mikebv

And it would be a massive five, or even six, figure sum for some of the riders who ride over here... Can't blame them really for not taking any risks...

The Board of Directors....

I think there is definitely a market for streaming at the right price... One of Speedways weaknesses also can be it's strength... Due to the team model it uses, you don't have the same tribalism that other team sports can engender, however the sport does have a large proportion of followers that generically follow the sport, and very closely.. Meaning any meeting, regardless of the two teams involved, will attract their attention.. I watch Swedish and Polish meetings on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but won't lay out £14 or so for a UK stream.. Make it £7-£10 and I probably would, at least once a week... In the Speedway Star, Gerry Facenna mentions how surprised he was by how many fans from overseas have purchased their streams.. It could be a big market if the price point is set well, and clubs don't just think that the fans of both teams are their target market, (or might not attend and buy the stream instead).. Glasgow say they only streamed due to crowd increases in the stadium, and, once again, are using their own fans to help drive bigger crowds with free tickets.. That's the key... If a promoter thinks "I won't stream as my fans will stay at home and watch", then they either are not promoting well enough, not providing enough entertainment, or the competitions they run are not engaging enough people... Do their day job properly, and streaming should be the icing on the cake..

A perfect example of where one point each, no rearrangement, would have, at least, seen riders giving it a go, either before the meeting to test the track, or actually just run the meeting... And the home team would have had to have the capability with the correct equipment to at least try and give the meeting every chance... Too easy for clubs to just rearrange and too easy for riders to come back at a later date to earn their money.. With the fans being the common denominator that lose out... Having to pay on the night refunds and season ticket refunds would also "focus" the clubs somewhat too...

They may have laid out for the Wardley fight last Saturday...

An ever decreasing vicious circle... Sadly...

And give the club something to engage younger fans given the two lads will be only a few years older... Clubs like Poole and Glasgow have very decent fanbases which resemble the majority of the top tier, however, I am not sure they would increase crowds from where they are, consistently, should they go into tier one... Having BV with Kurtz and Bewley there would see higher numbers through the doors, J Holder too, but not sure, (no disrespect meant), that other tracks would drive up numbers sufficiently to make any move into tier one cost effective, given the outlay involved... And race nights obviously being a huge stumbling block... £100k each of TV money though, for the top tier teams, would see it expand I would suggest... But. Given the way the sport is ran, that must be a very tough sell for those tasked to deliver it ...

Unfortunately the way the sport is ran, they don't have what could ordinarily be described as "meaningful relevant competitions"... Hence it has the following and media coverage it gets... Poole, when in tier one, realised that around ten of the fourteen riders that rode for them and their opponents each meeting at home, also rode in tier two, but for less money... Meaning they were laying out considerably more for riders who roide in tier two, and on top of that, two or three "top earners" who didn't... (I seem to remember the promoters saying it was around £150k difference between the costs in total).. "Dropping down" (if that is actually a thing), meant they had the majority of the same riders, could still ride on traditionally, and clearly, the best night for their business, charge less for punters to get in, and save a six figure sum... An absolute no brainer... If Speedway was ran like most other team sports with aspirational growth, with ever increasing financial rewards the higher you got, then that would be a completely different scenario, and one that the Poole promoters would, I am sure, adapt to and be successful within...

Poole will get as much national publicity, or financial prize, for winning tier two, as whichever team wins the top tier... The difference being they will have laid out a lot less.. Before the start of this season, their promoters did say crowds had dropped last year, so maybe there could be a bit of "winning fatigue" setting in and fans will pick and choose their meetings depending on the opposition... However. They did also say though that they were going to ramp up their local promotion, and marketing, plus target sponsor recruitment as they felt lots of opportunities existed... Poole fans have shown a winning team keeps them attending, with a losing team, impacting crowds.. No point in spending six figures more, and "maybe" being successful, when you can spend six figures less and, whilst never guaranteeing success, give yourself really good odds...

1715 at Kumla? Fair play to them... It looked absolutely Baltic!!! Something quite "British" with their camping chairs, fur lined hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, and big coats, watching Speedway nearly into mid May...

Rob Godfrey must be spinning......

I think he secretly is an Aces fan.... As he seems to go into minute detail about their riders' capabilities, almost worrying for them whether they will do well or not... He seemed quite upset last season when Kurtz didn't perform well in the PO SF, just 48 hours before the biggest meeting of his life, (a meeting where Dan also scored four, including two lasts to Kurtz's one, with Kurtz getting paid for five points)....... Most Aces fans, on the various forums, by a huge margin, completely understood why their rider(s), would have been focusing on something of a much higher priority, especially on a track that wasn't exactly prepared for taking any risks... It was almost like he was the most die hard Aces supporter ever, totally in despair about Kurtz's performance... Hopefully he goes tomorrow and Brady gets a fifteen max for him, to make up...

I don't think there needs to be... Speedway is just another different discipline of motorcycling, and Ashton is obviously a very talented motorcyclist who can move across several motorcycle disciplines... He started off well in Speedway but clearly lost his way quite quickly given his short time in the sport... He definitely had the talent, as when in front coming out of turn two, could win races, and by some distance, the challenge for him seemed to be when other riders were around him.... That was when he would come off the throttle and let them past, or just drop further back if behind... No shame in not quite making it as a Speedway rider as countless others have tried and failed too... Who knows? Given his obvious technical aptitude he may give it another go, if not, at least he tried... Hopefully his new discipline sees him continually successful....

Not in Speedway.... (The UK version, obviously)....

Another very good, and close, meeting from Sweden...