Birmingham Mail Article.

[OGT]

Nice piece in the B'ham Mail today

 

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/birmingham-speedways-golden-age-perry-4013254

[MattK]

"But there's something undeniably quaint, even old-fashioned, about speedway.

 

And it's devoid of glamour, unlike the multi-million pound industry that is Formula One."

 

I think these two sentences perfectly sum up modern speedway.

[SteveLyric2]

Always good to have good journalistic contacts!!!!!!!!!! How's it go? ' With friends like him who needs enemies?!'

[Trees]

Well he enjoyed it enough to go back, hope he wasn't joking!

I like the presentation at Brum, they get their fans going, the riders respond to the fans and vice versa.

There are two things I dislike about Brum, where their pits are, pity they aren't on the 1st bend so they aren't completely closed off to the public during the meeting and of course the viewing with only half the stadium open to the public!

[Guest]

Nice piece in the B'ham Mail today

 

http://www.birmingha...e-perry-4013254

"But there's something undeniably quaint, even old-fashioned, about speedway.

 

And it's devoid of glamour, unlike the multi-million pound industry that is Formula One."

 

I think these two sentences perfectly sum up modern speedway.

 

In these times when most journalists are not interested in speedway I thought this was an excellent piece on the sport. But it was so sad to read the comparisons in crowds decline over the years - a mention of 60,000 and 50,000 all the golden years ago down to the mention for the present of 1,500. And that attendance was watching one of speedway's top Elite League teams with many top riders on parade. How can speedway ever regain those so many now missing thousands?

 

If I have the figures right, the average interest for speedway is 1-in-716. That's based on the 2011 census which shows 1,074,300 population for Birmingham divided by average 1,500 attendances.

I wonder what the average interest for football's Birmingham City is pro rata?

Edited May 25, 2013 by Guest

[HenryW]

"But there's something undeniably quaint, even old-fashioned, about speedway.

 

And it's devoid of glamour, unlike the multi-million pound industry that is Formula One."

 

I think these two sentences perfectly sum up modern speedway.

Obviously he is correct with those statements, but I wonder why journalists always feel the need to make that comparison. I've seen it so many times where they compare the pinnacle of car racing, which occurs in the UK once per year, with a league meeting, of which there are hundreds in the UK over the year.

 

A better comparison would be with the SGP if taking speedway's top level or stock car racing if taking car racing's "weekly national events".

[uk_martin]

There are two things I dislike about Brum, where their pits are, pity they aren't on the 1st bend so they aren't completely closed off to the public during the meeting and of course the viewing with only half the stadium open to the public!

 

Well, ain't everything perfect. The pits are where they are to: 1. keep noise down to the local residents. & 2. the Greyhound Racing Ass wouldn't allow the area where the doggie owners prepare their bow-wows to be given over to anything else. Take a look at the stadium on Google Earth or on Google Maps and you'll see the reason why the stadium can't "build back" It's the GRA's place, We do the best we can as tenants.

.

[Guest]

In these times when most journalists are not interested in speedway I thought this was an excellent piece on the sport. But it was so sad to read the comparisons in crowds decline over the years - a mention of 60,000 and 50,000 all the golden years ago down to the mention for the present of 1,500. And that attendance was watching one of speedway's top Elite League teams with many top riders on parade. How can speedway ever regain those so many now missing thousands?

 

If I have the figures right, the average interest for speedway is 1-in-716. That's based on the 2011 census which shows 1,074,300 population for Birmingham divided by average 1,500 attendances.

I wonder what the average interest for football's Birmingham City is pro rata?

 

I did a check on Birmingham City FC average attendances which for the same period were 16,702 giving an indication of population interest of 1-in- 64 - a massive difference to speedway's 1-in-716!

 

I wonder why?

[MattK]

Obviously he is correct with those statements, but I wonder why journalists always feel the need to make that comparison. I've seen it so many times where they compare the pinnacle of car racing, which occurs in the UK once per year, with a league meeting, of which there are hundreds in the UK over the year.

 

A better comparison would be with the SGP if taking speedway's top level or stock car racing if taking car racing's "weekly national events".

 

Fair comment, although I think "quaint" is a perfect description of modern league speedway.

 

Maybe clubs should offer people real china to drink their flasks of tea out of?

[Guest]

Fair comment, although I think "quaint" is a perfect description of modern league speedway.

 

Maybe clubs should offer people real china to drink their flasks of tea out of?

 

Like your goodself, I think he Birmingham Mail writer used the phrase 'quaint' in the context of it being old-fashioned. Sadly speedway has made many changes over the past 20 years but none of them have really moved the sport forward...perhaps backwards in some instances even?

Edited May 26, 2013 by Guest

[SteveLyric2]

Like your goodself, I think he Birmingham Mail writer used the phrase 'quaint' in the context of it being old-fashioned. Sadly speedway has made many changes over the past 20 years but none of them have really moved the sport forward...perhaps backwards in some instances even?

What? Despite the 'brightly coloured race-suits' and changing a green helmet colour to white??!! (NB. Apologies for the use of 'coloured' and 'race' in the same sentence!! No offence intended and I don't play golf!!)

[Trees]

 

 

Well, ain't everything perfect. The pits are where they are to: 1. keep noise down to the local residents. & 2. the Greyhound Racing Ass wouldn't allow the area where the doggie owners prepare their bow-wows to be given over to anything else. Take a look at the stadium on Google Earth or on Google Maps and you'll see the reason why the stadium can't "build back" It's the GRA's place, We do the best we can as tenants.

.

Yes of course, didn't know that was why the pits are where they are. I might do as u suggest re google earth!

 

 

 

 

Fair comment, although I think "quaint" is a perfect description of modern league speedway.

 

Maybe clubs should offer people real china to drink their flasks of tea out of?

I certainly don't think bloody quaint is a good word for our league speedway, get that journo on a bike, he'd find it far from QUAINT!!!!! Come on Brum, do what u need to do to put the bloke right!!!!

[Guest]

Yes of course, didn't know that was why the pits are where they are. I might do as u suggest re google earth!

 

 

 

I certainly don't think bloody quaint is a good word for our league speedway, get that journo on a bike, he'd find it far from QUAINT!!!!! Come on Brum, do what u need to do to put the bloke right!!!!

 

Why this slamming of a journalist who bothered to attend a speedway meeting and express his opinion of how he found it. That's what journalists are meant to do.

Let's face it there are few non-speedway journalists who are bothered to attend a meeting and give their pronouncement on what they find. When one does and his remarks raise a few hackles everyone kicks him in the goolies! At least said journalist added he would consider going again - maybe he was converted in a small way?

[manchesterpaul]

Feared the worst when saw the title of the thread but not too bad an article. Puzzled by the the photo caption of Martin Smolinski "Birmingham Brummies Martin Smolinski prepares for the next race"......ummmmm he's just sat down! lol

[Trees]

Why this slamming of a journalist who bothered to attend a speedway meeting and express his opinion of how he found it. That's what journalists are meant to do.

Let's face it there are few non-speedway journalists who are bothered to attend a meeting and give their pronouncement on what they find. When one does and his remarks raise a few hackles everyone kicks him in the goolies! At least said journalist added he would consider going again - maybe he was converted in a small way?

I'm not slamming him, just want to put him right in his thoughts about speedway, show him it's not what he thinks, don't you agree? I said in my first post that he reckons he'll go again so that's good Surely journalists should always be embraced by clubs, if they come out with the right words they could do wonders for the club!

[Guest]

I'm not slamming him, just want to put him right in his thoughts about speedway, show him it's not what he thinks, don't you agree? I said in my first post that he reckons he'll go again so that's good Surely journalists should always be embraced by clubs, if they come out with the right words they could do wonders for the club!

 

I cannot see anything detrimental in the article. I think it was a good reflection on a first time (?) visit to speedway. After - if the journalist concerned makes more - there will come a maturity to his viewpoint on what is happening.

I do not think the 'Birmingham Mail' article will do speedway in the city any harm at all.

And how can you put a person 'right in their thoughts'? What you want is an initial impression which is what was published. As the old journalistic saying goes - "More power to his pen."

[Trees]

But gustix, surely the words quaint and speedway don't go together, well I don't think they do, nor is it old fashioned unless he refers to every sport as old fashioned, football, cricket, snooker, darts etc etc ............

[Guest]

But gustix, surely the words quaint and speedway don't go together, well I don't think they do, nor is it old fashioned unless he refers to every sport as old fashioned, football, cricket, snooker, darts etc etc ............

 

I appreciate your concern in regard to the use of the word quaint to describe speedway. But overall, do you not think the article could have interested people in speedway or is it that the one word would put off a casual reader from going to see what it's all about?

Was the writer a sports journalist or a feature writer? If the latter, he would not have realised the use of the word quaint was taboo in regard to describing any sport - at least in some quarters. If he was a sports journalist I do not think use of the word quaint would have occurred to him. And as a result he has seriously damaged the cause of speedway in Birmingham, a club which in my far back youth I took a long distance interest in (from south London) with heroes like Phil 'Tiger' Hart, Wilbur Lamoreaux and Graham Warren special focal points for me.