Speedway pays

6th January 2012

If you want to earn big bucks in Polish sport, better look to speedway, rather than football, a report in Przeglad Sportowy revealed this week. Despite the financial crisis, Polish speedway Ekstraliga teams spent PLN 60 mln on new rider contracts this year.

Naturally enough, the highest wages will go to current world champion Greg Hancock, who can expect to pocket a tidy PLN 2.5 mln for his efforts for Unia Tarnow in the upcoming season. Four more riders will join Hancock in earning over PLN 2 mln and a whole raft of other riders will break the million zloty barrier. What’s more, these figures only cover earnings on the track - and top riders can expect a whole range of sponsorship deals.
In terms of organisation, budgets, stadiums and support, the Polish league is streets ahead of the other major leagues in England, Sweden or Denmark.