Berwick Statement

[To The Point]

If you only sell what they already know they want you will never progress. The aim of successful, developing businesses is to offer something that the public don't yet know they want but once it's offered, want it. If they find they do, then keep selling it, if not, withdraw it and try again.

 

Why do you think new products are launched and dropped constantly?

Thanks. I don't doubt BSI's intentions, just their ability to supply. We often get great speedway at GPs, mainly because riders are motivated to be competitive and not just settle for a 'skid'. That makes it competitive and in turn entertaining. Sadly it doesn't happen often enough.

 

To me, speedway's a team sport, the rest is just the trimmings.

 

A famous voice constantly says 'it's about opinions'. No, it's not. It's all about the entertainment and that comes not just from winning but also racing. Sadly due to the lack of entertainment winning has become the main reason to enjoy speedway.

 

But not everyone can win, can they? The sport was strong when the racing and entertainment was there. Now it's all about the result and losing kills.

You are way out my friend, you have to understand the demographics of where you supply, and supply what they want and what they can afford. I have spent over 20 years trying to convince local people to by the latest designs and brands, I changed to only supply what they want to buy, it's a steadier ship nowadays. I still have a go at new inovation but with a lot of thought with it.

[TonyMac]

I've run my own company for almost thirty years, mostly good times, some bad and a few desperate. During bad times, the rule is to cut costs. That's a no brainer, but as any business owner knows, you don't compromise your product. Applied to Speedway, if people aren't flocking to watch Speedway now, are they going to come in droves to watch lesser riders on poorer equipment, which is what will happen if riders money is cut. Many riders will go elsewhere, or pack in Speedway altogether if they can't make ends meet. Riders don't make fortunes. I don't know any wealthy Speedway riders. Some may remember the interview with Jason Crumps wife a few years ago when she said the amount of money he'd made during his career, put against the entertainment he'd provided, the injuries he'd sustained and risks he'd taken, was laughable. Or words to that effect.

How often have we seen teams struggling for money, build a team on a lower budget? The fans complain, the team gets gubbed every week, crowds dwindle. It's a downward spiral and given that speedway is already in a tailspin, it's the last thing we need.

The riders are the product, they risk life and limb every time they take to the track for our entertainment. Whatever drives them to do it, it certainly isn't money.

Cut their money and were in a race to the bottom.

I don't have the answer to Speedways problems and I suspect no one else does either. Clubs need to get closer to supporters, but not too close. No club owner who's shovelling his money into a bottomless pit is going to let supporters tell him what to do.

 

You start by saying how cutting costs is a 'no-brainer' in tough times - and quite rightly so - but then go on to say that speedway shouldn't ask riders to take a pay cut!

 

Short of finding another 2,000 people to come through the gate at a drop of a hat and without speculating on a costly advertising campaign to try and boost gates, how else is the sport to survive in its current state if clubs continue to pay way over the odds to many riders who, let's be honest, bring little or nothing to the table?

 

Let's be honest, if Tai Woffinden or Nicki Pedersen, for example, walked down any high street in Britain, no-one (apart from speedway fans)would recognise them. They don't really put many 'bums on seats' on the grand scheme of things. So if the GP 'superstars' of the sport are dispensable, where does that leave the many average EL & PL riders, who think they are stars and want to be paid accordingly?

 

For once, modern day promoters need to toughen up and make their riders understand that they, too, have to cut their cloth accordingly. The genie might be out of the bottle, but it's never too late if the BSPA stand as one and stick together, instead of breaking ranks, as they have always done.

 

* Instead of running three bikes, make do with two (why not go back to the days of the Track Spare, which could be shared among team-mates suffering bike problems?)

 

* Instead of employing a full-time mechanic, get by with a part-timer. Perhaps do more work themselves in the workshop between meetings?

 

* Stop spending silly money on engine tuners - it's the promoters (and indirectly) the fans who ultimately pick up the tab. So what if winning times are drastically reduced - speed often doesn't equal entertainment, not if the four riders are strung out.

 

* If riders were paid less, tracks would be more sustainable - it would also give promotions the chance to reduce admission prices to encourage more support, or at least introduce occasional special offers to entice more through the gate.

 

Simply cutting rider costs clearly isn't the total solution to all of speedway's current ills, but it's the obvious starting point.

 

The BSPA needs to form a 'Technical Committee', a working party of, say, three ex-riders who understand current day speedway and have good mechanical knowledge, who are given a brief to explore all ways to reduce riders' equipment costs and report these back to the BSPA. Pete Seaton's lower-cost F2 bikes may well play a part in future developments.

 

Ah, I could go on forever....

Cant agree with you on that one.Riders have to accept the crowds are not there to pay the money they are demanding.Imo they are earning decent money ,it is a sport, they don't have to do it if they feel it is not worth the risk.

 

Spot on. I don't hold with this 'riders are doing it for our entertainment' nonsense.

 

In one sense they are. But the truth is, they love the buzz of speedway and see it as a good way to earn fair money - it's a job.

 

If they believe that they are not paid what they think they are worth and it costs them too much to do that job, then look for another one.

 

Or reduce their outgoings and carry on.

 

We can draw an analogy with publishing Backtrack. We'd love to extend every issue to 100 pages, run big full size pics, distribute 20,000 copies through WH Smith's UK-wide and take out TV advertising. But we just can't afford to do that, so we have what we have, and have to work within budgets.

 

All comes back to cutting your cloth . . . and promoters and riders must learn this.

Edited July 29, 2015 by tmc

[Aroundtheboards]

Erm! I think you'll find it's cutting your COAT according to your cloth !!!

Edited July 29, 2015 by Aroundtheboards

[TonyMac]

Erm! I think you'll find it's cutting your COAT according to your cloth !!!

 

Cut, cut, cut everything!

 

(I knew you would have something meaningful to add to the debate)

[smod]

This thread is not about speedway in general, there are other threads on here for that. This is about the survival and future of Berwick Bandits after fifty years.

 

The statement, and the follow-up newsletter, make it clear that the directors are collectively exhausted by trying to keep the club going, and are seeking new people to join them, or a new owner to buy the whole show.

 

Let's regroup, and go from there. How can we help them?

[Halifaxtiger]

 

The trouble is, Rob, we now live in a culture where the majority of fans (of most sports) demand success yesterday and won't accept regular defeats, even if their team is involved in close, exciting matches. The days of coming away from Hackney thrilled by a 38-40 home defeat, with PC performing minor miracles for the opposition, are long gone. Football suffers from this more than any other sport - it amazes me how many West Ham fans actually expect us to be in the Champions League in the next two years, without a really major new investor coming in.

 

Much of it is media-driven but, in speedway's case, people's attitudes have also changed over the years. It's as if they cannot contemplate being associated with a team that is not successful - even if they are watching top quality racing. Having said that, there are unsuccessful teams beaten in meetings where passing and excitement is minimal! That must be very hard to take and is cause to question if it's worth the admission money.

 

Spot on, Tony.

 

Loyalty to your team doesn't seem to count for much in any sport but I think speedway suffers more than most, with a hard core who will stay no matter what but a significant percentage who will only go if the team is winning.

 

I saw a truly brilliant speedway meeting at Scunthorpe last Friday week (taking aside the Tungate affair) and I think its recognised that EWR is the best racing track in the country, yet Rob Godfrey has said that gates are so poor that he is thinking of shutting up shop.

 

Have a look at the Scorpions performances at the start of the season and there is a very strong indicator why they are in difficulty - speedway fans to a degree aren't interested in a losing team.

[coolcol]

Sounds like Oxfam....

[Fromafar]

This thread is not about speedway in general, there are other threads on here for that. This is about the survival and future of Berwick Bandits after fifty years.

 

The statement, and the follow-up newsletter, make it clear that the directors are collectively exhausted by trying to keep the club going, and are seeking new people to join them, or a new owner to buy the whole show.

 

Let's regroup, and go from there. How can we help them?

Think we just have to wait and see who's interested then.Not really much at average fan can do apart from turning up on a Sat night IMO

[tyretrax]

 

Add to Redcar - Scunthorpe and Plymouth that's 3 v 3 and don't forget the Millions of pounds that have had to be invested in Glasgow, that kind of thing happens once in a blue moon.

 

Don't think NL would be the answer. Hardly anyone is turning up to watch PL (and no additional people turned up to watch PL at £10 a shot) and the local derby would be against Buxton.

Now we've spent "millions" at Glasgow. Or are you talking about since 1946?

[Aroundtheboards]

Think we just have to wait and see who's interested then.Not really much at average fan can do apart from turning up on a Sat night IMO

That is exactly the size of it Fromafar. There is no more that the average fan can do or achieve. In most cases a thread like this just goes around in ever decreasing circles and for the most part people are preaching to the converted. All you can do now, unless you have a shedfull of idle cash is sit back and wait and see if there are any investors or ultimately a buyer for the whole shooting match.

[RobMcCaffery]

You are way out my friend, you have to understand the demographics of where you supply, and supply what they want and what they can afford. I have spent over 20 years trying to convince local people to by the latest designs and brands, I changed to only supply what they want to buy, it's a steadier ship nowadays. I still have a go at new inovation but with a lot of thought with it.

I'll bear that in mind next time I'm working for a major multinational I'll make sure to recommend that they close their marketing and product development departments and just sell what they've always sold....

This thread is not about speedway in general, there are other threads on here for that. This is about the survival and future of Berwick Bandits after fifty years.

 

The statement, and the follow-up newsletter, make it clear that the directors are collectively exhausted by trying to keep the club going, and are seeking new people to join them, or a new owner to buy the whole show.

 

Let's regroup, and go from there. How can we help them?

Apologies. Berwick's plight is obviously totally unconnected with that of the sport as a whole.

 

Over to you.

 

The trouble is, Rob, we now live in a culture where the majority of fans (of most sports) demand success yesterday and won't accept regular defeats, even if their team is involved in close, exciting matches. The days of coming away from Hackney thrilled by a 38-40 home defeat, with PC performing minor miracles for the opposition, are long gone. Football suffers from this more than any other sport - it amazes me how many West Ham fans actually expect us to be in the Champions League in the next two years, without a really major new investor coming in.

 

Much of it is media-driven but, in speedway's case, people's attitudes have also changed over the years. It's as if they cannot contemplate being associated with a team that is not successful - even if they are watching top quality racing. Having said that, there are unsuccessful teams beaten in meetings where passing and excitement is minimal! That must be very hard to take and is cause to question if it's worth the admission money.

If smod doesn't object to me making one final point, sadly sport has been ruined by the American 'winning is everything' mentality and the weaker ones suffer most.

[screm]

I'll bear that in mind next time I'm working for a major multinational I'll make sure to recommend that they close their marketing and product development departments and just sell what they've always sold....

Apologies. Berwick's plight is obviously totally unconnected with that of the sport as a whole.

 

Over to you.

If smod doesn't object to me making one final point, sadly sport has been ruined by the American 'winning is everything' mentality and the weaker ones suffer most.

 

Berwick`s plight now, could easily become a Redcar or a Scunthorpe or one or two others for that matter in the not to distant future.

[TonyMac]

This thread is not about speedway in general, there are other threads on here for that. This is about the survival and future of Berwick Bandits after fifty years.

 

The statement, and the follow-up newsletter, make it clear that the directors are collectively exhausted by trying to keep the club going, and are seeking new people to join them, or a new owner to buy the whole show.

 

Let's regroup, and go from there. How can we help them?

 

True, but Berwick's problems are symptomatic of a much wider malaise and are therefore very relevant. Sad to say, it's difficult to imagine a generous benefactor coming to their rescue (or any other track's) given all the countless problems that blight the sport today.

 

Because by investing in Berwick, you are effectively investing in the future of British speedway. You become one of 21 stakeholders (8 EL & 13 PL track owners) in one large struggling business called British speedway. And am I right in thinking PL tracks don't get much of a sniff of the Sky money either?

 

You can run the best speedway in the world but if those at the top continue to bungle most things they touch, then you automatically become a victim by association.

 

To answer your last question (and for what it's worth), we are running a free half-page advert for Berwick Speedway in the next issue of Backtrack, which advertises all of their August and September fixtures, etc. I say 'free', but it's effectively a contra-deal because the Bandits promotion have very kindly got behind the imminent launch of our next DVD, Memories of Berwick Speedway (1968-99), so it's really a mutual back-scratching exercise and one we fully appreciate. They are very nice people to work with (Dennis McCleary is our main contact) and we sincerely hope they can find a way through this and enjoy an upturn in fortunes.

 

We will be at Shielfield Park to launch the DVD on Saturday, August 29 (v Workington) and hope many others will join us there - and at all their other remaining meetings of the 2015 season. And beyond.

Edited July 29, 2015 by tmc

[bigeddiechek]

This thread is not about speedway in general, there are other threads on here for that. This is about the survival and future of Berwick Bandits after fifty years.

 

The statement, and the follow-up newsletter, make it clear that the directors are collectively exhausted by trying to keep the club going, and are seeking new people to join them, or a new owner to buy the whole show.

 

Let's regroup, and go from there. How can we help them?

I agree, we are getting the same overly simplistic armchair answers to the woes of speedway.

 

What this thread is about is the Berwick statement.

 

Not how they can cut costs.

Not how they can get more fans.

Not about going NL.

 

It is about either additional business partners, or new ownership.

 

Spittalbandit has given the only credible reply despite all this wonderful input from business gurus.

 

So, here is another busibessman's take.

 

There is a going concern with almost 50 years of history and a very loyal core of fans. A business that has had Sky TV coverage three consecutive years.

 

What is being asked is additional investors or new ownership. Plenty of time has also been allowed for due diligence.

 

This is a serious situation, with serious propositions in place.

 

Please can we stick to this and perhaps start a separate thread for a cure to all the ills of British speedway.

 

Partnership, purchase, or close.

 

That is the fact of the matter.

[The White Knight]

I agree, we are getting the same overly simplistic armchair answers to the woes of speedway.

 

What this thread is about is the Berwick statement.

 

Not how they can cut costs.

Not how they can get more fans.

Not about going NL.

 

It is about either additional business partners, or new ownership.

 

Spittalbandit has given the only credible reply despite all this wonderful input from business gurus.

 

So, here is another busibessman's take.

 

There is a going concern with almost 50 years of history and a very loyal core of fans. A business that has had Sky TV coverage three consecutive years.

 

What is being asked is additional investors or new ownership. Plenty of time has also been allowed for due diligence.

 

This is a serious situation, with serious propositions in place.

 

Please can we stick to this and perhaps start a separate thread for a cure to all the ills of British speedway.

 

Partnership, purchase, or close.

 

That is the fact of the matter.

The thing is that the Berwick situation is not unique. There are other Tracks professing troubles too. The Tracks are all interlinked. "Partnership, Purchase or Close" as you put it could apply to a number of Tracks, consequently, the Discussion is taking place on this Thread. To me, this is perfectly reasonable because the Solution to one Tracks problems could be the Solution to others too. The Premier League Tracks are all in this together.

[smod]

To quote their newsletter:

 

At management level the club runs very well, very smoothly. We enjoy a massive wealth of adminstrational experience and an exceptional range of worldwide contacts throughout speedway through the services of Lawrence Heppell, Dick Barrie, Dennis McCleary and so many other tireless volunteers.

 

These people have proven their ability to serve the directors, and allowed Berwick's reputation within speedway to rise to a level where we can be looked upon as the BSPA's, Sky Sports and even the FIM's go-to club when a safe pair of hands are required to present the biggest of events.

 

As a going concern therefore, this is not a bad club to become more involved in -- but the time required and finances involved should not be underestimated. However, the directors have offered potential investors or buyers more than two months to declare their interest and allow due diligence to be carried out (on both sides of the table) before any deadline day.

[bigeddiechek]

The thing is that the Berwick situation is not unique. There are other Tracks professing troubles too. The Tracks are all interlinked. "Partnership, Purchase or Close" as you put it could apply to a number of Tracks, consequently, the Discussion is taking place on this Thread. To me, this is perfectly reasonable because the Solution to one Tracks problems could be the Solution to others too. The Premier League Tracks are all in this together.

Yes, and I think the fact is that most clubs either require a larger pool of investors to share the burdens of running speedway, or very wealthy individuals.

 

It's the only immediate solution.

 

From this thead, I don't think many people actually get that.

[The White Knight]

Yes, and I think the fact is that most clubs either require a larger pool of investors to share the burdens of running speedway, or very wealthy individuals.

 

It's the only immediate solution.

 

From this thead, I don't think many people actually get that.

Sadly you are right. We can only hope that there are enough rich Benefactors or Investors to go around.

[Robinh88]

Rather ironic I read in another one of these informative PR's a few years back - Berwick had one of the biggest budgets in the league

 

I presume then we overspent on riders like Alden Complin etc or was that more horse rubbish from the club?

[The White Knight]

Rather ironic I read in another one of these informative PR's a few years back - Berwick had one of the biggest budgets in the league

 

I presume then we overspent on riders like Alden Complin etc or was that more horse rubbish from the club?

Then was then - now is now. Berwick can only try to deal with the situation that they are in now.

 

Dragging up ancient History can only be counter productive.