MattK

Let's face facts, speedway is an old person's sport. It is run by old people, for old people. The presentation is old fashioned, the music is often straight from the 70s. This in itself isn't a problem, as the bulk of fee paying fans are themselves over 40 and the average age is probably around 55. Here's a thought, why do we need to attract young people? In my opinion, speedway's biggest problem when it comes to marketing is that it doesn't know what it's target market is. It wants to attract young people, but as stated, it is't geared up to appeal to younger audiences once they are through the turnstiles. There are actually very few products which have universal appeal across all age ranges, so why does speedway think it is special enough to appeal to everyone? The answer is actually surprisingly simple, why doesn't speedway target itself at an older market. Speedway should be targeting over 40s. Instead of going round schools, clubs should be approaching local businesses with deals to attract new fans. Here are three ideas: Firstly, the most basic flyers and posters. This is cheap, but also largely ineffective, as speedway needs to be "sold" to people. Secondly, most companies have some kind of staff discount scheme. Offer a deal which will allow a club to promote speedway more pro-actively. The company I work for has a "roadshow" every few months where local businesses come to our office and promote themselves. A bike, a rider and some footage would goa long way to selling the sport. This obviously takes more effort on the part of the clubs. Thirdly and most involving is some kind of "speedway supporters club" within a local businesses. This requires a lot of co-ordination on behalf of the speedway club, but will also get the most engagement with potential new fans. Then once new fans are attracted, there are plenty of things clubs can do (for free) in order to get people hooked. Pre-meeting pit tours, track walks and viewing a few heats from the centre green are all free and easy ways to turn someone into a regular fans. Speedway's lack of a clear marketing strategy leads to the current scattergun approach, which instead of appealing to everybody, actually appeals to nobody. I agree that focus is required, but I do not believe that young people is where the focus should be aimed.

His average is 4.10. Even as a secondstring he'll average 5.5 easily.

Lindgren, Andersen, Nicholls, Steve Worrall, Howarth and Newman

Which over the course of a 14 meeting season, is about 100 fans. Would Doyle have put 100 more fans on the gate than the yet unnamed Pole who is likely to be Leicester's number 1?

How has it benefited Leicester speedway? They are likely to put out another wooden-spoon challenging team. Hardly going to entice the fans, is it?

Leicester finished last season with a decent looking top five. How they let Doyle and Masters slip through their fingers, is anyone's guess. A team like Leicester should be looking to retain as many of the previous season's team as possible. Does anyone know who Leicester failed to complete the signing of Doyle as an asset?

Poole and Belle Vue look the stand-out teams for me. Of the other three complete teams, there isn't much to divide them. If Lindgren or Kasprazak ride to their potential, then Wolves and Coventry could be in the mix. Swindon look a bit meh to me. Doyle is the best rider in the league, but with an awful lot of pressure on Morris and Grajczonek to back him up.

What has Rosco actually delivered in his two years as Team GB manager? Last season's performance in the World Cup was woeful, compounded by Sweden, who are no better than us, actually winning the thing. You'd think, if Rossiter was taking the job seriously, that he might want one or two of the top Brits in his club side so he could build rapport, learn how they like to prepare for meetings etc. However, on the other hand, if the Team GB manager role is a one week a year job which involved picking the team and making sure they all turn up on time, then what does it matter? Given that Belle Vue has signed two likely Team GB members, plus two fringe riders, as well as hosting the finals, it would make sense to get Chris Morton involved, if not as manager then at least in some advisory capacity.

If we sign Michelsen, then Grajzonek will have to ride as a heat leader, so what we gain with one hand we lose with the other. We need a rider with an average over 6 and who can hold their own in a heat leader position. The only rider I can think of who fits that description is MJJ.

PL clubs suffer almost as much with missing doubling-uppers. Running on different nights would be a good compromise for both leagues.

Michelsen would have been good instead of Grajczonek, but not as well as. It would leave us almost a point under the limit and very light in the heatleader department. I'm at a bit of a loss to understand what our team building strategy is, but our best bet with the points we have available has to be Michael Jepsen Jensen?

I'm not sure where this leaves us heatleader-wise. Assuming Morris, it means we can't fit Batch (luckily), Kildemand, Shamek Pawlicki or even Mads.

The other thing to take into account is business rates. The current greyhound stadium has a rateable value of £300,000, so with a multiplier of 49.3% that would come to an annual payment of £147,900.

Another rule which will cause nothing but confusion. If a rider receives a new average every four meetings (some have said every two weeks, which actually makes more sense), when will the new average become effective? Immediately, at a fixed point in the week? How will teams plan ahead for guests when riders are constantly moving between positions and at short notice?

Surely not. Over 60 years the interest costs will be higher than the original loan. Swindon Borough Council pay a long term rate of 3.36% on their borrowing. At that rate MCC would pay back close to £14m on the £6m loan.

What about interest? Even at a fairly modest rate of 5% interest it will push the payments up over £315,000 a year. Plus, doesn't the bulk of the loan have to be paid off over 40 years, rather than 60?

Isn't the purpose of the list to differentiate better the skew caused by the new heat format, so to list riders of HL "standard"? Buczkowski achieved less than half his average as a HL in the new format, KK none of his average, so why would they be on the list?

The away team pits were demolished mid way through last season in order to allow access for the housing developers, but there would need to be planning permission granted before wholesale demolition of the stadium could begin. As of yet, no detailed planning permission for the new stadium or demolition of the existing stadium had been applied for.

But he's so cheap!

Sedgmen (4.70), Wright (4.13), and Nielsen (3.00) comes to 11.84, leaving 28.66. Enough for Doyle (9.44), Przemyslaw Pawlicki (6.75), Morris (6.70) and Michelsen (5.67) Or Zengota (7.79), Watt (7.19), Batchelor(6.91) and Morris (6.70) Depending on budget!

A comprehensive set of rules covering draft riders in 2016 are conspicuous by their absence. This suggests to me that they are still under considerations. Now the brains on the internet have pointed out the obvious flaws in draft riders "moving up" I wouldn't be surprised to see some back tracking in what's been announced.

Whoever Poole don't want out of Watt or North in place of Summers then.

I'm sure there will be plenty of fuss made if plans are eventually submitted. It's interesting to see that the plans for the houses opposite the stadium entrance were submitted in June, yet are only going in front of the planning committee this week. This suggests that even if plans are submitted, we are looking at months rather than weeks before any work actually begins.

It wouldn't surprise me if the 2016 team isn't the same as the 2015 team just with Sedgmen in place of Kildemand.

Looks like Swindon Council are set to grant planning permission for housing on the small piece of land directly opposite the entrance to the current stadium: http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/13954567.More_houses_set_to_be_built_in_North_Swindon/ I wouldn't be surprised if in the future Stadium UK argue that building a motorsports venue in the middle of houses isn't economically viable.