What Outsiders Think.....

[Barney Rabbit]

 

 

It's been, still is, an interesting thread and i think the general consensus now is that most people HAVE heard of speedway.

 

Certainly, whilst I was employed many people I worked with had heard of speedway because I told them and because they sat somewhere where myself and possibly one other chatted about it now and again and they couldn't miss me leaving work wearing Panthers' colours if I was heading for an away match. However, most had no interest in going, watching on tv or even joining in the conversation. That's the difference, knowing about it means nowt, it's the interest that matters.

 

And I worked in places with far more than seven employees, covered all age groups, had Sky and most liked sport of some kind. There were even those that followed road-racing but couldn't abide speedway

Edited June 7, 2013 by Barney Rabbit

[manchesterpaul]

Certainly, whilst I was employed many people I worked with had heard of speedway because I told them and because they sat somewhere where myself and possibly one other chatted about it now and again and they couldn't miss me leaving work wearing Panthers' colours if I was heading for an away match. However, most had no interest in going, watching on tv or even joining in the conversation. That's the difference, knowing about it means nowt, it's the interest that matters.

 

And I worked in places with far more than seven employees, covered all age groups, had Sky and most liked sport of some kind. There were even those that followed road-racing but couldn't abide speedway

 

Barney, without being argumentative, the thread wasn't about whether people like or can't abide the sport, it was whether people know of it's existence*. I don't know why it's veering off into how many like it or hate it.

 

EDIT I correct that, the thread is indeed titled 'what outsiders think of speedway', however, my replies and questioning of a couple of posts made were on their stating that most people don't know what speedway is, which for reasons i gave seems a little far-fetched.

 

Also i only picked you up on your 'seven dwellings' quote and example because that's what you had used when i replied to your post.

 

I note that it was you that admonished another poster for jumping to conclusions from a small sample size of responses.

 

I really don't think that your 'general consensus' has been achieved here, at all.

 

Lol lol 'admonished' i can assure you i wasn't handing out a chiding or punishment to anyone! Just querying the validity of the example Barney gave at that point in the thread at that time. No arguing, no admonishments just a calm discussion.

 

Google Belle Vue Speedway and you get this. That's because it's more definitive in regard to the search,

http://www.google.co...yEaGc0wXvo4DYCw

 

Groan......this is digressing more and more. Obviously if you search for or mention Belle Vue SPEEDWAY, you'll get a different set of results. I was replying to the post that read......

 

I worked in Leicestershire, Suffolk, Lincolnshire and, finally, Yorkshire before retiring. All areas had speedway teams but if I asked the question 'what does Belle Vue mean to you', the answer was usually 'Doncaster Rovers' home ground'. And Belle Vue are, historically, the top team in British speedway. As you post, it really is a minority sport.

 

He didn't ask what does Belle Vue SPEEDWAY mean to you.

 

Is all clarified now?

Edited June 7, 2013 by manchesterpaul

[DukesGreg]

The dead sport that won't lie down??

 

 

Each to their own I suppose.

 

 

You should have asked him what his sport is.

 

 

"Ah, football? The sport that takes everyone's £50 then gives £150k a week to a soft ****** (insert expletive) for poncing around kicking a dead cows bladder around a pitch for 90 minutes?"

 

 

Speedway may be on it's knees. But it still represents the word 'sport' in the truest way. The whole ethic.

 

 

 

I am still fascinated that there is somewhere that you can still see the Speedway Star on news stands in the UK! My nearest track is 38 miles... not a Speedway mag in sight!

 

Good on your WHS!!!

Edited June 7, 2013 by DukesGreg

[lucifer sam]

Ah yes - speedway - I remember speedway. I remember it well. I remember it when it was known as speedway RACING. That's was it was, racing. Men racing against their opponents and using their machines as racing vehicles. Racing was then defined as four men riding to their personal physical limit. Asking no quarter nor getting any from the moment the tapes went up to the moment when the chequered flag was waved. This applied to the man in fourth place as much as it did to the leader.

 

Those wqere the days my friend. I thought they'd never end. Sadly they did!

 

R.I.P speedway RACING.

 

You're not exactly a half full glass kinda guy, are you Rod/Ron?

 

All the best

Rob

[billybikespeedway]

You're not exactly a half full glass kinda guy, are you Rod/Ron?

 

All the best

Rob

 

No He's Not a Half Full/ empty Kind of Guy ,He's a Realist like me Who knows The Glass is Twice as big as it needs to be

[Vincent Blachshadow]

He didn't ask what does Belle Vue SPEEDWAY mean to you.

 

I think the point might be that, when asked about Belle Vue, more people knew it was the ground of a third or fourth tier club in one sport than the name of GB's most famous club in another.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Vincent Blackshadow

[Grand Central]

Throughout my entire 40 plus year span of following the sport I have always found that 'outsiders' have needed an awful lot of educating on what Speedway is.

 

Half that time I spent in the north and the last half in and around London.And it has always been so.

New Schools, University, each new Job, each new group of friends. Very few have had the first idea of Speedway.

 

In the past a few people would register the level of their knowledge by throwing the name 'Ivan Mawger' at you. That was back when Speedway was on mainstream TV.

But Ivan's name was still the only name that such people could quote way into the nineties, long after he had retired to the Gold Coast.

Sky's involvement has not moved knowledge of Speedway to the wider audience at all, just to some people who had the channels.

And that is not a large proportion of the population.

 

Then bang up to date.

On Saturday lunchtime we were sat in Browns in the centre of Cardiff with the 'Speedway Buzz' in full cry.

In the same bar were a group of 7 Welsh men aged from fifty to seventy enjoying a pint. My partner thought they really were Speedway fans, so demographically correct they looked.

A latecomer friend arrived to join them and asked the general question 'what's going on with all these people in town?'

Just two members of the entire group could reply 'Speedway' and one of those thought that it was cars not bikes.

 

The 13th annual GP in the town and these outsiders remain totally unaware.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Grand Central

[DukesGreg]

It's always fascinated me on how people view speedway as 'first out of the tapes' and follow-my-leader processional sport.

 

Don't get me wrong... it CAN be.. and often is.. but when you put up what can happen in a minute of speedway... and how close it actually is in general, then I fail to see its attraction. You see ALL the race.

 

Don't get me wrong... I love both Moto GP and Road Racing... but for these two... you really can be watching a 'follow-my-leader' affair.

 

My father was a mechanic for a racer in the Isle of Man Manx Grand Prix... so I do have an affinity with Road Racing... and get the appeal. But on a 37/38 mile course, from a single vantage point, you do simply sit there and watch riders vroooom by!

 

 

And look how successful F1 is.

 

 

 

Speedway gets the nod for me on all other motor sports. It's fast, close, exciting, but still the poor relation. Though it used to have such a healthy following.

 

 

 

So a big pat on the back for all those who ran and promoted our great sport for the last 30 years. You did very well.

[iris123]

Didn't we have an ex-speedway rider who was on tv because of his illness and the people in the tv studio thought speedway was car racing? Do a search of speedway and you often find lots of American auto tracks and also one at least here in germany called lausitz speedway,i think

[TheReturn]

I find it difficult to believe that nowadays someone wouldn't have caught sight of a mention of speedway either on tv, in the printed press, tv magazine listings with a photo attached or online media.

Why? Apart from the Speedway GP adverts on Sky, usually, during the Monday night league meetings, there is rarely anything about speedway in national press on a regular basis. In fact it made me think how far speedway as come, or rather lost its edge as a popular sport when watching an old rerun of George and Mildred on ITV3 recently, where they mention going to the speedway. Would that happen in popular British shows these days? I doubt it.

[manchesterpaul]

I think the point might be that, when asked about Belle Vue, more people knew it was the ground of a third or fourth tier club in one sport than the name of GB's most famous club in another.

 

Errrm yeah, that was my point exactly

 

.....there is rarely anything about speedway in national press on a regular basis.

 

I covered that in...

 

Whilst national media gives little coverage local media is often good. That's an important market as i remember the Manchester Evening News pointing out a few years back that it outsells on a daily basis each of the major national newspapers within the Greater Manchester area.

[TheReturn]

That's an important market as i remember the Manchester Evening News pointing out a few years back that it outsells on a daily basis each of the major national newspapers within the Greater Manchester area.

Within the Manchester area maybe, but nationals have a wider reach, both printed editions and online editions.

[Shale Shaker]

^{I think the title of this thread says something about the problems speedway currently faces, i.e the term "Outsiders".}

 

^{It seems you are either a speedway devotee, or an "outsider". And speedway does seem to cultivate this "cliquey" image a little too much sometimes.}

 

^{The problem being that there just aren't that many casual speedway supporters across the country, vising the odd meeting to boost attendances from time to time.}

[Mr Ore]

^{I think the title of this thread says something about the problems speedway currently faces, i.e the term "Outsiders".}

 

^{It seems you are either a speedway devotee, or an "outsider". And speedway does seem to cultivate this "cliquey" image a little too much sometimes.}

 

^{The problem being that there just aren't that many casual speedway supporters across the country, vising the odd meeting to boost attendances from time to time.}

 

I was at a bunfight the day before the Cardiff GP speaking with a load of guys I had met at the groom's stag do. When I said I wasn't staying in the hotel overnight as I needed to be home for an early departure to Cardiff. I was surprised when they all seemed to know about speedway and watch it live on Sky every Monday.

 

When asked what they thought they said it was a load of young blokes with tattoos racing in poor stadia with nobody watching. None could believe that it was being held in the Millennium Stadium, which made it a whole lot more attractive in their eyes. Would they go? Yes but only if there was a decent facility and crowd. A potential dozen new fans there who all live within an easy drive of Lakeside. Just get a decent stadium and this lot may attend.

 

They also couldn't believe it was so cheap to get in.

[T.N.T.]

Getting the National Press involved is a major problem. This year I contacted The Sun newspaper and offered my services for free to not only report on the sport, but also the year of Tai Woffinden being the lone Brit taking on the world and explained I could give then a detailed and full report on this with Tai involved personally.

 

 

They were not interested and felt the do enough to cover the interest in speedway by simply printing the results and the odd one inch statement now and again.

[Guest]

Getting the National Press involved is a major problem. This year I contacted The Sun newspaper and offered my services for free to not only report on the sport, but also the year of Tai Woffinden being the lone Brit taking on the world and explained I could give then a detailed and full report on this with Tai involved personally.

 

 

They were not interested and felt the do enough to cover the interest in speedway by simply printing the results and the odd one inch statement now and again.

 

I once discussed speedway coverage with a National newspaper journalist - at a football match. His summary of speedway and why he felt there was a lack of interest by the National Press was something on the lines of "that's a sport where lots of European riders turn out for different clubs every night of the week! It's rather circus-like in how it comes across when compared to other mainstream sports - so many gimmicks involved." Not my words!

[MattK]

 

^{The problem being that there just aren't that many casual speedway supporters across the country, vising the odd meeting to boost attendances from time to time.}

 

If you look at the numbers, I think there are a lot of casual supporters floating around.

 

For example, lets assume around 30,000 people attend speedway on a weekly basis (EL 10*1500, PL 12*1000, NL 8*500). At Cardiff the attendance was around 40,000, so 10,000 additional casual supporters.

 

However, of the people I work with who regularly attend league racing, half didn't go to the GP, which suggests there are even more casual supporters who attend the Millennium, but not league meetings.

 

Then look at TV audiences. League racing gets around 75k and GP 100k viewers. This suggests that three or four times as many people watch speedway on TV than regularly attend meetings.

 

This is a massive potential audience of casual or armchair fans that league clubs could be targeting, if they could be bothered (which they can't).

[Guest]

 

For example, lets assume around 30,000 people attend speedway on a weekly basis ....

 

I can remember standing in 20,000 crowds at New Cross, and going to Wembley a couple of times when the attendances were more than 50,000 (for league-type matches).

That's the sort of attendances the sport needs if it is to reclaim National Press recognition. Now it rates on a par with lower grade non-league football and is treated in that context by the National dailies.

[SteveLyric2]

Getting the National Press involved is a major problem. This year I contacted The Sun newspaper and offered my services for free to not only report on the sport, but also the year of Tai Woffinden being the lone Brit taking on the world and explained I could give then a detailed and full report on this with Tai involved personally.

 

 

They were not interested and felt the do enough to cover the interest in speedway by simply printing the results and the odd one inch statement now and again.

They don't need you when they have Russell Lanning's regular Saturday column in the Sun, plus the occasional midweek article!!

 

If you look at the numbers, I think there are a lot of casual supporters floating around.

 

For example, lets assume around 30,000 people attend speedway on a weekly basis (EL 10*1500, PL 12*1000, NL 8*500). At Cardiff the attendance was around 40,000, so 10,000 additional casual supporters.

 

However, of the people I work with who regularly attend league racing, half didn't go to the GP, which suggests there are even more casual supporters who attend the Millennium, but not league meetings.

 

Then look at TV audiences. League racing gets around 75k and GP 100k viewers. This suggests that three or four times as many people watch speedway on TV than regularly attend meetings.

 

This is a massive potential audience of casual or armchair fans that league clubs could be targeting, if they could be bothered (which they can't).

One of the (many) issues is not getting them to attend once but to keep them attending regularly, in duff stadia, on poor tracks with too much processional racing and at a price they cannot afford!!

[ouch]

I don't know why in the age of smartphones and the World Wide Web speedway doesn't have an effective CRM. We seem to have no knowledge of who our fans are both nationally and at club level.

Data can be amassed in many ways be it an online competition or even someone with a clip board going round the fans on race night asking if they could update their system to allow them to send offers and updates.

I think I'm right in saying there is no benefit to signing up to any of the official club websites.

 

With this information you could target promotions to achieve their desired effect. When clubs offer bring a friend promotions or reduced admission deals these are more often than not used by the current fan base but if you had peoples identities and required proof then your promotions can be a lot more tailored and elaborate.

It is not however just a case of amassing data it's what is done with it and that's limited only by the imagination.

Tracks could share information when trying to attract away support maybe by reduced admission. My take on that is 100 paying £10 is better than 12 paying &16. Home fans might take umbrage that the guy in front gets in cheaper but if he wants it sign up and visit their track at a reduced cost next time.

Meet the riders.

View from the centre green.

Have a meal.

Be given souvenirs.

Watch from the box.

The list goes on.

We all know there is a massive amount of ex supporters out there and if we can lure them back and keep them coming five or ten times a year with effective electronic marketing then that would go a long way in getting us back up to where we should be.