LagutaRacingFan Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 (edited) Football is different so I guess we just give up & carry on as we are. After watching maybe the best GP ever tonite it shows what a marvellous sport speedway can be unfortunately the elite league & all the muck associated with it is rubbish. Imo of course That's why Sky dropped the SGP series and the BSI had to basically pay Eurosport to show the series. Edited September 21, 2013 by Hougaard Racing Fans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagpuss Posted September 22, 2013 Report Share Posted September 22, 2013 Ford would be a very good bloke to run the BSPA if he didn't promote a club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveLyric2 Posted September 22, 2013 Report Share Posted September 22, 2013 Ford would be a very good bloke to run the BSPA if he didn't promote a club. ...and then we might find out who his mates really are......!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagpuss Posted September 22, 2013 Report Share Posted September 22, 2013 Whilst recognising your smiley it shouldn't be about mates, self interest or anything like that. It should be about running things properly and strictly if necessary to take the sport forward. Ford is obviously a very good businessman and I think he'd be good at running the sport but while he has an interest in a team and all of the stuff that has gone on with that team over the last few years it'd never work, which is a great shame. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionheart Posted September 22, 2013 Report Share Posted September 22, 2013 TBH I think that there are BIG changes in store for the EL and PL in 2014. I guess that Neil Machin has seen the writing on the wall, and doesn't like it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratton Posted September 22, 2013 Report Share Posted September 22, 2013 I agree a top footie match is more expensive & is ridiculously priced so ill compare elite !! League speedway to my team bristol rovers price to get in similiar but rovers really try to attract the kids lots of under 16 s for a £1 offers etc & the stadium although not the nou camp or old trafford does not appear to be on the verge of falling apart as do most speedway stadia. Just my opinion I await the flak from those who seem to think everything is fine on planet stuck in the stone age speedway Bristol Rovers eh i have seen quite a bit of them since the Trollope era new stadium is they're a hitch Rob?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skthecat Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Elite League Sponsorship, actually this is not confined solely to the EL.... Why oh why does speedway fail yearly to generate enough interest that would perhaps lead to finding a major Sponsor.... Like a bank, or supermarket, or even a bookies or famous sporting brand or some other large outfit??? Never to Old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionheart Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 The companies that we should be attempting to get on board are some of the smaller oil companies. The big ones will not be interested, but oil = money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfromcov Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 if there is no TV coverage then what sponsor would come in anyway? only very small with little money, so its not going to help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveLyric2 Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 Very good article in this week's SS from David Helmsley the Leicester promoter - who has re-stated his wish intention for Leicester to be in the 'top' league next year. Plus some other interesting opinions.......... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 if there is no TV coverage then what sponsor would come in anyway? You must be too young to remember the "Gulf Oil British League" then? Apart from the World Final on World of Sport, there was no TV coverage in those days either. One day someone will come up with a idea that bring more fans in than less .. One day a thread like this will have 16 pages of ideas from fans on how to make the sport better rather than comments like "someone (else) will come up with an idea...etc" Oh, and yes the one about cutting prices has been done before...it'll need other, more, different and better ideas than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 One day fans will feel such passion for their team that they will tell their friends who will be so captivated that they will want to go along, then they will tell their friends and so on and so on . . . find your passion for your club ala Polish fans :-o The clubs and riders have to encourage the fans though, we're all in it together eh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Hunter Posted September 26, 2013 Report Share Posted September 26, 2013 You must be too young to remember the "Gulf Oil British League" then? Apart from the World Final on World of Sport, there was no TV coverage in those days either. I remember the Gulf Oil British League, it was a five year deal from the beginning of '75 to the end of '79. For a few years before that they had been big sponsors of McLaren in F1, IndyCars and CanAm racing as well as being the main money behind the John Wyer Engineering organisation who raced various Fords, Porsches and their own Mirage-Cosworth in Endurance events. Their only other venture in motorcycling was with the John Player Norton team, which ended, I believe at the end of 1974. Their CEO in America was one Grady Davis, who was a complete motor sport fanatic, whose main love was the sport itself. The fact that the sport advertised his oil company was just a happy coincidence, so I have read. The big question is, would other oil giants like BP, Shell, Esso or Texaco be interested? Has anyone approached them? I also remember the French nationalised oil company ELF being reasonable sponsors of mainly Leicester riders about 30/35 years ago, but I think they have now been absorbed into the Total company. They still have motorsport connections as fuel supplier to Red Bull Racing, so another avenue to pursue? If it's been done before, why not again. After all, if you don't ask, you don't get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike.Butler Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 GOBL = Good ol' Bernie Leigh - didn't realise it stood for something else.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 I remember the Gulf Oil ... CEO in America was one Grady Davis, who was a complete motor sport fanatic, whose main love was the sport itself. The fact that the sport advertised his oil company was just a happy coincidence, ... Therein lies the problem. He could afford to "spash the cash" on his pet projects and favourite hobbies, and in those days, cash was like water and no-one cared too much or had to justify it's spending. Today if you want to get Shell, BP etc on board, you have to make a good business case, show that the benefits outweigh the costs, and...well let's stop there shall we, as our horse would already have fallen at the first hurdle and thrown it's rider clean over the second hurdle... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevec Posted September 27, 2013 Report Share Posted September 27, 2013 It does seem like we have the same discussion every year and the fans seem to think we need some major changes but the promoters just make minor ones. I would like to see costs to the riders cut (hence, to the clubs). Maybe something like only 5 engines aloud per rider for the season and maybe, only standard engines with little or no tuning aloud. May also get closer racing that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Science Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 Surely this coming agm the ridiculous idea of not racing each team home and away twice in 2014 has to be changed. It either has to be ride home and away once, or home and away twice. Anything else is ridiculous. Having got rid of the the KOC this season and not riding each team twice home and away it left teams with no fixtures for weeks at a time some even went over a month without riding. No continuity lefts fans disillusioned and teams lacked spirit and morale due to the alarming gaps in fixtures. Surely this has to be rectified this coming season. On another thread many fans who had concerns over the cost of watching Elite league speedway welcomed once a fortnight speedway(not me) Also many promoters are in favour of consistently reducing the fixture list (Eastbourne) .Less is more they tell us ! not in my experience.Reducing the fixture list has been an initiative to reduce losses which hasn't worked 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Know Posted September 28, 2013 Report Share Posted September 28, 2013 As I have said before speedway is a very poor marketing tool. Sponsors are generally fans or have an association with someone and do a little bit. There is no commercial market really in speedway and is the reason major companies will never be attracted to it. The fan base is very small and products sold don't pay for the amount put in. As an example BSI bought the rally cross series. They are finding it much easier to attract major sponsors, car companies , oil, tyre and so on as there is a huge market for there products. Unfortunately I don't think a major sponsor will ever come along, it's down really to the local promoter doing his very best to attract the best sponsors he can locally. Now if teams could keep the same riders for more than one season this would be a step in the right direction by associtation with companies. It's always far easier to keep a sponsor than find a new one and riders/ clubs should maybe realize this. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skthecat Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 As I have said before speedway is a very poor marketing tool. Sponsors are generally fans or have an association with someone and do a little bit. There is no commercial market really in speedway and is the reason major companies will never be attracted to it. The fan base is very small and products sold don't pay for the amount put in. As an example BSI bought the rally cross series. They are finding it much easier to attract major sponsors, car companies , oil, tyre and so on as there is a huge market for there products. Unfortunately I don't think a major sponsor will ever come along, it's down really to the local promoter doing his very best to attract the best sponsors he can locally. Now if teams could keep the same riders for more than one season this would be a step in the right direction by associtation with companies. It's always far easier to keep a sponsor than find a new one and riders/ clubs should maybe realize this. I agree, but speedway is its own enemy isn't it as far a products used by the general public?? I've never seen a mitas tyre on a car, a GM engine in a road bike, a methanol powered road bike/car, a road biker wearing a kevlar riding suit!! There's just nowt there for that's any use outside of speedway, so thats one sponsorship avenue thats self-terminating...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starman2006 Posted September 29, 2013 Report Share Posted September 29, 2013 (edited) The one thing that does need to be addressed next year is the play off's are run on their merits. ie if you are 10 points up from the first leg the team who holds the second leg pulls back the 10 points + then they win the tie. None of this tactical lark. It should be a straight shoot out. Edited September 29, 2013 by Starman2006 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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