Polish League Attendance Figures

[Guest Schumi]

Indeed it is a complex issue. I would really like speedway to be amongst most popular sports in Poland but I do not think it is there (yet, and any more at the same time).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have a relative who was over in Poland looking for a track. He had trouble with directions and stopped to ask the way to be met with blank looks, mainly due to the language barrier - until he muttered the immortal words Tomasz Gollob, at which point the locals instantly knew what he was on about and pointed him in the right direction.

 

It seems Tomasz is as famous out there as Beckham is here, or is that not right? And if it is then one would assume the majority of people know which sport he is famous for. So if he is so popular, why isn't the sport popular with the media? Or do I have all my wires crossed and it just boils down to scandal and intrigue being the main selling point?

[iris123]

It seems Tomasz is as famous out there as Beckham is here, or is that not right? And if it is then one would assume the majority of people know which sport he is famous for. So if he is so popular, why isn't the sport popular with the media?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Can't answer for Poland.But there is a similar thing here in Germany.The Egon Müller factor.Mention speedway here and a lot of people automatically mention Egon.It is just that he was such a great personality for the media.Ok,he was a fantastic rider,but to get media attention you have to be more than that in our sport.And he worked at it.Now for the sport to become very popular you need 10 or 20 Egons or maybe in Poland, Gollobs.And that just ain't going to happen.I have heard Egon talking about how he went about things in the 70s and 80s.He used to put on a show the night before big meetings.He was around the whole weekend mixing with the crowd and building up a big relationship with them.Nowadays it is in his words "Pull into the pits an hour before the meeting,get changed,race,get changed,off to the next meeting".Very little time to build up a relationship with fans or media.That is the way of modern speedway in 4 or 5 countries per week.I still feel we should see more speedway on tv though.The past few years we have had the GPs on Eurosport.But it is always at a strange time.Usually 10 in the morning.And often changed at the last minute.How can you build up an audience like that?

Edited January 2, 2007 by iris123

[Guest Schumi]

Nowadays it is in his words "Pull into the pits an hour before the meeting,get changed,race,get changed,off to the next meeting".Very little time to build up a relationship with fans or media.That is the way of modern speedway in 4 or 5 countries per week.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Surely that relationship is just with the speedway reporters though? How many national newspapers actually send reporters to the meetings to get results and reaction? I'd hazard a guess at none. The speedway community is close knit - we read our own publications and have our own resources, and outside of that no-one really knows much about the sport. Not even the recent story about Scott and Sophie had generated much, if any, interest from the "outside media".

The past few years we have had the GPs on Eurosport.But it is always at a strange time.Usually 10 in the morning.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You need to come back home and watch it at the proper time. It's on Sky sports and is live.

[iris123]

Surely that relationship is just with the speedway reporters though? How many national newspapers actually send reporters to the meetings to get results and reaction? I'd hazard a guess at none. The speedway community is close knit - we read our own publications and have our own resources, and outside of that no-one really knows much about the sport. Not even the recent story about Scott and Sophie had generated much, if any, interest from the "outside media".

 

You need to come back home and watch it at the proper time.   It's on Sky sports and is live.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have to say i have a dvd from Egon and it is mainly from tv.He was news,in a way no other speedway rider since is.The various channels had stories about him.Especially when he was making one of his "last" meetings.The camera crews were following him the day of the meeting.He got onto chat shows.Even a sex programme.Talking about the sex life of a speedway rider There's an idea for Scott.Although you probably don't have "that sort" of programme

 

As to that last bit........

Edited January 2, 2007 by iris123

[Guest Schumi]

Have to say i have a dvd from Egon and it is mainly from tv.He was news,in a way no other speedway rider since is.The various channels had stories about him.Especially when he was making one of his "last" meetings.The camera crews were following him the day of the meeting.He got onto chat shows.Even a sex programme.Talking about the sex life of a speedway rider There's an idea for Scott.Although you probably don't have "that sort" of programme

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a sign of times changing, that's all. And unfortunately when Sky buy the rights to something, one of the side effects is that it instantly cuts off those who don't have it. Speedway in general has become less popular than it was years ago, and I don't want to reopen the debate as to why, but it seems to me, and I must be mistaken because it seems too simple , that it is the job of the BSPA to promote the sport. If they did things properly we could possibly revert back to "the good old days".

 

Anyway, I digress...

 

A thought has occurred. In these days of cheaper flights, is it possible that it would cost less for a supporter to fly to Poland, take in a meeting and fly home, than to pay for petrol, gate fees, programme, etc (depending on their proximity to the nearest track)? I wonder if there are more foreigners (ie Brits) following Polish, Swedish, Danish etc speedway than vice versa?

[Mateusz]

(...)

 

It seems Tomasz is as famous out there as Beckham is here, or is that not right? And if it is then one would assume the majority of people know which sport he is famous for. So if he is so popular, why isn't the sport popular with the media? Or do I have all my wires crossed and it just boils down to scandal and intrigue being the main selling point?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's definitely not like with Becks in England. People who are not into speedway at all mostly know who Gollob is. But usually that's all. The guy was very famous especially at the end of 90s when he was on the top. There used to be more about him in media so all people who at least watch sport news on telly automatically connect his name with speedway now.. But you'd never find a 'sensational' article/pics in a tabloid about his wife getting suntanned somewhere like it is with Posh and other wags

[iris123]

A thought has occurred. In these days of cheaper flights, is it possible that it would cost less for a supporter to fly to Poland, take in a meeting and fly home, than to pay for petrol, gate fees, programme, etc (depending on their proximity to the nearest track)? I wonder if there are more foreigners (ie Brits) following Polish, Swedish, Danish etc speedway than vice versa?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is quite cheap for me to fly to Stanstead.Just need someone to pick me up and drop me back at the airport.Wish it was that cheap to get to Poland.The only cheap way is with the bus and that takes forever The other cheap alternative is Lübeck-Stockholm,so i could get in one or 2 meetings there

 

Or for those near Stanstead it would be pretty cheap to get to a German meeting.Whatever it costs to fly to Lübeck.About 30 or 40 quid.Then get a Meck-Pomm train ticket.Costs about €18 and 6 people can travel on the ticket.The stadiums at Güstrow and Stralsund are walking distance from the train station.

Edited January 2, 2007 by iris123

[Guest Schumi]

But you'd never find a 'sensational' article/pics in a tabloid about his wife getting suntanned somewhere like it is with Posh and other wags 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, no, but people over there know what he's famous for. I wonder how many people outside of the speedway community would know who Lee Richardson or Scott Nicholls are? Does success equate with popularity? Because if it does we're going to have the same problem in terms of publicity over here for many years I'd think.

 

It would also be interesting (for me anyway) to compare those figures with our own attendances in the EL, although I doubt we'll get as accurate a picture of our own.

[iris123]

Like i have said before.The real success here was the Ice Hockey.A new stadium was built and the city had no real tradition of a popular Ice Hockey team.They american style bought the franchise from Munich and instantly had a sensation on their hands.Sell outs for the first couple of years.12,000+.It has died down a bit the past season or 2 as they haven't been successful.But they still average around 9 or 10,000 i think.All down to marketing and getting the sport in the papers and on tv.Plus they do put on a very good show,from start to finish.It must make it the second most popular sport(crowd wise) in Hamburg

Think HSV(football) get around 40,000+

St.Pauli(football) 16-18,000

Freezers(Ice Hockey)9-10,000

HSV(handball)4-5,000

[Mateusz]

Well, no, but people over there know what he's famous for. I wonder how many people outside of the speedway community would know who Lee Richardson or Scott Nicholls are?

Yeah, that's what I just wanted to add to my previous post - despite all much more Poles know something about Gollob than Englishmen about your best riders. But this just shows the general difference in popularity of speedway in both countries.

 

Does success equate with popularity? Because if it does we're going to have the same problem in terms of publicity over here for many years I'd think.

Hard to answer but when Gollob won the silver medal of SGP in 1999 (and frankly it was only an injury that took him the gold that time) he also won a very prestigious contest of Polish best (most popular) sportsman of the year. So I'd say that yes, but it must be quite a spectacular success. Individual Championships (SGP) are more important than the team ones (SWC) in speedway so for example when Poland became World Champs in 2005 it didn't echo in Polish media much..

 

PS. Another example, not from speedway - until September'06 almost no one knew anything about F1 here. I guess it was only a group of F1 fanatics watching the races on tv. But since Robert Kubica finished 3rd in the Italian GP it's been very loudly about him and F1 generally. The viewing ratings have grown rapidly as well.

Edited January 2, 2007 by Mateusz