topsoil

It's had a negative effect, but I can't see any other option they had. Sponsorship was difficult to attract, costs have been cut, even the riders took a pay reduction. You could take the radical step of reducing admission in the hope that there is a significant increase in crowds, but it is a hell of a gamble when you have already lost a lot of money.

You can sum Berwick up each season with one phrase "shortage of money". It doesn't matter what you set the averages to, there will always be clubs who can offer better money to the riders who give best value for their averages. Berwick cannot afford to get involved in bidding wars like this. Similar for trying to attract top end riders. Probably why Berwick have traditionally gone for a strength in depth approach. Last year it almost paid off, getting within a point of the playoffs, which would have been a hell of an achievement. This year, it hasn't worked as well, but we still did well to get out of the Trophy group section. I can only imagine the club raised prices for 2019 in an attempt to cover the losses incurred last season. But unfortunately speedway is in a spiral at the moment where rider's costs and demands are far outweighing the income clubs receive.

Probably the poorest meeting this season to be fair. But that's what happens when better riders get in front. Berwick beaten by a better team tonight. I do feel that there has been a lot of over-reactions on here though. I bet you could look back on every season and find poor meetings.

Good to have you back. Missed you.

Exactly what I can see happening. One league, two or three, the only way I can see to reduce costs is to stop giving in to riders' demands. Riders need to realise that the sport in this country cannot afford full time, all year round professionals.

Not only was Saturday night a financial disaster for the club, but from some of the comments being made by the fans as they left the ground, a lot of them won't be back, so it was a kick in the teeth for their attempt to win new fans. A lot of new fans seem to find it difficult to comprehend that the likes of football and rugby can be played in the rain, even Formula One and other forms of motor bike racing can be done in the rain. Speedway? Nope. Credit to the promotion for trying to attract new fans and the crowd was a bit bigger than usual on Saturday night. Enough to cover the price reduction? Who knows. But all the good work is now up in smoke and it is going to be harder than ever to try and convince them to come back.

But you've never been this season???

Does the club still have covers?

Good concept, I can see how you would try and attract more visiting fans to come, but how would you police it? Basically everybody is going to claim to be an Edinburgh fan and get in for nothing. Give their promotion a limited number of vouchers to hand out at one of their home meetings?

Every silver lining has a cloud eh? :-)

So many ifs and buts to this tie. I've seen Lasse Bjerre be brilliant and poor at Berwick, TJ and Matty Wethers could be big spoilers tonight, are Jye and Coty fit?, will Dany Gapp be jekyll and hyde over the two legs?, will Berwick have any backup to Spud and NBJ tomorrow night? For me it is a 50/50 tie. Decent weather today, hopefully big crowds for the two legs and a good cup tie atmosphere.

Not exactly free if you've paid for a season ticket

True dat

58-20 to Eastbourne with Graham Jones to top score with 10

I remember two seasons ago when Berwick had a bad start to the season (the time of Lewis Bridger and Dmitri Berge) that a lot of fans were going to stop going because the team was losing. When pointed out to them that the racing was probably the best we had seen for a while at that time, they responded they did not care, all they wanted was the win. Now, apparently, it doesn't matter if you are winning, it all depends on the racing. Speedway fans, don't you just love them?

This sums up the forum for me

With a very weakened team, you could promote a meeting however you want, but fans will not attend, which in turn would be a financial disaster. Just what a club, which looks like it is already struggling, needs. And if the person responsible was the promoter, would you like to see him resign? Then what?

It's scary how much the crowds have dropped off from last season. In spite of a very successful run of results at the end of last season and beginning of this. I hate to think what the crowds would be if the team was losing.

Armando Castagna admitted in a Speedway Star interview at the start of the season that he did not want to put the riders in a position where they had to choose between a Polich league meeting and a GP practice, because he knew that by missing a league match the riders would lose so much money, he knew what their choice would be. That tells you everything you need to know about where the power lies in speedway.

I thought he had said "should he be withdrawn, IRR would come into play"

Very rarely find a reason to go on to the forum these days because of the depressing nature of a lot of posts. Any sign of a debate and it soon descends into somebody becoming a "troll".

Eurovision? really? I hope that was tongue in cheek. Not much you can do about the length of time it takes to run a meeting like tonight, because of all the accidents. I was actually amazed that none of them required ambulance delays, especially the Kennedy and Etheridge (heat 3) crashes. i actually thought the racing was better tonight, more passes than usual, maybe the rain overnight actually helped the track? The crowd tonight was very poor. It was more like a typical Berwick Rangers crowd than a speedway crowd. Very concerning given the good start to the season the club have had. Imagine what it would be like if the team was getting beat like Berwick Rangers?

Why would speedway supporters and the promotion in Leicester be concerned at a Manchester club being in the F A Cup final and as for being worried about clashing with the Eurovision Song Contest? I really hope this was tongue in cheek.

You've been listening to the voices again

I take it Nicki Barrett won a 80 / 125 / 250cc title? I was only concentrating on the actual World Championship / Grand Prix. No wonder I was stumped :-) Love teasers like this though.