mikebv

Spot on.... Watch any of the PDC darts streams from the 'floor tournaments' that take place almost weekly around the country as qualifiers for other TV tournaments. Many have no commentary at all.... Many are played in sports halls in front of 'one man and his dog' and sometimes played out in front of no public whatsoever. If a stream has any commentary it is often just someone detailing the scores.. It can very often be therefore mind numbingly dull, with the only sound heard being the match score announcer and the 'thud' of a dart going into the board. There's no way on earth watching that would get you 'into the darts'... Then equate that to watching darts on Sky and ITV... The SAME 'sport'. The SAME players, MVG, Anderson, Cross, Wright, Lewis, Wade etc etc have to play these 'floor tournaments' but its millions and millions of miles away from exactly the same thing played out on a Thursday night in the PL, in front of huge 10,000 crowds with commentators shouting out loudly what's happening above the ear splitting crowd noise. .. Tatum and Pearson bring their passion to the Sport, and as it's a high adrenaline, high octane Sport, there is nothing wrong with trying to impart how exciting it can actually be to a (often ignorant of Speedway) watching nation.. More power to their elbows (and vocal chords)...

Mmmmmmm.... Atmosphere at a high octane, adrenaline fuelled sporting event? No doubt infused by fans' noise and engagement to what they are watching? Now that there is a 'novel' idea..... Wonder if it will ever catch on? Who knows, if it does, maybe some fans would go back the next time to sample some more of the same?.... Nah... What am I thinking?....

WOW!!! Just WOW!!! Form an orderly queue Kings Lynn fans and get there early for the first meeting... If this doesn't pack em in, then nothing will...! Can anyone beat this though? Surely there must be some on here who could even eclipse this stupendous effort.. WOW!!! (again)

That's the reality of the situation and the fundamental issue the Sport faces.. If you attended the NSS for your first meeting, and Cardiff for your second, you would find watching racing at the NSS is a million miles better than the racing at Cardiff, yet watching the 'greatest race ever' at the NSS with around 1000 others, will not generate anything like the same passion, emotion and atmosphere that a Craig Cook 'mundane' tapes to tapes victory at Cardiff would bring with 40,000 alongside you... As Workington have tried and proved, there simply isn't the take up for the Sport at its 'normal' current admission costs, so sadly you will never deliver those 'big crowds' anymore.. And, as it would seem, these admission costs won't come down anytime in the near future, then the simple truth is that there is no way forward for the Sport in its current guise in this Country.... Which is a shame as it can be a fantastic nights entertainment (When done well, with credibility)...

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss... You will get fooled again...

To be fair to the Promoters, not really sure of what benefits there are to any individual club getting their name out there at a Speedway GP in Cardiff... The event by definition is attended by (in the main) Speedway fans only, who no doubt can name every club in the land and what nights they race on... Having any representation there by a club would simply be preaching to the converted.. The event itself is successful I would suggest due to many 'lapsed' Speedway fans attending and others like myself who miss plenty of domestic meetings due to their lack of credibility and use the money saved to enjoy a weekend at a 'proper' sporting event... The vast majority of fans who attend Cardiff know what is served up at their local tracks each week... Hence domestic Speedways attendances....

Always wondered why riders don't stand together more when payment isn't forthcoming.. No riders, no Speedway meeting...! Didn't Captains once have to sign something to say that all money was paid and up to date..? Sadly, you sometimes think that some riders would jump at the chance of taking a guest booking to replace another who takes a (ludicrously unfair) 28 day ban for "withholding his services" rather than standing as a collective to get a fair deal..

Spot on... What so many promoters over the past twenty years or so have failed to grasp is how important that 'emotional attachment' to your team actually is... The riders mentioned (and many more) helped engender that loyalty bond between fan and 'their' team.. Nowadays two random, cobbled together septets riding under a couple of 'flags of convenience' masquerading as body colours, simply can never engender that loyalty... Running a team sport with such a concept and expecting enough of a fan base to buy into it to make it successful is frankly ludicrous in the extreme... Oh for Wilkie and others of his like today...

My first 'hero' as a seven year old in 74..... A true leader, fearless, and someone who showed clearly his feelings for the team rather than the individual... His book is a testimony to his humility and resilience. No self pity for him, and no regrets.. He comes across in his book as someone who feels blessed to have enjoyed the career he did and for him the chance to earn considerably more in one night's Speedway than a week in his 'real job' was something he appreciated greatly... Sometimes Legends are not only 'winners' those born with 'God given talent' and beat all who come before them, sometimes they are created by nothing more than a steely determination, will to win and out and out bravery... Wilkie was (and still is) a true BV Legend...

I wouldn't worry about them shooting themselves in the foot... With British Speedway they would bring Stevie Wonder in as the hit man...

With the field being assembled maybe it would be worth trying to do a streaming? Presume the meeting is not bound by any BSPA TV contract? The team who film the action at BV are excellent, with HD coverage, so maybe time to dip the toe in the water to see if it can attract an on line audience..? I would imagine if promoted well there would be a crowd of 2500 - 3000, so plenty of potential fans around the country to attract who cannot be there on the night..

Over the Easter weekend we will have the usual 'bumper crowds' press releases from various promotions around the country.. Sadly a 'bumper crowd' for many is now 1500 - 1800 whereas even just ten years or so ago, it was around 2500 - 3000.. And of that 1500 - 1800, how many actually attend again that season? Or perhaps more significantly, what is exactly done on the day to entice them back again?

Most tiny, minority sports with crowd levels similar to Speedway would kill to get the coverage British Speedway has enjoyed over the years. And given the opportunity you would also think that they would do a far better job in utilising this media vehicle to move their sport forwards.. I sometimes think those who run the sport in this country see it far differently than the general wider populace and in their eyes it is actually a bona fide 'proper' sport rather than a niche, cobbled together most nights, conduit, for riders to ride as many times as they can to earn enough money as possible to justify their outlay on machinery... The emotional connection to 'their team' , for many fans, is simply long gone due to the farcical way most meetings are now participated in by a 'whoever is available select team'. Therefore, not bothering to attend such a nonsense scenario, and keeping your hard earned in your pocket, is very much a distinct possibility (probability?) when you have an alternative to it by watching four lads in different coloured helmets compete in fifteen races on TV, regardless of whether 'your team' is being covered or not.. Watching racing on TV is now similar to watching it live when it comes to that emotional connection most weeks, therefore when you have paid for your subscription why pay more to attend something that isnt a true sporting contest and is also something you have very little emotional attachment too..? TV coverage isn't helping to 'kill' British Speedway, in fact it should have made it a big player given the tens of millions it has provided it with and the thousands of hours of coverage over the years.. Unfortunately those in charge haven't had a clue how to use either the money or the coverage to build Speedway in this country, and instead of haggling for 'how much' they want given, they should be very grateful TV are still interested in their tiny, insular, poorly ran Sport.. I attend Premier League football most weeks, with my team on live TV probably 80% of the time due to their pulling power in generating a TV audience. I pay a hell of lot more to watch them than I do BV... If however, my team allowed David De Gea to play for Arsenal one week, Chelsea the next and Liverpool the week after, do you think I and thousands of others would continue to pay to attend such nonsense? Of course not... Sort out the Sport by running it with integrity and credibility.. Until then no one can blame TV for reducing crowd levels...

Be careful they don't have you for copyright!! Hope you've reproduced it with permission...

Not all will agree with your last comment AO as some won't believe 'true fans' would ever miss a chance to see their team in action, but it is definitely true, as I do it now.. 'Iffy' weather has a huge bearing as you know deep in your heart that attending on a 'dodgy track' will often see you short changed from either the racing quality or simply the amount of races you get to see, (thirty times bitten, thirty one times shy). I find though at present that I miss more BV meetings to stay in and watch another match on TV, when the BV match has zero credibility due to it being another 'guestfest'... The irony is the match on TV has probably as much credibility as the one at the NSS however the difference is I am not forking out £30 for two people to attend it, instead paying BT £5.00 a month... Add in the fact that every meeting is now just a play off qualifier and for me it's not the TV being there that reduces the crowds (as proof, play off crowds are usually the best crowds of the year) it's the fact that what is served up doesn't justify paying out money to watch it when you can get your 'speedway fix' from the comfort of your armchair... Invariably now most matches are made up of an eclectic mix of competitors, from various random teams, cobbled together for 'one night only', so when you are prepared to take that for what it is, and are quite content to watch 'anyone' in the red, blue, white and yellow helmets go round, then you might as well do it in front of your TV, cold beverage in hand, snug in your own comfy armchair.... Simply, it's not TV coverage that reduces crowds, it's the way the Sport is ran...

Agree.. Only the tapes actually going up starts races so all the riders can only 'go' when that happens anyway.. If you go too early you risk the chance of touching the tapes and face possible exclusion... The only area of the start that requires fixing if you want to allow rides to move is that they can't be allowed to 'drop back' from the white line at the tapes as some do now so as to give themselves more space between the front wheel and the tapes, allowing them to roll forward more. But that is where the starting marshal and referee come in to ensure that doesn't happen and have strong consequence for any rider doing it.. It would give 'lesser riders' in particular a chance to get out in front in races that they would usually feel they didn't stand a chance in, and on the back of that it could possibly mean more passing as that races 'obvious favourite' would have to come from the back to win.. It would also add another psychological edge to the riders (and team managers) tactics as risks will be instructed to be taken as the meeting reaches conclusion and you need points. Also the crowd enagement it would engender as riders move, roll back, move again etc etc to seek an advantage, would deliver some much needed noise and atmosphere...

Wasn't it over £100k for a five camera production? Hence rain offs were a costly nightmare and everything was then done to put the meeting on whether conditions were 100% rideable (never mind raceable)..?

Spot on... The racing in the Colts meetings last year was great and if they keep the same price structure (£10 and free for kids) I am sure many will still go each week regardless of results... Development of the riders should always be the main objective at this level.. Let's be honest, the 'pinnacle' of winning the Premiership has zero kudos due to the way the sport is ran, so winning the second and third tiers of any sport ran like that doesnt really mean much... Let's hope for plenty of good racing and rider progression and the results will be what they will be..

Maybe the girls should be allowed to carry on but dress them like Emily Pankhurst....? Phwoooooaaaarrrrrrrr..... etc etc etc.....

Definitely 100% remember reading it in an interview with one of the ex MC promoters in the SS... He did explain the process but that not always first port of call was available, particularly when close to tapes up.. I remember he went on to say how hard the job was particularly when confronted by Promoters even threatening to close the track down if he didn't agree with what was being requested, making out that HE would be responsible for the demise of a track!! Don't envy the MC when so many rules are subjective and therefore by definition, prejudicial..

Can't remember which ex member of the MC said it, but in the SS one week a good while ago, he said promoters would ring round from one MC member to another until one of them eventually agreed with what that promoter wanted to do. Often asking for a decision to include a rider with literally minutes to tapes up... Basically they were looking for just one (any) MC member to interpret a rule the same way they had, thus giving them the green light.. Cannot run a Sport like that if it wants credibilty and to be viewed as 'professional'... In any sport (or indeed in any walk of life) where decision makers can be viewed as potentially acting with vested interest, then there is even more need for transparency with publicly detailed reasoning for any decisions reached...

Didn't Edinburgh used to have the 'main man' in the BSPA? Presume he made some decisions then that upset other Promoters..? Without an independent person(s) at the helm, you do naturally feel that there will always be some 'carry over' when power shifts.... Maybe by a bit of 'getting your own back' or simply (quite understandably) just covering your own teams interests now you have the opportunity to do so.. That independent body would certainly take away any thoughts of any special 'agenda' on the decisions reached.. Maybe those who make these decisions should be made to go public on how the decision was reached with every part of the appeal rejection explained in detail as to why it failed....? Edinburgh have explained publicly why they thought the appeal was valid, those 'in charge' should explain publicly why each of their points wasn't... Fans of the clubs feeling disadvantaged would still be brassed off I am sure but at least it would stop any conjecture and feelings of being hard done to... After all. Transparency was one of those key missions to be brought in to the sport wasn't it..?

There must be a 'mean average' % correlation for those riders who doubled up.... Therefore use that as the conversion figure.. Eg Last year Bomber was 8.44 PL and 7.63 EL therefore +10.6%.. Do that for every rider and then use the mean % increase.. Not ideal (what is when using such a system that is so easily manipulated as averages?) and there are many anomalies eg riding at reserve in the EL but second string in the PL etc, but it is surely a better system than making it up as you go along rider by rider? You can then benchmark new riders against their 'peers' based on riding in the same leagues abroad.. eg Bombers performance in Poland can be used allied to his British average to corelate more accurately any riders coming over who rode in the same Polish league as him last year... ie if Bombers average over here in the top league is 7.63 and a new rider rides in the same League in Poland and ran an average equal to Bomber then he comes in on a 7.63 average.. The more leagues that both riders race in in Europe the more those disparate figures are used to more accurately measure strengths.. Nothing is ever going to be totally accurate but at least it would be transparent..

They are covering Speedway (the GP's) maybe that is the contract they were referring to?

Cradley will have seven 'guests'... A good few tracks (as is often the case every year) will run at some stage during the season with four 'guests' and rider replacement... Not that much different is it? Both scenarios being farcical, however.. This is British Speedway don't forget, so hardly any surprise there... And fans are more than well used to it by now, so those who still attend will accept any nonsense put out before them... So fair play to those in charge for continually serving it up...