M.D

The way it looks to me is.. Martin Dugard and Jon Cook now lease the stadium from the Dugard family, they both have control over the venue and can promote what they want having payed the lease on the venue to the owners. Eastbourne Speedway have moved up to the championship under the management of Jon Cook and Ian Jordan. I would think that Dugard/Cook are going to promote the stadium, stock cars, speedway and what ever they want to do so they can fund speedway, which at this present time is not really sustainable.

I did have a few concerns about the viability of the speedway team moving up but this explains a lot, Jon Cook and Martin Dugard are not naive are they...

I think the website is a good source of information and is getting updated fairly regularly. Ian Jordan is doing a fantastic job on social media keeping the fans informed and making it feel like we have a direct line to the management at Eastbourne. Social media and the website are separate items though, he can interact on social media in a way you can't on a website.

There is a lot more interest from fans this season than before, I would expect a spike in attendance to begin with and with a good team around Arlington I would think they can build on crowds..

Does Steen still ride? that was a while back..

I think it would do Georgie Wood good to still race at NL level, preferably on a larger track in the south..

How did you get to Kennett's average, looks a little high to me?

What sort of an attitude is that?

Or maybe the SCB could press the 'reset to factory settings' button and we as a sport can move forward? Yeah, doubt it too..

And we should catch up again soon..

A fantastic performance over the two legs and Eastbourne are worthy league champions. I have been watching Eastbourne since 1976 so I have seen the rough and the smooth with the club so I know only too well how Mildenhall fans feel and I have the upmost respect for the team and how they have performed this season. If the league format was different they would be deserved winners of the league but its a play off system, its about developing riders and getting a team into form at the right time with a sprinkling of luck over four meetings, thats taking nothing away from either team. As for tonight, shame on Mildenhall..

I don't come on the forum too much any more after being a member for 13 odd years and I have met up with SCB many times at tracks across the UK. I'm totally shocked by this and disgusted, I would never have guessed he was doing anything like what he has done..

Great man, RIP Bob

It won't be stopped, the government has taken away funding for commercial projects such as Schools and hospitals and are focusing on residential new build housing. They will put by a small budget for the refurbishment of schools and hospitals but they are concentrating on residential new build housing, this government switch has been on the cards for well over a year now and this short sighted policy will not change.

Very true, never riding on a level playing field with the budget he has to work on. Its a shame, as I feel there is a good rider in Georgie but without the machinery to complete at this level I fear we will never know how far he could go.

Maybe its a bit of a warning sign..

Good enough but with good finance behind them..

I was with an old friend this morning, we go back 25 odd years, he's not a speedway fan but has been to a good few meetings with me but not for a few years.. An intelligent man, runs his own business, a Yorkshireman living in the south he tells it as he see's it and as a kid went to the Shay a few times. I spoke about a few things and he said "Get an American marketing team in, they know how to promote and put a show on when you get people in to watch, people want more entertainment if they are paying £12 to get in for a night" My reply was its more like £18 now for the evening and his reply was "Thats the first bit they've got wrong" He does have a point.

Yeah, he's very happy these days, got a good life going..

Happy days, AJ, KK and Shieldsy...

Then in my opinion all views should be considered and work with the most popular view point whilst working with what you feel yourself is the right way to move forward..

Exactly, a business may turn over billions or a few hundred a week, the principle is the same, listen, learn what your client wants and keep them happy for repeat business.

I hear what your saying but my point is that in whatever business your in, you have to listen to the paying customer and adapt to keep them happy or you will lose clients..

I have to agree, they have to open up, listen and become transparent with the fan base or their clients so to speak. Its different yes, but I work in new build construction and we have regular meetings with our clients who spend millions with us. They give us feedback on what we are doing right, what they may not be happy with and in return we put our point of view across on how we feel. Both parties working together on the relationship and finding out how each side feel and how things can be improved for the future. Yes very different as Im pointing out how companies may work but the principal is the same. Its about finding out what a client wants and how they fee and then working towards making the experience better for the paying customer, lets not forget, we are the clients of British speedway and they should be listening to our views and working towards firstly keeping us and then improving the experience.

The sport needs an independent body with a blue print plan for the future of the sport, I think most agree on this. The sport needs to go back to basics and concentrate on the product on offer. We can't afford the top lads so get rid of them for a while, spend the money not on wages but track prep, presentation, advertising and putting on an entertaining evening with fast flowing speedway on a well prepared track with a slick show in between races to keep fans entertained. A consistent fixture list is essential with the only non race night is because the team is away that night for a fixture. The governing body needs to at first win back the trust of the existing fan base with transparent honesty and then look towards winning back the lost fans base and then and only then can it start to attract a new fan base. Stabilise the current business, work within the existing financial constraints and then start to build for a future.. They have to consolidate what they have first, work as a team and then build, this I doubt will happen..