waytogo28

Hear Hear! It was what I was hoping might come out of the latest AGM. Quite how the BSPA imagine their "actions and decisions" at the AGM will attract a new generation of fans ( or even get a considerable number of ex-fans back ) in 2019.

Oh Yes You Do! And even more than you would like to believe you do need to be. Just imagine if Buster won the Big Euromillions lottery and bought the blooming lot ( well the PL anyway ) he could pee off 97 1/2 % of the fans in that league. There are some at King's Lynn who do swear by ( not swear at ) the man and his methods.

Hardly matters if you are working for the same man, with his own same view of what must be ( and how it must be ).

Oh Yes He Is! In the pantomime of UK speedway - which is what it has become. Buster will continue to ensure that a contract is not worth the paper it was written on. Was there one, in fact, a contract? Definitely making an example of a rider who dares to do an Oliver! Who did Harris make the deal with and was that person really in charge of Pboro? Oh No He Wasn't. Ipswich next to feel the wrath of the Main Man?

The iron grip of Buster Chapman brings its own ways of doing things ( yes it is his money and he who pays the piper always calls the tune ) but it is an Iron Grip ( the ONLY way of doing things ) at King's Lynn, Peterborough and Ipswich - almost half of the PL. Is he the 'saviour" of what is called top level UK speedway or is he the Dark Destroyer of it?

Actually, gustix wrote the above - I too agree that ONLY something like the format used in California is likely to attract significant numbers of new fans and hold a good proportion of them. After 65 years of watching UK speedway I too am bored when seeing 2 or 3 decent races out of 15 - which is what it has come to. Far too many tapes to flag non-races most likely due to the high powered bikes of today ( as well as rider attitude - " I missed the start so this will do" ) . Dismiss this as yet another "dinosaur" growing too old to enjoy what's on offer, if you wish but vast numbers of fans have just decided to give UK speedway racing a miss over the last 10 -20 years. And yes, PL & CL riders are paid more than the sport can afford. Managed decline IS real.

If he has emigrated, it is very easy to remain "in control" with modern technology - even without raising your voice! One bonus might be less "essential grading breaks".

Nobody in their right mind under 40 would "invest" in speedway ( unless they come from a wealthy speedway family ) as there is no return in such a sport, other than the imagined kudos that anyone wishes to purchase by putting money into a UK speedway team. You would need to double the average crowd at almost every UK track to get into the black! Or know of a wealthy business person who wishes to buy the kudos of being the main sponsor.

Buster is known as the Tonka King at Lynn so you should hope that he does not do the track for Pboro. There will be far more tractor racing than speedway racing if he gets the Big Toys out during a match.

And that has been the case for all of this century. Firstly the BSPA saw the Sky contract as doing enough to "market" the sport in the UK . Oh and for the "loadsa money" that came with it - almost none of which was re-invested in the sport. And with the evolution of the internet that meant they could do the "marketing" almost FOC - and believe that it will do all the work for them!

I did get that side of the point but feel that 'blaming" older fans or making them feel irrelevant is more than unfortunate. Of course, UK speedway does desperately need younger fans to re-stock the terraces but the BSPA seem to make marketing to the outside world a low priority. They believe that just by being present on social media they can sit back and wait for the under 40's to just turn up!

I bet they don't read much of the forum because they see all feedback as negative and derogatory. With the head of the BSPA being a 100% in agreement with "my way or the highway" philosophy what can you expect? As for replying to a post - I am confident that they see it as a"below them".

So we should ban admission to all those with grey hair? Or perhaps charge them double? Herd them into a section of the stadium where the sight of them does not put off the hordes of eager young new fans? That would be an easy way to discriminate against them despite the fact is that many of them have been keeping the sport going for 40 or 50 years. There really would be only tumbleweed and those few fans still 100% optimistic about how UK speedway is now run, left on the terraces.

Me too, not holding my breath as I don't believe for a nanosecond that the BSPA is capable of coming up with a brilliant cunning plan of any kind. Totally agree with everything else that mikebv wrote. A race to the bottom and to extinction.

Not at all surprised and believe it completely. What it says, if correct, is that neither the BSPA nor UK speedway is "fit for purpose" as a professionally organised sport. The last AGM decided that " all is well" and no change was needed in the structure of the UK sport. Except for a change to a yellow helmet colour forced on them by the rest of the world.

Such "faith" schools are themselves racist and sexist and the existence of any such biased organisation, educating young people should not be permitted.

As we know speedway racing came to us from Australia and naturally the most up to date style of presentation will creep in here ( as they already have done re grading breaks). Bound to catch on here on warmer match days. Stand by to be mesmerised by lengthier tractor racing events.

All very Kenny Everett aka Cupid Stunt "in the best possible interests of the sport".

An immense struggle to be in the Top Four ( of seven ). You couldn't make it up. Feeble 2018 AGM by the BSPA.

Marking out the new track shape is significant progress by UK speedway standards. It's barely 2019 and if the season doesn't need to begin until May, why worry? I am sure the promotion has it all in hand, even if a burst of severe winter weather should crop up and delay the work. There are so few fixtures to fit in these days, three months to slot in the whole season would be OK.

Judging by his record, so far, as The Man in Charge at the BSPA, it will likely crumble beneath his feet while he's looking around believing that the is on top of things!

Very John Lennon! But we can only hope that a non aggressive exchange of views on the sport we all love.

I am sure that this is the case. Buster will feel he has failed to keep the top flight going and even he would likely be devasted when it happens ( in less than 12 months ). Forever the optimist wearing rose-tinted spectacles and feeling the "all is well": in UK speedway - that's Buster. With No Change being the mantra, how can things improve after just a minor reshuffle?

Let's hope it's a personal "happy event" and not a place in the Stars team for 2019. I think he has little to offer in the "top" league.

If Buster owns three clubs, each club gets a vote and the owner will be a powerful voice in how that vote is cast - don't you think? Other figures in UK speedway are clearly unsettled by that development it seems.