mikebv

Unlucky Kings Lynn... So close to the play offs again...

Not paying his electric bill? I remember one night at Kirky Lane v Coventry when Colin Pratt and several of his riders complained about the track being "too heavy' which ended up with a track inspection and work done on it, which seemed to be lasting forever. Pratt and a few of his riders were on bend one, pointing out various issues to the track team as they made changes, and whilst pointing this out, John Perrin emerged from the adjacent pits with a bucket full of shale, and presented it to Pratt.. When interviewed by the centre green presenter Perrin told him that he had told Pratt that he could take it back to Coventry with him to use on his track, given his track didnt ever have any shale on it... In an interview with the Speedway Star the week after, Pratt got asked what his response was... He said that he told Perrin that he would never tell him how many onions to put on the burgers that John sold from his many burger vans, so Perrin shouldn't tell him how to prepare a Speedway track...

Not sure Gorzow's issue... There always has been different payments to run a GP event.. The bigger venues always had more to pay due to the obvious fact that they had more seats to make, (if they could sell these seats), more money for themselves.. More restricted venues therefore pay less to host the event... The NSS, it has been said, needs two nights to make it viable, presuming therefore, that they pay more to host it, than the income possible from just one GP... Some venues, eg Cardiff, were ran by the GP owners themselves given 40,000 paying circa £35 to £40 on average, made them plenty of profit .. Hence they bailed out when 20,000 and less became the numbers..

Dont waste your time mate.... The last time I went to see him I asked for a real 12ft Dragon, one that flew as high as the clouds, and could breatlhe fire... He told me that there were certain things that even Father Christmas couldn't promise to deliver so, just in case he couldn't get me a real, flying, fire breathing Dragon, he asked me what my second wish was... So I asked him if he could make UK Speedway affordable, popular, exciting, ran with integrity and credibility and relevant as a sport in the 21st Century... He pondered this for a while, looked away, and thought intensely for a few moments, then looked me straight in the eye and said... "What colour would you like that Dragon lad?"...

I, personally, cannot wait for one league... Loads of new tracks to visit, several weekends away... My concern is we end up with two leagues of Mickey Mouse, contrived, same old/same old, bollox.. Like we have had for 20 Years and more... What an opportunity for the sport to reset itself, relaunch itself, and make a UK Speedway Brand...

I would if the play off four weren't set in stone by the end of March...... Your promoter has thrown his toys right out of the pram by the looks of things.. I had huge respect for him but he has shown he is as inward looking as the rest of them, when I had high hopes for him to lead the sport... Cometh the hour. Cometh the man... He, seemingly, has "ran off".... Which. Is a huge shame for the sport, given that Chris was genuinely one of the few who could see the potential of it, if it could be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st Century... A sad loss...

Just put some Popcorn in the Microwave mate...

A K-Tel Hits of the 70's Album?

From Edinburgh/Glasgow, down to Poole/Plymouth, the league would cover a fair few conurbations, with several million people living in them, and look like it fully covered the country, pretty much from top to bottom.. "Northern Tours" for all last seasons Premiership teams' fans on Friday and Saturday may even get coaches and hotels booked and "supporter's clubs" could maybe rear their head again... Sheffield on a Thursday, the NSS on a Friday and "further up north" on Saturday would give the more southern based clubs' fans, even more of a "Northern Tour".. With the clubs in the further north all riding Friday and Saturday it would be perfect in getting a fair few away fans there from teams who haven't even been there in some cases, and not been there for a good while in others... Who knows, maybe clubs could package special offer reduced price deals to the away fans to encourage their attendance..? Ipswich on a Thursday and maybe KIngs Lynn on a Friday could also deliver some "East Anglian Tours"... Sheffield/Scunthorpe on Thursday and Friday could also get some away fan traction... And there will be many other "mixing" which could take place to "get an away crowd" there... There would be a big novelty factor which should be rode to the max, until it came to its inevitable end.. By which time, you would hope that the sport was on a clear upturn and big momentum was in place to keep it growing...

"I say. First Officer".... "Move around those deck chairs will you, there's a good chap".....

That's why I didn't use that... This is very different...

If there are more than 70 riders want to ride over here then it is very doable... Depending on capability levels, you might be required to set up the heats formula so those with similar levels of capability race against each other more often.. Similar to what they did a few years ago when the HL's met more often during the meeting.. And five rider teams, 14 heats, will ensure plenty of rides for those who still wish to be "full time".. A New Dawn.....

I cannot understand why he would bluff... What's to be gained? A seven team Premiership last year was crap with four teams a shoe in for the Play Offs from before a wheel was turned... A six team Premiership team this year will be even more crap... Anyone channel hopping whilst watching on TV last year would see the league table and think there was just seven teams in the UK.. And if they get a TV deal for next season, just six teams was deemed acceptable... Dreadful optics to put out to anyone watching.. At least with a 14 team league table the channel hoppers may notice their own town mentioned, or maybe a town nearby, and, for the first time, find out a Speedway Team exists near to them.. And a 14 team league table makes the sport look like it's "National", not a tiny entity ran in just six or seven places..

A strange hill to die on for Louis... And Lemon too, if he decides that the Aces won't ride in what will still be, the top tier... Strange... I can only think it is a sponsorship "thing" maybe? Anyhow... Too much doom and gloom on here... So, to redress the issue,... We usually have to wait till, at least, around the end of May, (sometimes even stretched to the first week of June), to know which teams will be in the Premiership Play Offs... But. As it currently stands, we will know who has qualified next season from March!!!! Something to sell to your sponsors.... See. Positive News.....

Let's hope he comes out with the reasons and maybe it can help shape the future...

Run on a Friday or Saturday... Easily, considerably more than 500 there on those nights ..

It is quite baffling isn't it? Millions shelled out over the past 20 years, as a collective... Non stop, year on year... And all to deliver what we have now? Quite incredible... Not for one single moment it appears did anyone within the ruling body think.. "You know what, I don't think that this is working"... Yet. Thousands and thousands of fans of the sport, by their lack of regular attendance, and social media comments, were clearly telling them that... Millions spent collectively to try and win something that they then choose to destroy the credibility of... I can only describe it as being akin to 14 bald men paying six figures every single year to enter an annual lottery... Where the first prize is a comb!!! A quite amazing two decades or so...

Hey. As it stands Kings Lynn are in the play offs...😄

But keep those oh so popular Monday and Thursday nights.. Where would the entertainment industry be without those two key nights?

For me... Pretend no one knows about the sport... (Won't be too difficult).. And launch it as if were brand new... Build a profile for it, make it a brand, get its name out into YouTube etc, with 10 mins behind fhe scenes vlogs, focus on making riders the personalities of the sport, share all merchandise costs and profits using a generic look but with each individual club having their insignia on their version of the merchandise.... Employ people who can influence and hype up the sport to a younger demographic, make websites look like they were designed today not when the internet was invented, use an interactive UK Speedway App, with clubs having their own individual interactive versions... Stop being so insular, staying sat within a "Speedway Bubble Echo Chamber" and instead open yourself up and bring in people much younger from outside the sport (if the skill set doesnt exist within it already), who can bring fresh ideas that white, middle aged men wouldn't even consider... Put the fans' "match night experience" front, back and centre of everything you do... In short. Look at what successful sports do and use as many of their ideas as is possible to help grow Speedway.. But, most of all, run it on the bloody nights that your fans find are the best ones for them to attend with their kids!!! And also find a way to get a fair few dozen away fans in attendance to add some bloody atmosphere!!!

Ipswich as a town only has it's football team (who don't win much), but have recently discovered a new sport called "Boxing" I beleive!. They don't have top level Rugby Union or League teams on their doorstep... They don't have top level Basketball or Ice Hockey teams on their doorstep.. They don't have a top level County Cricket team on their doorstep... They are not in a major conurbation surrounded by towns with Football Teams who can deliver five figure crowds each game... Therefore, Ipswich Speedway has a real opportunity to keep going I would think, as their population will see it as being 2nd to Ipswich Town I would imagine.. Missing Chris Louis will be a blow but the crowd numbers and excellent sponsors will be a huge legacy he leaves... It would be a shame if they don't come to the tapes next year...

And when the GP's started to impact the UK version of the sport... And when Poland started to impact the UK version of the sport.. "No! No! No! I want expensive GP riders who won't make much difference, if any, to my crowds, as I will have to run on Mondays and Thursday, but will mean I need to keep doing inflation busting price increases"... A brilliant plan...

Reset and Relaunch.... Invest the money saved on "top stars" and employ a marketing company to nationally promote the sport... I would be amazed if 95% of the 80m population have ever heard of any GP rider... Run on nights you get your best crowds.. In short... Learn from your mistakes that has led you here, and start the sport again!!!

Lack of any dynamic Leadership.. Lack of any short, medium and long term plan.. Lack of any clear vision and strategy around operating model, business plan and national marketing.. Incredibly well meaning people willing to put literally millions in to the sport they love, each year for decades... But without the skill set to properly run a professional sport.... Nor the will to pay "someone" from outside the "Speedway Bubble" who just maybe have could...

The slow death started about two decades ago.. When the GP's became the priority for those riders, it should have been reset radically, with at least 3 ring fenced places per team, every team, for UK riders... And when Poland took over it should have been reset radically., with at least 3 ring fenced places per team, every team, for UK riders... And when the Pandemic ended, it should have been reset radically with etc etc etc...