mikebv

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.....

Could you get 600 fans to put £10 a week in?.. £10 a week for 28 weeks (March to September), would mean a total for £168k.. On the Eastbourne section of the Speedway Star this week £150k is mentioned as possibly "enough" to run Speedway there by a prospective promoter.. Let all in the "600 Club" in for nothing and charge everyone else who attends the going rate.. 20 matches at £280 per person (£10 x 28 weeks), means each match would be just £14 per person... And you would expect all 600 to attend most weeks given they are already paying/paid so the atmosphere at the track would be decent each week, even if no one else goes... Possibly you would get sponsors buying a "few slots" if needed..? Or they could still just sponsor the club with one off payments if you can get 600 fans who want to have shares in a club... A club that will effectively ran by the fans under the leadership of elected individuals.. You could even do a weekly draw for £100 or so for those who pay in.. Maybe having such a "guaranteed income" could then persuade someone with deeper pockets to take on the reins and the teams strength would be of a decent level.. It seems very sad if such a unique sport, virtually in the centre of such a huge conurbation, couldnt find just 600 people to invest in it... And, as the final meetings showed last year, there are still a fair few fans out there who follow the club.. Could someone engage them to collectively save the club...?

Kelvin did mention how deep the outside was before the meeting using his "dirtometer" and how on bends three and four in particular it can "pull you in" at Owlerton.. The dirt line certainly moved out and the racing certainly benefited off the back of it.. A very fine line between safety and entertainment in Speedway.. Which is probably why it can be so great to watch..

Poland seem to be able to... 2 minutes, tapes up, gone, (or out).. One thing noticeable about last night was how quick RR can be actioned when the rider has two on the run.. Poland do it every week like this and dont need a curfew to make it happen like last night did.. 2 minutes, tapes up, gone, (or out).. No "extra time for two on the trot" like we have over here... You want to "garden" in Poland then you had better get there early, because.. 2 minutes, tapes up, gone, (or out).. And they all set off in a straight line in Poland with the front wheel within a couple of inches of the tapes.. Not firing off at all angles after first rolling back when the start marshall walks away.. They do then seem to have a lot less "first bend incidents" off the back of it..

Could wear "Half n Half" kevlars like those scarves some buy at football matches.. It would keep the scores close too, with him drawing every heat he rides in with himself ....

Really enjoyed that tonight.. So much so, I am actually thinking of getting an inflatable air fence now.. Looks like loads of fun to be had putting it back together, and there was lots of handy tips tonight on how best to do it.. I will need 12 or so neighbours to come around, fold their arms, talk amongst themselves, and watch me repairing it to get the full value of my purchase obviously, but I am sure it will give me hours of fun.. The only disappointment tonight for me was the amount of racing that kept breaking out between the air fence repairs.. Maybe they should give the racing their own programme and leave us air fence followers the chance to watch our programmes without interruption? Edit.. For those of you on here complaining about those doing the air fence repairs I would ask you just this... Have you ever air fence repaired for our entertainment? No? Thought not... Maybe you should try it and then see what risks these air fence repairer's take.. British Speedway..

As some self employed people found out during Covid... If you had maybe been somewhat "economical with the truth" in previous years, re your income, then you didnt get the support package that others got... My mobile barber and my window cleaner both felt somewhat "hard done to" shall we say when they recieved their support, however given both earned less than £11k per annum it wasnt surprising.. (Earned less than £11k according to their tax returns..)... I did ask both if they were now going to get one of those card reader things for simplicity in doing their tax returns as we move to a cashless society, and both replied in a similar fashion.. "Am I f%*k!).. (or something like that).. I think any business that was "cash only" will be finding out what an impact to their business having an electronic footprint of your actual income can have... NB. And re "little auditing", the HMRC go where they can make the most money and optimise this by using the minimum amount of resource pool at their disposal, to achieve the maximum gain, (low hanging fruit I believe is an apt description), and will often start to scrutinise much closer, those businesses who have similar operating models to ones that they find have had some "issues" exposed...

Wasn't their break even number 1000 fans a week? To have even considered it achievable in Birmingham was a staggering thought... Some clubs are just NDL or nothing... And they are the clubs who want to ride "full time pro speedway" but cannot afford to fill their teams with Div 1 HL's and Second Strings... Unfortunately for these clubs who struggle at Div 2 level, a successfully ran NDL got changed to help the 2nd Division.... When Speedway becomes a well paid "other job" or hobby again (like it used to for the majority of riders), then it will have a chance... Paying riders enough for them to not work six months of the year, and to also pay them enough to fund their own personal individual ambitions, can never, ever be workable or cost affective in a sport followed by so few...

Spot on Death by a thousand self inflicted cuts...

The issue is exactly as you describe... The "leadership" isn't either independent or dispassionate.... Even if large companies ever decided to sponsor Speedway, who negotiates? You can only imagine that whoever gets the job will have to shuttle back and too throughout the talks as they get commitment and agreement from others who will have wide and varied different agendas from one to another. .. Ultimately we are at a point that doubling up is pretty much a given ongoing as riders will be used to two jobs' worth of income, with 50 to 60 meetings being what they expect/need, to earn the amount of cash that they see as acceptable. ..

The riders.... Two jobs and loads of guesting... Kerching....

I'll cross 'em over, you nod 'em in..

Hugely, of course.... So build the infrastructure of the sport around that but keep it within a framework that delivers a credible offering... If that is team racing then great... If it isn't team racing then also great... When (if) GB truly becomes a consistent force once more in the sport, it will start to get some wider recognition outside of a few mentions now and again in the mainstream press... And hopefully, by then, (if it still exists), Team Speedway in the UK will have an operating model which will stand up to scrutiny and live off the back of the National Team's, and individual GB riders' success on the international stage... Like it did through the 70's and early 80's.... In this example, having one rider riding for three teams, and getting injured for just one week, would mean three teams looking for guests and several meetings that week, depending on how many fixtures he was due to race in, (could be seven!), becoming somewhat contrived.. And, unfortunately, that won't get any cut through with the wider media, nor bring back the tens of thousands who still follow the sport closely but don't attend UK domestic Speedway...

And if they get injured it means three matches need guests to replace them which helps the sport tremendously...

Hope the lad is ok.. Awful crash...

Has Bomber got a pair of football boots?

And he also said when talking about Cardiff that Tai was someone who "knows what it takes to win there"... Tai's GP victories at Cardiff? Nil..... What is Sam doing on Saturday nights..?

He does seen appreciably faster than so many, hence he uses this speed to drive under his opponents in a straight line going into a bend and scrubs his speed off by locking up and riding his opponents up the track deep into the turn... Tried it with Vaculik in the final but he had the balls to cut off his run by coming across him hence Zmarzlik came off the throttle, straightened up, drifted across the bend and lost ground... So many must know by now his M.O. surely? If he beats you, (and he definitely may well do anyway), at least make him work for it and go around you, not give him the lower run down a straight to "block pass" you and ruin your own race at the same time... In other earth shattering breaking news... You can pass up the inside at Monmore Green coming out of turn 2.. Karlsson's Corridor it is called...

Once again a rider just let's Zmarzlik have a free run up the inside on the back straight of a race... Memo to every one... Whisper it.... Zmarzlik will fly up the inside of you down the back straight into turn three...

Not white Dan....

Woffy certainly given him plenty of support, machinery and mechanic wise... So must have been so pleased to see him blast past him and take that point off him that stopped him from qualifying for the semi ....

Dan reminds me of a young Tai Woffinden. ..

Anders Michanek. ....