mikebv

Kowalski?...

Therefore let them in for free... Give the away track 100 tickets to distribute... Not many, if any sometimes, attend now so minimal loss.. For local derbies that do bring a following, then don't do it...

Spot on.. Each club has more than enough punters in total to be far more successful financially... The problem is not enough of them see Speedway in the UK as something that is worth attending regularly... Richard Coleman said that if every track has just 300 more each meeting it would be a totally different landscape.. Each track I would suggest has far, far more than 300 punters who attend on a Bank Holiday, or a Play Off, or a Cup Final.. Tens of thousands of fans still take a keen interest in the sport, it's just that what UK Speedway provides doesn't engage them enough to pay circa £25 a time to watch it.. They just need to (finally), listen to the reasons why these people don't attend, and fix them.. You don't need huge marketing to try and encourage thousands of "newbies" just get those who follow the sport to attend more regularly by just turning it into a proper sport worth winning .

Now, there is a surprise!!!😁

I agree, however, getting more away fans in will automatically mean better atmosphere, which, in turn, will encourage more home fans to visit more regularly... The play offs show the reach of the respective clubs as their crowds sometimes double, and more... The reason? They actually looks like they have something riding on them (pardon the pun).. The challenge is to make every meeting "an event" which stands alone to engage people to attend .. The support is out there, as many, many meetings show.. It's just the lack of any real jeopardy or consequence, that keep people away until the back end of the season, and then any momentum is lost as the season ends . I mentioned the Wolves matches of the 90's earlier. I never missed them, nor did many others who, like me, didn't attend every week.. It's a virtuous circle, get a decent crowd, then you generate atmosphere, generate atmosphere and you generate further decent crowds, with word of mouth hopefully increasing them further . I also never missed Nicki P riding at Belle Vue. A perfect pantomime villian... And also what was noticeable when Nicki P visited was the larger then usual crowd to see him race against Jason Crump... The blueprint is there, and has been used successfully, they just need to start to use it again, but using a 2026 fit for purpose version of it .. A minimum of 50 or so, vocal away fans at every track would be a good start in generating some much needed atmosphere... A real opportunity for promoters...

Two 10 - 5's???..😁

You need away fans there in decent numbers to make it happen... Something promoters don't seem to appreciate..

The key words being "proper event".... Not something more akin to a social gathering, and that includes many of the riders too...

I still remember "The War Of The Roses" meetings against Sheffield as kid.. Brilliant racing? No idea, can't remember, but what I do remember is the several hundred Tiger fans in attendance making for a tremendous atmosphere.. Wolves in the early 90's too always brought many away fans to Kirky Lane, and we the same to Monmore... Was the racing brilliant? Again, don't remember, but the events themselves were... The lower number of tracks, and the constant sharing of riders, has diluted rivalries to almost nothing these days, with a decent away fan following now being a rare thing at most meetings.. The Scottish Derby is often mentioned as being "fierce".. So "fierce" in fact that Edinburgh's best rider guested for Glasgow a few weeks ago.. That cannot do the sport any good if you want to build up some rivalries that actually engage fans.. I've said before, let away fans in for free, or a very nominal fee, and provide them with a section of their own for them to sit or stand in.. Travel costs are high these days, streaming is available too, so let then in for nothing and, hopefully, some atmosphere can get generated that ensures more regular visits from more of the home fans going forward, and, who knows, word may get round that a night at the Speedway is "a good night out"...

It was "Guest" room!!! 😁 Baddam Tish!!!

Indeed, lucky for everyone his average dropped enough to replace Jack both home and away...

I attend few domestic meetings, but do attend the play off finals that the Aces are in.. Why?.. Not because I see the winning of a UK Team Speedway title has any major relevance in its current guise, but the finals do provide some atmosphere which you associate with a team sport... In short, they are something worth attending if you like live sport... 400 or so Aces fans at Sheffield, stood on turns three and four, a few years ago, meant a superb night of watching sport, with the racing only being "OK" at best... Standing with 200 or so at Leicester a couple of years ago on the first turn also made the evening a great spectacle... Plenty of banter between rival fans, plenty of pee taking of the opposition managers, and riders, and no malice in sight... If UK Speedway had that many away fans at EVERY meeting then it would be in a hugely more successful position..... Your Team. Your Riders... Win, lose or draw, that is how a team sport should be if you want people to emotionally engage with it... Glad the Aces got Sheffield as several hundred will descend on Owlerton next week... Should be a great atmosphere...

When "engine room" riders in Poland can earn £800+, per point, in Polamd's second tier, you can see why getting even that level of, (non GB and Aussie rider), over here is a big challenge...

Birmingham were always a club with a high number of "colour wearers"... I think an elderly demographic is the underlying key.. If you attend football now it is mainly kids and the middle aged and above who wear club colours... With many of those circa 16 - 40 not wanting to be seen dead in a replica top... A decent money earner for the clubs though I would think..

Apologies....