mikebv

Couldn't someone just open Swindon? They have a track and a stand and their old promoters don't seem to want to run the sport there...

A tenner to get in, all kids in for free... Sorted... The way forward... Me and my lad will be there.... (If they ran on Friday's or Saturdays, depending on when Ben and Zach C are needed in Poland..)...

There must be hundreds, maybe even thousands, like you, Chris... Especially in London given the amount of tracks there used to be.. Maybe the BSP should set up a national website for car sharing should anyone be gong to meetings? Coventry, Swindon, Peterborough, Wolves, Somerset, Lakeside, Rye House, Newcastle, Cradley, Eastbourne, Birmingham, and all the closed London tracks, must still have fans interested in the sport, but only have public transport to visit tracks further afield, or do have cars, but don't fancy the costs of the journey... It may encourage those with cars to visit the tracks still running more frequenly if they could split the fuel costs...

He could go teaching maths....

And are only ever one major benefactor away from not affording to run their business... It's often quoted on here that the "top riders" get some, if not all, their salary paid for by key sponsors... If ever there was something built on sand then this is it.... Sponsors money should really be some icing on the cake, not a huge part of the cake itself...

Mark Lemon in the Speedway Star article seemed quite adamant there would be three leagues.. Regardless of TV deal or not, and track numbers... He talked about "ideal" numbers but it did appear that if they had to go with five, and no TV contract, then they would... Home and Away three times I presume, with three teams getting a bye to the KO Cup semis, with two holding a "quarter final"...? Without that "top league" the 30+ riders who DU'd last year could be seriously out of pocket... With many losing their highest income stream.. Who will have to fill that black hole in their finances? Their ONE club?

To be fair... Promoters expect riders to have two good bikes, even at NDL level, and to be available on "stand by" to guest at a moments notice whenever needed ... Pretty much expecting them to be professional riders.. And it's the promoters that have meant doubling up is now a "must do", due to their lack of development of UK riders to create a greater supply than demand over the past two decades.. And all to win competitions that have so little reward and recognition... What a truly ludicrous system!!!!l

If only four other riders in the league have over an eight point average he could possibly increase his own... He did get a few "gimmes" when Becker was out, but he would have faced the other five eight point riders very often in Ht 13 and Ht 15... With one less to race this year I can see him again having a good season... (If there is a season for the top tier!!)

When Sky first started showing the sport, the viewing numbers were "very good" and often in six figures. For such a small minority sport Sky would have been delighted by the numbers.. Back then though there was 24 tracks in the top two divisions plus several stand alone third tier teams... Meaning a good "core" following for the sport, and many more people who maybe didn't follow the sport, but would see their town team racing that night on TV and watch... Sadly as clubs shut, the prospective TV audience has seemed to have also reduced in line with the number who used to attend these tracks, and towns lost their Speedway to occasionally follow.. And, with the costs of the broadcast v the risk of the weather, you can see why contracts have either been not renewed, or paid up and finished early... For me, it would be better if the sport just had itself a "magazine" highlights package which used the streaming companies content,rather than putting out two hours of, often, gate and go Speedway, in two thirds empty stadia, devoid of any "tribal atmosphere".... Much cheaper for the TV company, and better, more positive optics for fhe sport, if edited well, and, if they could get it on one of the main five channels, a much greater chance of more people watching... There won't be any six figure amounts paid out to tracks I would imagine, but at least it would deliver a platform from which to try and grow from...

Chris Louis is clearly ahead of the game, and is the brightest, most forward thinking, promoter out there... Interesting that, in the main, the tracks that are run as "proper businesses" (that pay your mortgage), seem to be more successful than those which are ran by well meaning enthusiasts, who seem happy to use the sport as their own expensive recreational hobby...

When Ipswich made the decision to drop down from Div 1 nto Div 2 (and stay there for many years), did they not start and finish at a certain time? Or, was the reality not enough had an interest in going, hence the decision to drop?...

And jeopardy and consequence to the results... Plus enormous rewards... Plus plenty of away fans to create tribal atmosphere.. Plus credibility in team selection.. Plus. Plus. Plus etc etc etc...

I 100% agree... However, that last paragraph is the one that they simply cannot deliver, given what has been allowed to take place over the past few decades has left them with far too many issues to fix... What we have had for the past many years is pretty much all they can deliver. And has inevitably led them to the current challenges they face... As you surely wouldn't run the sport the way they do by choice would you? Guestfests are now part and parcel of the UK version of the sport, so, just ride on the best nights for your business, and if fhere is a clash with Poland or Sweden then just use the same guest system as they do now... The sport is pretty much in "survival mode" rather than being in "progress mode", so anything that can get just an extra 100 per week to attend, could be the ultimate difference to keeping some tracks going..

I would say there are quite possibly as many "passionate followers" of the sport who don't attend regularly in the UK, as there are who do... "Don't moan if it closes then" is the oft used comment from those die hards who go to every meeting... And, even some Promoters have been quoted uttering the same thing... But, as you, (and many thousands of fans who have lost their tracks), show, you can very quickly just shrug your shoulders and get on with life... When any business closes, it certainly isn't the customers' fault... And if a business closes after receiving years of good, honest, constructive feedback from an ever more frustrated customer base, but does nothing with this feedback, then it probably deserves to go...

"Stars" who don't seem to be able to get too many to come out to watch them on Monday's or Thursday's, at most tracks who run on those days... But do seem to get a "lot of money" for doing something with such a small audience present...

What time's the meat raffle???

My point exactly... The following is there... The relevance and jeopardy of the competition to get them to attend, unfortunately isn't... Especially on a Monday, (apart from Bank Holiday ones obviously).. Edit Re "needing more loyal fans".... The Aces have at least always had enough of them to maintain top tier racing since its very existence. Unlike a fair few others whose fans were not so loyal... Some, after dropping down, even languishing in the second tier for a good many seasons...

The thing is.... There is a "decent" following for it.... Much greater than the "average" attendance at each track... As is proved each Bank Holiday and during the Play Offs... (And the PCMM also at the NSS).. If the sport could deliver those sizes of crowd levels each meeting during the season, the sport would be in considerably better health.... They just need to find a way of doing it... Getting those who follow the sport closely, but attend infrequently, is a huge market and opportunity to capture and re-engage... The Lakeside example didn't work because it was a one off grand gesture, and you don't win lifetime loyalty using such techniques... Glasgow show that getting people to attend several times before having to pay is a mechanic that does work, as they will have started to buy into the sport, and maybe developed some emotional attachment to the team.... If you invest in a "loss leader" you need to have clear follow up plans to ensure those who have taken advantage of it, return often... Getting the many who still follow the sport but don't attend often, to attend more frequently, would be a lot easier to do than attract the same number of "newbies"...

Excellenf Post.... The modern world... And it doesn't have to cost much to get tremendous cut through if you use the modern digital platforms to regularly "bombard" those who get sent down the algorithmic "rabbit hole" to your "TV channel"... Just. Target your market... And saturate it with "content"... Just 30,000 per week extra out of a population of 80m, plenty of whom living less than 45 mins from a track, would deliver triple digit percentage growth... And, small numbers they may be, but, given the low starting base, in "real terms", these nunbers could transform the sport overnight... But it needs to be coordinated, nationally... Clubs giving stickers out from the foyer of a local supermarket is fine, but the whole sport needs to get itself recognised, as that will generate much larger, quicker results... Promoters collectively spend literally a seven figure sum on riders each season... Yet plenty of people living within a mile of some tracks won't even know the sport, never mind the track, exists... Maybe cutting that rider outlay back by say 15% and, instead, giving this cash to an experienced, professional marketing and advertising agency, who use modern day techniques, and have evidence of success in this field, would deliver much bigger crowds than any GP rider appearing at any UK track would..? Plenty can (and already should), have been done, given the clear and obvious results have shown the folly of doing the same thing over and over again... Staying insular in their own Speedway Bubble Echo Chamber won't help the sport grow, as has been proven, therefore, let's hope they are actively trying to bring in some quality people from outside the sport to drive their brand forward.... We take the p**s on here by saying each year that this is the most important AGM ever, ever, ever, etc, etc... But this year, it genuinely is probably true.. Let's hope those in charge can deliver the sport in a way that allows it to achieve the undoubted potential of its "raw materials"...

Cash only... #cough.....

To be fair.... It was the Oxford promotion's quotes.. So. I presume. They would have had a "modicum" of "inside information" as to why they quit the top tier...

It is available at all good newsagents.... And supermarkets... And on line... And by subscription...

In last weeks Speedway Star the Oxford promotion explained why they have ditched the top tier...

Watching the Colts is akin to me watching United's U19 Academy team... And I wouldn't pay £15 to watch them... If you could get in for £15 to watch the Aces, with kids in for free, then you may have half a chance... Or maybe not...

But the fans obviously couldn't afford it as they didn't turn up in sufficient numbers.. So the promoters couldn't afford it... Hence Oxford pulled their top tier team....