mikebv

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...

Presume if there are any clashes as the season moves on and matches get rearranged to squeeze them in towards the end of the season, they will use a 'Guest' manager....? + or - 5% of his age, depending if home or away?...

Spot on... Using this system delivers year on year, for the past heaven knows how long, the team at the top around 50 points better off than the team at the bottom yet they both started "equal"...

More to do with basic economics I think.. Anyone would have wanted Woryna on that average but whether they could have afforded him is another matter.. I would imagine he is getting a few quid more than many other 4.65 riders!!! Matt Ford knows his business so knows a successful Poole team brings in the crowds and an 'also ran' Poole team doesn't... It is quite a unique set up in British Speedway I would suggest as they seem to be the only club who do generate regular "big" crowds for domestic league meetings when doing well and then also have a significant drop when doing not so well.. Cannot think of any other club that has such a disparate crowd level based on performance as most now just run in front of pretty much the same people every week regardless of whether successful or not.... Cannot knock him for speculating to accumulate...

Because it is British Team Speedway... Ran in an amateur, no doubt well meaning, self policing way... As you say, a simple matrix of performances around the globe would deliver a figure which could be used by all to determine the vast majority of riders position in the 'grand scheme of things'.. Amazing that a Sport which (over here) slavishly uses averages doesn't then use even more information that's available to more accurately assess each individuals overall level... No Sport ran with professional, clear, independent leadership, would allow such contrived and subjective nonsense to take place each year like Speedway in this country does..... Speedway sadly, unlike properly ran (and ergo often successful) Sports in Britain, doesnt have that leadership frame work in place...... And unfortunately it appears, never will.... It's more of the same old, same old, year on year nonsense I am afraid.. We should be used to it by now though...

After meeting with Poland, Denmark and Sweden at that 'International Speedway Council' thing and agreeing Monday and Thursday as their 'priority nights' in the International calendar, (and then subsequently changing it to Monday and Wednesday which clashes with Denmark's night).. Maybe, just maybe, the Poles are a bit peed that the BSPA went their own way and want to show them who the 'Boss' really is? Hence still enforcing the three League rule...? Everyone must have left that meeting thinking there was a clear vision for the Sport domestically around Europe's leagues. Something the Poles in particular have been wanting for the past five years or so... Then it changed. ..

Brilliant VFM at the Colts... £10 for me and the lad... Perhaps even too good when you compare it to the £25 we pay collectively for a Premiership match?.. Do they allow kids in anywhere in Speedway without adults for free? The key to it is that teenagers need to be able to attend on their own should they wish, as not many will want to attend anywhere that your Dad and Granddad attends. Very uncool! For me, all tracks should encourage as many "schoolkids" as possible by letting them all in for free at every meeting, especially those around 14/15 and 16 as these are the ones who may just carry on attending when they start work... Let's face it, hardly any of that age bracket attend now so no great loss to any club in income...

So it was 58% of your weekly spends on Speedway.. Nowadays for my 14 year old lad it would be £8 to get in, £3 for the prog and £2 for the bus... £13... To deliver the same ratio I would have to give him £22 a week spends! In his dreams... Not only that but getting 11 of his mates' parents to cough up £13 a night for Speedway might also be a 'tad' difficult.. "Dad, can I go to watch Speedway with James at Belle Vue?" "Blimey, Speedway? Is that still going? I used to go to Belle Vue myself when I was your age, Peter Collins was the best one, he was brilliant. Course you can, how much is it?" "To get in, buy a programme and bus fare its £13 so with some food I'll need about £20" "How @#£×÷¥₩ much? Just to watch Speedway? You're having a laugh lad!"...

As we know through it happening several times before at a good few tracks, dropping the price significantly will deliver a crowd usually in high double digit percentage growth from the norm, (sometimes much more than that when done for free!)... The issue lies in getting them to come back and pay full price... It shows the demand can still be there though for Speedway to attract a decent crowd, just not at full price... I always am amazed that when tracks do a "special" it almost seems to be considered guaranteed that everyone in attendance will naturally come back the week after as nothing ever appears to be done 'extra' to attract them back.. You would think some kind of further discount tickets for say the next six meetings would be sold to try and at least get people who may used to go, back into the habit of attending Speedway and for complete newbies give them time to get to understand the Sport and build recognition and to become fans of certain riders... As has been mentioned many times, when you do a 'Special' get emails, get mobile numbers, names and addresses etc etc to target them to return.... It almost seems a complete waste of time and effort reducing the price at most tracks, as it often appears that this one idea to reduce the price of admission is 100% of the marketing plan rather than being just the first initial part of a much more in depth and thought out strategy to grow the fanbase...

In the SS 30/12, there is a piece on (I think) Redcar and it explains how the asset system is being actively used to deliver the team's 'bond' to the BSPA.. Hence riders yet to ride here are having their averages lowered to make them more attractive to be signed... Teams are/were being encouraged/made to, sign more assets so presumably as assets they can be sold/loaned in the case of the club going bust through the season? Hello more East and Western European journeymen with more than the odd Scandinavian thrown in... Sign five and who knows one may be worth the gamble?

Certain Sporting entertainment.... Like everything else you can purchase, 'supply and demand' will play a huge part on the development of a 'price point'... Football (at Premier League level) appears to be 'bomb proof' due to all the TV money and coverage creating huge public interest. Which in turn garners enormous Sponsorship from global brands.. Domestic Rugby Union has dragged itself from being on TV on a Sunday with an hours highlights, (sometimes playing on pitches with one stand and a rope running around the other three sides for the supporters to stand behind) in the Seventies and early Eighties, to become the second highest attended Sport in the Country, played out in modern fit for purpose stadia. Again now attracting global brand Sponsorship.. Both Sports can now charge inflation busting admission fees because... Well, simply.. They can!!... Speedway sadly cannot as quite clearly and evidently, the demand blatantly isn't there.. If it cannot cut its costs to be able to significantly cut its current 'price point' then it has major, major problems going forward, as an ever dwindling fan base means even higher admission costs for those who still attend, all to just (at best) 'stand still'.... And for the past 30 odd years we have seen how successful that policy has turned out, hence we are pretty much now on the 'Speedway tipping point'...

And in the SS it mentions how loads of riders have had/are having their averages re-assessed to encourage teams to bring them over and make them assets.... Some teams have already started filling their spaces with 'gambles'.... More to come I would suggest...

I remember watching an old Speedway video from around the early 80's (1982?), cant remember which track but they showed the turnstiles with people queuing up and Adult entrance was £3.00... If it was 1982, that £3.00 entrance fee is now worth £7.40, (not Eighteen quid).... Add in the cost of Satellite TV, Internet, Mobile Phone contracts, increased car ownership, inflation busting higher house prices and rent, higher cost of Petrol, Gas and Electric, Higher cost of Home insurance, Life insurance, etc etc... And the bottom line is for so many people their disposable income percentage wise is so much reduced from the early eighties due to the cost of basic living... £18 today is equivalent to £7.29 in 1982... I would suggest if Speedway charged £7.29 back then crowds wouldn't have been anywhere near as good as they were.. Clearly perceived high admission costs are a huge factor in the demise of the Sport.... How it finds a way to reduce them to attract people who either used to go or simply have no knowledge of the sport is the major barrier it needs to overcome..

It is quite a breathtaking level of arrogance that has been shown by those who run the Sport in this Country that they have continually ignored the feedback of their very own patrons for so many years.. I would say that since this piece was written crowds are now approximately 20% of what they were then, meaning 80% of its customer base has been eroded either sadly through natural causes or the disillusionment of an ageing fanbase.. You cannot have any greater help in running any business than your customers telling you what they like you doing and what they dont, and Speedway through various weekly and monthly magazines during the past thirty years, and obviously the Internet in the past 10 in particular, have had literally thousands of pieces of 'feedback' which incredibly have been completely ignored... The frustration for the few fans that now remain is that the feedback the governing bodies have received has been year on year very, very, similar in content with many common themes running through the fans' discontent... When the mantra should have been "We are listening, thanks for the feedback , we will change" it instead became "We are right, and you fans have absolutely no idea what you are talking about". "British Speedway, now reaping what it has sowed over the past thirty years"... That would be a good strap line for the 2018 season....

No... We're hanging on till March as there are so many riders getting their averages re assessed and rules being reviewed and re-reviewed we might by then be able to put last years team out under 40 points..!!!

The major difference of course is that in Poland they cheer on 'their team' not a cobbled together, for one night only, randomly selected collection of riders out to earn an extra pay night through guesting.... In this day and age, it is asking for an enormous leap of faith to expect fans to buy into team Speedway over here when invariably it is a very tenuous link to actually being 'your team'... Some can be complicit in this deception, ignore or suspend reality, and convince themselves that they are watching the team they have built up and invested such emotional loyalty in.... Sadly these people are very much in the minority and general Sports followers (and indeed many Speedway fans of long standing) will struggle to take what gets served up as a 'professional sport' seriously... Here's hoping fixed race nights brings the Leagues some much needed credibility and integrity.. Bottom line is if any professional sporting competition ends up being so contrived it isn't actually worth winning, then there comes a point when fan attendance isnt actually worth doing either.. Who knows, maybe a new dawn in 2018!! Let's hope so....

Just watched it... Shame he cannot lead the Sport forwards in this country... Ticks a lot of boxes from the marketing side in trying to attract a younger audience.. Confident, positive, an engaging personality, ambitious and tattoos...!! What's not to like? Came across very well...

Correct... Belle Vue race in front of around 20000 fans in around 18 meetings. The Stox race in front of around 20000 fans in around six meetings at the Greyhound track.. If anyone attended just one meeting per year at both events then they would think that Stox were significantly more popular... Both sports have a huge % of their crowds as 'die hards' who attend regularly.