Sings4Speedway

Certainly a better looking Bulls outfit this year which should help rectify the poor impression the development leagues can give (the standard gulf within riders last year was far too wide). Does make me chuckle slightly that several development squads have already been named despite AGM not taking place until Feb.

Ooh what a great question that is. Would think Geary, Springthorpe & Strudwick will be near the top ?

Quite right. Add in that the element of anticipation has gone from the current society, everything is available instantly now, no need to wait excitedly all week praying the weather forecast is wrong and the match will go ahead.

Surely that would make far too much sense. Why save a team from extinction when he can buy a team (Ipswich) that wasn't up for sale.

Bets being taken upon when Jake Allen ends up at number 1? Or what stage of the season Harris ends up at reserve?

Another that has suffered from the reduction in lowest signing average. Did alright coming in at short notice and will probably do the same again this year. Kit needs updating badly but hard to see any motivation to do that without a team place.

Oops forgot about Leicester running on the days/nights that Leicester are not running. Its straight forward really Leicester say when they can run, then Leicester get told when the will run, so that Leicester can say when they can run before Leicester finally get told when they will run.

So much for fixed nights on the top two tiers then. In fairness to the NL there are stadium availability and potential grouping of matches by location to be considered BUT every team knows the risks of fixture clashes when signing double uppers and there is a guest system in place to cover this so im not really sure why there should be such a delay on the fixtures (at any level) being issued.

The big downside with Harris is the "he never knows" statement especially at the start of the season, he never knows how to get his bikes set up, he never knows any other excuse other than im struggling for speed and don't know why and he never knows any other response when he has an early mechanical failure but to put his hand out and say i need more money. Come play off time i suspect he will deliver but sadly as a guest and not the team he signs for.

Does PUK want to do the UK though? Has that actually been confirmed anywhere? Smells a bit like he isn't and Buster has demanded Harris be he replacement?

With all due respect those figures are meaningless without any supplied context. 2018 cost 30k but how much income did you receive, how much was your signing on figure? How much was covered by the mega sponsorship deals you have? 10k has been ploughed into 2019 already on what? and by who? Be very careful how you react to things even if you feel provoked as fans of the sport have long memories and outbursts however cheesed off you are will always bite you back.

Don't get me wrong i know team speedway is very well loved in this country and when done well its an excellent sight to behold but its clear it is struggling. But as my business vision would be to have a touring series of individual meetings (possibly pairs & 4TT too?) would that actually provide enough to keep a lot of tracks open? Probably not as the rough thought process in my head is to hire the venue and promote independently but the likelihood is that rents would be increased year on year as the series success took off. There are a lot of riders who pay pretty high fees to ride at amateur level and likewise grasstrack has the same approach but can still draw good crowds. Whilst not always a hit with the purists a mixture of solo and sidecar speedway at an event would double the spectator draw and entertainment value.

The difficult area for a 'blueprint' for the sports survival is should we be looking for a plan to sustain team racing or keep the discipline going? I can safely say that if i was going to even consider promotion it wouldn't be of any team but of one off events / possible series. Whatever level it would be at i would be looking to ensure entertainment was at the forefront.

So true. Although with food could be closer to £60. How many fans are lucky enough to have partners / kids who also really want to go to Speedway and who wouldn't choose a day/evening/dinner out for the same money and with a considerable higher level of luxury.

I appreciate the views of BV72 and the crowd approximations of the Belle Vue sides last season. The questions that will always remain a mystery are did either side break even independently? Do the Aces double entry fee and 5-6 times higher crowds generate any more money once wages are paid out vs the lower income but lower outgoings of the Colts? What percentage of Aces fans do you think would attend Colts meetings if there were no Aces side running? Im sure there is a large quantity that do both already but would the 5 times extra all simply walk away?

That tactical switch could pay off for Kent but they will still be competing against Eastbourne and there will be some who favour a higher level of racing. Depending on the opposition will most likely decide where i watch during the year, as whilst the NL league standard is closer this year i have no interest in handing over my money if Kent start dishing out 60+ point drummings every week.

Ive got to say that Kents crowds are decent for many levels. A conservative average of 600 a week? Thats certainly similar to what was quoted as Workingtons figures for the Championship last year with far higher out goings. Mondays are well backed as it doesn't clash with many other activities BUT is tight for many to get there due to the early start, does limit the number of children who can attend on a school night and makes it tricky for away riders & supporters alike. Saturdays do clash with many other activities but does offer a lot more freedom of travel time, not sure what the plan is regarding the GP weekends but i suspect if the crowd figures can maintain / show a slight improvement the switch would be considered a success as it will make it easier to complete signings in future seasons and potentially pave the way for s step up in division?

As has been often covered Speedway has such a unique setup that it makes it very hard to implement a one size fits all approach. We have tracks that are owned outright and used solely for Speedway, owned but multi use, leased solely for speedway and leased dual purpose. The majority of stadia require Speedway to continue to bring any value to those venues. Yet we are in a situation whereby the promotions running are struggling to stay in business. That is what all Speedway teams need to be treated as, a business and that needs to be able to at the very least break even year on year. Currently the sport relies on a few fortunate individuals who are able to plough huge amounts of their own money into clubs to keep them afloat, i think everyone is aware that is not in any way a sustainable business model.

More than likely. Whilst it is clear that budgets need to be stuck too the Brum team assembled isn't so much poor as dull. Shanes will give a few thrills and who knows what will happen when the Oystercard red mist comes down but the rest are just solid. Perhaps it shows a shift in expectations that fans want entertainers and not just winners? Although the lack of winners may be the issue with this side? I can't see that many last places but can't see that many heat wins either.

Challenge now announced as a one leg affair. Good work by the Kent promotion considering all the regular opposition have stepped up plus testing themselves against another strong league side will be a good marker for the season.

Big dangers for many clubs (even the currently sustainable ones) is that every club thinks on an insular level, considering their own interests and to heck with the other clubs in the country. Without other clubs surviving there is no value to your own business. If this was standard industry drumming out of business to get a large share makes sense but it isn't, if this was football (and sorry hate cross sport comparisons) if one club fell by the wayside there are literally dozens queuing to take its place but in speedway we have the unique situation whereby a group of riders (with personal agendas) sign for clubs (with personal agendas) and are governed by you guessed it an organisation with personal agendas. Until everyone starts pulling in one direction the only way isn't down just apart.

There are some nails being not just hit on the head here but smashed. Having so many voices and opinions will always cause division as some want to see the sports very best riders & others want close even racing. Some think its vastly over priced others consider it value. There will never be full agreements but without sustainable clubs there will be nothing left. Outsiders if you like, new to speedway spectators want to see drama, action, close racing with the element of risk that the odd tumble brings. Look at speedway promo's how many are slow motion shots of riders side by side. Tracks could be small sand covered circles for all "outsiders" care as long as there are 4 equal riders racing shoulder to shoulder for 4 laps. As long as the riders are simply identifiable and there is drama plus lets face it how many established fans want much more from the sport either.

Whilst what you say is correct are they also the riders who are in a position to purchase a minimum of 2 new engines each? The ideal is to promote switching of engines currently being used before riders even graduate to NL level so that riders stepping up have already purchased these unicorns (mythical standard engines that are competitive and significantly reduce running costs) and know no other way. As things stand the majority of riders at NL level are feeding off higher tiers with engine purchases switching the other way round doesn't quite add up.

Certainly not going to disagree with the tail wagging the dog but i personally never fail to grasp the idea that the best place to start introducing new initiatives and costs is the NL. These by very definition are the least experienced / skilled riders and therefore have a lower skill set to adapt to change. In addition they are also the riders with the least funding and yet the imposing of standard engines upon them would force many out of the sport. Generating a competitive reliable engine is an excellent idea or club / league pool engines but forcing riders who have invested what little they have just to break into the NL before penalising them further just seems barmy.

As things stand very few clubs are equal and all we have is clubs that are able to survive longer than others rather than a sustainable model. Clubs need to look at the type of riders they want to attract, how many clubs and fans want mercenaries who just arrive for the big money? How many want loyal riders who have an affinity with the club? Higher teams also need to start caring about the development of future riders rather than blanketly ignoring it and assuming someone else will bring the next generation through, if they paid some level of investment now it could save them a fortune in the future. The sport has to fall in line with current commercial trends, quick easy entertainment fixes, cheap and superficial, basic enough for all to grasp quickly but most of all sustainable & adaptable.