mikebv

An interview with Rafal Dobrucki in this weeks excellent Speedway Star tells you all you need to know about the psyche of those who run Speedway in Poland... "Poland provides the livelihood of the sport" being just one of his comments... "Poland speedway effectively sponsors the entire World Championship" being another... Got to say, the Speedway Star, whilst always being a good read, has really dialled up the levels in the past 12 months or so with it's features....

Fantastic interview with Gerry Facenna in the (ever excellent), Speedway Star... He mentions how successful the "Trust The Fans" mechanic has been in driving up crowds... Many years ago I mentioned to a promoter the very same idea of letting his fans bring someone in for free for three matches to see if they could be enticed to keep attending, with my rationale being "these people are not there now", so "no loss".... Never mind spitting his tea out, he nearly spit his dentures out!!!! His answer was "some will just take the p**s and come in for nothing"... I said that that was obviously a distinct possibility but if you explained it well enough, given the loyalty of Speedway fans, not that many would, and the possible long term rewards far outweighed any short term risk... It didn't happen and his crowds continued to drop....... Nice to see some promoters actually promoting... Best of luck to Glasgow...

They don't spend five figure sums on their "kit".... That is the stumbling block for the sport... And then to recoup that amount (and much more to justify doing this "job"), riders then have to be available seven days a week to travel around Europe and ride, often with minimal notice should a "guest" opportunity suddenly turn up in the UK, or a team spot, or individual meeting invite, abroad.. The promoters pretty much expect the riders to be "fully professional" and then completely undermine this logic, and expectation, by running the sport the way they do... That is to say, running it against all the rudimentary basic principles you would expect from a professional team sport... The sport, in the UK, sadly, has so much now to unpick that it probably never will be able to do it...

And Darts and Snooker.....

What I expect is a post AGM press release, stating... "It was the most harmonious AGM ever"... "The plans for next year, and beyond, are the most exciting ever put together, and were delivered with total collaboration by everyone in attendance".. "All the promoters have come away from the AGM in agreement as to how the sport should move forward, and all share the same vision for it"... "There are challenges, but with the plans put together, we will be able to meet those challenges head on and build a very bright future for Speedway in the UK"... "We have put together a fantastic plan for youth development to build on the magnificent work done over the past few years in particular"... "We are sure the loyal fans of the sport will be delighted with the decisions made, and continue to attend next season in their thousands".... "And hopefully bring a friend" (Sorry, made that one up)... "It was the most harmonious AGM ever.... "(S**t, we've had that one)"

I am sure something similar was written about two decades ago.... Heads unfortunately remained firmly in the sand sadly with the years and years of TV millions simply being squandered on paying top riders to race in front of annually diminishing crowds.... Yet. The same old thing got given "another go" year after year.. Truly amazing....

It at lleast give the promoters 12 months to sort something out... But not sure it changes too much from the current situation as not many Danes or Swedes currently ride over here.. For the "top riders" most who ride here don't ride in Sweden or Denmark so they may stick with the UK...? (If they don't get removed from the UK next year that is!!!)... Is it just Max that rides in Sweden of the GP riders who currently ride over here? The Aussies could also possibly face visa issues to live here if they don't work here.. It will count any Danes out as I believe they must ride in their own league to get a licence, and the Swedes will ride in their own leagues I would think... Most of the Poles and Europeans seem to prefer Sweden now as their alternative league currently, so, for the UK it won't make that much difference I would think... Unless of course the money in Sweden is significantly higher and those who currently do ride over there, here and Poland get their heads turned by it... And that could be a distinct possibility as you will imagine Sweden will be doing everything it can to make their leagues more attractive money wise given it could be a straight choice between the UK and there for many of those mid level riders in particular..

As the saying goes. .. "If it ain't broken, why fix it"....

It ilooks like it will be a ONE year plan at the UK AGM..... (A bit longer than they usually last for though to be fair)...

You can understand if the teams with "top level riders" are reluctant to part with them... Their rents won't drop yet their admission costs will need to, to reflect the significant drop in standard of the riders on view, and crowds wont increase to cover the reduction in admission charge, riders costs may drop but would crowds match the ones delivered with the top riders there? Sponsors also may only want to be involved with the "top riders" and could either pull their money completely or reduce it due to, again, the drop in levels.. So many teams need so many different scenarios... A proper self inflicted cluster eff...

There is no one league that keeps the sport going as both have similar examples of crowd sizes, kudos in winning competitions, and public awareness... Maybe next year we could have a Premiership, but at a reduced level...? Ipswich, for example, could keep Emil (presuming he wants to ride over here), and then release Doyle, Brennan, King and Ellis to spearhead four teams in a much watered down league... You know.... For the good of the sport rather than selfishly looking out for themselves, particularly as they have the financial backing to do that etc, etc, etc... .....

I think five man teams will be inevitable if one league happens... However, maybe they will run with a top tier with 8 teams and a 2nd tier with six? (And maybe get the NDL/NORA teams involved in tier two as well?) With the top tier being obviously Championship level... The riders who need to double up will be the stumbling block I would think, and also the earnings of those who need a certain amount of money to meet visa requirements may also impact their availability... In short. We don't really have a "best idea" given the situation the sport has allowed itself to be in, and all the variables that impact it are almost beyond control it sometimes can appear, but we could find a "least worst" solution to follow... Not great is it?

They have two solutions.. 1. Run a "Super League" with (five or maybe six?) teams at last years tier one level and hope they get some TV coverage. With those teams then running a 2nd team in a league that matches a cross between last years Championship and NDL levels, with rider/average controls in place to share out the HL's. Or 2. No GP or Polish contracted riders at all and just running one league at a Championship/NDL level running on any nights the clubs want to, to maximise crowds, with some kind of average/rider control to share around the HL's... Let's face facts. . Bringing back the GP/Top stars simply hasn't worked across the league, as fans are now able to watch them ride in Sweden on Tuesday, Poland on Friday and Sunday, and in the GP's, Euro Championships, SON, SWC etc virtually every week of the season... With several visits to your own track during the year, any "novelty" has now long gone and their presence simply hasn't added the numbers to the atrendances that was obviously hoped for, and intended, to do.. Ipswich fans may say different, however, when they travelled away "huge crowds" didn't pay to watch Emil and Doyle and even at home in the many POQ "dead rubbers" their crowds, whilst better than anyone elses, were hardly "bumper". Contrast and compare Emil's first season to his last away from home. It became just another Speedway meeting, where, in his first year there was some "box office" to his arrival at your track.. The Aces had some very low crowds with two of the top 3 riders in the world, (being two of the most exciting riders too), riding for them... I would say the lack of jeopardy and repetition of visitors, in so many meetings, keep more fans away than the GP riders can attract, especially as they are only "big names" in a tiny, tiny pond, so hardly anyone outside the small number of followers of the sport, in fhe UK, could even name them.. One league will at least bring some different teams to tracks, which may stimulate some "novelty value" at least.... Granted, it's a low bar, but the current operating model clearly doesn't work...

Too many meetings are ran with zero jeopardy to make them attractive enough to go and watch... Promotion and Relegation would at least bring that jeopardy...

They have done exactly the same thing for decades.. They have no other way of running the sport as they don't have the required skill set, nor employ experts in marketing and sports administration, to move the sport into the 21st century... There is a report on the BBC Sports section about UK Rugby League, where the CEO of the Aussie version (the No1 sport in Aussie and "flying"), talks about the lack of independent direction, lack of TV money investment, and a lack of a clear ten year plan, with the sport being very insular, very self regulating, and forever tinkering around the edges, but without any clear vision and direction... You could actually replace the words "UK Rugby League" with "UK Speedway" and the words "Aussie version" with "Polish Version"..

Let's take one of the best ran clubs and make them completely change their operating model and business plan, and make them follow an operating model and business plan that has shown it clearly isn't fit for purpose, nor sustainable... What a great idea....

I think we have seen how some clubs who are bank rolled using money from a larger company owned by the promoters, can struggle when that company loses business.. You often never know what the next 12 months will bring in business so any "financial projects" you get involved with away from your "core business" have to either break even or deliver non threatening sustainable (and budgeted), losses, and be part of your overall business profit and loss plan... The same riders riding for Glasgow in the 2nd tier will need significantly more money to ride for them in the top tier... And, as we know, the crowds don't usually suddenly "leap" when teams move up... And to watch mainly the same riders, but now at an increased admission price of around five pounds, why would they? So, the question has to be.. Why would Glasgow (or any other 2nd tier track) do it? Especially if no six figure TV deal is in place to help balance the books.. In summary. For any team moving up all they will get is increased costs with pretty much zero positive impact to their attendance, in fact, having to change race nights they could actually reduce their attendances.. The fans will watch around 50% to 70% of exactly the same riders but now at an increased admission of high double digit percentages, and get to watch it on nights that they don't currently attend.... And, ultimately the winner of either league will pretty much recieve as much publicity and financial reward as the other... Not a great incentive is it?

The whole UK Speedway concept is "Donald Ducked".. Promoters want riders to spend ridiculous amounts on machinery so they have a chance to win competitions.. Competition's that they then so undermine with their very own ludicrous operating model, that hardly anyone outside such a small following even notices, and no major sponsor will get involved with, hence no major financial reward is forthcoming... With the riders, who have shelled out thousands and thousands of pounds on kit, now expecting (quite fairly), to get not only reimbursed but actually getting paid enough to be the full time professionals that the promoters expect them to be.. We have long said on here, it truly has been a year on year, vicious circle, race to the bottom... It looks like that race has finally reached its inevitable location,...

"Close it if it didn't work for them"? A perfect example of why the sport is where it is... And all to try an win something hardly anyone gives a toss about, with hardly any financial return, and all simply down to the way they themselves as a collective run things.. I remember Jon Cook (who seemed switched on), in an interview with the SS, when on the MC, saying he dreaded the phone call asking for a decision on a guest rider that may, or may not, have been allowed in some meeting.. As once, a promoter called him and said he would not run the meeting and close the track if he didn't get his way... Basically, too many promoters have seemed to have the following attitude... "If I can't have what I want, I am taking my bat and ball home with me and you all then cannot play".. They need to work collectively and ensure all come to the tapes as even as is possible, given no one is going to get "rich" by winning any UK Speedway league, nor are they going to get any national recognition... Looking "insular" is no longer an option I would suggest, and everyone needs to work together to get the sport out of its current "steeply" downwards trajectory...

Ultimately though... They prop up each other... If no top tier existed then the Championship teams would need to lay out more to cover the shortfall to the riders who are no longer riding in two leagues.. And it would need to be a fair few quid too...

I have always thought it strange that anyone still at school isn't allowed in for free... The Aces (I think), let U12's in for free on the back straight, which is a good idea... However, just as they become more interested and nuanced in the sport the person who takes them now has to pay for them... Just at a time too when they start going out with their mates, and going somewhere (by yourself), that your Dad and Grandad attends suddenly becomes "very uncool".. Let all school kids in for free, let them bring their mates for free, and let them "sod off" by themselves if they so wish... Some will never become "paying punters" but some will, and some of those will be "mates" who never attended Speedway, until their mate who did, took them.. These "teens" are not there now in any numbers worth a mention, so let them in for nothing as you have nothing to lose, but maybe something longer term to gain... It is barmy that at somewhere like the NSS (particularly on TV), swathes of seats and terracing lie empty when thousands of kids attend local schools and play in local sports leagues... One of the positives of internet purchasing is that you gauge well in advance as to what your ticket sales will be like on the night, as the "walk up and pay on the gate people" will have an average number too... Therefore if your capacity is 2000 more than you expect to turn up, flood the local schools, kids groups, sports teams etc etc with free tickets... They, and their parents/guardians, will not be turning up to pay anyway, so nothing to lose... And if the odd few parents, who do actually attend, get a free ticket then its a small price to pay to give the optics out that you are a "popular sport"... People are very much sheeplike and get easily led by seeing a "big crowd", and just automatically latch on to it, and follow it.... The opposite also is true, ie. If it looks unpopular, it must be unpopular, and something I won't be interested in following...

They would need three rider teams if all those came back...

None.... They always only last 3 months....

Spot on... "Let's find another way to fudge through another season"... Without the TV six figure sum per team, you cannot see how the GP lads can be afforded anyway... Even if presently a significant part of their salaries is paid by sponsors, the TV money then paid for either rent and other meeting costs, or assisted towards the salaries of other riders.. That £100k leaves a huge black hole to be filled if no TV deal bears fruition...

The Royal Mail got fined (again) last week for failing to meet delivery targets... They have, (once again), asked for the targets to be lowered.... They are useless...