Elite League The End Is Nigh ?

[wealdstone]

Yes the Elite League and indeed British Speedway is doomed. The only possible salvation is for a number like RF who are prepared to come in and lose money for a period whilst trying rebuild to the levels some of us remember. If this fails well good night Vienna.

[weatherwatcher]

That is the sorry state of this country I think most of the Polish stadiums are built and funded by the Local goverments. Which unlike our poor hard up country the goverment don't pay a penny to help us build any new stadiums to make British speedway look a little bit profetional, instead of stadiums that where built out of scrap from the Ark.

When have stayed renting track space from greyhound stadiums for far to long and the money could have been put to better use.

If the people who run this country helped our sports or should I say our less well represented sports, then if the tracks looked better then I think we would have a far better chance of getting people through the gates, than we do now.

You take one look at the state of the places and drive off into the sunset, never to bother going again.

All the clubs in this day and age should run thier own tracks and let it out for others to use. I am sure with the right thought put into what was actually in and around the stadiums, they would be able to make a profit. Year in year out.

Have an atheletic track, no dogs, stock cars hot rods and anything else they can think of, with a bit of help from the powers above.

Bring speedway and its stadiums into this centuary not stck in a time warp from days gone by.

[foamfence]

That is the sorry state of this country I think most of the Polish stadiums are built and funded by the Local goverments. Which unlike our poor hard up country the goverment don't pay a penny to help us build any new stadiums to make British speedway look a little bit profetional, instead of stadiums that where built out of scrap from the Ark.

When have stayed renting track space from greyhound stadiums for far to long and the money could have been put to better use.

If the people who run this country helped our sports or should I say our less well represented sports, then if the tracks looked better then I think we would have a far better chance of getting people through the gates, than we do now.

You take one look at the state of the places and drive off into the sunset, never to bother going again.

All the clubs in this day and age should run thier own tracks and let it out for others to use. I am sure with the right thought put into what was actually in and around the stadiums, they would be able to make a profit. Year in year out.

Have an atheletic track, no dogs, stock cars hot rods and anything else they can think of, with a bit of help from the powers above.

Bring speedway and its stadiums into this centuary not stck in a time warp from days gone by.

You paint a picture of a utopia that will never exist.

[SteveLyric2]

That is the sorry state of this country I think most of the Polish stadiums are built and funded by the Local goverments. Which unlike our poor hard up country the goverment don't pay a penny to help us build any new stadiums to make British speedway look a little bit profetional, instead of stadiums that where built out of scrap from the Ark.

When have stayed renting track space from greyhound stadiums for far to long and the money could have been put to better use.

If the people who run this country helped our sports or should I say our less well represented sports, then if the tracks looked better then I think we would have a far better chance of getting people through the gates, than we do now.

You take one look at the state of the places and drive off into the sunset, never to bother going again.

All the clubs in this day and age should run thier own tracks and let it out for others to use. I am sure with the right thought put into what was actually in and around the stadiums, they would be able to make a profit. Year in year out.

Have an atheletic track, no dogs, stock cars hot rods and anything else they can think of, with a bit of help from the powers above.

Bring speedway and its stadiums into this centuary not stck in a time warp from days gone by.

 

 

That's it!! A money-spinning athletics track - inside or outside the speedway track? - in a stadium to be let out for other uses??! Maybe a tennis court in the centre too. Let me speak with my accountant immediately!!

[orion]

If you read Bob Dugards piece in the Speedway Star he said he had aggressively promoted the sport in the area this year, had provided a team which have been winning every week at home,and runs on a Saturday nights in the summer and people are still not coming through the gates. Some promoters do promote and it still does not work ! BSPA can,t do anything to change that !

It's not hard to see why Eastie have never made it pay . Riding on Saturday means that half the riders from the other sides have been missing so hence people are going to go .

 

You can promote all you like but if's the likes of Killer and Hans are missing every week and replaced by Pl rides then it's never going to work .

[Midland Red]

If you read Bob Dugards piece in the Speedway Star he said he had aggressively promoted the sport in the area this year, had provided a team which have been winning every week at home,and runs on a Saturday nights in the summer and people are still not coming through the gates. Some promoters do promote and it still does not work ! BSPA can,t do anything to change that !

 

One reason is that they can stay at home and watch speedway on tv on several nights of the month - why pay to go and see it

TV is killing our sport, not supporting it

As I said before. With all the Sky money that has been pumped into the EL over the past all the Stadiums in the EL should be up to par with the Polish Stadiums. With seating all the way way that is covered, and all of them brought into the 21st centuary not looking llike they are still being run after WW1. Some stadiums are down right terrible, is it no wonder that they can't get people to go, one at at the places and they do a quick u turn.

More than half the country havn't even heard of speedway or even know that thier town have a sppedway track.

We are a forgotten sport and until they update the tracks and let people know that the sport exsists, then I am afraid we are on a very fast road to rack and ruin. With stadiums getting worse year by year.

Instead of spending the hard cash on riders that no promoters can really afford they should run with riders they can afford and then update the stadiums before it all falls apart.

 

Which planet have you been on? - one where speedway promoters actually own their own stadia, I take it - that isn't planet UK, my friend!

[orion]

One reason is that they can stay at home and watch speedway on tv on several nights of the month - why pay to go and see it

TV is killing our sport, not supporting it

You could say that about any Sport ? no doubt no one we will be in watching PL football this year because it's on tv 3 or 4 nights a week .

[Starman2006]

 

 

That's it!! A money-spinning athletics track - inside or outside the speedway track? - in a stadium to be let out for other uses??! Maybe a tennis court in the centre too. Let me speak with my accountant immediately!!

Ang on, he's forgot the Hotel shopping arcade swimming pool and Appartments... Do you think you'l get them all in ??

Edited July 26, 2014 by Starman2006

[FranktonBee]

You could say that about any Sport ? no doubt no one we will be in watching PL football this year because it's on tv 3 or 4 nights a week .

 

Apples & turnips. Cheese & chalk. One is the most watched sport on the planet, and one is a marginal that is watched by a few diehards who would watch paint dry if it was the right colours.

Promotion of the sport of speedway needs to be done by the right people on a local basis until it is able to command the dollar. Sadly I think it's much too late for that though.

[orion]

Apples & turnips. Cheese & chalk. One is the most watched sport on the planet, and one is a marginal that is watched by a few diehards who would watch paint dry if it was the right colours.

Promotion of the sport of speedway needs to be done by the right people on a local basis until it is able to command the dollar. Sadly I think it's much too late for that though.

So what ? the point is that Speedway has as much chance as people not going because it's on the tv as any other .

Edited July 26, 2014 by orion

[Grachan]

It's not hard to see why Eastie have never made it pay . Riding on Saturday means that half the riders from the other sides have been missing so hence people are going to go .You can promote all you like but if's the likes of Killer and Hans are missing every week and replaced by Pl rides then it's never going to work .

I think that's a valid point, and I think the lower points limits have had a massive effect on crowd levels to the point of being self defeating.

 

For me I've been not so bothered in recent years. It's not so much because of the strength of Swindon's team because I still can get into the side. But the oppodition just don't look as attractive.

 

I remember a few years ago when the points limits were dropping like crazy. Lakeside were at Swindon. I looked at their line up and just thought it looked rubbish so never went. And Lakeside won!! Made me realise how weak the sides were. And they are even weaker now.

 

So, yes, you need attractive opposition to attract supporters.

[Midland Red]

You could say that about any Sport ? no doubt no one we will be in watching PL football this year because it's on tv 3 or 4 nights a week .

That's nonsense! BPL clubs have enormous fan bases, unlike speedway, which needs as much of its own, limited fan base to go through the turnstiles and not watch the sport on TV

My BPL team sells out for every home match, has tens of thousands on the waiting list for season tickets, I tried for match tickets for the first nine home games for the forthcoming season and could only obtain two

That's why your argument above is nonsense

Many will watch the SWC tonight on TV who would have attended had it not been televised

The same applies to EL fixtures - not in vast numbers but enough to affect financial viability

Edited July 26, 2014 by Midland Red

[Gemini]

No but I do like value for my hard earned money no second half now no golden helmet all which added value for money.

I think that answer might deserve a 'Whoooosh'.

[orion]

That's nonsense! BPL clubs have enormous fan bases, unlike speedway, which needs as much of its own, limted fan base to go through the turnstiles and not watch the sport on TV

My BPL team sells out for every home match, has tens of thousands on the waiting list for season tickets, I tried for match tickets for the first nine home games for the forthcoming season and could only obtain two

That's why your argument above is nonsense

Many will watch the SWC tonight on TV who would have attended had it not been televised

The same applies to EL fixtures - not in vast numbers but enough to affect financial viability

First of all you said that people being able to watch Speedway on tv a few times a month was the reason people never went to there local track you never said that you meant live matches on the same night as there team was riding .

 

I have many times not gone to sporting events as I am sure have many others have because the Event has been live on tv .that may Have been Cricket , Horse racing ,Football etc etc . So in terms of % of people who don't go because it's on tv I not sure why Speedway would stand out

[longlivefrankie]

I do thing speedway in this country needs a complete radical overhaul

 

When it was popular (I can remember turning up at a early season Swindon v Poole challenge match in 75 or 76 to find a cue a mile along the road @ 6pm! - Simmons, ashby etc) it was clubs with well known riders who often stayed several seasons with one club. I do think was important at the time. You were very rarely let down by going and not seeing PC, Morton, michanek, Olsen turning up

 

Those days are gone, from what I can see you are really not sure who will turn out from week to week

 

But you got to work with what you got

 

What you have with the GP is a travelling circus, so be it . No GP riders except for major events

 

British open champs?

 

So I would

 

Have less fixtures fortnightly , squads , build over time a team fans can associate possibly bring back the dreaded rider control to keep things as even at start of season as possible

 

Go back to simple ideas

 

No jokers, silly names like elite or premier which promises something it don't deliver in the name

 

British league anybody?

Edited July 26, 2014 by longlivefrankie

[Midland Red]

First of all you said that people being able to watch Speedway on tv a few times a month was the reason people never went to there local track you never said that you meant live matches on the same night as there team was riding .I have many times not gone to sporting events as I am sure have many others have because the Event has been live on tv .that may Have been Cricket , Horse racing ,Football etc etc . So in terms of % of people who don't go because it's on tv I not sure why Speedway would stand out

I mean that speedway fans can get their dose of speedway too easily on TV, whether it's a meeting they would have attended or not

Speedway stands out, as you put it, as its core fan base to begin with is tiny, so even a few fans choosing to opt out of paying at the turnstiles is a relatively high percentage

If someone watches a Swedish league match on TV with two teams full of "top names", there's too much danger that they will then swerve a meeting at their local track, not on the same night, because they've had their "dose"

I know it's not the whole problem with British speedway, but I do think it's a major factor

If there was sufficient financial income from TV and allied advertising, it perhaps wouldn't be major - but there isn't

[orion]

I mean that speedway fans can get their dose of speedway too easily on TV, whether it's a meeting they would have attended or not

Speedway stands out, as you put it, as its core fan base to begin with is tiny, so even a few fans choosing to opt out of paying at the turnstiles is a relatively high percentage

If someone watches a Swedish league match on TV with two teams full of "top names", there's too much danger that they will then swerve a meeting at their local track, not on the same night, because they've had their "dose"

I know it's not the whole problem with British speedway, but I do think it's a major factor

If there was sufficient financial income from TV and allied advertising, it perhaps wouldn't be major - but there isn't

That's one way of looking at it another is that you would want to go out and take in more meetings after watching it on tv .

 

I have not meant anyone myself who has given up on going to Speedway because they can watch it on tv

[pugwash]

I mean that speedway fans can get their dose of speedway too easily on TV, whether it's a meeting they would have attended or not

Speedway stands out, as you put it, as its core fan base to begin with is tiny, so even a few fans choosing to opt out of paying at the turnstiles is a relatively high percentage

If someone watches a Swedish league match on TV with two teams full of "top names", there's too much danger that they will then swerve a meeting at their local track, not on the same night, because they've had their "dose"

I know it's not the whole problem with British speedway, but I do think it's a major factor

If there was sufficient financial income from TV and allied advertising, it perhaps wouldn't be major - but there isn't

I don't think that speedway's fan base is that small but too many teams spread about feeding on that fan base is a big problem.

[New Science]

It's not hard to see why Eastie have never made it pay . Riding on Saturday means that half the riders from the other sides have been missing so hence people are going to go .

 

You can promote all you like but if's the likes of Killer and Hans are missing every week and replaced by Pl rides then it's never going to work .

The distress flares have been going up for years at Eastbourne,whether it be against full teams or not.People are not attending because the product is not regularly good enough,its a track in which has the standard of racing has diminished by the introduction of new silencers !

[orion]

The distress flares have been going up for years at Eastbourne,whether it be against full teams or not.People are not attending because the product is not regularly good enough,its a track in which has the standard of racing has diminished by the introduction of new silencers !

And for years they have been running on sats against teams with half there sides missing . The main reason why people will go to watch a speedway teams is the strength of the sides . You could have silencers that produced great racing but if they find out that that Justin Sedgeman is riding rather than Hans Andersen then they won't go in the first place