G the Bee

Back home now. I have to say, that was one of the best meetings I've been to in years. Sure there are some organisational tweaks needed but overall it's a big thumbs up from me. Next time I'll print my ticket at home. The extra quid doesn't bother me, although I'm not sure that'll be the case for everyone. But, what a venue. As a stadium, it's similar to the set up at Brandon, albeit much more modern (naturally). Large covered back straight terrace. Home straight grandstand with covered seating, restaurant, great viewing and corporate facilities. It's a super facility. Nevertheless, as a Bees fan, I also found it a little sad. It might be more modern, but it's got nothing Brandon hasn't got. It just reminded me what a great stadium Brandon could and should be and how it's now a run-down shadow of the stadium it once was that will never realise its potential to become the stadium it could be. And it's looking increasingly likely that soon it'll be nothing more than a memory. What a waste. But the racetrack, and the spectator experience, beats Brandon hands down. The track is amazing and produced wonderful racing. The shape is perfect and the fact that you are so close to the action, with no dog track between the stands and the track is a huge plus point. Hope I'll get the chance to visit again this year.

That actually shows that the organisation needs tweaking, because it was a Belle Vue steward who gave me those directions.

KK was a class apart tonight after heat 1. Bees unlucky to miss out on a point. There was nothing in it after heat 6. Nicholls is talking about no home track advantage on mic and whilst I take his point, it was only home track knowledge that won this meeting for the Aces. Once all the Bees had a heat or two on the track we were more than a match for them.

Yep. Genius decision by Havvy. Great venue though. When riders have been here a few times and get dialled in, it'll only get better.

Bees are so slow. Slow from the gate, slow on the track. Worrall just went from 15 metres and joined his brother for a 5-1 without breaking sweat.

Not too bad a delay though. Heat one just starting now.

I'm trying to be charitable but the organisation needs improving. I'm on the back straight, which is grandly titled the 'South Terrace'. The problem is to get to the South Terrace, you have to walk back out of the stadium, and down a side street, around the basketball arena. There could do with being more signposting to let people know how it works.

It's because there are only 3 ticket office windows. So unless people want to pay an extra pound to print at home, you have to queue up to get a ticket, then walk with your ticket to a turnstile. Those ticket office windows have to deal with all tickets, including concessions, so, as you can imagine, the queues are big. I suspect that in the long term they are hoping people will buy tickets in advance or print at home, like the model most football clubs adopt. The problem is, I don't think people will do it if it's going to cost them an extra pound.

Without wanting to sound like I'm trivialising the situation, if they are living in poverty, then they can't afford to spend their monies on luxuries like a night at the speedway, irrespective of whether or not they get a concession on their entrance price.

You quoted the 'rule'. It appeared that the club (mistakenly) assumed that the NUS card was proof of full-time education. It isn't. So 'the rule' appears to be in the process of being changed. And in terms of the 'scam', ignore the 'fake/forged v. genuine' argument, because NUS cards are easy to get hold of by legitimate means. To put it in black and white, I believe the 'scam' is people getting hold of NUS cards, which are relatively easy to obtain, with the purpose of using them to take advantage of discounts they would not have otherwise been able to claim. As far as I'm concerned, that's a scam. Also, as far as I'm concerned, anyone who is not in full time education, but is claiming student discounts by using an NUS card they have obtained by other means (albeit legitimate means) is claiming a discount that, in reality, was not intended for them. But, as long as the institution says they accept the cards, they can do it. It's a loophole that people have used for ages. Coventry have now closed the loophole, temporarily it seems, whilst alternatives are explored. Fair play to them. If other promotions or institutions choose not to do this, that's up to them. Here's a case in point. My wife was offered an NUS card for doing a small after-school course on basic numeracy through our son's primary school which was overseen by the local adult education college. She earns over 20K a year (as a second income to our household). Is she really who the Coventry promotion were aiming the discount at? Of course not. Back in November, when questioned on the student discount, and how a lot of people could fit that criteria, Neil Watson stated on this very thread 'Full-time education confirmed by the institution. Night-school or flower-arranging classes don't count!' What it looks like they failed to realise is that by attending night school or flower arranging classes, in many cases an NUS card could be obtained. I suspect their mistake, as SCB pointed out earlier, was that they appeared to believe that possession of an NUS card was proof of 'full time' education. It's not. Or perhaps they just saw the good in people and assumed that people wouldn't take advantage of the promotion's intention to offer a discount to genuine full-time students who could not afford the full price. We could go around in circles with this debate about the rights and wrongs of the situation. It seems to me that the loophole in the system was abused (they have said so themselves) and as a result they have removed the NUS card discount until they can devise a more appropriate method to offer a discount to those for whom it was originally intended. In the meantime, genuine full-time students for whom the discount was intended are going to suffer. For that, they can blame those who took advantage of the promotions best intentions and exploited a loophole for their own personal gain.

No. I've never said remove the student discount. Read my posts. I've said the club should change the rules to stop people flaunting the system in my original post. I said that that the club should issue their own cards. Unfortunately, It will mean that some students, attending on a one-off basis, won't be able to get in cheap. It will also affect students from other clubs too. I doubt, on a meeting-by-meeting basis, there would be many of them anyway. There is no ideal solution. Blame the spongers and freeloaders who abused a well intentioned system and, like so many things in life, have spoiled it for the rest. The difference is, these multi-national corporations probably know the scam is going on, and can afford to take it on the chin. And due to sheer weight of numbers, it's difficult, and certainly not cost-effective for them to control. For a speedway promotion, the opposite is the case. They can't afford to take it on the chin but, because they don't have the sheer weight of numbers abusing the system as a large corporation have, they are able to monitor the situation and control it. Which is precisely what they have done. I suspect, (and perhaps they should have done some more research) the well-intentioned promotion underestimated how easy it is to get hold of an NUS card. They believed that an NUS card, in itself, was proof of full-time student status. They were wrong. They've been taken advantage of as a result. They appear to have recognised this now and are changing the system. In the meantime, the student offer has unfortunately been (I suspect temporarily) withdrawn. No big deal. But, again, it's the fault of those who abused the system spoiling it for everyone else. You know who you are. Shame on you!

Hard luck to them. Blame those who abused the system, as poorly thought out as it may have been.If it was my business, I'd be more worried about persistent lost income through a group of people who use an NUS card questionably on a regular basis than the money lost from a one-off student not attending. Sorry, but I've got no time for spongers or freeloaders. There are people who clearly got hold of an NUS card which they would not otherwise have had, just to take advantage of a well intentioned discount offer from the Bees promotion. Technically, they have done nothing wrong, but morally they have. We could all have done it but I suspect many people, such as myself, would have decided that to do so would be morally wrong.

If people read the statement correctly, it says it is being withdrawn 'at this stage' and that the club are going to be working with local universities etc over the next few days to find a way forward. It's a shame that it wasn't sorted before the season started, but perhaps the system, which has been in place for a while, has never been abused to such an extent before. They need to get rid of the NUS discount and control student admission themselves, deciding on a clear definition of who it applies to. Students should have to apply for a club student card in the same way a supporter would apply for a season ticket, with proof of enrolment on a full time course and photo ID. This would then be shown at the turnstile to enable the student to gain the discount on entry. It would be relatively easy to set up. Seems pretty sensible to me.

Could we have used Garrity and Sarge? Either way, it should have been Garrity plus A.N. Other. It was obvious to everyone, except, of course, the people who put the team together, what the issue was. I am dead against the way the draft has been put together this year. The likes of Garrity, Newman, Auty, Worrall should all have been made to move up into the 1-5, but the fact is, they were not. As a result, we had to cover the moves of the other teams who picked a strong reserve. We didn't. This decision, plus the signing of King, did for us.

What a dog's dinner we made of team building this year. Long old season ahead unless we make a change in May. One of the riders we should have kept just scored double figures against us.

Your post, to me, sums up what the original idea of the draft was. The chance for young up-and coming riders to get EL experience to push them on in their career. To look after the future of British riders. Which is why, in the first season, established EL riders were left out. It wasn't perfect in its first season, but it was better than what we have now. All it is now is a way for the bottom two riders in the team to be British and (I suspect) paid less. What should have happened after the first year is that the top few draft riders who had averaged over 'x' (Garrity, Newman, Blackbird etc) should have been forced to move up into the 1-5 and new NL riders brought in. That also would have meant that if you had a high flying draft rider (as Bees and Poole did in 2014) they would not be able to benefit two years on the trot (as Bees and Poole did in 2015). Once they tinkered with it after the first season, it lost all its impact for me. There are riders in that draft (Auty, Wilkinson, Newman, Howarth) who, if the draft was about helping young or inexperienced riders progress, should not still be in it. Auty, for example, has been around for years. He's not going to get any better. What's he doing in the draft? What's Howarth, who was too good for the draft in 2014 and 2015, doing in it? What's Wilkinson, who's 34 and has been riding since 1997 doing in it? And then there is Newman, who has been pretty much the class of the draft for the last 2 years but still needs to be in it! Why? Where's the progression there? Lets not kid ourselves that the draft has anything to do with helping 'the future' of British riders. It's not. Now that the top averaging draft riders are able to move into the 1-5 we have a situation where non-British riders like Davey Watt, Brady Kurtz, Sam Masters, Jacob Thorsell or Rohan Tungate can drop into reserve to get easier rides against lower average British draft riders such as Max Clegg, Stefan Nielsen or Josh Bates/James Sargeant. Not perfect. It's a joke!

I see where you are coming from, and I suspect the BSPA have had to put the message out because of the nature of their contract regarding broadcasting rights. However, I can't for the life of me believe that the opportunity of watching amateur footage streamed from a mobile phone on the terraces (such as that posted by Steve Shovlar recently) would really convince someone who had a genuine intention of attending a meeting to decide not to. As a result, I suspect the amateur footage posted on Periscope would have a virtually insignificant impact on turnstile revenue. It's a poor substitute for being there. To me, the Periscope content was more akin to the Live Updates service. It gave the supporter a the chance to keep up to speed with a meeting which they either had no intention of attending (such as, in my case, the Poole v Swindon meeting) or were unable to attend (again, in my case, a meeting such as Coventry v Poole). Live Updates are great, but watching on Periscope is better. However, I believe that a professionally run streaming service such as you suggest would not be so great for the sport. There is a world of difference between watching amateur mobile phone footage and the kind of footage which would be 'live streamed' from a track for a fee. If people had to pay the club/BSPA for a live stream, they would (quite rightly) expect a commentary and broadcast quality uninterrupted coverage (even if it was just single-camera footage). And, of course, the better the quality of the broadcast, the more attractive it would be to customers. We all know the effect a Sky meeting has on attendances. I believe a broadcast quality stream would have a similar effect. A professionally produced live feed, like a live tv broadcast, is not such a poor substitute for 'being there'. On a cold night, or a night where there was a question mark over the weather, or when a 'less attractive team' is visiting, it could convince many home fans who would otherwise have attended, to pay the £5-£10 to watch at home, rather than the £20 plus petrol, plus other misc costs to 'be there'. Would I stay at home to watch mobile phone footage on Periscope, filmed from the terraces? No. Would I stop at home to watch a professionally produced stream such as documented above. Occasionally, if it suited me to, yes. Of course, this effect on turnstile revenue could be offset by away fans paying for a live feed who would be otherwise unable/unwilling to travel. Or by the 'casual' supporter paying for an 'attractive' fixture not featuring their supported team. Or by the supporters of the home team who are unable to attend. I suspect this wouldn't be the case though. More likely, it would make even more of the few away fans who do travel to meetings stay at home, because they can watch a broadcast-quality live stream instead. And the revenue from the casual fans or the 'home' fans who are unable to attend the meeting would not compensate for the amount of home fans who decided not to go to the meeting, but rather to stay at home and pay to watch a professionally produced product from the comfort of their living rooms. I'm a pretty committed supporter, but I'm not sure I'd pay even a fiver to watch a streamed Bees away meeting which, looking at the make-up of this year's team, they would probably lose. Yes, I'd probably watch bits of free Periscope footage, but the effect on turnstile revenue, or any other revenue to the staging club of me doing this would be nil.

The fact that some riders are included in the draft who have been around for years completely defeats the object of the draft. The fact that riders who were tier 1 draft riders 2 seasons ago and are still in the draft this season, completely defeats the object of the draft. The fact that riders deemed too good for the draft 2 seasons ago are now draft riders, completely defeats the object of the draft. The fact draft riders can move into the 1-5 completely defeats the object of the draft. The purpose of the draft, which was designed to improve young, up-and-coming riders, has long been forgotten. It's a farce now. What difference will one more farce make?

That was my initial thought when I saw the scores but, having looked at updates in more detail, with the exception of Ellis, who's not even our rider, they all scored poorly. Can't remember seeing Harris having five rides and being on the wrong end of a 5-1 in three of them. He's usually good value at Swindon. Hopefully a bad night at the office, but I have a feeling this will be a long old season. If our 3 heat leaders have an off night, we are going to be stuffed out of sight. Can you imagine what the scores would have been with Bates instead of Ellis? The make up of this Bees team is all wrong.

I know it was a 'friendly' but to lose at home against a team using R/R for their number 1 is just a little embarrassing. I hope Danny King was testing stuff out (which clearly did not work) or had other mechanical gremlins, because that was a dire score. Getting passed by Hans Andersen... What's that about? Poole look ominously strong... But we all knew that anyway.

Thanks for the info, because their prices for Infinity on the net don't look so good at the moment. £30 plus line rental for Infinity 2 unlimited. But that looks like a great deal. Is this with BT Sport through a Sky box, or with their BT TV? Infinity 1 or 2? Thanks again for the heads up.

This post is spot on. Something I have been thinking for a while. I think they are cutting it incredibly fine. Is the construction of the stadium running behind schedule? With the opening meeting next week, surely they would have wanted the construction work finished a good month ago? A cock up with the track bedding in would be a disaster. Fingers crossed for you.

No

Just to let you all know, the books have been snapped up now. Thanks.

Hi everyone, I'm having a clear out and have the following speedway books which I am happy to give away for free if anyone wants them. A History of the World Speedway Championship (Robert Bamford and Glynn Shailes, Tempus, 2002) Confessions of A Speedway Promoter (John Berry, Retro Speedway, 2004) - Signed More Confessions (John Berry, Retro Speedway, 2006) - Signed Homes of British Speedway (Robert Bamford and John Jarvis, Tempus, 2001) Until the Can Ran Out (Chris Morton and Brian Burford, Tempus, 2005) - Hardback Main Dane (Hans Nielsen and Gareth Rogers, Penrove Books, 1994) Wiggy (Gareth Rogers, Retro Speedway, 2005) Hamill and Hancock, World Speedway Champions (Gary Roberts, Sherbourne Publishing, 1999) Michael Lee Back from the Brink (Tony McDonald, Retro Speedway, 2010) - Signed Also the speedway novel Sliding into Hell (John Berry, Retro Speedway, 2005)If you are interested, please PM me. You'll have to collect them from Birmingham or, alternatively, from Bees home fixtures I'm attending this season.