mikebv

They have had literally thousands of pieces of unsolicited feedback down the years, via the written Speedway media, in person at the tracks, and obviously via Social Media.. With so much of it focused on the same repeating issues that were gradually turning even die hards away.. The only thing they chose to do with it was ignore it...

And that's the most baffling thing of all... They have been doing the same thing for a long, long while, whilst Rome has been constantly, slowly, and gradually, burning around them... Many of us on here have "forever" pointed out the only inevitable conclusion to the situation, given all the evidence in front of our eyes... You certainly didn't need a crystal ball to be now saying "we told you so", nor any hindsight... You have to hope that, finally, those who have buried their heads firmly into the sand, are now, at last, going to make those radical changes so desperately needed... The ones they should have made after COVID... A huge undertaking to be honest given there is so much self inflicted nonsense to unpick, and the fact no one has already done it given its obvious need doesn't exactly inspire confidence that the leadership skill set exists, (as surely someone would have already stepped forwards to try and sort things).. However. Good luck to whoever is leading the plan... Getting the leagues to mean something, be relevant, have tangible rewards that create interest, and a joined up national marketing plan, has to be the main objective, as everything else will fall into place when delivering that..

Indeed.... Well meaning people doing things that once may have worked... By now, every team should have the emails, mobiles, and personal details of each of their fans who attend... Eg, if they haven't seen that fan purchase a ticket for two matches, send them an email and text offering reduced entrance to the next one.. Send them Xmas cards, birthday cards etc etc, plus to their family if they have young kids.. A complete database would be not more than 3,000 (if that),... With circa 600 seats empty every week in the GS, you would have someone sending emails and texts all day Saturday to Monday from 8am, offering reduced price, free kids tickets etc.. By Monday morning you will know what the crowd will be like given those who pay on the night will be a certain parameter number... Flogging 300 seat tickets for £15 and 300 standing for a tenner each on a Monday would bring in £7.5k you were more than likely not getting.. And. If people start to take the "Erik Riss" and stop buying in advance, in the hope they got a reduced ticket, then just stop doing it for a meeting or two.. I used to restrict all my promotions if I thought a private shop was coming in and buying in bulk to resell... Richard Coleman said that just 300 extra at every track was a big deal.... The beauty of which is you don't need the same 300, just get 300.. So much "digital gold" is at at your fingertips to brng in punters these days.. Every track should employ at least one person to do it direct market style, using their fan database.. Or maybe get them to put leaflets on car windscreens in supermarket car parks.

Where do live mate?.. I'll be around about seven tomorrow...

Sounds Great... Why isn't it working?...

Will missed out on a meeting last Thursday as he had to get to Sweden... This week he can earn a few quid back....

It is, and has been for a long time, a "chicken and egg" scenario... To gain major investment from outside the Speedway Bubble, they need to ensure they deliver a credible sport, with each meeting actually meaning something, and an ultimate prize which generates interest... To deliver a credible sport, with each meeting actually meaning something, and an ultimate prize which generates interest, it needs major investment from outside the Speedway Bubble already in place to achieve it... Basically. Neither can be achieved without one or the other already being in place.... And that is a huge challenge for them...

All 100%, however, the same has been glaringly obvious for well over a decade yet "zilch" has been done about it... Literally millions and millions and millions have been spent using TV money, sponsorship, and crowd admission money over the past two decades or so... And all for what exactly??...

Ultimately though, it all goes back to the lack of any major prestige, publicity and financial rewards for winning any of the competitions... If the "size of the prize" was massive, so would the crowds be... If winning really meant something, people would attend... The crowd numbers reflect the apathy that UK Speedway engenders by being so (almost), irrelevant within a sporting context... How do they get that major financial backing?.. With such poor "optics" across a breadth of issues, when looking into the sport from the outside, I am sure it must be truly difficult, if not maybe impossible, to deliver that game changing, fundamental to success, major backing...

Tell me who has shown you the 2027 plan??? This was marked "Top Secret"...

Sounds Great!!! Ticks almost every box!!!! The last box to tick...??? They just now need to advertise it across Gtr Manchester, to the Three Million people who all live within a 45 min drive of the NSS, letting them know when the meeting is taking place, and how much to get in, (things like that).. Do that well, and the place could be rammed... Who knows? If it works, they could then do the same advertising when the Aces are racing.... (Maybe not every box will get ticked then eh?)

On a recent Dan T Vlog, both him and Kelsey were commenting on how quick Klindt is when in front... (He had just beat Dan in the previous race).. And both said that it is very difficult to get near him once he is leading...

He is actually, possibly, the perfect kind of rider the UK version of the sport needs.... A part time Speedway rider.. Six months work riding Speedway, 12 months doing some other job...

Wow!! Marketing....????? Who knew?????

Is this on Sky?..

Years ago, you found out when at the track that "headliners" were missing... Now you know usually two days in advance, and even up to setting off time, that "all of a sudden" one of the main riders wont be there... And often, not because he is injured... So much to unpick for the sport to be even remotely a success going forwards... Probably far too much now I would suggest.

Are they putting up that gazebo that you took a photo off?.. The thing that they took to the Gorton Festival thingy..? It looked really good... I am sure that will have attracted 1000's given they will have I am sure, advertised this fantastic event.. And several 100's will come I am sure from that Youth Centre they linked with the other year...

Will you be making any changes?

Me too, since around 15 years ago when he got to the stage that standing around, or sitting down, plus the walking, for any length of time got too much.. He stopped and then I gradually did as I realised I often just went because he wanted to... It wasnt until a few years ago he mentioned he only kept attending for several years because he thought I wanted to!!!... As he said in his broad Cork accent... "It was usually a right load of crap!"....

Have you seen the state of fhe art pressure cleaner Kelsey and Dan use?.. A cold water damp flannel is probably not the same level....

And, it really is now or never... With so few "top riders" currently, you won't be cutting back too much if you act now.. 15 teams, home and away once, and maybe some regionalised Cup competition (North and South split, ran like a league, then have cross region Semis and a final), would deliver circa 40 - 50 matches with play offs, depending on how your team does... The current DU's would need to cover their costs over these 40 to 50 matches.. And clubs would need to stand alone in the payments of the current DU's... Which would probably be the huge stumbling block..

The Dan T Vlogs have been a real eye opener for me... The amount of equipment needed, and quite heavy duty machinery to fix things, must cost a small fortune... Someone has to pay the riders enough to spend such outlays, either through sponsorship or salary... And all to ultimately win.... ??????? It is truly the ultimate race to the bottom for Speedway teams... Who will win next?...

15 teams, seven riders per team, equals 105 riders needed... Nowhere near enough riders of the level needed, so a complete non starter... Heaven forbid, they cut the number of riders to five in a team and just then need 75... I could never get my head around the "we need GP riders back", thought process, as, when the majority of them rode over here 15 years ago, crowds dwindled consistently, just like now.. The very riders who took all the "Golden Ticket" Sky money, then effed off to Poland to take the "Diamond and Platinum Ticket" money when Sky's money disappeared... One league would at least make the sport look like a reasonably sized entity, and have a "national reach and feel"...... The "Optics" of how you are perceived are so, so fundamentally important when trying to sell something…. I have seen Brady and Dan ride at the NSS loads of times, so,watching them scream around the boards is no longer the pull it once was... Especially against the same few riders .... If you can fit them in (and afford them), to a one league structure then great... If not, it means you can run on any night you wish... Obviously though one league would mean no DUing which would mean riders getting paid by just one team... Hence no chance of it happening...

Good to see a club doing some market research.. I hope they don't prevent Scunthorpe finding a Guest...

It would be easier to find out why so many still closely follow the sport, but don't see a UK domestic meeting as worth attending... As an example. The GP's showed that there is a decent audience still out there for the sport in Manchester.. BV followers who were happy to pay circa £140, as a minimum, for two evenings of Speedway... But don't see UK domestic Speedway as something worth regularly attending.. The question that should be asked is... "Why don't so many people, who follow Speedway, attend UK meetings?"... Also. "Why don't the 3,000 or so Aces followers at the GP's attend the NSS regularly?".. Another example? "Where are the 5,000 who attended the PO Final at Ipswich every week of the season?"... There is a market of Speedway followers out there much bigger than the numbers who do attend.. Just getting them back engaged and attending would solve a myriad of issues...