mikebv

Great News.... It could though look to the untrained eye that we are still very much in 'reactive' mode rather than moving forward with a clear vision given the many differing views coming out from the AGM and the various comments from Promoters during the season. . ie Some think having the big names back will increase crowds, some want more guests, some don't think having only one eight point rider per team is the right thing to do, one wanted to change their race night and been refused permission, some have changed their race night with permission and one team has changed Leagues.... All things which would suggest they are not aware of any 'five year plan' to improve the Sport or where their Clubs fit within this 'Masterplan'...

A good many GP riders below 8pts... Woffy, Zagar, Both Pawlicki's, Holder, Kildemand, Lindback... Several Number One's in that list..,

And it also smacks of having no vision for the Sport and therefore, no mid or long term plan... (And therefore no Strong Leadership)... Stick up a five year plan for the Sport, set yearly goals and make everyone aware of what you are doing, why you are doing it, how you will deliver it, and the ultimate objective it will deliver... And stop trying to 'appease' everyone who will, by definition, have differing agendas... Build the plan collaboratively but make it clear when finalised all sign up to it or walk away if you dont agree... No Half Arsed "ahh but's", however well intentioned... The tail seems to wag the dog in British Speedway, but by keeping the weakest on almost permanent 'life support' it can never grow the Sport as it will be continually dumbing down instead of moving forward... A perfect example is this year's 42.5 average per team. Potentially a good move. But no need for the caveat of only one 8 pt+ rider. More appeasement... Simply, if you cannot afford to put out a team of Premiership quality using the 42.5 target,then don't ride in it... Then, if that means there are not enough teams available to make up a credible Premiership then don't run the League at that 42.5 strength and build the top League to a lower standard... But make that decision, stick with it, and don't bring in any appeasement adjustments, as in the long run you will be making them for anyone and everyone forever, and ultimately therefore, never moving forward..

For me, should have ran five man teams... Saving two salaries per team...... The top five average of Swindon should have been 'the benchmark' for the other seven teams.. Build every team to Swindon's top five.... No restrictions on riders averages apart from 'you cannot have a higher average than Swindons top five'... British Speedway's top league needs (affordable) quality of rider over quantity.... Riding in the top league should be aspirational not 'an extra earner' which for riders six and seven it often is.. Five riders per team meaning lots of replacement possibilities to cover injuries and loss of form rather than Guests? And credibilty to the League? Got to be better than the current 'never mind the the quality, feel the width'..

'RIDER CONTROL' was knocking about in the early Seventies when I first attended. . (A good job the Internet wasn't invented back then)😀 Bottom line is chopping and changing personnel year in year out does nothing to engage fan or rider loyalty, does nothing to engage long term sponsors who may want to associate themselves over a long period with 'star men' and does nothing to help the promotion or marketing of a team locally... Yet year on year on year teams make wholesale changes swapping riders just for the Sport to (at the very best) stand still...

And still no-one listens.... I can guarantee that my love of the sport (and subsequent thousands of pounds spent on it) would have been destroyed (and me lost to the sport) if PC and Chris Morton had ended up having to go elsewhere during my 'formative' watching years just because 'they were too good' or more to the point 'others are not good enough'.... Those two individuals put tangible extra bums on seats and if either had ever left, BV would have seen crowds impacted severely.. Fans affinity with 'their riders' should never be underestimated... Swindon this year should be 'the benchmark' for others to aspire to... Rather than a team that now has to jettison top talent (including possibly THE best rider in the World) who may (or may not) subsequently be picked up by other teams... A constant race to the bottom is British Speedway's aspiration with 'survival of the weakest' its overall aim... And as evolution shows, we know how that ends...

Maybe they don't want too many Friday night tracks as it would mean very few 'Guest' options for missing riders? Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Scunthorpe mean six out of eleven teams will be riding on a Friday.. Now the Premiership won't be riding on a Friday there would be a fair few options for Guests but if say eight out of the eleven teams rode on the same night then those options reduce accordingly.. And what night is Lakeside riding? Has a Friday slot been left for them?

And less 8 point men means that the 'stock' will rise for seven point men... In 42.5 points you can have 'quite a few' riders between seven and eight points.. And all will know their worth....

And won't next year either? Is that correct? If so, and they are in the bottom three next year, then expect "the top four" to win next year's vote on teams strengths..😁 A 'little bit farcical' sometimes isn't it the way the Sport is run?😕 Kenny Bjerre was great for us last year.... He did everything we asked of him. Him and Craig Cook now are vying for one spot in the Aces team.. Maybe both should have 'thrown' the odd race here and there to get themselves below an 8.00 average? Could have easily lost against many riders of slightly lower capability and we the fans wouldn't have bat an eyelid... They however didn't, as guess what? Trying to win Speedway races, meetings and trophies, meant something to them... If I was a rider on or around an 8 pt average two thirds of the way through next season, I may be getting the calculator out race by race to see how much I am allowed to score to keep me in a job the following year...!

Now that the Premiership will only now ride on Mondays and Wednesdays (and Thursdays)... Will there still be Premiership meetings on Good Friday? Or will it be Championship only? A BIG money spinner for some like BV... However I suppose if Championship teams have 'the rights to Fridays' it could end up with Guests galore again due to DU's...

It will be interesting as to how the team building goes.. Given the new/old Tac Sub rule could we see once again the 'cannon fodder/make weight/out of his depth' 2 pt Reserve which used to be the norm?.. 42.5 points would deliver you a 2pt reserve, a FIVE point Reserve and five SEVEN point riders... The 2pt man could be replaced in a ride not only by his considerably better reserve partner but also now the No1 on a Tac. The team could effectively attain more than his average by him scoring Nil in his three rides but his replacement (either the other reserve or the Tac) winning the race he was replaced in.. I would think that five point reserves given their value to the team, and five seven point riders won't come cheap though.. There could be some very strong, competitive teams, but maybe some very expensive ones too? Hope the plan goes well..

The Poles now appear to have a similar attitude to the GP's that some British Promoters had 20 or so year ago when GB was THE place to race.. ie "We are being dictated to by an external Company to Speedway who are using OUR riders to line their own pockets"... The British Promoters that thought this didnt see any irony in the fact they seemed to regard Hans Nielsen, Tommy Knudsen, Tony Rickardsson, Leigh Adams etc etc as "OUR" riders... No doubt nowadays Poland see Jason Doyle, Tai Woffinden, Emil Sayfutdinov, Nicki Pedersen, Greg Hancock etc etc as "OUR" riders in the same way.....? Bottom line is the GP brings great global exposure to the riders which delivers good sponsorship backing. As long as the fans keep turning out for the events then Poland, like GB before them, will just have to keep sulking, and sit and watch, from the outside..

You would hope Phil that fundamental changes have already been agreed pre any AGM,as unless there is some kind of 'vote of no confidence' in the Leadership team the AGM should really just ratify what has already been agreed at previous gatherings and the votes for these changes automatically placed... It would be a concern if they are only now debating the structure for the following season at an AGM. That would take a huge amount of time and emotive discussion... They don't help themselves with these 'tweets' updating 'the world' with what is in fact, zero news. Far better to keep all powder dry till the meeting has finished and inform everyone then... Looks far more Professional..

Often wondered why if Season Tickets are 'a must' why they don't knock out an 'Unlimited' one which gets you into ANY meeting anywhere in Britain.. Say £1k a season, including free programme at every track, watch two or three races from the centre green, pit pass etc etc.. Do more than 50 meetings a year (as many do) and you would be quids in... Speedway is unique in that so many visit just 'to watch the racing' with no attachment to any teams, with many in particular having no team to watch at all anymore, therefore a target market I would suggest.. It would also increase crowds (and therefore atmosphere) as 'neutrals' would swell the crowds given the more meetings they attend the better value their initial outlay.. Would 1000 or so fans across the Country take up this deal? Could call it the '1000 Club', make them feel 'special' etc.... If so, it would bring a Million quid into the Sport pre season, which could be divided up (NFL style) by all the teams to help with running costs.. Or even use it for prize money to make the competitions appear as if they are bona fide 'Proper Sports' competitions, which in turn may increase publicity and interest from a wider sport watching public...

The ever growing amount of meetings I miss each year due to 'Mickey Mouse' being involved means I pay for my day out in Cardiff and then some!!! How ironic, the BSPA helping to keep the SGP profitable..!

But how many thousands did they lose not being able to do 'Specials' throughout the year as by doing so their Season Ticket holders lose value...? Years ago I could understand doing a Season Ticket as there was a high take up and it generated significant pre season income.. Nowadays if a track does more than 300 I would be surprised so for me it actually restricts your Promotional capabilities for very little real tangible rewards. The Aces package in particular involving Colts meetings and free programmes is very good but only appeals to 'die hards' and not 'newbies' which the Sport so desperately needs and the irony is that these 'die hards' would invariably attend every week at full price as they are the most loyal fans... I think it would be far better to do 'Mini Season Tickets' whereby you purchase say the next five matches for the price of four... Often with it being a Summer sport, holidays kick in so Season Tickets are not value for money, and TV and the Weather can often change race nights at a moments notice meaning you cannot attend the rearranged fixture.. Buying say the next five matches at a reduced price would appeal not only to the 'die hards' but also to the 'floaters' (like me) I would suggest. As if I have already paid for something I would use it, unlike now whereby if a meeting suddenly becomes a bit 'Mickey Mouse' due to guest levels, or the weather looks a bit dodgy, I stay away.. We would also see which Promoters can actually innovate and actually Promote using 'normal' business practices to drive 'customers' through their doors...

No Hob Nobs.... Been pre booked to be the biscuit of choice at another Conference somewhere in Europe..... Chocolate Digestives have come in as a Guest... It's OK though as rules allow them to bring in a product with up to 5% more biscuits in its pack...

Spot on... More riders needed when not enough to go round now to keep the Sport credible... More tracks means less quality of rider just to put a team out which then means less quality of racing... 'Speedway at all costs' doesn't benefit the 'Brand' in anyway shape or form yet is constantly allowed to be done... A race to the bottom...

Let's be honest, at most tracks it would be difficult to notice which matches have been boycotted and which ones haven't......... Don't think a boycott is the answer anyway really, given how parlous the situation is for many teams and I couldn't see those who still attend regularly being part of such an undertaking anyway... Let's face it, if you are still a regular at Speedway you have over the years accepted an ever increasing inordinate amount of nonsense put in front of you so are probably now immune to anything else that may be forthcoming... Therefore these 'die hards' will attend come what may..,

Agree re RR Phil... They should just make RR fit for purpose.. Eg if No1 missing then the next two in the averages should be able to take all programmed rides.. If the second averaged rider is missing, then the No1 takes one ride and the third and fourth averaged riders can take the rest between them if the Manager wishes... Same rules apply for third, fourth and fifth averaged riders missing ie rider immediately above takes one ride, two riders below three between them. Number six rider missing and the fifth averaged rider takes two and the number seven takes two..... Number seven missing and number six takes two and a designated number eight takes two.. All riders can have a Max of seven outings per night.. Missing a No1 invariably means a guest under the current RR system as your second string will be taking a ride which is a high risk given the differential in capability. This way the next best two riders can cover it..

'Self Policing' often means 'No Policing'.... Maybe the SCB will now start to bring integrity and credibility to the Sport rather than stand idly by and watch the BSPA often bring neither...? Let's hope...

Just as an aside... My lad plays U15 football and has now been playing for six years since he was eight... Every team he has played for has run their training evenings from 6pm through till 9pm with hourly slots... When he was 8, his side trained at six... Now he is 14, his side and the age above (last year of school age) train at eight till nine.. Youngest train first so get home earliest, oldest train last... None of the clubs have ever ran sessions after nine as simply there wouldnt be enough kids there to keep the clubs going... I would say 730 - 900 is the optimum time for Speedway to get most kids home by 930 and give people enough time to get home from work to attend....

I'd go one further and make it compulsory for every team to have a 'junior' side... I remember the SJL with, I think, three riders per team... Doesn't matter if teams 'share riders' (let's face it, the two top leagues do it daily). It will be more a reason for giving young/new riders laps of racing rather than any serious focus on winning a League that doesn't mean anything.. (Who just said "Thats also like the two top leagues"?☺).. Be also more like 'pay to play' I would suggest with the riders just having the opportunity for track time rather than earning money so shouldn't cost clubs loads in extra costs.. As you say AO, fans can stay or go... Although I do remember Simon Wigg suggesting that the 'juniors' should go on before the main team. Theory being you don't have your main course before your starter when you go to a restaurant or you don't have the trailers after the main movie at the cinema..!! He also felt it would help bring these lads on riding in front of bigger crowds, handling deeper tracks and would also turn the circuit over to ensure the first few races of the main event weren't just 'hold the inside line, first out of the gate wins' processions.. Given his many wide ranging ideas, (some we see today), he would have made an excellent promoter in the true sense of the word Wiggy. Shame the Sport never got the chance to see him fulfill them..

For me, one thing I would like to see from the AGM is to do away with the.... "Ahhhh! but this is Speedway". Mindset... It seems that when you enter into the 'British Speedway Bubble' you seem to want to find any way of justifying the most extraordinarily ridiculous rules and regulations... Instead of just running the Sport properly, like all other Team sports do, Speedway seems to see its 'uniqueness' as being something that allows them to bring in an operating model that takes away all of its credibilty as a Team Sport... Let's hope this AGM they make the credibilty of the Sport an over riding priority.... Regardless of standard of riders, that alone would bring back many of the fans who have drifted away I would suggest..

Indeed... Nottingham Panthers got a 7000 'full house' this week too for their European Cup game.... It goes to show, run a sport properly, meaning it has credibilty, and guess what? Even a minority sport can deliver good crowds.. Run a 'sport' like WWE runs theirs and you then need their multi million dollar marketing machine to deliver big crowds... The problem British Speedway has is that it has the 'Not a proper Sport/They just make it up' reputation without the huge marketing budget to cut through it and entice fans in...