Elephantman

Your posts really are quite objectionable and usually are an abject lesson in cynicism. The original post is typical of the questions that many people new to speedway often raise. I guess like many of the people who liked your posts, you would not know that as the chances of meeting someone new to the sport at a typical speedway meeting are slim to zero! I wonder if it is the sport that puts people off or some of the supporters?

Is that the air fence that will not improve safety at Owlerton and is only a requirement because the air fence manufacturers clearly have some mates on the BSPA?

Understand your point but it only looks daft when there is a competitive pyramid within the sport. So in football for example Teams from different leagues can compete against each other in Cup competitions, European competitions and through promotion and relegation. None of this really applies to speedway allowing the self employed rider to earn his crust wherever he is wanted.

There was a whole thread on Air Fences; there is no independent testing to prove they are safer than some current alternatives. I'm surprised the pro air fence crew haven't slaughtered you for having the temerity to raise the issue again. They are also not compulsory unless you are running FIM events; that hasn't stopped the some members of the BSPA railroading them through as a compulsory requirement.

They only need to generate an additional 20 people who attend every week and the costs are covered. Anything above the 20 is extra revenue; facebook; twitter etc. haven't been floated for billions of dollars for a laugh; they are valuable companies because correct use of their services will generate additional revenues for companies who use them correctly. At least this chap is floating the right sort of ideas; whether his work is suitable or not is a separate question; you cannot criticize the idea unless it has been tested and proven a failure; I don't believe it has been tested and many other organisations make this approach work. You may be correct; the sport deserves what it gets then doesn't it?

You really don't have a clue about marketing do you? There is nothing wrong with his ideas and it is refreshing to see a young person having the balls to say what they think. Its always better to have plenty of ideas as there is certainly plenty of old experts who will pooh-pooh them. If the average website person costs £300 per week to run a campaign of social and content marketing, targeting young people, they would only need to generate 20 new people at an average entry fee of £15 per week to cover the salary. To me that doesn't seem that impossible a number to hit; god help the sport if anyone thinks it is?

That's a problem that the two promotions near to me must address is it not? Presentation can be fixed in a nano-second. The key point you missed is, "if the racing was good you could get away with the other failings to a degree". If there is good racing then that provides a platform to fix the rest and it provides something that can be marketed. If the racing is no good......

It's so unlike you to let blind prejudice get in the way of facts and logic. I suggest you check the facts before you post; but bearing in mind the experience of reading your comments, on threads where I have commented, I'm not holding my breath In the 1970's my local comprehensive took us sailing; it wasn't posh; we even had a speedway track that was local to us!

Or driven a car; or rode a bicycle. There is no link between the numbers of people who ride motorbikes and the number of people who support speedway. A totally spurious post.

As happens a lot with Desmond's publications and his employees!

I don't necessarily think so. The rights to run speedway at Sheffield have a value Neil deserves to maximise that value bearing in mind the work he has put in. It seems to me that he clearly doesn't want Sheffield to close but he has come to the end of the road. It sound to me like the guy is totally exhausted and needs a good rest.

Sailing is huge! Over 1,500 Clubs and something like 2 million plus adults are/have been involved in sailing activities. Speedway doesn't even touch on those numbers.

Yes, but as I'm not offering my services it is irrelevant. However it is kind of you to take an interest and to be so open minded

Well the typo just goes to show that you need people who understand the name never mind the marketing technique to make it work The issue is that speedway is not attracting new supporters in enough numbers to make the sport sustainable with the current business model. The price at the door is not the key factor causing this; the key factor is that there is no effective advertising and marketing of the product. The reason for that is that the sport is skint and many of the promoters clueless as to how to attract young supporters. Many of you may have had run-ins with Synikalle and disagree with the way that he/she posts; but fundamentally the arguments put forward are correct. Speedway needs to do something radically different to that which it has done in the past or it will shrink even more. I have two tracks within 60 minutes car drive of my home; I wouldn't dream of attending either regularly; the stadiums are awful, the presentation uninspiring, the racing is processional and the atmosphere is dire. One is EL the other PL; if the racing was good you could get away with the other failings to a degree. I travel a significant distance a few times a year to see good racing in decent facilities.

You're arguments are correct but you have attacked the poster; as soon as it gets personal everybody loses. I agree with your summary of the challenges the sport faces. To attend speedway is cheap; so why do people think dropping the prices will increase attendance? It will not. Gorilla marketing; content marketing; social media all of the new techniques need to be employed by people young enough to understand them. We have a young World Champion surrounded by people who haven't moved with the times and may not have the ability to do so within the timescales needed.

I'm not interested in what Sweden and Poland choose to do; I'm more concerned at the Elite League who will agree policy on the hoof in the hope it will get supporters on-side. Have you noticed collective amnesia on how crap the Elite League product was last year? It is pathetic; this has nothing to do with helping "young Brits" there is the NL and the PL through which they should be able to progress if they have the talent and the money for suitable equipment. This is about a failed "Elite" league that is grasping at straws to get supporters on side, while at the same time deflecting scrutiny of the real issues. Look at the Birmingham debacle; this is a poorly run league; end of!

Here we go again; it is not me that has trumpeted these proposals as the "saving" of British Speedway is it? An Elite league promoter issues a press release stating, "Exciting Times Ahead" and the truth is nobody chuffing well knows do they? They don't know because all they have is a few ideas that have not been thought out; but to appease an apathetic and cynical public they have issued a press release and have hung their hat on the "Emphasis on British Youth". They have banked on this approach being popular with the public when in reality they have no rules, regulations or whatever and this was just made up on the spot. They now have to go and fix this in time for the season to start; it really is a pathetic way to run a business and smacks of the short term thinking that has pervaded British Speedway for decades. If most businesses made policy in this way they'd go bankrupt; oh, British Speedway virtually is isn't it?

So as I originally posted (to which you disagreed); ill thought out, half-arsed proposals made up on the hoof. As so much appears to be attached to these changes one would imagine that the full consequences of the changes had been considered and suitable regulation drawn up before going public. It is clear that even you are awaiting the rules to be cobbled together. Elite League? More like Amateurs!

Any facts available yet or just more conjecture and hearsay?

You may need a Doctors appointment on the back of this Oilyrag; I actually agree with you!

Who yanked your chain? You clearly have not read my posts. I haven't even commented on the BSPA press release I've commented on Cooks press release. I happen to think this proposal is half-arsed simple as that. I cannot understand why Neil Machin is selling his interest just as the economy may be starting to recover; he will get minimum value. I can only assume that other factors are involved apart from his desire to live in Australia. Bearing in mind the quality of some of the decisions made it is not unreasonable ask if he's going now as he is fed up with dealing with his fellow promoters? imposing Air Fences for example; not a requirement; unproven; only required for FIM events; but everyone must have them (at least in the UK). Now get back in your box and read my posts properly before wasting 20 minutes of your life telling me I'm a fool, silly and my comments crass. On a final note your point 4 sums up what most people know. The Elite league only cares about the Elite league and if they have to sacrifice a few National League riders careers by using them as cannon fodder to reduce costs and allow the promoters to keep their snouts in the TV money trough they will. There are more clubs outside the EL than in it; if you looked outside your box occasionally you might notice that.

I agree. I know Neil Machin is not everyone's cup of tea, but he has operated a well run business for 20 odd years. It begs the question has he decided to sell up because he just can't be bothered to deal with some of the promoters who come up with these half arsed ideas at the drop of a hat?

The interesting thing I noted is that Cook states that this is an Elite League decision; does that mean it is not a BSPA decision the two are not one and the same are they? I believe this is a poorly thought out scheme. If you are attempting to build a pyramid for developing young riders you don't put them in at the top; I could understand this scheme if the PL were obliged to take two young English NL riders and the Elite forced to take two more experienced English PL riders. I refer to Cooks statement on the BSPA website, "Elite promoters’ decision to follow our Swedish and Polish League counterparts by including two British youngsters at six and seven in all 2014 line-ups". You are absolutely correct the full detail should have been available and published. However this reads as if the Elite League have gone for this scheme on the day; with little forethought or planning; hence the inability to make an informed announcement. Now I suggest that if the supposed "Elite" are making policy on the hoof, then speedway is in more of a hole than we all thought it was!

If you read my post again you will see that I am saying that if you are allocated two weak or poorly funded riders it could cost your team victories on the track; what they are doing in other leagues is not relevant to this proposal. How are you going to feel if your team are losing meeting by a couple of points and its down to the novices not performing? Who you going to blame? Are you going to keep paying your £15 or whatever every week? If the NL riders end up only racing each other it is unfair on the paying public and the top five; if they end up racing against the top five it is unfair on them and the paying public. This is a no win situation for the public and the riders.

With respect, I think it does; he doesn't say the BSPA have introduced this. It is an Elite League initiative. He states, "I am looking forward to going into more details of the season ahead at our fans’ forum". That is details of the season ahead not details on this initiative. I don't know what they do in Sweden or Poland but are we saying that they take (what are fundamentally) junior riders and throw them in to compete with the big boys? I hold the view that this is an ill thought out but money saving scheme. I hate to think what the TV executives will make of it!