waytogo28

Alex Brady wrote " Lets give the promotion our full loyalty once again, and if things don't go to plan, I'm certain the club will listen to what the fans want, if we give them the support too!" ​That has been at the heart of the problem for at least 5 years ( if not ten ) THAT style of NOT listening or responding in any way to the concerns of supporters. Yes IF ( and it's big if ) this great new way forward to be unveiled, in the first three months of 2018 includes a 2 way relationship ( and we are not just "end users" - customers in plain English ) then Hooray and the promotion will deserve the full support of the remaining fans. But come on, potential fans are not going to start their speedway adventure on here and anyway there are less than 10 posters who are critical ( less than half a dozen really ). Those who are critical of how the sport at KLS has been run are quite correct in posting their view of the slump in numbers on the terraces. It's a fact.

Thank you Del for clearing up that urban myth ( that you were in fact Cheryl Chapman - had that been the case you would have known him well of course ). I too don't really support one team - I still love and am stirred by a great close race and an on track battle. I can't get anywhere else but have gone every year regularly since Lynn opened. And to Norwich before then. Even last season I managed around half of the fixtures. But it has not been run well since Rob Lyon lost interest / had to put more into his own business or whatever. Some fans have become disgruntled and the ones on here who express their severe disappointment - still care about and are interested in KLS but a huge number of others who don't post ( some used to ) have just walked away leaving a hard core of only around 1,000 now. Make of that what you will but losing up to 50% of your hard core fans in five years ( whilst failing to attract new fans ) shows that something is seriously wrong.

The worst part is how the KLS promotion are now Bigging It Up to be something - "Speedway has Never Seen'. Disappointment is the most likely result of such gorilla fist pumping and chest pounding ( and we know they mildly turn away as the noise fades out ). How deltafox can say we are not patient I do not know! To be speedway fan for more than one season and to be a KLS fan for more than even a decade - you need to have lots of patience. How she is SO irritated by what is only about six unconvinced posters I do not know. Got a touch of the Trumps perhaps?

Even IF Kennett could cope with the travel can you cope with a rider who can only score 40% of his home average when riding away? Since he stepped in before his confidence ( or something ) has greatly slipped.

The 22nd December is no time at all to have to wait for. At King's Lynn we have to wait until late January.

For the loss of fans like this ex work colleague - there will be 100s of students rolling in?. As we know the brothers marketing is very good and the big screen ads in Glasgow city centre really added to the average numbers - or did they?

The other bottom line is that if some parents want to go to the match and the cost of taking them is less than a competent babysitter, they will take them ( wether the kids want to go or not ).

deltafox said "You are an end user wait and see if you like the offering if not bye bye." Whoever she is ( and whoever she is closely related to - as the story goes ) no doubt this is also Mr Chapman's true opinion on fans. You are end users - and you are being and have been used. All of us just have to wait and see what the offering is and if you don't like it, bye bye. Very Buster Chapman who is legendary for his "My Way or the Highway" approach to dealing with anyone about anything.

If Max Fricke and Hans Andersen double up there would be little or no difference between the leagues ( not that there is now - except for when the Sheffield V Leicester result was rigged ). No need for one Big League as there will be two cloned ones in 2018. And no doubt if any Superstars are somehow attracted back, they will be give permission to double up as & when necessary ( cup ties etc ). All very It's a Knockout. In the best possible taste of course.

The only other reason for a long delay in releasing news - until 2018 may be that Buster's insider knowledge re TV fees could affect club funds. if there is a big increase in BT's offer. I can't see that myself but who knows ( certainly fans don't )...

GRW123 wrote " NB The sad part about all this, is if they can make a fan of 50+ yrs, feel this way, what chance do they have of appealing to new supporters ". Simple answer - almost no chance at all! I am one of the 50 + years a fan too and am finely balanced between Go or Stay. Why would someone who has no previous knowledge of speedway - give it try? A possible crossover exists with the stock car promotion. It's all so much a repeat of fine words ( that guff in the Lynn News ) but no substance. Bringing in Doyle and retaining Robert Lambert would please existing fans ( inc. me ) but who outside of the sport has heard of JD or that he is a very worthwhile World Champion? This time last year KLS were boasting of acquiring the services of Holder.

Sounds like this IS "state of the art" PR arranged by Buster Chapman at KLS for 2018. Certain to have the home fires buzzing! Quoted from the Lynn News - "Lynn have gone through every aspect of their structure, both on the riding side and behind the scenes – where they have made an addition in personnel – plus aspects of the operation which no-one would have ever dreamed about to make an innovative presentation of their future vision to potential sponsors and the media." Can other clubs keep up with that!

Living up to that in the Lynn News - seems beyond credible - the stuff of dreams indeed. Far too much to live up to! " Lynn have gone through every aspect of their structure, both on the riding side and behind the scenes – where they have made an addition in personnel – plus aspects of the operation which no-one would have ever dreamed about to make an innovative presentation of their future vision to potential sponsors and the media." ​I hope one thing is that emails will in future be answered, at least. Is that what KLS means?

I genuinely believe that the majority of promoters now accept they will make a loss, season after season and are concerned only to limit that loss to an acceptable ( to them ) level. So extras like additional marketing etc are not continued with. The strength or weakness of the leagues has, I believe, almost no bearing on crowd levels. Prospective fans don't know who the world's best riders are. What they need to see, if you can entice them into a stadium, is close exciting racing in a swift moving "show". That seems also not to be a high priority for the majority of promoters. They do like to claim - "look how much we love the sport - we lose thousands every season". Whist they continue to prop up the sport from their other business interests and until the need for tracks to make at least a break even end to their year, nothing will change. And few younger new fans will be attracted. Sell the show of speedway racing - not here is a "star" who then gates and rides round stylishly winning easily - not much of a spectacle ( except to the purists who already attend ).

GRW123 wrote in another thread "Knowing Terry Betts, like I did, he would purchase a new bike each year and use the previous years bike as a second. He would transport his bikes to each of the 60 meetings he raced. After each meeting he would hose the bikes down, oil the chain and it was ready to go again. he would probably have a new Chain and Tyres once a month. Dressed in his black leathers, he always looked the part and seldom did he let anyone down. Mr Reliable he was called and always figured in the scores... A true Captain who was forever smiling, always shaking hands and having his picture taken, never complaining of his adulation he received. The race times were much slower then, but the races were just as exciting How the sport has changed. Now the top riders want 20 bikes, all highly expensively tuned, they have a entourage of full time mechanics and helpers with brand new vans to ferry the bikes to the next meeting. Riders use high quality cars to the many countries they ride. The travel more air miles in a month than most of us do in a year. , and it all comes at a cost. Where once the 'Terry Betts' was seen as the bread and butter of our sport, now we can't finance their existence. " Sadly, unless the BSPA give up on their dream of having the cream of world speedway riding in the PL, there is little possibility of supporter growth because the cream cannot be supported by the existing fan base while new fans are sought. There is no point in having the cream if promoters do not work Much Harder at real promotion / marketing. UK based new fans have no idea of who Emil S is or Greg H. - they are just rider names like Carl Wilkinson to the uninitiated. 30% of the "lost " fans have passed away or are too old / infirm to return. "big" names will not draw new fans in. It needs to be one big league with UK based riders only on sensible pay rates and £10 admission. If that is marketed properly it might attract new fans to "speedway racing" per se. Sell on track excitement and new stars emerge from the riders pack naturally. And hasn't the One Over Eight rule stopped the existing big names returning anyway?

Suits me ( why won't it work? ). In fact a team like that would have on that bench regularly! And a message for Trees - Yes I will have No. 99 ( not 96 ) and pay the extortionate modern rate. Who said "he's giving it up "? The speedway fan must be one of the most optimistic of sports fans - always hoping, dreaming and being led by the ring in the nose.

Oh Yes! They certainly would but that lost generation of speedway fans ( and the complicated reasons for that ) has put paid to speedway as having financially viable crowd levels. Buster and whoever cannot afford to disappoint and push away ANY existing fans. Read, Mark, Learn and Digest my teacher always said. And a message for Trees, I just found my last membership card for KLS Supporters Club has expired. It was No. 92 and ran out in April 1969. Am I able to rejoin at the same rate? And is that 5 shillings? I do qualify for a Concessionary rate.

As for the Why of Senior's Concessions - I now have about 45% of the income I had before retirement AND I paid for myself since 1964 ( when I too had two parer rounds and a Sunday newspaper stall and collected the paper payments every week on saturday mornings ) So I have paid for entry to, on average two matches a week from 1963 to to 2010 - thats's a good bit of money put into the sport. Don't older long term fans deserve a loyalty concession as in nearly every sport? Apparently not in the opinion of some posters.

Hey! AO - magical return to the heyday at Saddlebow Rd. And to see Michael Lee and Peter Collins - two of my heroes was wonderful. An early Christmas present . Thanks. Oops my Thanks really go to Trees for unearthing this gem.

Now that would be magical ( but sadly beyond even my powers! ) I have a Euromillions ticket for Tuesday - so anything could happen.

Dear Santa, please exert your substantial marketing powers on Speedway GB and double the crowds at every club in 2018 ( and for the most needy clubs - trebled .) And all to watch - close exciting racing with plenty of passing. And please do your best ensure that all of of the new supporters are in the 18 - 35 age bracket, who fall in love with the thrills of close racing and replace the almost extinct "dinosaurs". And please do your best to help every new fan to " bring a friend or two" after a few weeks of excitement. With your help ( and some magic dust ) speedway in the UK could be rejuvenated and re-born and remain healthy until the 2028 centenary.

Now that I have been told to "bugger off" from Newcastle, which I made a big effort to visit twice last season ( to see my hero Robert Lambert race ) I heard I would still be welcome at Berwick. Fingers crossed!

The promotion have a Big Presence on social media and it's The Coming Thing, so hordes of under 30s will be filling the place and rocking it Polish style I imagine.

Tsunami wrote " Stick to the other threads where you are advising them as well. " So I drew the obvious conclusion that the opinions of fans from other tracks were not relevant. Fair enough. I am a lifelong fan of speedway racing that's all. However unwelcome it may be I am interested in what goes on at other tracks e.g. Glasgow - where the withdrawal of concessions is a matter of interest to many retired people. And at Peterborough where I attended every home match for many years, when living in Northampton. And Coventry too! Should I not be interested in the future of the Bees because I now live in East Anglia?

Well the NO concessions for over 65s is a diabolical decision in my opinion. But the Glasgow promotion is said be the most "modern" and we will see if it does come back haunt them. If it becomes copied as a PL policy, it would be the final nail in the coffin for me re attending my local club. I already make my own scorecard and rarely buy any of fast food offered by them. Nothing left to cut and so non attendance is my only way of saving what was an invaluable concession. And look how much more I would save! I don't know about Glasgow but if it were introduced at King's Lynn it would hit about 30% of the crowd. Not all pensioners are as "rich" as many assume.