mikebv

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....

They wear the club shop!!! They wear the club sho-o-op!!!.. Those Belle Vue supporters... They wear the club shop!!!

He also has a "proper job" too, doesn't he?... Maybe that has gone well this year and so is focusing more on that..? Still a decent season income wise I would think, plenty of bonus points, and an OK season in tier one, regardless of not always getting to the track early!! Plus some Danish meetings...

Probably to do with the restrictions on the number of leagues that riders can race in?.. It would potentially mean that there won't be any Denmark for those UK based riders with Polish contracts (even if it goes to Sweden as well as Poland +1), as UK lads would need to ride here, and Aussies who have a working visa for here need to ride here too.. That would mean potentially Wednesday night becomes a night without any clashes... Could it bring Poole and Oxford up?...

It goes back to "Hobbyists" v "Professionals".. Some clubs organically sit in certain leagues, however, there are not enough (currently), "professionals", hence some clubs will sit in a tier above their level to ensure enough clubs to run two leagues.. "Make do and mend Speedway" has been allowed to become the default method, (given it is a lot cheaper).. Hopefully with "new blood" in the sport, a defined growth path, with clear, incremental steps of improvement, will see the two leagues become seperated with the top tier being an aspirational level, which makes money...

Just ask them the score halfway through a play off final...😁 They'll definitely know there own individual score....😉

All your comments, and others, will be the ones that Richard Coleman will, I am sure, want to either stop or improve, as applicable... With some clear regulations around team set ups, meeting presentation and centre green standards, mechanics in club colours, track preparation etc.. As I say, there is a blueprint to follow in either Sweden or Denmark, who are more aligned to the UK in their attendances, and TV coverage, than Poland is.. One professional league, with scrutiny and discipline, with clear demarcation from the second tier who can just carry on running a more "social sport"... Sharing each others riders, meaning they can keep running fixtures whenever they like...

The FIM put out their calendar in advance and then UK Speedway plan in fixtures knowing 100% that there will be a clash for their riders.... Hardly the FIM's fault... And, as well, tracks go several weeks without a fixture on nights with no FIM meetings that would impact them... UK Promoters even plan in meetings on the nights of UK Championship qualifiers.. The issue is a lot closer to home than the FIM...

Do you mean running the sport like other leagues do?.. The blueprint is there to be used, Poland, Denmark, and Sweden use it without issues.... Denmark and Sweden do focus massively on their top tier, and ensure that the top league is the league that sells their Speedway to sponsors and investors.. That is where UK Speedway needs to be... One "professional league" and one "semi pro league", with the top league being ran properly, and profitably, with credibility and also becoming an aspirational entity to join.. Interesting how Richard Coleman used the term "investors" in his interview, as "sponsors" are invariably fans from already inside the Speedway Bubble, who don't grow the sport organically, and are quite happy to use their support to offset other main businesses costs... Investors are what is desperately needed, and to get them, they will need to believe that the operating model and business plan going forward will deliver something for their investment...

A major contributory factor to the current situation is that so many promoters and owners are either ex sponsors of riders, or ex riders... Hence, they come from within the Speedway Bubble... Therefore, they just see the nonsense that pervades as either "perfectly normal" or accept that "there is no other way" as that is all they have been used to... This then becomes custom and practice, and no one then sees the harm it is doing to the sport long term... New ideas, new pairs of eyes, and a new operating model, all coming into the sport, is long, long overdue..

As it could be "Poland and Sweden and one more", now, maybe home and away twice to give double the matches that Denmark offer?...

Same thoughts .. Although the two U21 riders would now mean at least six in the top tier teams I would think..

100%, and that will be the objective of Richard Coleman and the rest of the top tier.. Make it a "serious sport"... Hopefully there are enough who want to run it as such... For the rest then the current last several years of 100's of adhoc septets turning up will be fine... But you don't try and sell that division to the TV or potential major sponsors.. It will interesting to see how they make their intended clear demarcation between the leagues...

To be fair to him... A few months ago, when interviewed in the Speedway Star, he said he was completely non plussed as to how, and why, Edinburgh's Basketball team got double, and more, the crowds the Monarchs got.. Who wants to tell him??.

I agree, but UK Speedway is, at best, tenuously, a competitive sport.. Hence Richard Coleman, (and others before him), have seen both the obvious flaws in the cunning plan, but also the (actually unique), raw emotion and excitement the actual on track product can bring... Sorting the off track infrastructure will be key, (as he knows), to any significant growth as running a business like you did in the 70's simply doesn't work anymore if you want investment from companies who are modern and advanced in their thinking... The brand image of the brands you link with nowadays is as important as your own, as any negative publicity for them can damage your reputation too... "Guilt by association" being the key.. UK Speedways image, and the optics of its leadership team, will, i would suggest, 100% have prevented sponsorship from companies wanting to come on board over the past decade and more.. A modern thinking, fit for purpose, dynamic board of directors is just a fundamental basic given nowadays in business...

The "Hobbyists" won't be interested as what they want from their Speedway isn't what those who run the sport "professionaly" want... That has been a major issue for the sport for a fair old time given more "Hobbyists" have existed than those paying mortgages off the back of their Speedway teams' income.. The ideal world will be a top tier, ran like a team sport should be ran, with decent TV coverage, and commercial revenue via TV coverage and sponsorship.. And a 2nd tier, which, as now, can amble along making things up as it goes along to put out "any kind of Speedway" on the nights they want to do so.. Poole and Glasgow are, to many, the most obvious choices to move up, however, both could be happy with their current lot and content to stay where they are, (ie in a pretty much no risk position)... Oxford, possibly, are a team who could step back up again, but this time with support to build a competitive team, and, hopefully, some TV revenue to assist them, with the bonus being a seven way split of the cash, rather than an eight way split.. Although, if they did go into tier one, I would suspect they would drop tier two.. The Risk v Reward, for tier two teams to move up, has to move the dial (significantly), from its current position I would think... Get that done and tier one can start to take shape and be somewhere to aspire too..

The difference a few years ago was quoted as £150k to put together a competitive top tier team, as opposed to a second tier one.... Dan T's VLog covered off points money in both leagues, and No6's in the top tier were on not too far off No1's points money in the second.. With RS's on money akin to second strings/third Heat Leaders in the Championship.. Add a couple of top GP level riders, to be competitive, into the mix, and there is a considerable difference in expense... An expense that would need an increase in admission fees, with much less of a guarantee of success which Poole currently seem to have... A potential losing team, with severely increased costs, plus increased admission for the fans, doesn't sound like a business plan anyone with a modicum of a business brain would seek to follow.. And the Fords seem to have more than a modicum of a business brain...

The "Poole Business Model" is based on success... Probably more than at any other track... Spending another £100k (and maybe more), to not be guaranteed (unlike pretty much now), at least, a top two finish, would be a big question mark for them.. At Poole it appears that the success of their business is about winning, with little regard as to the level who you are beating... Losing against Belle Vue, Ipswich, Sheffield etc, whilst watching genuine World Class talent, won't be a crowd puller for them based on their current model.. If it aint broken don't fix it must come to mind for their promoters... Unless, of course, those tier one promoters deliver their division as clearly the place to be for financial reward, and prestige.. A hell of a big leap needed for that though isn't there?..

The frustration for most of us followers being that all that he is saying is pretty much "bleedin' obvious" .. Hence, particularly on here, the points he makes have been highlighted, and/or suggested, for well over a decade.. Over a decade which has seen a complete consistent regression for the UK version of the sport, led by people simply putting their heads in the sand, doing exactly the same thing each year, but, (I can only imagine), expecting a suddenly completely different positive result!! Madness. And has resulted in many thousand who still closely follow the sport, but not regularly attending... I've said many times, you don't need to do any "magic marketing", (if you don't have the money or skill set), you just need to re-engage those who still keep a keen interest.. And there are many more than 300 of those at every track!! His ideas for the GP at Ipswich should be interesting, especially given so much land around the stadium.. Camp sites? Music? Bars? Maybe?... There might even be riders selling merchandise without the ridiculous costs they get charged...

Because they know you need that tribal emotional attachment to your team, if you want a team sport to be successful... Injuries happen, and bad luck happens, in all sports... Jeopardy and consequence being fundamental to any successful sport.. Bringing in guests would see fans, sponsors, and TV all disappear rapidly...

Blimey, just seen the scoreline.. ...

My maths were a little out!!! The cost at the NSS was said to be circa £250k - £300k.. Hence two nights would seem to be a must to help cover that cost and, more importantly, make money... A 4,500 or so capacity would need a fair few quid entrance fee to make enough money to make all the work worthwhile..

I think Richard must come on here… Best of luck to him... Others have gone before with pretty much exactly the same observations and plans... Hopefully this fella gets the cut through needed...