEETAHS UPDATE Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:53:52 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=883 SUPPORTERS ORGANISATIONS WILL GO ON BATTLING! Despite the fact that, as things stand, the chances of staging speedway at Oxford's Sandy Lane Stadium look less than encouraging, both the Supporters Club and SOS organisations have vowed to fight to try and ensure that the sight and sound of 500cc motorcycles roaring around the loose shale circuit with no brakes WILL be back in 2008. The festive period has brought a temporary stalling of their efforts but the fight very much goes on and whilst they do, a date has been set for the Supporters Club AGM. A reminder that the date is Friday 25th January and it will be held at the Stadium. The AGM will start at 19:30 in the upstairs bar. OFFICIAL CHEETAHS UPDATE Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:51:00 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=882 Merry Christmas to all fans of the Oxford Cheetahs and indeed all speedway fans everywhere! I'm sure everyone will have their fingers crossed regarding the future of Oxford Speedway, and we'll update you once we have some news. But, in the meantime, Merry Christmas! OXFORD CHEETAHS UPDATE Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:22:20 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=881 The Oxford Speedway Supporters' Club will be holding their AGM on Friday, January 25th, 2008 at the Stadium (Upstairs Bar). The meeting will start at 19:30, so please arrive in good time. All are welcome, however only OSSC Members can vote on any decisions made. OXFORD CHEETAHS UPDATE Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:16:12 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=880 Just a note to let everyone know that this site will remain operational for the forseeable future. At this moment in time and with all of the uncertainty surrounding Oxford Speedway we felt it prudent at least to continue with the site to act as focal point on the web for any news on developments within the Club. However, updates other than news will be kept to a minimum at this stage and we would like to hear from any person with website skills who may be interested in taking the job on of keeping the site online. If you are interested in helping out, please email me at: tfbracing@btinternet.com Best regards Colin Stratford Site Manager Sun, 16 Dec 2007 22:42:39 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=879 Allen Trump has now expanded on his reasons for withdrawing from the Oxford Cheetahs for the 2008 season. He said today: "It was with a heavy heart that I finally came to the conclusion at 5pm on Friday afternoon that the GRA were not going to contact me or respond to my last email. I deliberately kept away from the media on Friday so as not to inflame the situation but unfortunately I heard nothing whatsoever from the GRA so I was unable to meet the Premier League deadline of 5pm on the 14th December. As a result I had no option but to withdraw as promoter of Oxford Speedway and hopefully other parties will be more successful in obtaining an agreement with the stadium owners. I became involved with the Cheetahs in June 2007 for two reasons, firstly, to ensure the continuity of this great club and put it on a sound financial basis and secondly to restore the team to a higher level of speedway. I believe that we restored confidence and stability in Oxford and as a result the club achieved my main goal which was a return to a higher level of speedway in the 2008 Premier League on a unanimous vote by Premier League promoters. In addition I lifted the club out of the financial crisis it was in and by the end of the 2007 season the Cheetahs were solvent with no debt. To achieve all of this in just four months is a testament to many people too numerous to mention but they know who they are. They should all be proud of what we achieved, the saving of Oxford speedway, its promotion to the Premier League, a club which at the end of October was debt free and the resurrection of speedway in the city. When I became involved with Oxford I was told by the local GRA manager that if the previous promotion's arrears were not settled then speedway would be closed and the track tarmaced over for stock cars. This was the first time that I'd heard this threat but not the last. Therefore for four months speedway I paid £15,000 arrears plus the rent of £1,000 per meeting totalling £30,000. I believe that figure alone established my goodwill to the GRA. Oxford Stadium is one of a number owned by Risk Capital Partners through the GRA. The stadiums were bought for approximately £52m and were recently put on the market for around £100m. That type of uncertainty does not help however I understand that the stadiums have now been withdrawn from sale. It is clear that the GRA are seeking to maximise the income from Oxford Stadium and as a businessman myself I understand the need to maximise asset income. However other than as a means of producing income for the group I do not believe that Risk Capital see speedway as anything more than an income producing entity whereas the rest of us love the sport and want to see it continue at Oxford. Recently the GRA have alienated me with their non-communication and what I perceive to be arrogance. I have sent the GRA thirteen emails with proposals and deadlines and I have received just two in return one of which was an acknowledgement and the other effectively rejecting my latest proposals. In addition I have made a number of calls and received just one substantive call back informing me that the rent would be doubled to £2,000 per week. The GRA have not responded to any of the deadlines and I believe they have deliberately or uncaringly withdrawn from communication. It was as a result of their non communication on the latest deadline that I concluded there was no further point in my trying to continue dialogue. I would like to focus on the main problems any promoter is faced with at Oxford: 1. Whilst the doubling of the rent to £2,000 per meeting is a major obstacle, it is not the only problem. Oxford speedway does not have any security whatsoever at the stadium. It merely has a verbal permission from the GRA to operate season by season with rent reviews each season at the GRA's discretion. Therefore even if I accept the rent hike for 2008 I have no control over any rental increase for 2009 or even confirmation that we won't be kicked out at the end of 2008. In short the Oxford Cheetahs do not enjoy the basic legal protection that residents in rental property have because the GRA have put nothing in writing and as a result an Oxford promoter does not have an enforceable lease. 2. I asked for a three year lease with increases linked to inflation to prevent what has become an annual winter battle with the GRA. This was refused based on the "commercial sensitivities of the profitability of speedway". In other words speedway can have no security because the GRA want to retain the right to increase the rent as and when it suits them. 3. I asked the GRA to make the stadium more user friendly. I was warned that the stadium was an expensive place for speedway patrons to eat and drink. I saw this at first hand with drinks at around £3 per pint and inflated food prices for speedway meetings. My detailed proposals to make the stadium more user friendly and increase the bar and restaurant take were rejected. My proposals would have substantially increased the bar take and in effect subsidised the stadium rent. 4. I asked for confirmation that we would have the GRA's support in what had become a constant difficulties with the Go-Kart operator on re-arranged speedway dates. With up to 28 meetings for 2008 and at least five clubs clashing on potentially the same night as Oxford and with the possibility of rain-offs I needed to know that we would have first choice of the limited available dates bearing in mind greyhound racing takes up three nights plus a Sunday afternoon and the Go-Karts can book up to a month in advance. The GRA declined to help. To run Premier League speedway at Oxford in 2008 would have cost in excess of £250,000. Bearing in mind the financial risk that entails it was essential to be able to establish a commercial set-up in Oxford to create a sponsorship base. To achieve that goal a three year deal was the minimum requirement with the GRA. Oxford Speedway has been cursed by the insecurity of its year by year arrangement with the stadium and as a result support has eroded, I was hoping to plan for the longer term. The GRA are fixated on doubling the rent and continuing the uncertainty of the speedway operation. The relationship between the Cheetahs and the GRA should be one of landlord and tenant and not servant and master as is the current state of affairs. In addition to my publishing interests I own some three hundred properties most of which I rent out and I can honestly say that I do not have one single agreement as one sided, unfair and insecure as the verbal dictat issued by the GRA to Oxford Speedway. There is far more to the story than I have detailed but I'm sure that having read the above any fair-minded person would have questioned my sanity if I had continued into 2008 under the draconian obstacles encountered. I can assure all Oxford fans that I will do all in my power to assist anyone who wishes to move this matter on to a successful conclusion. Allen Trump" Sun, 16 Dec 2007 11:38:24 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=878 Oxford supporters are determined to do anything and everything they can to prevent the club closing for good following the news that 2007 promoter Allen Trump will no longer be involved. Talks between him and the stadium owners broke down earlier this week with the two parties unable to agree a new lease. That news has led to fans representatives contacting BSPA chairman Peter Toogood and Chris Brown, an integral part of the Save Our Speedway (SOS) organisation has vowed, "We haven't given up hope of saving this famous club, now will we, and we're in dialogue with Peter and have also tried to contact the GRA. "PeterToogood confirmed to me that the BSPA will be looking at every possible way to keep Oxford Speedway running at Sandy Lane. "Ideally we need to find a new promoter, who is willing to come in and agree a deal with the GRA. "Another alternative might, possibly, see the fans running the club for a year, to preserve planning consent. "As I said, we will NOT give up hope and we are exploring every single possibility open to us. The possibiltity of moving the speedway operation to and alternative venue has been muted in various quarters but Brown remains convinced that the priority MUST be to try and retain the sport at Sandy Lane AND for 2008. "Attempts to move to a new location could take a very long time or flounder completely," he said, "for first a suitable site would have to be found, planning permission sought etc., etc. "We therefore are pinning out hopes and channeling our efforts in the direction of maintaining the sport at Sandy Lane and hope that the GRA will still consider any serious proposal about staging speedway at Oxford Stadium in 2008." OFFICIAL UPDATE Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:22:03 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=877 As you can imagine although in a state of shock Oxford fans, including both the SOS organisation, the Supporters Club, and others have not given up all hope of there being speedway at Sandy Lane in 2008. And nor will they until such time as all hope has been extinguished. We will attempt to keep you advised of any developments. OFFICIAL UPDATE Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:04:08 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=876 Oxford Promoter Allen Trump has all but given up on Premier League speedway at Oxford for 2008. And unless there are any dramatic developments between now and the deadline set by the BSPA of 5pm tomorrow (Friday) for a new lease agreement to be concluded between the club and stadium owners, the GRA, it appears that the final speedway race could have taken place at Sandy Lane. In a statement issued today Trump said: "Stadium owners GRA's attitude of non-communication and brinkmanship prevents any form of negotiation and apart from an insistence on doubling the rent to £56,000 per season I've had no meaningful response at all from them. I have found the GRA's landlord and tenant attitude depressingly unique in my business experience. Oxford Speedway have not had nor have they been offered a written lease and as a result would only have had at best a verbal season by season agreement open to arbitrary amendment by the GRA at any time. I requested a three year deal to enable me to create a solid sponsorship base at the club bearing in mind the additional cost of Premier speedway but the GRA have not responded to this. Oxford Cheetahs have been cursed by this annual winter uncertainty and that has negatively impacted on the sport in the town. It is not possible to plan on a year by year basis. I suggested that Oxford Speedway would be able to substantially increase the GRA's income through the bars and restaurant but with less than two days left to finalise plans and no meaningful response there simply is not the time left. There is no doubt that Oxford Stadium was not user friendly to speedway supporters. With drinks at around £3 a pint and inflated food prices for speedway meetings coupled with other petty restrictions many supporters felt alienated by the GRA. This needed to be addressed in conjunction with an increased rental figure. There was regular conflict with the Go-Kart operator last season whenever we had a change of date and bearing in mind the increased number of meetings for 2008 I needed certainty that an alternative night would be available in advance. Even though I paid off the rent arrears of the previous promotion in 2007 I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the GRA are not interested in the sustainability of speedway at Oxford. I believe that my financial proposals for Oxford would have met both the GRA's financial requirements and the long term future of Oxford Cheetahs, unfortunately the GRA are fixated on doubling the rental figure to the exclusion of anything else. I believe that the GRA have made a serious commercial error in this latest attempt at brinkmanship and they will now be faced with no income at all from speedway in 2008. Any attempt to substitute speedway with stock cars will I am sure be met with fierce resistance in the town and I believe that the GRA will live to regret their current approach." OFFICIAL CHEETAHS UPDATE Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:14:58 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=875 It's Saturday 8th December and we're afraid that we can't really bring you any further news concerning what we're all hoping for and that is, of course, that speedway wll be back at Sandy Lane in 2008. The clock is still very much ticking in terms of a new lease being agreed with the stadium owners following the BSPA giving us a further 14 days to reach such agreement at their AGM. held in Coventry last weekend. The deadline remains at 5.00pm on Friday, December 14 and we pledge to bring you further news just as soon as there IS any! OFFICIAL CHEETAHS UPDATE Sat, 08 Dec 2007 11:12:56 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=874 Cheetahs boss Allen Trump, who'll also be at the helm of Elite Leaguers Coventry in 2008, is very grateful for the lifeline handed to the Cowley club by his fellow promoters. Last weekend's BSPA AGM saw the Cheetahs provisionally accepted into the Premier League (see earlier update), providing a lease can be agreed between him and Oxford Stadium landlords, the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA). Allen had expected that Oxford would only be elevated into the Premier League if talks regarding the lease had been concluded prior to the AGM. But instead the BSPA granted him an extra 14 days in which to agree a deal. Obviously events still need to move on at a pace to ensure the survival of the sport at Sandy Lane and we will keep you abreast of any developments as and when they occur. Meanwhile, looking nack on last weekend Allen said, "It was a big relief to get the 14-day extension. I was grateful for the unanimous show of support from the Premier League promoters and the management committee. From an Oxford viewpoint, the AGM couldn‚t have gone any better. "We've gained acceptance into the Premier League and been given more time in which to agree a lease. and the clock is already ticking in that direction with the new deadline for agreement to be reached now being 5.00pm on Friday, December 14." The GRA have been made aware of the urgency of the situation annnd Oxford fans, and indeed ALL speedway fans will be hoping for a positive outcome. As the saying goes - watch this space! OFFICIAL CHEETAHS UPDATE Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:08:33 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=873 We have been unable to update this site since last week because of one of those dreaded computer glitches but all seems back to normal now so here's the main points from the BSPA AGM held last weekend: Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:46:38 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=872 Just a quick update to keep everyone informed that talks have commenced between Oxford Cheetahs promoter Allen Trump and the stadium landlords, the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) over a lease for the 2008 season. As per our last update, Allen had been growing increasingly concerned over the lack of response but received communication from the GRA over the weekend. It now remains to be seen whether or not agreement can be reached prior to the BSPA AGM that commences on Thursday of this week. OFFICIAL CHEETAHS UPDATE Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:26:49 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=871 In something of a surprise move it has been revealed today that Oxford LCD Publishing Cheetahs supremo Allen Trump will be the man at the helm of the 2007 Elite League champions, the Coventry Buildbase Bees, in the 2008 Sky Sports Elite League. He is very keen to stress though that, providing he can agree a new lease agreement with the GRA bosses, speedway will very much continue to operate at Oxford under his stewardship. News released previously has revealed that the Exeter-based businessman, who has been a lifelong speedway fan, is keen to run both Premier League AND Conference League speedway at Cowley next season. He sees his latest move to take a year's lease on the Elite League operation at Coventry's Brandon stadium with the option to purchase outright in 2009, as being the vehicle to provide a natural career progression path for riders in the future and be of huge benefit to both clubs. "Ultimately the plan would be to provide something of a conveyor belt of talent with riders starting in the Conference League, moving up to Premier League level and then, once they attain the standard required to be able to compete in the Elite League which features many of the world's top stars, move up to race in that. Whether this ambitious plan comes to fruition though does very much rely on Allen Trump being able to agree a lease to run the sport at Oxford's Cowley stadium - and therein, as things stand at present, lies a major problem with the annual conference of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association (BSPA) starting on Thursday of next week for Trump is struggling to gain a response from the stadium owners, the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA), in that regard. In the normal course of events, the lease could be agreed later in the winter, but Oxford’s application for promotion to the Premier League could hinge on whether the issue has been resolved in the course of the next few days. If Oxford's application to join the 2008 Premier League were to be accepted, then Allen Trump would need to make a firm financial commitment to the BSPA and he is not prepared to do this without an agreement with the GRA signed and sealed. “Despite numerous emails and telephone calls I have been unable to obtain any information whatsoever on the intentions of the GRA for next year," he said, "and they are fully aware of the situation and the urgency of a response. “And if I hear nothing before next Wednesday at 5pm, then Oxford will not be staging Premier League speedway next season, it's as simple as that. “Everyone knows that all the GRA stadiums are up for sale and I suspect that this has a bearing on things. “But to have got this far in having got Oxford on the brink of being accepted into the Premier League and now to be faced with having to withdraw the application is frustrating to say the least.” Quite how the situation will develop remains to be seen but there's no getting away from the fact that things must happen - and fast! Fri, 23 Nov 2007 16:20:15 +0000 http://www.oxford-speedway.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=870 Brendan Johnson, such a popular member of the 2007 Cheetahs squad, broke his ankle while practicing at Kings Lynn on Saturday. He crashed into the fence on the third turn. The medics at the hospital have fitted a light cast on the injury until the swelling goes down. Early indications are that he looks like being out for about six weeks and we feel sure you will all join with us in wishing Brendan a full and speedy recovery. OFFICIAL CHEETAHS UPDATE Sun, 18 Nov 2007 11:00:34 +0000