Speedy swindon pete Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 i think if the new Belle Vue stadium materialises in the coming years, with the facilities they say it will have. i can see a second GP being held there. Much smaller crowd than cardiff, but still a healthy number (7000-10000 guess). but much cheaper to rent out, track already in place and with decent facilities. other than that, cant see one happening, wembley too expensive alongside cardiff, plus theres naff all there near it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 other than that, cant see one happening, wembley too expensive alongside cardiff, plus theres naff all there near it! From memory,and it has been a while since i was there,so they might have moved it.But London and all it has to offer is quite nearby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedy swindon pete Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 From memory,and it has been a while since i was there,so they might have moved it.But London and all it has to offer is quite nearby thats the one, small place...not much going on... wembley doesnt have the immediacy of the centre of town right next to it, like cardiff has though. cardiff you can stumble out of the shopping centre / restaurants / bars / pubs and straight into the stadium, and then do the journey in reverse after! wembley has nothing like that without getting on the tube or bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 thats the one, small place...not much going on... wembley doesnt have the immediacy of the centre of town right next to it, like cardiff has though. cardiff you can stumble out of the shopping centre / restaurants / bars / pubs and straight into the stadium, and then do the journey in reverse after! wembley has nothing like that without getting on the tube or bus. I hear what you are saying,but it is hardly unique to have a stadium away from the bars and restaurants.Vojens springs to mind.Even Parken didn't seem to be in a great centre of entertainment the two times i went there.I would imagine the Swedish stadiums are all generally away from anything in particular.As was the short lived Gelsenkirchen and most German stadiums.It doesn't stop 40 or 50,000 german football fans from enjoying their day out.My favourite team St.Pauli are unusual in still having their stadium in amongst a residential and entertainment area.I really don't see the problem in taking a bus or train journey from the HSV stadium over to the Reeperbahn.Nor from Copenhagen centre to Parken or from Kilburn high road to Wembley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 thats the one, small place...not much going on... wembley doesnt have the immediacy of the centre of town right next to it, like cardiff has though. cardiff you can stumble out of the shopping centre / restaurants / bars / pubs and straight into the stadium, and then do the journey in reverse after! wembley has nothing like that without getting on the tube or bus. Not true anymore - there is a considerable (and growing) hub of clubs, pubs, eateries of all types in the immediate vicinity of the rebuilt Stadium: part of the Wembley City project. Always amuses/perplexes me that only Speedway fans would consistently argue that Cardiff is an all-round more exciting place to go than London!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I would imagine the Swedish stadiums are all generally away from anything in particular. Gothenberg is right in the guts as well, Iris. Cardiff is wonderful for the travelling public-transport reliant fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryW Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) Gothenberg is right in the guts as well, Iris. Cardiff is wonderful for the travelling public-transport reliant fan. It's a bit of a pain for the lack of hotel rooms, though. You generally get gouged by the local hotels at GP weekend. A GP in London would certainly be better for hotels, and actually probably better for public transport as well! However, the massive thing that Cardiff has in it's favour is that big roof over the track Edited January 9, 2011 by HenryW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 It's a bit of a pain for the lack of hotel rooms, though. You generally get gouged by the local hotels at GP weekend. A GP in London would certainly be better for hotels, and actually probably better for public transport as well! However, the massive thing that Cardiff has in it's favour is that big roof over the track I managed to get reasonably-priced accommodation for Cardiff this year at the Ibis in the town centre. Of course I'm getting topped up, but that's the joys of capitalism for you (Don't start me up!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Let be honest, it's just great to be able to argue over which would be better. 12 years ago if someone has said we'd be having this discussion I'd have said they were mad, the fact that Cardiff works is amazing. I love Cardiff but then I don't get conned for a hotel, I just jump on a bus and a train form my parents house and then get a lift home off my mum. But having the shops and pubs right outside the stadium is a massive plus point. However, to count out Wembley because the pubs are not right on the door step is a little short sighted, as others have pointed out, very few of the other stadiums are in the same position as Cardiff - Prague is 20 minutes on a tram to a hellish looking area of Prague with a single, hellish looking pub outside. Wembley probably wouldn't be quite as good for meeting up as speedway fans and the fact that the whole couple of street around the stadium are taken over by speedway fans thus creating a great carnival/party atmosphere where as at Wembley people would be spread over a great area but a speedway meeting at Wembley would be massive. Sadly, I don't see both happening, they couldn't have the 2 flagship GP's in the UK, however, if they did, I'd go to both without a moments hessitation. Regarding cheaper Cardiff accomodation, if you're willing to stay outside Cardiff, you can get some reasonably prices hotels, it's no different to staying in London and having to get a train etc to Wembley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Let be honest, it's just great to be able to argue over which would be better. 12 years ago if someone has said we'd be having this discussion I'd have said they were mad, the fact that Cardiff works is amazing. Regarding cheaper Cardiff accomodation, if you're willing to stay outside Cardiff, you can get some reasonably prices hotels, it's no different to staying in London and having to get a train etc to Wembley. I really appreciate the fact that everything's there within walking distance in Cardiff, and I'm more than willing to pay the extra for the convenience of being able to stagger from my Hotel to the Walkabout to the Stadium to the Walkabout to the hotel to the Walkabout to the Markets to the Walkabout and back to the hotel again, not necessarily in that order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabbsjoe Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Odsal would have a made a great GP venue i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BongoBrian Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 I think a second GP round could work. The perfect place for it in my opinion would be Hampden Park Scotland. Although there is only Glasgow & Edinburgh I'm sure there would be a great number of locals there plus the travelling fans from Northern clubs like Newcastle, Redcar, Workington, Berwick maybe Belle Vue. Make it cheap for the first season, get the locals in and take it from there. I agree Screamer, Cardiff should be re-named the Welsh GP and we then could have a Scottish GP at Hampden Park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Hampden also isn't in a great part of the city for restaurants and pubs from my experience......i always had to walk half an hour to Paddy Neesons or the Queens Park Bar Would love to see a GP in Glasgow and/or London.Don't think it is likely.And certainly doubt very much they will be anything like sell outs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keef Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) Wouldn't be bothered either way as I live in Swindon about half-way between Cardiff and London. Have seen Grand Prix and World Finals at both. Like the roof at Cardiff which I don't think Wembley or the Olympic stadium have? And close proximity of bars and shops. Drove through White City last night, remembered there was an underused decent-size venue that used to have speedway in the 70s. Wimbledon and West Ham were large stadiums as well as far as I can remember from the 60s. Can't remember their capacities? Odsal was a good venue and central for everyone in UK. Edited January 13, 2011 by keef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Prague is 20 minutes on a tram to a hellish looking area of Prague with a single, hellish looking pub outside. Lies, the pub outside the stadium in Prague is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Lies, the pub outside the stadium in Prague is great. It doesn't look very appealing from the outside though, with all the graffitti and smashed windows. Plus it costs more for a lager there than it does inside the stadium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickthemuppet Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Wouldn't be bothered either way as I live in Swindon about half-way between Cardiff and London. Have seen Grand Prix and World Finals at both. Like the roof at Cardiff which I don't think Wembley or the Olympic stadium have? And close proximity of bars and shops. Drove through White City last night, remembered there was an underused decent-size venue that used to have speedway in the 70s. Wimbledon and West Ham were large stadiums as well as far as I can remember from the 60s. Can't remember their capacities? Odsal was a good venue and central for everyone in UK. Wimbledon could hold about 42,000(Probable down to 6.000 maximum today) and West Ham,s Custom House 60.000. White City was constructed to hold 68,000 seated or as many as 130,000 standing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keef Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Just browsing Wikipaedia, stating West Ham could hold 120,000, the record speedway crowd was 83,000 for England-Australia test. Wimbledon has 8,000 seater grandstand. White City became part of the BBC complex, can remember QPR playing a few games there in the 60s, and the World Cup staged 1 match in 1966. Was rumoured QPR sharing with Fulham in a brand-new 42,000 stadium, but stadium demolished in 85. Sad no speedway in London when it dominated speedway for 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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