mikebv

How to attract a younger generation? If you own your own track and the concessions, then let them in for nothing... Most kids when they become teenagers (all of a sudden) don't want to go out with their parents or grand parents so advertise free entry for all in secondary schools, colleges and universities.. Maybe even have an 'app' or one of those QR codes or something for them to download (or whatever it is they do).. The more forward thinking promotions may also get some links with schools and colleges around engine maintenance for aspiring mechanics to learn about and do some hands on experience etc. But let's crawl before running... They all hunt in groups so let them all in surrounded by mates, and sit back and wait for the income from the burgers, pop, snacks and chocolate... Older students can drink something stronger and more expensive. Student loans do burn a very quick hole in their pockets.. Even if you don't own the track and receive no money from the concessions, let them in for nothing anyway.. There are hardly any teenagers at most tracks so there won't be much loss, so therefore hardly anything to lose, and parents who don't have to fork out £8 or so for their teenager each meeting may also attend more often themselves due to the value for money this provides... A whole generation is basically being by passed with zero knowledge of the sport... Something radical is needed to change it or who will take the places of the ageing current fan base?

Really? When did it start becoming a serious sport? (In Britain)... Lets be honest, what's another bit of contrived bollox going to do adversely to the sport that all the other contrived bollox doesn't already do? Swapping guest riders in a Grand Final anyone?

Don't spoil it.. I am 51 and feel like a spring chicken when I attend a speedway meeting... Not many places in life that I attend where I am in the youngest half.. (Or maybe even quarter?)...

With many fixture clashes, and guests needed, due to riders riding for several teams around Europe and domestically.. An amazing plan... Signing employees who dictate to you, the business owner, when you can and can't open your doors to your customers..? It will never work as a successful business operating model, because quite simply it cannot.. Yet, year in, year out, this is the model they use... No surprise really then that the sport in the UK is where it currently is... As everyone knows... Keep doing the same thing and you will keep delivering the same results...

Interesting point you make re 'emotional attachment'.. For me that no longer applies to team Speedway (in Britain not everywhere) and is a large reason why fans have dropped off... Meeting after meeting with guest after guest has unfortunately completely eroded the credibility of the domestic comps, and ensures media coverage is (and always will be with the current structure), minimal at best... Without that emotional attachment sadly team Speedway doesn't resonate with enough people to (it appears in many places), be successful.. A shame, because 'a night out at the Speedway' can still deliver great entertainment, drama, excitement and value for money.. As Cardiff for me will no doubt deliver again this year..

Costs me a tenner for me and my 15 year old lad to sit in the 'posh seats' watching the Colts at the NSS It would cost me more than £30 to do the same to watch the Aces.. Went several times last year to watch the Colts, didn't bother with the Aces... Both the Aces and Colts will have plenty of meetings with 'random septets' on view, (so it doesn't really matter who wins or loses), so you might as well get your Speedway fix for a lot less than you pay for the Premiership.. And you get some great racing at the NSS in the NDL..

With the parking restrictions outside it could be a reasonable earner..

In my lifetime.. Mauger Hamill Jason Crump Chris Morton Peter Collins Zagar Shawn Moran

I wouldn't necessarily say Tai is the best British rider ever... But I'd definitely put him in the Top One... (Apologies to Brian Clough)...

I remember at the 'dog bowl' the houses adjacent to the back straight had a completely unrestricted view from their bathroom windows overlooking the track when 'The Chieftain Stand' was demolished.... No one ever watched.... A 'proper business' would be engaging with their new neighbours and giving out special offers, eg a few meetings free to try it, reduced price tickets ongoing, organising meet and greet open days pre season exclusively for them etc.. Must be a couple of thousand people now within walking distance, and the demographic of house buyers in those size houses suggest young (ish) professionals with plenty of kids in tow... Speedway's much needed target audience... (Obviously still having a track to run on would be a distinct advantage in attracting them).

Lots of houses means lots of potential fans... Potential customers literally being brought to your door step.. (Or Swindon being brought to their doorstep as the case maybe?) What an opportunity to grow your business.... There will be no issues with these locals not knowing what Speedway is...

I would think you are right re the crowd levels at the three tracks.. I reckon Buster will have factored it in too when putting his plans for the three together.. Posh and Ippo up by a collective 300 - 400 or so and KL level or slightly down... Net result? A nice plus.... My team get around 1200 - 1400 and should they not do as well as previous years will still get 1100 or so as a minimum I would say... The sport is very much down to its die hard following at most tracks, if not all, so I would think promoters have some confidence in putting together a team knowing they won't drop too many fans during the season. Likewise, they also know that putting together a 'winning team' often won't generate enough extra fans to pay for the increased points money getting paid out.. I am sure Buster won't get his fingers burnt...

To be fair to Buster with three teams to run I would imagine he is looking at all three from the overall generic business perspective.. With all three having very different agendas.. Both Peterborough and Ipswich will I am sure get a bit of 'top league bounce' and bring in a few fans who maybe have stopped going.. Two or three hundred of them at each track and the picture will look reasonable I would think... Peterborough have often seemed to be a team that when doing well can attract decent crowds but when doing poorly seem to lose a high proportion of their fan base. Hence putting together a 'good team' makes sense.... Ipswich will hopefully get that 'bounce' and it is a track that has always seemed to hold onto a 'decent following' regardless of which division they are in or who rides for them, hence it makes sense not to go overboard with recruitment.. And as for Kings Lynn, they too seem to have a reasonable 'die hard' following regardless of where they finish in the league therefore, again, it doesn't make financial sense to spend big money on riders. Especially given he will have (at least) four local derbies to help bring fans in. (And 12 local derbies as a minimum in total).. And dont the stox help fund the Speedway? Therefore Buster doesn't need to fork out unnecessary money to make the stadium pay... Lets be honest, there is no kudos in winning any of the domestic speedway titles given the ridiculous rules and the way the sport is ran, so it makes complete sense to run all three clubs with the sole aim of at least keeping them solvent or possibly even turning a few quid profit...

The riders had to get off their bikes at then end of the home straight and push them round turns one and two..

Correct.. The operating and business model they run is simply not fit for purpose.. Running any business where your employees dictate to you when you can open your doors due to their need to work for many other employers can never work.. And just to throw some salt onto that particular wound, your competitors can also decide when you can open your doors if they think your opening hours effect their own business.. Utterly crackers... No one can sort that out....

Does every team have a 'supporters club'? I think it was only last year that the Aces put one together after many years of nothing... Maybe that is the issue? ie No 'supporters club' exists so no one is being nominated?

Plus this year I will see the 'superstars' riding Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Polish League and Tuesday's every week in Sweden.. And then watch them regularly in the GP's too... All in glorious HD from the comfort of my armchair.. No 'mystique' sadly anymore.. You went to watch Collins, Mauger, Olsen, Penhall etc etc when they visited your track, as it could be the only chance you got all season to see them, apart from the Saturday highlights on World Of Sport of the big meetings...

Not just modern days riders... I know of one from well over ten years ago who always tried to end up at 5.99 as he was seen as a 'solid six pointer' in the eyes of the promoters, and "5.99 always sounded as if I could improve it!"... He always started the season well, ran around a seven plus average, reached the point where he paid the bills for his riding for the season, then would get the calculator out as the season drew to an end as "everything else is bunce"... (He had a Full time job too unlike so many today, so any Speedway 'profit' was icing on his cake).. He was never short of a team place so his system worked!! Also he got lots of guest bookings keeping his average where it was, and reckoned some were "very good earners".. About 20 years ago I had a conversation one night late in the season with a Promoter and suggested he might sign a rider who we were watching perform well. The same rider had been quoted that week in the SS as "never wanting the season to end", such was his upturn in form.. The Promoter told me he would never sign any rider based on late season form as he could never be sure if it was actually the fact that rider had improved or that the others he was racing against were lowering their averages for the following season.. If you use such a daft, easily manipulated system, based on so many variables, then you will always have riders using it to their advantage as why do 'too well' one year and miss the next through your 'success'? Far more lucrative to do 'ok' for two seasons than 'do well' for one...

How very dare you... Stockport County have had over 4000 in their place this season, and rarely drop below 3000.. And got over 7000 I think for the play offs last year... Imagine any UK Speedway team getting those crowds...?

Blimey HR, you sound like my Citeh mates explaining why the Emptihad is never full... "Road works outside McVities" is usually the main one... Or. .. "They've changed the traffic light priority fazing on Mount Rd".. Hear what your'e saying mate and I am sure 'start time' and the 'night of running' does lessen the crowd level, but I would say it prevents people from going far less than, as currently, the vast majority of the Mancunian populace not having a clue who The (World Famous) Belle Vue Aces are, and what they do... Stockport County can get 3000 - 4000 on a Tuesday night, six miles away, and we know United and City get tens of thousands any evening they play, so there is a huge appetite for 'live sport' in quite probably the No1 'sporting conurbation' in the country.. It just appears the appetite for Speedway is just not there... Sadly..

I work in Levenshulme, less than 1.5 miles away from the track.. I mention "going to Belle Vue" to my staff and their response to a man/woman is "I love going to the dogs, its a great night".. When I mention that it's to the Speedway, the usual stock answer of so many of "is that still going?" surfaces..... The World Famous BelleVue Aces? Not even famous a stones throw away... You can run on any day of the week you choose, if no one knows who you are, or indeed, what you do, then simply no one will come... The abysmal marketing of the Aces (and the sport in general), is very much linked to the poor crowds 'enjoyed'... As for congestion? Well the Aces certainly seem to do their bit to ease it.. Never any congestion around Kirky Lane around 7.15pm on Monday and Wednesday's.

Kids are simply not interested in Speedway because they have far more things nowadays to keep them interested and get their 'kicks'.. And, just maybe, what we considered 'exciting and adrenalin fuelled' is to the average teenager (who goes on 'killing sprees' and 'saves the world' from the comfort of their bedrooms every night), not anywhere near as exciting or adrenalin fuelled to them.... What does amaze me is why clubs charge school age teenagers to get in.. They don't go now so it would be zero loss letting them in for nothing, and you would at least (for those who own the food outlets) sell more Coke and Burgers. Teenagers also 'hunt in packs', so getting your teenager to go with you on their own is sometimes akin to removing blood from a stone.. Letting them in for free would mean they and their mates can all attend together to 'hang out', well away from the 'old man'.. Whether any of them transfer to become paying customers further down the line is the big unknown, however one thing is for sure... You will have far more chance of getting them interested later in life if they have sampled the experience several times.. And being 'sheep' the more that attend , the more that will follow.. And if nothing else, it would make the crowds look bigger, which can only reflect the sport positively, and lower the average age of the crowd demographic considerably...

That's very true.. But sadly the very fact that they could help their rival's cause is a huge detriment to the Sports desire to ever being taken seriously as a "proper sport' by the wider mainstream media.. Still, as RG says, they are needed...

Why would anyone who supports another club in the Premiership bet against you? I as a BV fan could agree to your £50 wager then watch (completely broken), as 'my' riders, several times during the season help your team qualify for the Play Offs (at their own teams' expense), by guesting for you...

Spot on.. A shortage of riders? Then create less team places.. It isn't difficult to change supply and demand dynamics.. I would have gone as far as running with five man teams for this year to turn the 'tanker' around, and try and get 12 teams involved.. Home and Away twice (44 matches, 22 at Home).. At a Championship level standard (from last year)) but removing one heat leader and one second string from last seasons teams.. With One reserve, at least, a two point Brit 'junior'.. The rest of the teams could have run at NL level.. Plenty of replacements generated for injuries and loss of form, just like 'proper' sports have. (Without rivals sharing competitors)! £5k Max per team per night salary cap... Maybe no superstars but credibility and affordable?