mikebv

That particular ship sailed a long, long time ago....

But also suffered when success wasnt being delivered... Big crowds suddenly became "average" when the trophies were not guaranteed... They are a club that, more than most, seem to do very well at the gate when success is happening, but lose out more than most pro rata when it doesnt.. I presume choosing to drop down into Div 2 was down to not getting enough punters in to make Div 1 deliver what they wanted? If they had got 2000 a week I would have thought that this would have been more than enough to stay in the top flight..

Councils benefit hugely by house building through "new" council tax being paid.. Therefore they wouldnt want to put too many "difficult" demands on developers.. So asking any developer to stump up a few million to get planning permission isnt likely to happen.. And if the developer has zero intentions of carrying out any promises from the outset then why would they offer up some cash that they dont need to...? The bottom line is that any council will be very pleased to have 300 or more Band D and above houses paying them well over half a million a year for decades... You can do lots of good with this money, can get plenty of funding with that guaranteed income behind you... And some developer spending a few million on, (as examples I have come across when being involved in new store builds), re routing congested roads, paying for traffic calming measures, building a new roundabout somewhere within the borough to improve traffic flow, or sponsoring some local public amenities... In short someone improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people over decades... Will always find themselves out weighing the arguments of a few hundred protesters... And come election time, the councillors will all be happy to jump on the positive message bandwagon...

Of course, if two teams in different leagues didnt share riders, then there is no debate to be had.. As they do, you will always have winners and losers from any situation like this.. Sharing riders will always kick out such things on the odd occasion.. Same with Poland. If resting up on a Thursday means being ok for Saturday or Sunday then that is perfectly reasonable from a perspective of someone who is self employed.. And in the scenario being discussed.. Someone could pull out of a Div 1 match on a Monday and still be able to "give it a go" at Plymouth on the Tuesday... I am sure the integrity of both riders in this situation was absolute, and it was just "one of those things" that can happen when teams share employees...

Have you not been watching much British Speedway LC? I would suggest it is a very good crowd... Poole get 1300-1500 or so dont they I seem to remember Steve S mentioning not too long ago.. Which, given they are Div 2 is no mean figure.. When they were in Div 1 they did get over 2000 quite regularly when Ward and Holder rode there didnt they? However, they were not getting those crowds when they decided to drop down I would imagine, hence the decision taken to drop... Any crowd over 1500 is good for British Speedway nowadays, and at £20 a pop brings in circa £30k which means you should be able to pay two meetings out of it and cover your staging costs I would think, with maybe a bit left over.. Even when HMRC is paid their dues...

In front of one man and his dog... Only add on for me tonight was they missed an opportunity to get a crowd in next week.. "Bring a friend, bring a neighbour" is not really much of a marketing plan, but fair play to the presenter for giving it a go.... Half price tickets tonight, or maybe better, even BOGOFs, would have brought a fair few back who simply wont be there next week as many there tonight will watch it on TV... Been a better advert for the sport and the Aces brand too, and maintained momentum crowd wise, which sadly will be lost next week... When you get the feel good WOW factor... You milk it for all it is worth...

Enjoyed that tonight... Some cracking racing from both teams.. No guests either... (Not sure if that is allowed in the regulations though).. Connor Mountain and Tom Brennan both deserved more for their efforts, but great to see young British lads mixing it with GP stars.. Plenty of sponsors on the centre green too, and that ball game thingy is good to keep the kids involved, so the Aces look like they are giving something a go off track too... Biggest crowd of the year at the NSS for the Premiership? Maybe 1800/1900? No guests, decent crowd, full on cracking racing from both sets of riders, regardless of the scoreline, interaction with the fans, and all done an dusted by 915pm... When done this well, what's not to like about British Speedway? It shows it can be done...

Glad it isnt as wouldnt have gone... Looking forward to this tonight... Should get a very decent crowd...

Plus no ZG maybe?

I do love watching Kolodziej.. Would be great to watch around the NSS.. As long as he doesnt gate.... You dont ride as one of the top riders in Poland for so long without being a genuine top level talent..

Needs a "Dave Norris" 2nd phase of his career ... Something there definitely to compete at a higher level, but just seems to be drifting along at present.. And if you dont move forward, you effectively go backwards as others move past you...

Didn't get a point even with Jensen's EF.... He is much better than this... "Polish Speed" needed...

100%... UK Speedway needs to get some proper marketing and promotion behind these two lads... Could be at the vanguard of the sport globally for a decade... Even if they dont ride here, the sport will get some much needed reflected coverage domestically..

Wow... Amazing how many times the "frightening ones" end up being less impact to life and limb than some almost "innocuous" looking crashes... Speedy recovery Dan... A HUGE future lies ahead for this lad I would say...

Three top riders usually ride in14 of a teams 30 races, 15 if one a Tac Sub... And on at least two occasions, together, three potentially if one on a Tac Sub ride.. A potential 10-2 off two heats can be a game changer, as can 15-3 if running a Tac Sub ride.. Reserves ride in less races combined and in some of those one of the top three will be alongside them.. Makes sense to me to get a strong trio leading the team...

I thought the same re the NSS.. However, lots of leg work had gone in previously, and Dave Gordon and Chris Morton had very much got the right level of people within the council completely onside.... When you have the right contacts supporting you 100% then it can be surprising how quickly the wheels can turn..

He said he closed the track to protect it so hopefully someone would come in and buy it and keep it going... I would suggest selling off everything needed to run a Speedway meeting might not make it much of a tempting proposition...

But if he doesn't sell everything then the club may close forever as no one would want to come in and buy it... Errr... Think I have spotted the slight flaw in his cunning plan....

Wasn't it around 20 years at over a million a year? Not bad that for such a minority sport... Sky pulling the plug the way they did probably didnt too much for the "brand" either I would think in the wider media world... Be interesting to see how Discovery make good their big plans..

Speedway looks like it could end up being a unwitting pawn in a strategic game... Unfortunately Geeyhound racing is similarly dying on its arse as a spectator sport so will end up being something followed on TV only, living off the very lucrative fees paid from the betting companies to them for providing the racing which make the betting companies several fold on their investments.. You wont need many tracks to do this so strategically the owners of the tracks, the GRA, the betting companies and the developers can work together to build a business plan in who stays open, and who goes... Given the "mad" Far East betting market, racing could take place from early morning through to the evening as, for example, Hong Kong is seven hours in front, so 10am here is 5pm over there, and then you will have the UK market later in the day.. Not many Greyhound tracks will remain open due to spectator numbers that is for sure, and even those that can, face an uncertain future from protesters, activists, public opinion etc.. The big opportunity Speedway didnt take was when the Sky Millions came in... Using that money to shape their own destiny was a "no brainer", particularly for those who ran at Greyhound tracks and paid rent... Instead it did nothing to cement it's own future with that huge cash injection.. Hence we are where we are today..

You can imagine that if every track had 3000 a week, all paying £20 on average, and the landlords got £10k a match rent 20 times a year, then more landlords would be more supportive of the sport... It certainly isnt the landlord's fault that the crowds their tenants get are so low, and that they then look elsewhere to make more money..

Get the bikes going sideways for as long as is possible, with plenty of room to pass as they do, and the overall size of the track isnt a key determinant.. Nor either then is the straight line speed of the bike.. Two perfect examples there as to how the shape makes the racing... Redcar one of the best in the country... Great news for Edinburgh, presume Glasgow will stay in the Championship rather than consider moving up now their local derbies are saved?

I am planning to (semi) retire in September mate... 55 years young... (in mind if not in body)... But honestly, engaging people through pro active marketing, especially today given the digital platforms that exist, isnt hard... Like running a business.. Bring drive, energy, passion, resilience, bravery, inspiration and tenacity to what you do, and utilise the skills of those around you who are more qualified and gifted than yourself technically to deliver your aims, and you can move mountains... 36 years of running stores and regions for one of worlds leading retailers has taught me that.... I am sure around Newcastle (and all over the country), there are potential leaders who can engage and mobilise a few hundred people, especially when those people already want the same thing so need no convincing..

The figures could be spread over 12 months maybe? Call it £20 a month, (circa a fiver a week), meaning £240 per person per year.. A "Community Club" is, for me, something that could work in Speedway given such a relatively small amount of patrons attend, but have a fierce loyalty to their teams and sport.... Let's be honest, the way the sport is ran, if you are still a regular today you are a "lifer"' and it can be as much about the social aspect of the night out as it is the racing, (maybe even more?)... Therefore, use the "social event" aspect as its selling point.. Run it like a supporters club holding social events through the whole year to keep fans engaged even in the off season, eg eve of season party, end of season party, xmas party etc.. Get a detailed database on the supporters, birthdays for example to send cards from the club to them and their family members, and if any kids parties are being held at McDonalds etc, then send a rider to attend to surprise the kid and spread the word... And run weekly or monthly prize draws to those who commit to add some interest, doesnt have to be huge prizes, the constant engaging is the key... Discount merchandise too, to members of the club, it looks great in Poland seeing loads of fans with an "identity" by all wearing club colours, and can only prick interest in those yet to be engaged.. For clubs that dont have someone happy to run Speedway as a vanity project with deep, deep pockets, then surely having a collective of local, like minded folk could be a way forward? Sponsors could/may still put in their four or five figure sums the same as they do now, and there will still need to be a leadership team, who could/may still be the ones putting big money in as is currently the way things are ran now.. However, having a few hundred fans engaged and involved with their club for 12 months using regular communication with them, and getting 20 matches or so for £240 a season, has to be worth giving a go surely as it will provide guaranteed income, (by DD, with any default payments meaning no more membership)... Give the size of many clubs, a "Community Club" could just be a possibility, giving fans a real stake in their team, whilst helping spread the cost over 12 months and providing them with real value for money Speedway at the same time, and will also help them be in charge of their own destiny, rather than hoping the sole person in charge can keep what they enjoy attending so much, going for the whole season...

To be honest, there is quite a bit of humour (even if it is gallows), to be had in observing the rich, wide and varied ways those who run the sport find to shoot themselves in the foot and help destroy their own sport from within... A truly unique way of running a sport and business.....