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Now you really will have to explain how it and the non announcement of the team maximises media exposure.

It's Robin's way of maximising media exposure.... which it does tbf..

I plan to listen to views and suggestions at Kent's sponsor and meet the rider evening Sunday. Not sure the format Of the meeting butcivam preparing an introduction to myself and history in the sport. I then plan to table my own suggestions briefly. Mainly being around transparency and openness. And the need for a supremo independent of any club to take overall control of decision making. Then onto and in far more detail the main 3 or 4 issues the Kent fans bring to me. For example, my personal opinion is the play offs are a necessary evil that makes clubs decent gates, and gives the fans the sense of occasion. But the feedback I am getting is that Kent fans would like them scrapped, so that is the stance I will take in the meeting. I believe the expenses not being covered is probably less about saving money, but more so to weed out the potential trouble makers. I earn little over Nat Min Wage, and assuming they put the meeting somewhere central like Brum that's gonna cost me a hundred quid plus in train fares. That's probably half my monthly desposible income so Kent fans can rest assured I am taking the whole thing very seriously. Sure it may well fall on death ears, or get ruined by gob rubbishes, BUT also it may just work and our voices do get heard. Whilst I am representing my fellow fans at kent, I fully welcome views from supporters of any club current or former.

if a few more of the chosen reps have the same attitude this could well be a very useful . however this is speedway and theres always going to be someone who wants to go against the grain . good luck with it though lets hope the BSPA finally listen to the bums on seats that keep speedway going .

There was a release that all rider's owed were paid out of the bond. Because the rider's were paid out of the bond they can no longer chase the promotion for outstanding debt. Some rumours were that Harris wage worked out more per point that Doyle's Somerset contract, if so, imo Harris was ripping off the Rye House owners and doesn't deserve any outstanding payment.

What a pity that the older (?) Duke of Edinburgh cannot do so well on the roads.

Beyond strange and a clear indication of a man who believes he is above everyone else and will always do things his way. There being NO other way to do things ( in his mind ). Nero fiddled as Rome burnt - quite a few similarities there it seems. Six months later it will be "Use it or lose it" and fans being blamed for losing interest.

Strange weird to be honest,Chapman has been the front of British speedway what for three years now??? i have seen no progress whatsoever.His communication skills are either poor or he does not grasp that supporters want to be filled in on any issue and quickly.Speedway has always had this reputation of a secret society a closed shop decision's being made and not being released.Look i am not knocking him for putting his money in but he can't sit behind that he has to be transparent on everything rules (etc).My best friend came down from Stoke on Trent and we were talking about the teams in the Prem King's Lynn was mentioned.I said they have not got a team yet he laughed he said how can you sell the club for a press day club start if you have not got a 1/7 in place.It is like going to new restaurant but not knowing what the prices and menu are ok look all the Lynn fans will know there full team by February but that does seem a strange business decision.

I keep forgetting we HAVE moved up Sue! I keep looking at our line up and thinking we’ve got a cracking Championship team and have a great chance of lifting silverware

We need to embrace social media and speedway could be groundbreaking going forward. Have a app for your mobile which you can use to fill your programme in. Still have all the editorial features and advertising. Then every race day you would be sent a reminder of the evenings fixture with all the team news. Regular updates for weather reports and even photos of the track so you can see if it is really dry !! i would have a camera person in the pits filming all through the meeting which can be streamed onto your app. Action from the pits and interviews could be watched while waiting for the next heat. You could have questions posed like guess the score of the next heat or who would you put in as a tactical ? Youngsters are not going to come in it’s present form as there are too many delays between races.

I am gutted with the situation at Workington.. I love my team very much. BUT I actually find myself not gutted for me as a fan but for the 7 lads who would have worn the big C with pride. It is a shame it ended this way for all concerned especially Laura & Jacko who bleed Workington speedway. As a loyal fan I will however endeavour in anyway I can along with my fellow die hards to keep the Comets memory alive in 2019 and we will do our best to help the Comets rise again however we can. #keepthefaith #Cometswillriseagain

So he (they) is correct in the way of doing things and all others haven't a clue? Bit of a nonsense tbf.

Totally agree with you. 15 minutes of action is not great value for money especially when you are now paying circa £20 plus plus a meeting. Will promoters listen...NO....I know speedway has many problems to solve...and the BSPA 'head in the sand' approach has made things much worse. I have supported speedway since the 1970's and seen many ups and downs but I have never known the sport to be in such a terminal mess....sad to say but the calibre and acumen of todays promoters is at an all time low and the current BSPA management i.e. Chapman, Godfrey & Co are frankly clueless.....they have been incapable of getting a grip on the real issues and consequently speedway is effectively bust and the BSPA are at fault and only have themselves to blame. Sadly 2019 will see more clubs going under more riders out of a job...more supporters loosing their clubs...I appreciate this may be seen by some as a doom and gloom scenario but look at the conclusive evidence...the BSPA are driving our sport over a cliff blindfolded...this is a realistic view of todays speedway.

This discussion seems to pop up every winter, personally I’m not bothered when riders are announced as long as we know by March but I can see the logic of revealing riders names one by one across several weeks in order to keep speedway in the news and in the minds of those people who don’t use forums and think about the sport 24/7. Everyone on here knows the team anyway so it’s really for the benefit of others. FWIW on paper I think we are going to be battling for 4th with two or three others but last season showed how inaccurate predictions can be

SOME good thoughts there. In my opinion one of the things that speedway needs to do to both attract and keep new fans especially is providing 'something to do' during the two hours when there isn't any actual racing. And proposals like those suggested above don't have to cost a fortune.

keep the faith perhaps buster will buy ryehouse for 2020

Not the only reason. There’s simply more on offer these days. There were only 3 TV channels in 1973, now there are hundreds, along with Netflix etc. Many kids would rather stay at home gaming.

Have Faith you Swindon fans, the three wise men will deliver your super new track and stadium. Has anyone seen that wheelbarrow?

****Sneaks in***** I like Chris Harris *****Sneaks out again**** Thinks better of it and sneaks back in again... I'm not sure what to think, I like Chris, he gave me one of the most exciting nights ever (now now, I mean his win at Cardiff!) but I am not sure the balance is quite right. However, there have been years where I have thought we would really get somewhere and didn't and other years where I thought we wouldn't and did so my track record is not exactly brilliant. Personally I think my brain is still stuck on the suddenness of the move up and it is struggling to see past that.

Hope Busters not in a Dreamlike with the Rolls Royce engines, as they are so bad they have to fly within a certain range of a landing strip, Buster and engines seem to have a bad relationship

To be honest if we don’t have NKI as back up to Robert I would be quite happy to see the following team at kings Lynn this year. 1 Robert Lambert 2 Lewis Kerr 3 Erik Riss 4 TJ 5 Ty Proctor 6 MPT 7 Kasper Andersen i think this team adds up to 42.42 and while we probably wouldn’t win the league we would be very competitive especially at home. In my opinion every rider has the potential to up their average and I would be supporting a team of kings Lynn riders not riders who are here this year and gone the next. The 1-7 I’ve quoted would definitely ride as a TEAM and do the stars proud this season.

Hi Chris , if you are interested I would be willing to pick you up from Peterborough train station and take you back there after meeting(s) at the showground . I don't want anything for this just trying to get you some speedway action , if you are interested please pm me and we can get something sorted.

Or who had perviously had experience at the NSS.

In what way is he deluded - given that he is a KL supporter and has his team out of the playoffs? It’s his opinion - or don’t you like BV in 6th spot? Deluded - believing something that is not true!

You could always swap it for Whitley Bay ?

Found this which is very informative http://www.spensites.co.uk/mdl.html#mdlabout Good news is you are both correct.

Fixtures are out tomorrow

I'm tied up for a few days Kelvin, but I will answer your question in due course. Was the MDL on the go in 2011? If it was, can you give me a pointer as to what clubs were in it, as I have nor records of it?

A very dangerous ploy to play waytogo28, in a way taking King's Lynn's loyal supporters for granted.Who can be sure who will turn up ? i know Swindon Robins fans who have been going as long as me yet they miss certain meetings now unheard of ten years ago.Also it would be interesting to hear what Lynn fans say on Robert how many now go just to follow him.??? Lynn over the years have had there folk heroes Bettsy, Mike, Tiddler (ect) to follow how many did they put on the gate.My point is if Robert give the UK a miss in the future how would King's Lynn's gates be looking then.?

Don't forget its not always the best teams on paper that win cups....just ask Mildenhall last Season and Ipswich a while back, looked great and then got injured and got nothing...its all to play for ! Sometimes staying un-injured come play offs is all that really matters, and in between hopefully some entertaining matches

Although I’ve not been to foxhall for about 4 years and lost touch with the sport over the years I think number one priority is that we have speedway in my home town. We always have had one of the best supported teams home and away BUT also have the most fickle supporters who will moan about anything and everything. The season hasn’t even started yet and the riders who are going to wear the famous witch on their chests are already being slagged off. Get behind the team if it’s at foxhall or on social media etc who knows they might surprise the doubters me personally think we have a team of racers and hopefully if circumstances permit will make it to a few meetings this year. now waiting to be slagged off myself for my post...........

Josh does have British Ancestory.

As I've stated on other replies the PLAY OFFS should be scraped, they served a purpose once for sky, but no longer attract the fans or media they once did. Promoters have taken their eye off the main event, fans want weekly speedway, a team they can relate to & be entertained with good close racing. Little or no guest & a fixture list compiled by someone some credibility............PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

Deliberately chosen as unless you were a first hand party to the conversations there will always be some element of doubt I am however content with my belief of the true situation on the balance of probability

No reason why not. Belle Vue ought to suit him but he's no good there either.

Would not be surprised to see Bomber, Danny and Rich all have a spell at number one with this line up. Should be an interesting year on the Heath...

THERE has been a huge uplift in the use of social media by many of the tracks (especially Twitter) in the UK and to a lesser extent even the BSPA. But, as we at SS have discovered, it is probable that the vast majority of fans do not which suggest that it might not be quite so effective as one might hope.

Hype! Hype! Hype! You cannot sell the Sport to people who have never seen it nor are even aware of it... However. Advertising ten meetings locally, with a £200k prize fund, would trigger some interest from those who are blissfully unaware of Speedway I would suggest.. Its got to be 'in your face' these days to get your message out... And Speedway spends literally millions to remain 'small time' and unheard of... It needs to get its message out to the wider sporting public so they know exactly just how much is on offer...

All tracks pay their seven riders a fiver less each race..? (£300 a meeting). That would put a few grand a week in to get someone 'decent' across the Leagues.. BV used to pay (if 'informed' rumours were true) circa £3k a night for Matej Zagar... £6k a week if home and away... Since he left I haven't seen a mass exodus of fans so he didnt bring in anybody extra.. Yet giving £6k a week to a good marketing company would have I reckon.. Speedway spends millions each season on riders who deliver very few extra bums on seats, using an operating model ran by people with a vested interest, which actually dissuades people from attending... It needs to invest its millions far more wisely to get a better return..

I have always thought it's all about the money , golf Boring , darts boring , snooker boring . all attract large interest , now its not because these things are exciting is it , it's because of the prize money .

Some good points on the thread. Speedway is suffering, and the BSPA perhaps needs to review how they operate, that said people have been saying these exact same things for decades and yet here we still are. I actually think the sport could still thrive, but perhaps would need to change. In some respect the modern age of instant media and quick one line social media means is perfect for speedway and showcasing the best of our 60 second races. The problem of course is you need a collaborative approach from everyone, and employing social media experts and professional web designers to create attractive short clips and social media posts... not just employing speedway mates to design websites that are about 10 years out of date and media experts with no charisma (NP). Of course, then turning social media views into attendance and retaining requires more collaboration between clubs, including discounts to get people in the door, providing tracks that enable real racing (rather than 4 riders riding around) and making stadiums appealing to want to attend. I also think making a bigger deal about supporting your local club/team could help, but is pointless when that teams riders ride for other clubs in the UK on different nights. Speedway is not dead yet, but I don't see any sign that the BSPA want to make use of the modern technology that is readily available.

I think it was '95, but my memory isn't what it was!! Anyway Poole's first away Challenge is at Somerset on 3rd April as part of the Rebels 20th Anniversary season. Still to be decided who Covatti rides for on the night?!

it seems that way.

Another that has suffered from the reduction in lowest signing average. Did alright coming in at short notice and will probably do the same again this year. Kit needs updating badly but hard to see any motivation to do that without a team place.

Went to George's funeral today and what a fantastic turn out for a genuinely nice guy... friends from his church... the RAOB fraternity and of course his Speedway family... great to see some old friends and especially Doreen from Berwick... RIP George you will be a big miss at Brough Park Regards THJ Oh and happy birthday for this coming Friday Doreen hope to see you under better circumstances the next time x

Totally agree with you regarding heats 13 and 15 but if we do get Niels our two reserves would be Andersen and more than likely Simon Lambert so that would leave us weak in heats 2 and 8. If we don’t get Niels Erik could do a decent job in heats 13/15 as he did on a few occasions last year when called upon. While I said what I hope the team is without Niels deep down I hope he’s back with us for next year and we can go one better and win the league outright next year.

Correct hence why me and many others never went to the meeting .Of course Terry Russell made a killing out of the meeting

But, although as you say the racing wasn't always tapes-to-flag in the past, it was more interesting. For starters, we are missing characters. Then we are missing the importance of supporters cheering on someone they have become accustomed to wearing their team colours. I remember in the past how my heart was in my mouth when my favourites came to the line to race for my side. I may as well have been riding the blinking bike, I was that apprehensive. You need the pull of wanting to attend matches to support riders within your team. The riders and the team become part of you. You then don't want to miss it everytime it races. The love of your team then transfers over to when members of it race in individual meetings, like the GPs for example. But when you lose the love of your team, you also lose interest in what are merely then only individuals racing for themselves in the likes of GPs. The racing is probably better now than in the past. But if you, as a fan, haven't got anybody you can associate with through teams not being teams anymore, you lose part of the thing that attracted you in the first place. A good race is a good race. But when you aren't really bothered who wins it, that is the problem. You need to be tribalistic. Otherwise, why bother? In my opinion, fans have become unattached from the importance of team speedway. Teams in speedway nowadays are just like tribute acts for a pop band. They are a novel way of entertainment but only pretend to be the real thing. I used to think it impossible to miss a Belle Vue home match. But then riders began being signed who I knew weren't really Bele Vue. Slowly, as other riders appear who you think the same about, you gradually lose that connection. Hence that is why I can't be attracted to it anymore. The sport could be so great. Me, as a former supporter just clinging on, would love to be able to identify a team as my own, something that makes you look forward to leaving the house to watch, to feel part of every individual in it. I want to see visiting teams with an identity. I want to see two sides who want to win, every rider in them. It isn't the racing.

Very good point, the bond can be made up of actual money or assets which everyone knows are effectively worthless except upon paper. Im still surprised the Harris has the cheek to say he was under paid after some of his Rye House efforts, would have thought £2.50 and a packet of wotsits would have covered it. Its beautifully ironic that riders "can't make it pay" so jack up their prices, put clubs out of business and then don't get paid at all (maybe if they weren't so greedy they would still be taking a wage). Also the bspa, the governing body that has the "best interests of speedway" at its heart is determined to keep Rye House closed and see one of the limited speedway venues the country has lost to the sport.