Birmingham Future In Doubt ? Alan Phillips Has Had Enough!

[pointsmeanplayoffs]

A sad day for the sport, you can now understand why Brummies were so desperate to get meetings on (like the one versus the KL 'All' Stars).

 

I feel bad now for criticising the promotion in that case, as they were simply wanting to keep afloat for a few more weeks.

 

A bad day for British Speedway.

[semion]

If Birmingham Speedway was haemorrhaging money why did a Businessamn who is by trade an accountant, let it get this far ? Surely the sums didnt add up in April. If he has left a trail of debt then it wont do any favours to anyone who could run the Speedway in Birmingham to at least to a break even level. Can we assume that during Tony Moles reign in the Premier League that the business was not dropping money ?

[Guest]

I feel there are far more intelligent people then I ,making suggestions of real substance. I'm following the topic closely, hoping a solution can be found.

I can't help thinking, that a place as big as Birmingham should be able to support a speedway venture in large numbers. The fact that it isn't questions need to be asked why????

 

One could ask a similar question for another place that over the years has had more than a dozen tracks operating within its boundaries.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Guest

[Midland Red]

What Business does Alan Phillips own/run/work for ?

http://companycheck.co.uk/director/915825661

 

http://companycheck.co.uk/company/04323196/BCTG-LIMITED/directors-shareholders#people-summary

 

http://companycheck.co.uk/search/results?SearchCompaniesForm%5Bname%5D=Birmingham+Brummies&yt5=

[david2905]

If Birmingham Speedway was haemorrhaging money why did a Businessamn who is by trade an accountant, let it get this far ? Surely the sums didnt add up in April. If he has left a trail of debt then it wont do any favours to anyone who could run the Speedway in Birmingham to at least to a break even level. Can we assume that during Tony Moles reign in the Premier League that the business was not dropping money ?

 

Although Mole wanted to move on, he never gave any indication of impending doom and that things were that bad.

[arthur cross]

I feel there are far more intelligent people then I ,making suggestions of real substance. I'm following the topic closely, hoping a solution can be found.

I can't help thinking, that a place as big as Birmingham should be able to support a speedway venture in large numbers. The fact that it isn't questions need to be asked why????

Maybe because, relative to the size of its local population, speedway often does better where it's one of a fairly small number of sporting or leisure entertainments on offer ... but once it's up against a bigger city's wider range of alternatives, some of those alternatives prove much more attractive.

 

I appreciate there are notable exceptions to that rule like Coventry and Wolverhampton which can clearly combine sizeable populations with above-average speedway crowds and have done so for many years.

 

But if towns like Berwick and Workington can attract speedway crowds to rival the local football or rugby teams, then Glasgow and Newcastle ought to be attracting five-figure speedway crowds given how many football fans turn up every week at Ibrox, Celtic Park or St James' Park.

 

You're a King's Lynn fan and while I'm well aware how hard the Chapmans have worked to build up the whole motorsport business of their venue, they've always had the incentive that they didn't have much local competition to overtake on the way to being that area's top sports attraction with all the marketing benefits that then open up from being the local number-1.

 

One of greyhound racing's unashamed marketing strategies is to appeal to those wanting a lively night out by offering a fairly cheap "6-pack" deal of food, drink and betting tokens to get their customers' spending habits for the rest of the night easily underway ... the subconscious idea of those 6-pack tokens is that it gets even complete newcomers quickly aware of where they need to go for the rest of the night to spend more of their money on further bets and booze.

 

Greyhound racing purists can argue it reduces the sport they love to simply being "a night out where the dog racing happens to go by" ... arguably though, it's a necessary evil for the dog track management to ensure there's still enough overall income to keep making their racing profitable.

 

But speedway seems stuck with overwhelmingly a purists' fan base that simply turns up to watch the racing with any general social aspect of the night out a much lower priority ... in marketing terms, speedway has a very low "secondary spend" from its crowd while the action's going on, especially if you include buying a programme as part of the "primary spend" of getting into the stadium in the first place.

 

Sheffield have made an even bigger effort than usual this year to plug their carvery meals at every opportunity as a bid to bolster their crowd's secondary spend but that still appears to be an exception rather than the rule.

 

Sadly, very few of our speedway tracks benefit much from the secondary spend unless they have a cut from it written into their rental agreement with the stadium lanadlord and I also appreciate it's much harder to market the boozier side of a good night out at speedway unless it's at a Friday/Saturday track enabling most of the fans to sleep off any hangover the next morning ... the examples of Berwick and Workington I mentioned a few paragraphs ago are both Saturday-night speedway tracks where the after-racing social side has always been a significant part of the whole night out.

 

Generally, 21st century leisure nights out are increasingly about "an occasional good night out at different places where something specific happens to be going on once you're there" rather than the more simplistic 20th century version of "going to the same place for the same night out at the same time each week" whether that meant a pub-quiz, a bingo hall or a speedway-track ... in that regard, on a wider level than just the Brummies' current woes, speedway must face up to that change to avoid falling further and further behind.

Edited June 30, 2014 by arthur cross

[Hunty]

I feel there are far more intelligent people then I ,making suggestions of real substance. I'm following the topic closely, hoping a solution can be found.

I can't help thinking, that a place as big as Birmingham should be able to support a speedway venture in large numbers. The fact that it isn't questions need to be asked why????

 

Viewing is poor

Facilities in the bar poor

Food in the bar expensive and poor

Managment always complaining about lack of crowd

Kept asking people for money upon to of money! Next season tickets were already sold...the 500club what a stupid idea that was.

Overpriced at £17

Was a Thursday night track and then changed it when Ben Barker couldnt ride for them as he chose to double up elsewhere (Reason I Dont and Cannot go any more)

Stood on my own for a whole season in 2011 and not one person ever spoke to me...completely unwelcoming. Ive always been a Heathen fan but I go there on my own and stand in different spots every week and each time someone talks to me...Old and Young!

Parking is on the One Stop and you have to walk across two busy roads with no crossing or marshal.

Presentation is lackluster...Boring...Music is terrible

 

I started go to watch Speedway when the Brummies came back...then the Heathens came back and to be honest there is no comparison between the clubs the fans.

 

I love Cradley Heathens through and through and I have a soft spot for the Brummies, but I have always said and alway will say that there was a edge to the Brummies I didnt like or feel comfortable with and all my feelings and concerns I had for the club have slowly come true!

 

A team, managment and set up that has been out of it league since it made the step up to elite!

[Mini Jack]

 

Viewing is poor

Facilities in the bar poor

Food in the bar expensive and poor

Managment always complaining about lack of crowd

Kept asking people for money upon to of money! Next season tickets were already sold...the 500club what a stupid idea that was.

Overpriced at £17

Was a Thursday night track and then changed it when Ben Barker couldnt ride for them as he chose to double up elsewhere (Reason I Dont and Cannot go any more)

Stood on my own for a whole season in 2011 and not one person ever spoke to me...completely unwelcoming. Ive always been a Heathen fan but I go there on my own and stand in different spots every week and each time someone talks to me...Old and Young!

Parking is on the One Stop and you have to walk across two busy roads with no crossing or marshal.

Presentation is lackluster...Boring...Music is terrible

 

I started go to watch Speedway when the Brummies came back...then the Heathens came back and to be honest there is no comparison between the clubs the fans.

 

I love Cradley Heathens through and through and I have a soft spot for the Brummies, but I have always said and alway will say that there was a edge to the Brummies I didnt like or feel comfortable with and all my feelings and concerns I had for the club have slowly come true!

 

A team, managment and set up that has been out of it league since it made the step up to elite!

 

Really sounds like you want the club survive, thanks for your support eh

[Hunty]

 

Really sounds like you want the club survive, thanks for your support eh

 

The poster above mine asked why and I gave him reasons that I belive are the answer to the question.

 

I would love the club to survive but I had bad experiances with the Brummies that left me with a bitter taste towards them.

 

Like buying a season ticket being told that the meetings would still be Thursday so I buy one and then they move it to Wednesday to accomdate the Ben Barker double up who had already stated his intentions not to ride for the Brummies by choosing a PL track that raced the same night!

 

Then the countless times I tried to enter with a Student card...I had NUS card my university card that had a date on it but to constantly be told It was not legit. Finally go them to belive me but I didnt get an apology or money back for the first 3 meetings. They wouldnt even let me have a season ticket even with the evidence I provided.

 

I know its a buisness and you have to make it profitable or at least stable but the constant asking for money and moaning about how nobody turns up and calling fans rats on social media just kept the flaws coming for me and im glad Ive not been for 2 season and continued to follow speedway at a lower level.

 

Good luck for all the Brummies fans and I hope your enjoyment and passion is not lost...it could happen to my club one day so I really want the to survive.

[BUDGIE]

 

Viewing is poor

Facilities in the bar poor

Food in the bar expensive and poor

Managment always complaining about lack of crowd

Kept asking people for money upon to of money! Next season tickets were already sold...the 500club what a stupid idea that was.

Overpriced at £17

Was a Thursday night track and then changed it when Ben Barker couldnt ride for them as he chose to double up elsewhere (Reason I Dont and Cannot go any more)

Stood on my own for a whole season in 2011 and not one person ever spoke to me...completely unwelcoming. Ive always been a Heathen fan but I go there on my own and stand in different spots every week and each time someone talks to me...Old and Young!

Parking is on the One Stop and you have to walk across two busy roads with no crossing or marshal.

Presentation is lackluster...Boring...Music is terrible

 

I started go to watch Speedway when the Brummies came back...then the Heathens came back and to be honest there is no comparison between the clubs the fans.

 

I love Cradley Heathens through and through and I have a soft spot for the Brummies, but I have always said and alway will say that there was a edge to the Brummies I didnt like or feel comfortable with and all my feelings and concerns I had for the club have slowly come true!

 

A team, managment and set up that has been out of it league since it made the step up to elite!

 

 

Really sounds like you want the club survive, thanks for your support eh

 

Brummies are without doubt my second team, my dad went there in the Fifties! I am a Heathen but always 'used' to go to the old Perry Barr on a Monday.

I have got to agree with most of Ommer Ums points re the Stadium I dont really want to, but it is true that the viewing, the food , drinks and parking are all far from ideal,

yes it pains me to say it but it is true. I havent been since the first match against Wolves last year, got very cold couldnt even get a cup of team, and had to watch it all at ground level. GBP 17 to get in doesnt worry me. I do though want to be able to see!I could never understand why some sort of raised terrace wasnt built on the first bend, surely that would have helped with some of the noise issues as well.

 

I am not Brummie bashing but these are issues that have contributed to me not going for 18 months or so. I cant be alone.

 

Hope a miracle occurs

Edited June 30, 2014 by BUDGIE

[Stokielee]

One thing and one thing only will solve this situation, money.

Who are British Speedway's money men?

Terry Russell, Matt Ford, Tony Mole..? Not sure there are any others?

If they really wanted to save Brum they could do.

[Brummiestormer]

Where does this £17 entry come from?

[Hunty]

Where does this £17 entry come from?

 

My fault...Its £15 and Brum! Still to much for Brum!

 

Its £17 at Wolves...Thats where i got confuded.

 

Which Ive more than happily payed a couple of times this season to go watch Woffinden and NKI ride...and go see how the reserves are getting on!

[Guest]

One thing and one thing only will solve this situation, money.

Who are British Speedway's money men?

Terry Russell, Matt Ford, Tony Mole..? Not sure there are any others?

If they really wanted to save Brum they could do.

An interesting comment. In what way could those named save speedway?

[Stokielee]

By paying off the debts to the GRA and allowing the club to continue. As I said money is the only thing that will solve it.

[semion]

Buy a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime

Edited June 30, 2014 by semion

[Stokielee]

If you don't buy him the fish today, he'll be dead tomorrow.

Get it to the end of the season and solve any problems you can on the way.

[wealdstone]

If you don't buy him the fish today, he'll be dead tomorrow.

Get it to the end of the season and solve any problems you can on the way.

Depends on how quick he learns to fish!!!!

[Pirio Barre]

 

BV or Wolves would be a better comparison than buxton as those clubs pay rent and overheads in rented stadia and race at EL level

 

How is this a better comparison when all you are doing is agreeing with my point, which is at the moment Birmingham cannot continue speedway when there overheads outweigh the income. Where as if they had a 500 people turning up to watch speedway at facility like Buxton, then the Birmingham support could finance speedway.

 

Maybe Birmingham’s problem has been showing some ambition, since 2007 there's has hardly been a year when they haven’t been in the play off’s or made a cup final.

 

Belle Vue might have it right by never offering any sign of ambition. That way their fans get use to it and turn up regardless and all credit to their fans for doing so. But honestly how can you take a sport seriously when a team is allowed to finish bottom of the table 3 times in 6 seasons but is still allowed to stay in the Elite league of that sport.

 

As for Perry Barr, Ommer um was pretty close with what he had to say, Birmingham fans might not like that it, but that’s the way it is.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Pirio Barre

[KevH]

Firstly, I sincerely hope that the proverbial miracle happens and some way can be found for Birmingham to continue and complete their season, because where there's life, there's hope. Beyond that, a long term long term plan needs to be found to keep them operating in either of the top flight leagues in the UK, and I believe that is possible with the right person/people at the helm..

 

It's interesting to read previous posts on this thread where I note most of the blame for Brummies' demise is aimed at Alan Phillips, which is only natural as there is no doubt he has made some serious errors of judgement.

 

However, I find it surprising that nobody has mentioned the financial damage clearly done to Birmingham Speedway by the actions of Alun Rossiter in the recent televised meeting between the Brummies and Swindon. In my view, Rossiter was hell bent on getting the meeting abandoned many heats before the torrential rain left the referee no option but to abandon the meeting. He knew his team were struggling and used dubious tactics to drag out proceedings and ultimately get his wish, but I feel the financial implications of his actions are the straw which broke the camel named Birmingham's back.

 

I hope he can sleep at night !!

 

And before the p.c. brigade bang out the 'safety of riders is paramount' line, the track was far from dangerous when Rossiter initially started his whining !!!