Berwick Statement

[Shadders]

Im not sure its down to the SCB etc to curb costs it down to the clubs. Set sensible pay brackets within the club and stick to them for example £40 per point for heat leaders, £30 second string & £20 at reserve. If you move in the riding order your money changes too?

 

That's what some NL sides are paying now

[Fromafar]

That's what some NL sides are paying now

that is the problem in the sport Promoters are paying money that exceeds income.

[To The Point]

Im not sure its down to the SCB etc to curb costs it down to the clubs. Set sensible pay brackets within the club and stick to them for example £40 per point for heat leaders, £30 second string & £20 at reserve. If you move in the riding order your money changes too?

 

It might be that many riders say no way to those terms but see how many will be prepared to sign when they still have no team place as the season gets closer. It would weed out the money men & get those who truly desire to ride.

 

So a rider cant have new bikes every year or has to take a job to make it add up. What you will be left with is those with a desire to be involved.

 

Obviously these are figures pulled from the air but the basic principle is there.

Always said a statuary wage structure should be in place, something like £60 for a No1 going down in £5 increments, £55 for a No3 £50 for a No 5 and so on. When a rider changes position drops from No 1 to No 3 the wages should be adjusted accordingly

[ruffdiamond]

Always said a statuary wage structure should be in place, something like £60 for a No1 going down in £5 increments, £55 for a No3 £50 for a No 5 and so on. When a rider changes position drops from No 1 to No 3 the wages should be adjusted accordingly

would having that sort of structure, then put an 'I' in 'team' ???

good idea in principle, but can see plenty of 'toys out of the pram',,, just a thought,,,

[Aroundtheboards]

I don't know who it was, but someone drove a car towing a trailer with a bike on it, into the area behind the Pits at Sheffield last week, for the Sheffield v Cradley meeting. I said at the time that I haven't seen that for some years.

I remember the days when riders in the Gulf British league carried ONE bike on the back of the car on a bike rack made by MAXIMUM PRODUCTS. One rider that did this was Ray Wilson, Leicester and England Captain !!! True it was a double bike rack for special occasions like Internationals and championship rounds. Mike Broadbanks used to carry his bike in the car boot with the font wheel and handlebars outside the lid tied down with a bungee !!! No smart Renault Traffics, VW's, Peugeots then! It was only the likes of PC, Ivan, Olle etc had decent motorhomes then because of Longtracking and the like! You might have seen the odd ex council Ford Transit but that was it !!! True now that a lot of lads are riding on the continent and need their transport to be a bit more substancial. The bikes have moved on so much in the last 40 years, they never had silencers the only cover was a traveling rug to keep your steed warm once warmed up !!! They are more like traveling billboards now instead of no nonsense trackers. Don't get me wrong, I am not against progress but in those days it was far more relaxed and the lads didn't seem to have the financial pressure, that's because the sport was much more reasonable to take in moneywise and the crowds resembled football crowds in number and for your admittance fee you got two halves to the evening, match then Star of the Night Individual giving value for money. At half time you either had some sort of demo by sidecars or stunt riders. We even had Freddie Starr do a turn once as he was a mucker of Reg Wilson (Sheffield) I know you can't go back but you have to wet the publics appetite. 15 heats run in record time aint the way to do it !!!

[smod]

I had put forward an idea but was told that the amount of money raised would only last few weeks . My idea was a fans ownership scheme supplimenting the present owners but giving fams a vote on decisions. I said during closed season fans pay £10 per week by direct debit . If for example 100 fans took this up and 26 week closed season it would generate 26000. If this was extended to full year and any fan contributing got in for say £5 to meetings this would generate a guarenteed 52000.

 

Very well, go forward with your plan to raise a very credible £52,000 pa.

 

Hold a meeting, advertise it well, and sign up your 100 contributors. Choose a small committee and decide who is to be your representative. Approach the current, or any new promotion, and ask for representation on the board.

 

Er, that's it.

[Sotonian]

Why the criticism of riders having vans? These days, they are as cheap to buy and run as an average family car and far more convenient than towing a trailer.

[allthegearbutnaeidea]

 

Very well, go forward with your plan to raise a very credible £52,000 pa.

 

Hold a meeting, advertise it well, and sign up your 100 contributors. Choose a small committee and decide who is to be your representative. Approach the current, or any new promotion, and ask for representation on the board.

 

Er, that's it.

talk about getting shot down, at least he is trying to come up with ideas to save the club he has a passion for, move on

[Black Angus]

I agree with the posters who have tried to drag this discussion back to the statement.

 

The promotion haven't come out with a begging bowl, they want help, they want support.

 

They have asked for new blood, new ideas joining their board, or an outright buyer with, presumably the same new ideas. Two scenarios which would allow speedway to continue in Berwick.

 

They haven't asked for small ideas to cut costs. No mention of going NL, which would meet resistance by current NL for sure, and not much reduction in running costs anyway.

 

They have reluctantly said that, much as they would want speedway to continue, if there are no new investors offering to join in and take some of their load, or buying the Bandits outright, they will close.

 

C'mon, folks -- let's try to make something happen!

[smod]

talk about getting shot down, at least he is trying to come up with ideas to save the club he has a passion for, move on

 

WTF?

 

I was being totally-supportive. It is an excellent idea, and I was encouraging spittalbandit to take the idea to the next stages?

[Arson fire]

talk about getting shot down, at least he is trying to come up with ideas to save the club he has a passion for, move on

smod isnt a Berwick fan remember....

[chucks]

 

Very well, go forward with your plan to raise a very credible £52,000 pa.

 

Hold a meeting, advertise it well, and sign up your 100 contributors. Choose a small committee and decide who is to be your representative. Approach the current, or any new promotion, and ask for representation on the board.

 

Er, that's it.

put me down at 5.00 paid 130.00 paid on first week then 130.00 paid on week 27,only if you geta legal board.sorry thats all can affoard

[bigeddiechek]

 

WTF?

 

I was being totally-supportive. It is an excellent idea, and I was encouraging spittalbandit to take the idea to the next stages?

I read your post as being helpful.

Didnt you say Taffy had a small time poxy shop on another thread not so long ago, and you were an astute business man with contacts around the globe?? You also said youd pay £20 per meeting on another thread....If so you are seriously failing your club, not investing or sharing the business acumen that god gave you

I know plenty folk with the wealth, but no interest in speedway. Lots of other things for them to spend their money on, sadly.

 

That is one of the reasons why I so defensive on here. Us fans in general need to support all the people that bank roll the sport.

 

I know the damage has been done in the past, and not by the fans, but the sport is at a critical stage in the UK and it really needs a big positive approach.

 

Constantly bashing promotions is not the way to go. £5 per month or £20 per meeting, neither are/were really that far off the mark.

 

The Sky meetings, FIM meetings, investment at Glasgow are all things that have shown me how great the sport can be.

[Normski]

Agree Sarah about the start of the season, at the end of the day supporters club had no qualms about the 50/50 draw being run by the promotion but the formation of the VIP Club was a bolt out of the blue. Everything BBSC done over the last few seasons, Rider of the Night, Pits Visits, etc was taken away from them through the VIP Club formation.I have already emailed the club with a suggestion that maybe on one of these free upcoming Saturdays the promotion and fans could get together to see what can be done to hopefully sustain speedway in Berwick.

 

The way things were gone about at the start of the season was all wrong.

Would be good if both parties can just sit down and talk about ways to help each other out

[BigRackBandit]

Per meeting

Thank you.

 

 

Agree Sarah about the start of the season, at the end of the day supporters club had no qualms about the 50/50 draw being run by the promotion but the formation of the VIP Club was a bolt out of the blue. Everything BBSC done over the last few seasons, Rider of the Night, Pits Visits, etc was taken away from them through the VIP Club formation.I have already emailed the club with a suggestion that maybe on one of these free upcoming Saturdays the promotion and fans could get together to see what can be done to hopefully sustain speedway in Berwick.

 

The way things were gone about at the start of the season was all wrong.

Would be good if both parties can just sit down and talk about ways to help each other out

 

 

Gotta lot of time for this man. Doesn't BS with his opinions but is always pro-active trying to help the club and riders

Edited July 28, 2015 by DeeksYaMahaga

[crescent girl]

e-Newsletter tonight emphasises the statement, making clear it is new people, either on the board or taking over the club that are needed.

 

Also mentions Ian Rae coming back.

[Aroundtheboards]

Why the criticism of riders having vans? These days, they are as cheap to buy and run as an average family car and far more convenient than towing a trailer.

Nobody is criticising ! It was just an observation !

[David Johnston1]

 

WTF?

 

I was being totally-supportive. It is an excellent idea, and I was encouraging spittalbandit to take the idea to the next stages?

Maybe I misread your post but I thought you were being sarcastic also.

For that I appologise.

[TonyMac]

I would say anyone who doesn't own their own stadium will be struggling. Doesn't leave many - Glasgow, Somerset and Rye House would be the only safe ones in my mind. Even Redcar who own their own stadium are down to the diehards, can't survive on that.

 

The fight to be the best has led to this, overspending on riders coupled with spiralling external costs are burying the clubs. The riders are demanding more money as they want the best equipment and fancy van. When was the last time anyone saw a rider come with their bike on a trailer being towed by a car? I see them at Northside when I go there but even some of these young lads have loads of equipment, how do they afford it? In football if you want the best equipment it will cost £100 for boots, if it's cricket or golf it's £500, in speedway it's £2000 for a bike minimum then kevlars, spare parts and the van to cart it round in! It's become a spending race

 

Which is why riders - yes, even the lesser lights in the EL - need to become amateurs and get themselves another job alongside their racing.

 

Of course, a number of riders will take their ball home and threaten to quit, or actually leave the English leagues (if they can). When that happens, revamp the leagues to six, five or maybe four-man teams, so that there are still enough riders to go around and the farce of doubling-up, which has grown out of all proportion, is brought to an end.

 

The whole thing needs a radical approach from the BSPA but, for sure, clubs at both Elite and Premier League level cannot continue to pay out more to riders than they are taking in at the turnstiles.

 

In recent years a myth has been perpetuated, sometimes by smug PL promoters, that the second tier had all the answers, was the 'way forward' and was showing the EL how to run things properly.

 

Well, the recent declarations from Scunthorpe and now Berwick, and the reports coming from others struggling PL venues, paint an altogether different and much more accurate picture that promoters of ALL THREE leagues in the UK must urgently address.

[Fromafar]

Which is why riders - yes, even the lesser lights in the EL - need to become amateurs and get themselves another job alongside their racing.

 

Of course, a number of riders will take their ball home and threaten to quit, or actually leave the English leagues (if they can). When that happens, revamp the leagues to six, five or maybe four-man teams, so that there are still enough riders to go around and the farce of doubling-up, which has grown out of all proportion, is brought to an end.

 

The whole thing needs a radical approach from the BSPA but, for sure, clubs at both Elite and Premier League level cannot continue to pay out more to riders than they are taking in at the turnstiles.

 

In recent years a myth has been perpetuated, sometimes by smug PL promoters, that the second tier had all the answers, was the 'way forward' and was showing the EL how to run things properly.

 

Well, the recent declarations from Scunthorpe and now Berwick, and the reports coming from others struggling PL venues, paint an altogether different and much more accurate picture that promoters of ALL THREE leagues in the UK must urgently address.

Thats the bottom line in British Speedway it's not a cash cow for mediocre riders ,if the riders don't like the money on offer let them find a job elsewhere.Total revamp needed as usual though about 4/5 seasons too late.