mikebv

Time is a great healer.

Utopia is eight teams in the top league and all have two World Class riders... The reality is though that laying out circa £14k per two riders, per team, for two meetings, currently, simply isn't justifiable... Especially without any TV contract, and also being reliant on Sponsors who may not always afford to keep underwriting the costs. A Speedway team should only be paying out that kind of money if they are also spending several thousand a week in "non Speedway Bubble" advertising and have a (at least), three times per week online presence on the various digital platforms.. I have just watched a YT content done by a lad who owns a sandwich shop in Yorkshire.. In it, he shares his costs to highlight why a sandwich isn't "a quid" to buy... During the content he talks about how over the past four years his shop has evolved.. About 12 months ago he went "viral" using his personality and quality of food, now the day to day running is done by his staff, as he is the "face" of the business... Meaning he spends his time less "hands on" at the shop, but more releasing content and, very importantly as he mentions, monetizing the content as it is bringing in some big money.. Big money from people travelling in from far and wide who have seen him on the various platforms, plus what the considerable amount the gigital platforms are paying him.. As he says, if you don't have major online presence nowadays, you won't be successful... Who are the online "faces" of the Speedway teams in the UK? Who are the ones getting paid to keep the team in the digital public eye and generating likes, subscribers, and ultimately, more customers?.. The World Class riders, sadly, don't seem to bring 1000 extra so, in this modern world, why not invest in someone who could?... Richard Coleman isn't looking at the sport like a fan, or as an ex rider, (which the other promoters were/are), therefore, hopefully he will keep that cold analytical approach and start to influence better use of what is, given the size of the sport, a huge outlay each season to the riders.. Upon reflection. Maybe "utopia" could be one World Class rider per team, with a costed plan to increase their numbers as and when income streams justify it?.. However. With no aggressive digital platform presence, it will all be irrelevant anyway..

They certainly are a crowd puller, but only within the context of the meeting meaning something... And only within those who already know who they are... If BZ suddenly turned up for Northampton then their crowds would double and every away meeting would have their best crowd by miles... As it would be a huge noveoty so "lapsed fans" would attend, (the very large amount that exist).. The challenge would be maintaining that level of crowd over the next few years... The Aces had two of the top three riders last season, but crowds were not good compared to even five years ago with no World Class top three riders. As I said previously, when this country had all the best riders over here, crowds dropped, which suggests it is either that their presence is over emphasised, or it is the events themselves that don't engage enough fans to regularly attend..

But crowds were dropping annually when Sky showed the sport and pretty much every World Class rider rode over here... There were plenty of inflation busting price increases though at this time, so maybe that was the reason for the drop off, rather than the riders who were there?.... (Or not there as the case often increasingly became, due to "other commitments elsewhere"....)

So, it wasn't the Witches that the fans who have dropped off went to see?... Instead, for them, It was their two top riders?... Presumably, if what you say is correct about the crowds, (and I don't doubt it), then it means that there musn't be enough emotional attachment to the team, but there is to the two top riders?.. If correct, and given the lack of any real prize for wnning it does make sense, you might as well drop the leagues and run individual meetings with big prize purses, with the best riders there... Like the Manchester GP's showed, make it relevant and you can still get very good attendances..

The mantra of the past twenty years on here.... And yet, here we are, still doing the same thing!!.

Of course they put bums on seats in comparison to non World Class riders... The more salient question is though... Do they put enough bums on seats to justify the outlay for them?... It has been mentioned on here, by some who appear "in the know" at their local tracks, that between 3500 and 5000 quid is the going rate for a World Class rider... Therefore, taking the lower number, that is 14,000 quid laid our for two World Class level riders, from your home meeting income, for the home and away meetings.. Now, I know sponsorship will cover a fair amount, however, I would suggest laying out around 8,000 quid for those two meetings for "decent" riders, and using 6,000 quid to actually promote the meeting, on a night that is maybe better to attract a crowd, would be the more sensible business plan to follow.. Ipswich fans have suggested that crowds have, in the main, held up this season without last years "Superstars".. Which, even if there was a drop off of a couple of hundred, must mean a fair net saving on outlay this season, given their current One and Five won't be in the same pay bracket .. Utopia is every team to have two World Class riders, reality though means they wouldn't cover their income by increasing gates enough to pay their salaries... My old company has made many managers redundant/retired over the past decade, with, on many occasions, those highest earners the ones who have taken the attractive redundancy/retirement terms on offer.. Are their replacements as good? Nowhere near, given the disparate level of experience and capability, however they are 30-40% cheaper and will gain experience and capability as they develop.. The bottom line though is you could have King Charles himself at No1 for any team, but if hardly anyone outside a select few know the sport itself, never mind the team, exists, then you won't be needing the " House Full" signs outside...

When my lad played for a League Two U21 Academy the first team had 4,000 there each week... Laying out £22 to get in... About 100 came to watch his U21 team play.. And it was free to get in... Watching Youth Racing and Senior racing is like comparing Apples to Oranges .. And, if that Youth Racing had took place on a Monday night, the crowd, (and participant) numbers would have been even less...

I think iainb set up most meeting threads on here.... And only probably did that, usually on the day, due to no one else from either team involved bothering... There has been a growing feeling of "what's the point?" I would say since Sky stopped showing Speedway, and their seven figure input also stopped.... With the ever increasing constant sharing around of riders, even with an ever reducing number of teams, suggesting even those running it don't take it too seriously, and, for them, just putting on a Speedway meeting, of any degree of relevance and credibility, is the only box to tick for them... Apathy is probably the feeling of many, either on here, or even those dwindling number of die hards who still attend tracks regularly... The two nights in Manchester for the GP's though must have delivered circa seven figures in income, therefore, there still must be hope for the sport in the UK if they can make it a credible offering...

More Steve's previews of Poole's matches....

I think what it showed, clearly, is that Leicester are the firm favourites for the title... Plucky Belle Vue will do their best as underdogs but it is so obvious that it is Leicester's to lose... Let's hope, for UK Speedway, that the Aces can at least keep it close if they meet in the final... 😉

Had a good run for my money though... After five heats the dough was done... And then the Lions roared!!!!! Exciting stuff....

In the Richard Coleman YT interview he mentioned how difficult it had been for Mark Lemon to put a team together... Quite an incredible scenario in reality isn't it?...😁 Sometimes, the lack of outside media interest, and therefore scrutiny, isn't the worst thing in the world...😁

Leicester -4 is 10/11... Bet365.. Worth a go???

I get the sentiment, however, to many Promoter's, they are doing "their job"... Which, to them, is to put on a Speedway meeting with, (hopefully and ideally), 14 riders in attendance.. Any 14 riders within some ultra flexible adhoc framework... To the majority of Promoters they see funding their hobby, giving riders a chance to earn money, and putting on a Speedway meeting for people to attend, as being their contribution to the sport in the UK... Moving it forwards isn't on their agenda... Independent governance, jeopardy and consequence of meetings, prizes worth winning, and scrutiny of your infrastructure, costs money...