Speedway From An Outsiders View .

[The White Knight]

It was the same situation here in Germany some ten or twenty years ago. You could hardly find any youngsters attending the meetings, it was mostly elderly people watching the speedway and long-track racing, often sitting in their camping chairs filling in their programme. At long-track and grass track meetings this is still the case and the number of people attending these meetings have steadily decrease with the years. Long-track and grass track has a real problem, because of that. There is no younger fan base, and along with this decline, we don't have the number of riders for the long-track / grass-track solos and sidecars either anymore.

 

Speedway in Germany somehow turned the corner. One of the major coupes was to led kids under 12 or under 14 in for just 1 Euro, if acompanied by an adult. This allows families to attend at a very low cost. It swells the crowd, betters the sales of food, drinks and merchandise at the meetings, and fosters a new generation of young fans for our sport.

It took some years, but now one can see that speedway has a much younger fan base in Germany compared with the slowly dying long-track and grass track events.

British Promoters take note..........................

[ColinMills]

My interest in Speedway has dwindled since the early 90's. I dip in every now and then.

 

I knew everything there was to know back in the day...I lived for Speedway.

 

I don't really follow Speedway now....Speedway for me, is a fond memory from the past.

 

That 'fond memory' draws me back occasionally to my local tracks...often out of curiosity to see whether much has changed.

 

Now to the point I was going to make.... I don't buy a programme now...I don't follow the results....I just watch the heats and simply four blokes racing their bikes.

 

I strip it right back....To pretty much how a 'newbie' would see it.

 

When you do it like that, you see it in it's raw state...how a 'newbie' would see it.

 

Then you ask yourself...is this entertaining to watch? What is going to draw me back again?

 

I always come away feeling let down....perhaps I see the past through rose tinted glasses.

 

But what got me hooked as a seven year old boy all those years ago?

 

I looked around the 'stadium' and saw a majority of OAP's diligently filling in their programmes....but no kids.

The few I did see, were just running around or queuing for chips. Why aren't they enthralled like I and many other kids were back in the day?

 

From what I've seen...Speedway will die when those OAP's eventually pass away.

 

Hopefully I'm wrong...but imho....it is the Promoters and Riders mindset that is killing the sport. Too many wanting to make a fast buck during their time, rather than thinking about the future.

 

Tin hat on.......

excellent post, and very much spot on

[Red Flag]

British Promoters take note..........................

Wolves 2016 prices are kids under 5 free, aged 5-12 £1.00 and was something similar last year but can't remember exactly

[The White Knight]

Wolves 2016 prices are kids under 5 free, aged 5-12 £1.00 and was something similar last year but can't remember exactly

Well at least Chris van Straaten is trying.

[Trees]

Well at least Chris van Straaten is trying.

Kids under 12 have been free at Lynn for years ........... gotta make the night enjoyable for all ages, get the old thinking caps on promoters

[steve roberts]

My interest in Speedway has dwindled since the early 90's. I dip in every now and then.

 

I knew everything there was to know back in the day...I lived for Speedway.

 

I don't really follow Speedway now....Speedway for me, is a fond memory from the past.

 

That 'fond memory' draws me back occasionally to my local tracks...often out of curiosity to see whether much has changed.

 

Now to the point I was going to make.... I don't buy a programme now...I don't follow the results....I just watch the heats and simply four blokes racing their bikes.

 

I strip it right back....To pretty much how a 'newbie' would see it.

 

When you do it like that, you see it in it's raw state...how a 'newbie' would see it.

 

Then you ask yourself...is this entertaining to watch? What is going to draw me back again?

 

I always come away feeling let down....perhaps I see the past through rose tinted glasses.

 

But what got me hooked as a seven year old boy all those years ago?

 

I looked around the 'stadium' and saw a majority of OAP's diligently filling in their programmes....but no kids.

The few I did see, were just running around or queuing for chips. Why aren't they enthralled like I and many other kids were back in the day?

 

From what I've seen...Speedway will die when those OAP's eventually pass away.

 

Hopefully I'm wrong...but imho....it is the Promoters and Riders mindset that is killing the sport. Too many wanting to make a fast buck during their time, rather than thinking about the future.

 

Tin hat on.......

Very interesting post!

 

I, too, was an ardent fan following my chosen sport for 32 years travelling around the country and Europe. I even decided to have a go myself (King's Lynn) so that I had some experience to what it was like riding a bike without brakes and gears! I even helped during the difficult winter of 1975 when it was thought that Oxford Stadium was due to be redeveloped helping around the stadium. I also gave school talks and presentations during the Nigel Wagstaff years also helping doing odd jobs on the track prior to my last season (2003) Steve Purchase (Oxford promoter 1998 - 2002) even invited me to a pre-season forum to lay plans for a new season (2002). My life revolved around speedway but my interest started to wain and re-locating was the final nail. However I will never forget those years spent following my chosen sport. Great times and memories but, alas, a thing of the past I'm afraid.

[Woz01]

British Promoters take note..........................

Children free at Brandon in 2016.

[Reliant Robin]

11 & Unders have been free at Swindon for some time.

 

And a Season ticket for 12-16 year old is £25