Coventry Bees have issued the following statement.
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COVENTRY Speedway can confirm they expect the 2015 season to commence on-schedule despite concerns over availability of non-EU riders.
A meeting between clubs and UK Visas and Immigration last week raised administrative issues, and there is now a race against time for the affected riders to be available in time for the start of the campaign. The UKVI are set to hold an operational workshop for club officials to assist them in a complex process to enable the riders to receive new visas. The Buildbase Bees are one of the affected clubs as they have named former Eastbourne rider Cameron Woodward, an Australian, as a signing for their Elite League team this year. But Coventry’s position is that the Elite League fixture schedule should not be altered regardless of the time taken for the visa issue to be resolved, and nor should clubs not employing affected riders be forced into alterations due to late rule changes. Bees race their first match of the season at Leicester in the East Midlands Bowl on Sunday March 15, and their Elite League opener is against Wolverhampton at Brandon on Friday March 27. Promoter Mick Horton said: “We are in full support of the efforts that are being made to resolve the issue, and we sincerely hope that all of the riders involved receive their visas and are able to be here in time. “However, as a club we want to make it clear that we will be racing no matter what, and we also have to be realistic about the situation. “Unless we get assurances shortly regarding the time-scale of the visa issue, then we accept the fact that we may need to have a re-think on our team plans, and we have spoken to Cameron about this, especially in view of our busy schedule in the opening weeks. “I do not believe the start of the season should be put back, and I do not believe clubs such as Lakeside and King’s Lynn, who are not directly involved in this problem, should be given a problem and have to make changes themselves. “There’s no way I want the season to be disrupted, and our position is that we will be at the tapes for our opening matches whether or not the Australian riders are here, so if we need to find a replacement we will do so. “We would also be in support of clubs receiving a facility of guests or rider-replacement if needed at the start of the season, especially as it is unclear exactly when the matter will be resolved.” |