BSPA AGM summary - Arena up, grading system, more.

British Speedway's top flight will have 10 clubs next season - after Swindon and Arena Essex were confirmed as Elite League members at the sport's AGM. The race for the Sky Sports Elite League play-offs will be over two home and two away meetings which means 36 outings per club.

Premier League fans will have a minimum of 15 clubs, possibly 16 depending on Trelawny's bid for a new site and they have been given until January 14 to declare. And in what is sure to be a popular move the Premier Trophy has been re-introduced to start next season with a north and south group which will then see the top two from each group go into the semi-finals.

The Elite League will also feature a revolutionary new grading system to determine team strengths after promoters voted to scrap the points limit. And that means newcomers Swindon and Arena will have a pick of riders to build competitive teams as movement in the transfer market is inevitable. Averages will still come into effect for team building purposes but a grading system allows more flexibility and for the 2005 campaign bonus points will not be taken into account.

Both leagues have scrapped the traditional tactical substitute regulation in favour of a new ruling which allows team managers to nominate two riders whose points can count as double if a team is eight points behind. They have also retained the use of a golden double tactical substitute in both leagues when a rider is nominated to start off a 15-metre handicap for double points. The move comes as a result of a successful experiment in this year's Premier League Knockout Cup when ties were kept alive by intelligent work from team bosses.

Premier League clubs have retained the 45-point limit but will keep a close eye on how the new grading system works for their Elite League counterparts in 2004. Promoters have also decided to restrict the use of guest riders in response to confusion amongst a new generation of fans brought into the sport by increased media and TV coverage.

A guest rider will only be allowed for the top rider in a team with the rider-replacement facility in operation elsewhere and the Elite League teams will sign two Premier League riders as squad members to cover for injured reserves.

Another thorny issue was the doubling up and doubling down which saw several riders enjoy riding for two clubs. Doubling down has now been scrapped and the doubling up facility will only be allowed for ACU permit holders who have not achieved an Elite League average of five-points and above. This will apply for only one team position per club and not two like last season.

Great Britain boss Neil Middleditch remains in office for another season - realistically there was never any doubt as long as Middleditch wanted the job - and the Under-21 job is between Alun Rossiter and Louis Carr who have both applied. The management committee will interview both ex-riders regarding the position at the first available oppourtunity before a final decision is made regarding Graham Reeve's successor.

On the subject of management committee, it's a case of as you were with chairman Chris Van Straaten joined by new Somerset promoter Peter Toogood as vice chairman alongside Jon Cook of Eastbourne, Coventry's Colin Pratt and Sheffield chief Neil Machin.