SWINDON Robins team manager Alun Rossiter says any further decisions on which riders he plans to sign for 2017 will not be taken until after the conclusion of the British Speedway Promoters Association’s annual general meeting this week.

The Robins broke with tradition by announcing they had re-signed skipper Jason Doyle for the next two seasons before the 2016 campaign had even come to a conclusion.

However, Rossiter will not be plotting any more deals for his potential roster until the rules and regulations for next season are confirmed at this week’s three-day AGM, which got under way on Tuesday.

“We have got Jason in as a starting point but until we know the outcome of this week, there is not a lot we can do. It’s a difficult situation and you can’t decide,” said Rossiter.

“I don’t think anybody is building teams because we don’t generally know what we want to do until we know how many teams are going to be in the league or how many riders are going to be available.

“That’s the next problem, how do you know who is going to be about? We have seen in the past that there isn’t a massive amount of riders and this is half the problem we have got.

“You have got some riders who are happy to do the meetings and other riders that don’t want to because they do all these other individual meetings on the continent. By the time they do the Grand Prix and by the time they do the Polish league and the Swedish leagues, it’s very busy.

“There is no point in gallivanting off and signing riders because then all of a sudden you could end up in a situation where you have signed someone but you can’t do it.

“Unfortunately, other clubs are not of the same thinking and go bish, bang, bosh, I’m going to get him, him and him.

“Really, I think there should be a rule where you say to a rider ‘Do you want to ride for us?’ “They say: ‘Yes, I’d love to come back.’ So then it’s a case of: ‘Okay, give us one until one week after the AGM.’ “But the riders are not stupid, they don’t want to be out of a job so they will still be looking.”

The Robins are likely to face at least one different opponent in the Elite League next season following the announcement at the AGM yesterday that Lakeside Hammers are to pull out of British speedway’s top flight in 2017.

Rossiter previously revealed to the Advertiser that other clubs had expressed an interest in joining the Elite League next year, although nothing has yet been confirmed.

Meanwhile, Swindon skipper Doyle will compete in the Darcy Ward Invitation meeting at Poole Pirates’ Wimborne Road home on March 24 next year.