RPNY Posted September 29, 2016 Report Share Posted September 29, 2016 In what way? Not being facetious, I don't live in the UK anymore so it's hard to see the different coverage from the 2 channels... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Sprocket Posted September 29, 2016 Report Share Posted September 29, 2016 A couple of times, without reaction, I have suggested that local schools compete to design next seasons posters during the close season. This would create interest and discussion through research for the design with complimentary tickets for competition entrants. Has anything like this been tried before, any thoughts? My thinking when resurrecting this thread was what can individual supporters do rather than what promoters etc should be doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted September 29, 2016 Report Share Posted September 29, 2016 How about this for an idea... Put on a competition between local schools/colleges for who can produce the best promotional video. Allow groups of students access to the pits, the centre green and anywhere else where they need to go. Schools / colleges can enter as many teams as their arts / media dept can support. Whilst filming, their classmates can also enjoy free admission to the tracks too. Teams can get top tips by having "field trips" to speedway video production studios (e.g. ReRun, Clean Cut etc etc) and maybe Tatum & Pearson can pull some strings and arrange visits to the local BBC / Sky production facilities. Winning videos can be shown on speedway web sites, and maybe also the local BBC and SkySports TV and web sites too. There'll be plenty there to get the educational value that the schools / colleges would want and plenty of opportunities for the students to get hooked on the sport. Most importantly also is that these students are in the age group that are a year or two from being full fare admission payers, which is what the promoters need to make the sport sustainable. A big plus compared to the usual "kids in pushchairs go free" schemes. Only snag I see with this plan is that Terry Russell (Slow Speed International Ltd) will play his copyright hand, won't he, as he owns the media rights of all audio and video shot at speedway tracks? Oh well, it was good while it lasted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Sprocket Posted September 29, 2016 Report Share Posted September 29, 2016 How about this for an idea... Put on a competition between local schools/colleges for who can produce the best promotional video. Allow groups of students access to the pits, the centre green and anywhere else where they need to go. Schools / colleges can enter as many teams as their arts / media dept can support. Whilst filming, their classmates can also enjoy free admission to the tracks too. Teams can get top tips by having "field trips" to speedway video production studios (e.g. ReRun, Clean Cut etc etc) and maybe Tatum & Pearson can pull some strings and arrange visits to the local BBC / Sky production facilities. Winning videos can be shown on speedway web sites, and maybe also the local BBC and SkySports TV and web sites too. There'll be plenty there to get the educational value that the schools / colleges would want and plenty of opportunities for the students to get hooked on the sport. Most importantly also is that these students are in the age group that are a year or two from being full fare admission payers, which is what the promoters need to make the sport sustainable. A big plus compared to the usual "kids in pushchairs go free" schemes. Only snag I see with this plan is that Terry Russell (Slow Speed International Ltd) will play his copyright hand, won't he, as he owns the media rights of all audio and video shot at speedway tracks? Oh well, it was good while it lasted. WOW, now that is a plan. Isn't it in Terry Russell's interest to see the sport grow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Science Posted September 29, 2016 Report Share Posted September 29, 2016 Tai Woffinden is the most marketable personality speedway has had in this country for years....Yet all I see is the older fans moaning about his appearance, his loyalty to the flag and occasional swear word ! He doesn`t need British speedway...but British speedway really needs him ! Listen to what he says about track preparation..race nights..young British riders being put on a fitness program. Above all he interacts with the young fans and goes out of his way to promote the sport. British speedway needs to listen and learn....or its going to fade away Dear Elite League, Please set your league up it to suit me. and some of my fellow GP mercenries alone Maximum of 14 meetings a year only. Any more is burnout Single race night as long as its not Tuesday , Friday, Saturday or Sunday , I'm doing other stuff Oodles of cash, make it worth my while. If not then stuff the Elite league, stuff the World Cup and stuff your training schools. Yours sincerely Tai Woffinden. PS if my Polish and Swedish clubs might happen to miss the play offs then forget the above and I'm available in September 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 Dear Elite League, Please set your league up it to suit me. and some of my fellow GP mercenries alone Maximum of 14 meetings a year only. Any more is burnout Single race night as long as its not Tuesday , Friday, Saturday or Sunday , I'm doing other stuff Oodles of cash, make it worth my while. If not then stuff the Elite league, stuff the World Cup and stuff your training schools. Yours sincerely Tai Woffinden. PS if my Polish and Swedish clubs might happen to miss the play offs then forget the above and I'm available in September Tai... is that you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 Isn't it in Terry Russell's interest to see the sport grow? Sadly time has proven that Terry Russell's only interest, duty and loyalty is to his own wallet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieIpswich Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 British Speedway need BT Sport to potentially boost interest for the following reasons... SKY Sports is simply all about Premier League Football with most other additional sports added to the channel just fillers apart from the major events like the Ryder Cup etc. Speedway means nothing to Sky Sports and the money that Sky Sports invest in Speedway is nothing to them either - Also looking at other sports that Sky offer, there is no reference in comparison to Speedway. BT Sport currently have the Speedway Grand Prix, they have MotoGP and may well be title sponsor of a Moto3 team next year, I believe MotoGP after Football is the 2nd biggest audience for them - so Speedway needs to sit alongside the other two-wheeled sport on offer on that platform, if you are watching Ryder Cup on Sky with Speedway to follow you switch off - If you watch MotoGP on BT Sport with Speedway to follow I am sure a % may well at least watch the first few races and thats where you capture a new audience. Going with BT Sports and giving the sport a fresh face would be idea but only if the Sport is changed in line with a new era, a move to BT Sport cannot paper over the cracks of British Speedway. BT have recently taken on other minority sports such as Cage Warriors who circa 30,000 viewers per event. BT would pay for the rights and you could even include BT Mobile as the headline sponsor of the series as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Sprocket Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 (edited) How about this for an idea... Put on a competition between local schools/colleges for who can produce the best promotional video. Allow groups of students access to the pits, the centre green and anywhere else where they need to go. Schools / colleges can enter as many teams as their arts / media dept can support. Whilst filming, their classmates can also enjoy free admission to the tracks too. Teams can get top tips by having "field trips" to speedway video production studios (e.g. ReRun, Clean Cut etc etc) and maybe Tatum & Pearson can pull some strings and arrange visits to the local BBC / Sky production facilities. Winning videos can be shown on speedway web sites, and maybe also the local BBC and SkySports TV and web sites too. There'll be plenty there to get the educational value that the schools / colleges would want and plenty of opportunities for the students to get hooked on the sport. Most importantly also is that these students are in the age group that are a year or two from being full fare admission payers, which is what the promoters need to make the sport sustainable. A big plus compared to the usual "kids in pushchairs go free" schemes. Only snag I see with this plan is that Terry Russell (Slow Speed International Ltd) will play his copyright hand, won't he, as he owns the media rights of all audio and video shot at speedway tracks? Oh well, it was good while it lasted. Rather than take the "Only snag" statement at face value (which may be as you say) I contacted Gospeed and had a very encouraging prompt reply from a Wayne Russell. I very briefly outlined the above plan and he thought it a great idea and would where possible remove any obstacles to allow such a scheme. I realise that talk is easy and promises can be wriggled out of but maybe, in this case, Gospeed should be given the benefit of doubt. He did say that he assumed it would be a national scheme but I would prefer individual clubs to do their own competition. Edited September 30, 2016 by Skid Sprocket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmauger Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 Some kind of promotion, anything, would be a good start. How often do we despair on replying to "speedway, what's that ?". Sigh. A guy at work is into stox and hotrods, well any motorsport really, lived around the corrner from Wimbledon stadium most of his life, untll quite recently, and was completely unaware speedway ever used to run there. Also I'm surprised Woffy's PR haven't gotten him featured in bike / music / lifestyle type of magazine, with his piercings and inkwork he looks more like a heavy metal biker guy than a speedway rider....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted October 1, 2016 Report Share Posted October 1, 2016 Many young people are like sheep, wherever the majority go, they go. So to stand any chance of getting young people to our speedway we have to make the night out young people friendly. I'm not sure we can do that. The Poles are different, they are patriotic to their local teams and it seems it's the young blokes in particular who all support their town's speedway team on a Sunday when there's not much else to do. I think perhaps we need to get the kids along more and hope to keep them through the years. But again the promoters have to look at the whole pic and provide what the people want for a good night out. Again we're not like the Polish, we want more from our night at speedway than just the speedway cos that is all you get in Poland. The fans get their just wanting their team to win and letting them know so throughout the meeting. They chant, sing, wave flags, there's no centre green bloke having to tell them to make some noise lol. They are up for supporting their team just full stop. The Polish clubs just open the doors and in they flow. I'd like to think that getting out into the local community would help the clubs, go to the schools, colleges, youth clubs, pubs etc etc. Have a presence, let people know you're there, make them want to support the club and the riders somehow? There's no easy answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starman2006 Posted October 1, 2016 Report Share Posted October 1, 2016 Get rid of the rubbishy tatty stadia and rebuild with clean modern ones, look at the danish & swedish stadia. I you going to find the money ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveLyric2 Posted October 1, 2016 Report Share Posted October 1, 2016 (edited) I think the 'powers that be' and fans for that matter, need to decide what 'younger audiences' they want/need to attract?! A teenager wants many different things than a 5-8 year old for example. 18-25 year olds have much more disposable income than ever before and probably wouldn't think of spending any of it on a 'family sport or activity'!! Speedway has long been promoted as a family sport and over all this period attendances have continued to fall - for combinations of several reasons, not all applicable in every area of the UK. Its one thing to target young teenagers who want to become riders - and well done to all the academies and to the work Neil Vatcher and others are doing - BUT that does not address the attendance problem. Recognise that the sport is fast, dangerous, extreme at times and full of rivalries - both individual and club-wise - and use all methods of media (both pre and post meeting) to build on those aspects. Couple that with a period of reduced admission prices and special offers - not just for one meeting but for maybe a whole month or two - and not expect the officials/referees to dish out fines for the slightest misdemeanour on track. Get the riders on board - turn a blind eye to the occasional 'finger' to opposing fans, make sure all riders do a winners' lap and really crank up the crowd. Lets get real people. Know your audience or who you want your audience to be and go for it. Edited October 1, 2016 by Skidder1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted October 1, 2016 Report Share Posted October 1, 2016 Advertising does work... I didn't know of Monster Energy drink 10 years ago, for example. I do now, but steer clear of it. Perhaps the same will happen if more know of speedway. It is alright knowing it exists, but are we capable of keeping new fans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted October 1, 2016 Report Share Posted October 1, 2016 Gospeed should be given the benefit of doubt. He did say that he assumed it would be a national scheme but I would prefer individual clubs to do their own competition. I'm glad that you have had an encouraging response...let the proof of the pudding be in the eating. Like you, I envisaged that individual competitions could be done in the locality of each of the clubs, on a scale managable at club level, involving several schools/colleges local to each club, but that's not to dismiss the possibility of local winners going on to a national competition too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Sprocket Posted October 1, 2016 Report Share Posted October 1, 2016 I'm glad that you have had an encouraging response...let the proof of the pudding be in the eating. Like you, I envisaged that individual competitions could be done in the locality of each of the clubs, on a scale managable at club level, involving several schools/colleges local to each club, but that's not to dismiss the possibility of local winners going on to a national competition too. I totally agree. If (and its still a big if) Gospeed come through there is the practicality of schools producing a promotional video in the close season or maybe it should be left up to the schools/colleges to use their resourcefulness to beg steal and borrow footage and interviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobblytriers Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 I totally agree. If (and its still a big if) Gospeed come through there is the practicality of schools producing a promotional video in the close season or maybe it should be left up to the schools/colleges to use their resourcefulness to beg steal and borrow footage and interviews. Well, taking that a little further forward, how about the BSPA setting up a website with footage available from whatever sources are willing to help, and then contacting all schools with a professionally worded letter explain what the idea is and also a link to the website with all the downloadable material? This would be a ready made resource for schools to use as a way of an exercise for the pupils and have a meaningful purpose too. They could even have a prize fund to create more interest and reward good work. It's in the BSPA's best interest to get something done about the dwindling crowds, and to keep them. An exercise such as this would be a step in the right direction. Do nothing and nothing changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_martin Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 I totally agree. If (and its still a big if) Gospeed come through there is the practicality of schools producing a promotional video in the close season or maybe it should be left up to the schools/colleges to use their resourcefulness to beg steal and borrow footage and interviews. The idea would be for schools to get their media / arts students to use their school equipment at the tracks, during race nights during the season. Someone said that kids are like sheep, so if you get a team of 8 or 9 involved with the production, their mates will probably come into the stands, some parents and teachers will be there, interest will grow amongst the peers of the kids involved. On the video production / education side of it, It'll be up to the students to work out their angles, their footage, who does the camerawork, etc, they can do their own interviews, see what goes on from the moment a rider unloads his van to the moment the lights go down. One school one week, another school another week and so on til everyone has had a turn, then they can see what they do with their endeavours. Getting under the skin of the sport is what is most likely to get them hooked in after their video project is over. Much better than getting young people bored listening to Abba for 10 minutes between races like most other promotions inflict on them. And if some of these kids develop into long term speedway fans, they are at an age when they will be coming into the stadiums at full prices, not concessions. That's a top consideration to the promotions who currently have 60% - 70% of their crowd paying their concessionary admission prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shale Searcher Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 Thats easy enough...... Ban anyone under the age of 21 from attending speedway.. Teens love doing/going to stuff they aren't allowed to do/go to... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 "How to attract younger people", 1000s of posts later a load of old people have still not cracked it, shocking that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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