MattK

Fans didn't turn out for the KO Cup. OK, you could argue that it was treated with contempt by promoters (which it was), but the simple fact is there's no point in flogging a dead horse.

Should be the strapline of this site.

You've got more chance of being invited to Bilderberg than a supporter being invited to the AGM.

Crowds look terrible on TV, certainly no larger than the better supported EL clubs?

Cost? Sky seem to have cut back on their production. When they were at Swindon they had no camera up in the cherry picker and no bloke near the start line with the swingy camera on a crane type deal (sorry for non-techies, I have tried to use layman's terms where possible).

The problem is, if one draft rider goes out and buys top notch machinery, then they will all have to do it in order to stay competitive - and that will defeat the object of paying them £40 a point, which is to cut costs.

How about marketing speedway at the over 40s? Just a thought.

Only 380 parking spaces as part of the development though. Presumably the greyhound stadium has parking, as well as the big cinema complex?

How close is the new stadium to the centre of Manchester? Does anyone know what sort of overflow parking and/or public transport arrangements there will be?

Speedway has lost thousands, if not tens of thousands of supporters in the last decade. A good place to start would be to try and tempt them back.

Who actually owns Leicester's track?

I appreciate that watching tractors go round can be fascinating, but I'd have thought there were ample gaps during a meeting for chips and beer runs. Intervals do seem like an unnecessary delay where most people stand around waiting for the racing to resume.

All age groups are welcome, but speedway's biggest problem is that it tries to be all things to all people. An extreme sport and a family sport. Appealing to youngsters as well as continuing to attract the older generation. What happens is that it fails to be any of those things. It is not extreme enough (in both racing and presentation) to attract youngsters, but it too expensive to attract families en masse. Speedway needs to pick a group and market at those people.

Are there really though? I've heard this anecdotally, but has anyone actually researched which clubs simply cannot ride on certain nights due to clashes or planning restrictions? I think it should either be: Elite - Wednesday and Thursday Premier - Friday and Saturday National - Tuesday and Sunday or bite the bullet and have one large Premier League split on a regional basis with a North v South play-off for the league title.

Personally, I don't think young people are the future of speedway. £21 to attend a speedway meeting (£17 entry, £2.50 programme and £1.50 parking) is simply too much. To put it another way, it's a new Xbox One/PS4 game every two meetings. Given that the majority of speedway's current crowd are over 50, why not promote the sport at that market? Older people are minted (thanks to no dependants and very generous state pensions) so have plenty of disposable income.

Does that actually attract new supporters, or simply allow existing supporters who would have paid full price to get in at a discount?

Did the riders pick their gates or are they allocated, highest scorer on the inside, etc.?

Out of 6 meetings at Swindon we've had one ht9 with three riders and one with only two. Therefore over 30% - which I'd say is very high.

Except everyone can get Quest, even people with Freeview.

Fair point, but it's all relative. BV teams of the the past five years have been absolutely terrible, at least this one shows a little bit of ambition.

I think the difference is that BV are on their way up after a few years in the wilderness, while Swindon are on their way down after several seasons of being championship contenders.

That is the 64,000 dollar question. There will be some incredible self-interest based decisions at the next AGM where the clubs with draft riders as assets push for them to be included and other clubs arguing against.

The press release issued yesterday clearly states the project was launched in 2007.

Jeez, that was dull. Most heats won from the gate and I counted six passes all night, which included two in the same race where Klindt went from first to last. Obviously, injuries can't be helped, but the presentation is so stale and there was absolutely no atmosphere. As Orion said, terrible crowd tonight, probably the worst of the season.

MotoGP, F1 etc are raced on tracks of varying shapes and sizes, therefore you expect a variety of of entertainment levels and this is where strategies, rather than passing on the track come into play. Speedway tracks are much the same size and shape (compared to a tradional racing circuit). The problem is, when you watch a meeting held on a Polish league track, there is passing on the inside and out in most heats. This begs the questions of why the GP can't find a dozen tracks around the world which will produce great racing. I agree with what you say about the occasion and that is why I go to Cardiff every year without fail. However, only a small percentage of spectators attend any single GP, the vast majority watch on TV where the atmosphere of the event rarely comes across.