Aroundtheboards

Following on from my last post. It does not suffice to put on a meeting of just 15 heats and run the meeting at warp speed to avoid curfews etc. In the days of the British League you had 13 heats and a second half Star of The Night Final. You need to entertain the public, you need to encourage them to come not push them out of the stadium by 9pm. I am not criticising I am merely stating a fact. It is no longer a case of "Build it and they will come "!!! Start earlier and bring in the families.

I started watching Speedway by accident in 1965 at Swindon. Dad and I had gone to watch a monthly Stock Car meet at Abbey Stadium Swindon. We got to the car park and there were all these people in red and white scarves (knitted) with Robins on them.??? When the penny dropped we found out that the Robins were taking on Leicester Lions (Blackbird Road days ) My dad said "You wont like it, I do, I used to support Bristol Bulldogs at Knowle" How wrong he was and I have been hooked on Speedway ever since !!! That was in the days of Broady, Hitch, Briggo, etc etc. Since then my job took me all around the country and I have been to every track in the land south of the boarder. I have been in a Speedway vacuum since 1978 when I moved to Devon and have only just returned to support Somerset Rebels in the last two seasons. What changes I have witnessed ! The bikes, the riders the rules the expense of staging meetings and the expense to riders to keep one machine on the track let alone three!!! Although the yellow and black helmet colour has made a return with me!!! The main change is the crowd attendances, they used to run on a par with football crowds back in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Is it because of finances or is it because there is so much more happening to occupy peoples time and money ? Either way Speedway is suffering and will continue to suffer with tracks closing and riders emigrating to the European tracks or further afield. The Poles used to fall over each other to ride for an English club in the seventies and now it has turned full circle and they seem to fill massive stadiums week after week. I enjoy my Speedway at the Oaktree Arena and I hope it lasts as I would enjoy my Speedway at Scunthorpe and hope it would last. I just don't know how they will turn it around but another club going is another nail in the British Speedway Coffin and I hope it doesn't happen for the sake of British Speedway and the sake of Scunthorpe and all of us.

I hope Nick is on it on Friday and doesn't have one of his off nights. It would be nice to see a good haul of points from a guest as other teams get when they engage BK !

Premier League Pairs today. Weather forecast looks favourable.

Charlie Monk not to be confused with Bobby Monk !!!

Good morning folks! I have just joined and am looking forward to contributing to this forum and also to tomorrow night's PL Pairs at the Oaktree Arena.