Speedway In Wales/scotland

[Paulco]

Never mind talking about another club in Scotland or Wales as South coast robin mentions - how the hell does it seem impossible now to have a club in the nations capital . It's criminal that there isn't a thriving league club in London .

[SCB]

Bristol..best supported club in speedway once , still speedwayless .

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Newport to Somerset is about 40 miles and Bristol airport (right o the far edge of Bristol) is 30 miles from my house, which is slightly further into Newport than Newport speedway, so you can pretty much guarentee that any track in Bristol would fall under the 30 mile rule with Newport AND Somerset.

[Ian]

Never mind talking about another club in Scotland or Wales as South coast robin mentions - how the hell does it seem impossible now to have a club in the nations capital . It's criminal that there isn't a thriving league club in London .

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I'll go along with that, Paulco. Maybe the gradual ruralisation of the sport is in its long-term interests, and maybe not, but that's why I am delighted to see Birmingham back with us again.

[Ian]

Newport to Somerset is about 40 miles and Bristol airport (right o the far edge of Bristol) is 30 miles from my house, which is slightly further into Newport than Newport speedway, so you can pretty much guarentee that any track in Bristol would fall under the 30 mile rule with Newport AND Somerset.

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Yes, but surely the 30-mile rule only applies if the existing promoter wants it to apply?

 

Armadale and Ashfield certainly aren't 30 miles apart (it may even be less than 20) but both sets of promoters know what's good for crowd levels.

[SCB]

It would be suicide for Tim Stone to let anyone open up in Cardiff or Bristol. I'd say our crowd levels are so low now that it would take less than 50 people to stop attending to leave the club with major problems. With a lot of people coming to Newport from Bristol and Cardiff, how many of them would decide to go there instead? Then how many people from Newport would decide to support a more succesful team in Cardiff or Bristol rather than Newport, after all, if you're travelling 10 minutes (as I do) you may as well travel 15-20 minutes to Bristol or Cardiff!

 

I'd not allow it if I was in Tims position.

[Kevin Meynell]

Maybe the gradual ruralisation of the sport is in its long-term interests

 

Many, if not most of the tracks in Sweden are located in small towns, and then usually outside of them. Their Elite League still manages to get better crowds than ours.

 

It's going to be increasingly difficult to run existing tracks in urban areas, let alone start-up new ones. That said, nimbys and ecomentalists are slowly putting a stop to motor racing in the countryside as well.

[Ian]

Many, if not most of the tracks in Sweden are located in small towns, and then usually outside of them. Their Elite League still manages to get better crowds than ours.

 

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Sweden is precisely what I was thinking of when I posted that. I was once told that many of the tracks there are surrounded by trees. That sounds good to me, but I'm still pleased that a city like Birmingham can support at least one track.

[The Third Man]

It would be suicide for Tim Stone to let anyone open up in Cardiff or Bristol.  I'd say our crowd levels are so low now that it would take less than 50 people to stop attending to leave the club with major problems.  With a lot of people coming to Newport from Bristol and Cardiff, how many of them would decide to go there instead?  Then how many people from Newport would decide to support a more succesful team in Cardiff or Bristol rather than Newport, after all, if you're travelling 10 minutes (as I do) you may as well travel 15-20 minutes to Bristol or Cardiff!

 

I'd not allow it if I was in Tims position.

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well whats better for speedway , newport or a well supported Bristol

 

answers begining with b please

[25yearfan]

British speedway needs many more tracks in traditionally popular centres like Bristol as well as ensuring existing tracks keep going such as Newport.

 

During the Britol Bulldogs (yes Reading are not the Bulldogs in speedway as far as I'm concerned!) short spell back in speedway in 1977/1978 Newport shut in 77 cause Bristol has taken all their support after the 76 Wasps BL team wa transfered to Bristol while Newport dropped into the National League.

 

The BSPA would be extremely shortsighted to block a Bristol revival. Newport when it reopened in 1997 enjoyed good crowds for a few seasons but recent years have seen crowds drop alarmingly. While I respect Tim Stone for reopening Newport and keeping it going his poor PR skills are a big reason why the fans have stayed away in recent years. I feel that maybe a new fresh go ahead promotion would improve things.

 

If Bristol reopened in the near future it wouldn't be like the late 70's cause its unlikely that Bristol would take Newports team.

 

Bascically speedway needs a reborn Bristol speedway team and Newport to keep going. If both tracks were ran in the correct manner then both tracks could be sustainable while running in the same era.

[25yearfan]

I'm sure that a few fans who have spectated at Wolves and Coventry will revert to following the newly reopened Birmingham Brummies at Perry Bar.

 

But overall the benefits to British speedway of having a formnr giant in Birmingham back far outweighs Coventry and Wolves having to attract a few new fans to replace those who've gone to Birmingham.

 

Anyway when a track close most of the support goes with it, only a few go to other tracks to watch. My old team Norwich is a prime example of this!

 

Newport and Tim Stone have to consider whats best for the club, maybe Tim stepping aside to let someone else try and pick it up and apply better PR is needed. If this was done then Newport would stand a really good chance of not being effected to severely by a Bristol revival.

[south coast robin]

It seems some of the smaller towns like Workington and Kings Lynn get the biggest attendances .

When you compare the catchment area of Belle Vue , the old county of Lancashire has about 10x the population of Cumbria .

Yet BV don't get better crowds .

Neither do Sheffield , in a densely populated area of Yorkshire , compared to rural Norfolk .

Swindon , now supposed to be the best -supported club in Britain, is not exactly a massively populated area ?

Edited December 7, 2006 by south coast robin

[Hazzman]

It seems some of the smaller towns like Workington and Kings Lynn get the biggest attendances .

When you compare the catchment area of Belle Vue , the old county of Lancashire has about 10x the population of Cumbria .

Yet BV don't get better crowds .

Neither do Sheffield , in a densely populated area of Yorkshire , compared to rural Norfolk .

Swindon , now supposed to be the best -supported club in Britain, is not exactly a massively populated area ?

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Might have some to do with that in these areas there is no big sports team.

 

Ie. Worky and Kings Lynn have non-league footy. Swindon have recently been unsuccessful.

 

No big Rugby clubs.

 

Just a thought.

[SCB]

well  whats better for speedway , newport or a well supported Bristol

 

answers begining with b please

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It's irreleavnt what you, I, or anyone but Tim Stone wants. He is the on ewho can stop a team opening up in Bristol or Cardiff.

 

Might have some to do with that in these areas there is no big sports team.

While Stoke, Newport, Buxton, IoW and Somerset are competing with who exactly? There's no scientific way to workout where speedway works best.

[The Third Man]

It's irreleavnt what you, I, or anyone but Tim Stone wants.  He is the on ewho can stop a team opening up in Bristol or Cardiff.

 

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didnt ask what you, i, or tim stone wanted, asked what would be better for speedway

[Hazzman]

It's irreleavnt what you, I, or anyone but Tim Stone wants.  He is the on ewho can stop a team opening up in Bristol or Cardiff.

 

While Stoke, Newport, Buxton, IoW and Somerset are competing with who exactly?  There's no scientific way to workout where speedway works best.

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Stoke has 2 football teams

Newport has Cardiff City not far from it and the attraction of Rugby, Newport-Gwent Dragons.

Isle Of Wight is predominantly a holiday resort

Buxton and Somerset suffer from a lack of the right location, neither places have massive population.

[Richspeedway]

I think it was a good point put earlier about smaller places like Workington have good crowds compared to some cities that run speedway. One reason could be is that in big cities there are many other things that people can do to go out and have good night so it is down to the marketing people to really sell it to the people. I think speedway in London is needed for sure, but it is hard to find places to run it and also like the case with Wimbledon some places put high rent costs.

 

On a seperate note though I see Doncaster Rovers are moving ground wonder what they will be doing with the old site? I guess be houses like everywhere else.

[SCB]

Buxton and Somerset suffer from a lack of the right location, neither places have massive population.

Workington is not exactly a hive of activity. I recon theres more people in a 10 miles radius of Somerset Speedway than Workington Speedway. Bristol is probably just short of that 10 miles too and thats no small place!

 

 

Regards the Gwent Dragons. Back in 97-2000, Newport Wasps had bigger attendances than the rugby and the football (and we, the speedway, geenrally did well). Then things went from for the speedway and started to go right for Newport RFC and there crowds rocketed. Then they regionalised Welsh rugby, Newport RFC's rich benefactor got out and things went twit's up for the rugby. Now the football club is going through something of a resurgance results wise and guess what, the crowds are going up.

 

I maintain that if Newport won a trophy or two, then the people of Newport would suddenly become Newport fans, if at the same time the football and rugby are having a bad time, even better for Newport Speedway.

Edited December 9, 2006 by SCB

[Ian]

British speedway needs many more tracks in traditionally popular centres like Bristol as well as ensuring existing tracks keep going such as Newport.

 

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I've always made that assumption too, but I've been wondering about it recently.

 

At least one promoter is saying that there simply aren't enough riders to go round all the PL clubs because of the number of riders moving to EL. Fair enough you'd think, bring in more CL riders to the PL. But then you gets lots of posters on this forum telling us how the PL is being "weakened" or "ruined" and that "standards are falling".

 

How can we have more tracks and square that circle?

[Richspeedway]

I think it would just take a few years for riders to come up IF there were conference teams to spring up as it would take a few seasons before they could go into the PL. So the league would maybe suffer but then as the riders got more experience to go up then they would have enough as some teams would probably still go for riders abroad but not as many.

[Ian]

I think it would just take a few years for riders to come up IF there were conference teams to spring up as it would take a few seasons before they could go into the PL. So the league would maybe suffer but then as the riders got more experience to go up then they would have enough as some teams would probably still go for riders abroad but not as many.

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I'm sure that's right, but judging by the views of some posters I'm not sure they would be willing to wait a few years.

Edited December 9, 2006 by Ian