Barry Hearn....

[SteveLyric2]

Surprised speedway doesn't attract more Polish fans in the UK??!

[Shale Searcher]

Surprised speedway doesn't attract more Polish fans in the UK??!

I thought that, but Poland is huge, I interview hundreds of Poles in my work, most are much like British bods and haven't heard of speedway!! It's all relative, isn't it...

[Blazeaway]

I met Barry a few years ago and asked him this exact question, he just laughed. Nuff said.

[damosuzuki]

All it needs is a few forward thinking promoters though, and tbh there seem to be a few at the moment. The point with boxing is that UFC (which I don't like) gave it a kick and people like Matchroom really picked up the baton, result being the promotion has been completely overhauled and boxing is having a resurgance. Then look at some of the old school promoters in boxing struggling to sell out 4k capacity venues, wheras Matchroom have been visionary and are selling 20k tickets no bother by putting on a great card and a great show.

[orion]

All it needs is a few forward thinking promoters though, and tbh there seem to be a few at the moment. The point with boxing is that UFC (which I don't like) gave it a kick and people like Matchroom really picked up the baton, result being the promotion has been completely overhauled and boxing is having a resurgance. Then look at some of the old school promoters in boxing struggling to sell out 4k capacity venues, wheras Matchroom have been visionary and are selling 20k tickets no bother by putting on a great card and a great show.

Are they putting the top boxers on this shows that sell 20 k ?

[Humphrey Appleby]

Surprised speedway doesn't attract more Polish fans in the UK??!

As others have said, speedway isn't as popular in Poland as often claimed, but Poles are also working to make money not spend it.

[Shale Searcher]

As others have said, speedway isn't as popular in Poland as often claimed, but Poles are also working to make money not spend it.

They mostly are football supporters, lots I know are Leicester City fans.. even the name Gollob doesn't seem to strike a chord with many..

[Woz01]

A few Polish people I work with are speedway fans but don't attend regularly at Brandon. A couple have said they may attend a bit more with 2 poles in the side but they find it expensive compared to Poland.

Edited January 26, 2016 by woz01

[RPNY]

In the UK now it seems across most if not all sports it's only the top top contests that are well supported (as in sold out) Outside of the top 7/8 teams in the Premiership the stadiums are not all sold out. And certainly not the lower leagues. Standard league matches in Rugby, Cricket etc generally get very poor attendances. But Top of the league clashes, Champions league, Cup finals, 20 20 games etc pretty much all sold out. No different in Speedway really. If it's 2 top teams or (more specifically) the play offs the crowds are good. That is generally the shift across all sports.

I follow boxing closer than any other sport and as mentioned earlier, it's only because Matchroom really stepped it up that it's having such a successful period right now. They pack the cards with 5/6/7 top fights, really giving value for money. Over here in the states they rarely do that and as a result the crowds arent great Unless its a Mayweather or manny pacquiao fight . Just the other week I went to a Heavyweight fight, with an American Heavyweight Champion and the crowd was 12,500 in an arena that holds over 20k. Not exactly brilliant.

What Barry Hearne (and his son Eddie) have done is gone for quality over quantity. Consequently the public are keener to go and see events when they are on. That's what Speedway needs to do. Unfortunately it's still run by an old boys club then proper, decent promoters. Trim it down to a home meeting every 2 weeks, 6 rider teams if necessary, and have a standard that meeting should be 2 hours maximum. Of course with Speedway there's many things that can alter the length of a meeting however 2 hours should be the benchmark. The Promoters cannot complain about exposure anymore. The league is on Sky, the GPs on BT Sport, there's any social media, YouTube channels, a whole plethora of ways of getting it out there to the public. However the problem is too many are in it for self gain and can't or won't see the big picture.

There are some nice Speedway Stadiums now. To mention a few, Belle Vue, Sheffield, Coventry, Leicester, Peterborough, Glasgow now looking good, there a few excuses to do better then currently are doing. However the people running it are in the dark ages.

[g13webb]

Having read all these comments, I believe most are missing the point. The Main problem that exist with our sport is that we do not cultivate new supporters. The majority of the present fan base are those who have followed the sport for years.

 

The No1 priority for Barry Hearn, or anybody else for that matter, is to reach out to those people who have never heard or even thought about the sport.. Directing your sources to draw in the accomplished fans is one thing but the sport needs so much more........

 

There are people living in our village, only 10 miles away from Lynn, that don't know what a speedway track looks like......... But everyone knows what a football pitch is like, and where the nearest hospital is ??????

[Trees]

Having read all these comments, I believe most are missing the point. The Main problem that exist with our sport is that we do not cultivate new supporters. The majority of the present fan base are those who have followed the sport for years.

 

The No1 priority for Barry Hearn, or anybody else for that matter, is to reach out to those people who have never heard or even thought about the sport.. Directing your sources to draw in the accomplished fans is one thing but the sport needs so much more........

 

There are people living in our village, only 10 miles away from Lynn, that don't know what a speedway track looks like......... But everyone knows what a football pitch is like, and where the nearest hospital is ??????

Fixture flyers??

[Starman2006]

Fixture flyers??

And thats what sets us appart from any other club. We at poole take flyers with acompanying fixture lists to all the camp sites in the area as well as a few hotels and Tourisum offices. every year before the season starts...

[SteveEvans]

Haven't read all of this but a few bullet points;

 

1. The current league structure was created in 1997, so in its 20th season.

2. Since that time top line speedway in the UK is unrecognizble

3. Both leagues have less teams and less variety than back then, EL being more drastic

4. Long term supporters generally know full well its not what is was

5. It's still a thrilling spectacle on track an any level when done right.

6. The situation of continually missing riders, more created within the PL / EL double up than overseas leagues, is the biggest departure from ideal within the sport

 

There is often talk of a independent body to run the sport. Not sure that'

s what needed, more I would suggest the league hires a consultant who is paid a fee from all teams for his pay and expenses. His job is to grow the sport, work on media, PR, giving clubs suggestions to increase attendance. If older fans have diminished through drifting away or passing away, perhaps the emphasis needs to be new fans? New fans wouldn't have the better times to compare to but could be sold the product as is.

 

These days there is more competition for your entertainment $ but speedway is definately unique and sellable. I think promoters are often too spread thin to really work the main thing they need to concentrate on - bums on seats (not trophies)

 

As far as 20/20 cricket and darts go with all their extra frills, oddly enough, speedway had such first - 2nd half races, match races, test matches and big individual contests to name but a few.

[Fromafar]

I'm just at the bottom of the 2nd page in this thread so apologies in advance if this is sort of duplicated by someone on the pages that follow.

 

Whilst I agree that more promoters should do more of what their title implies, that can't be the answer to the problem.

No doubt Mr Hearn has done wonders for snooker and boxing, and someone else has pulled darts out of the pub, but look at what they had to deal with. A green covered table (which you can put in any big room), a large platform surrounded by rope (which you can put in any big room) and a round disc marked into 20 sections that accompanies a rubber mat, and, surprisingly, you can fit that in any big room too.

It can be pretty easy for an accomplished showman to get a room full of people excited and create an atmosphere. Alot of speedway stadia are big so you need many many more people to create an atmosphere. They are also quite run down. They also have to deal with inclement weather. Would Mr Hearns' sports be as popular if the spectators had to sit in grubby chairs, use questionable toilet facilities or stand out in the cold?

 

Mr Ecclestone appears to want to own everything if he were to promote it. Look at what happens to the racing circuits that don't come up to scratch. They have to invest heavily to update their facilities or they can't have a GP ... and then they have to pay to have that!! But nearly every circuit that Bernie visits with his circus heaves with people over a three day period and the atmosphere is amazing. And that's another thing. It's a one-off, once a year experience that people are willing to pay for. The same can possibly be said for the Arenacross. A one off treat.

 

Speedway is a weekly/forntnightly event and if there's a family involved then that doesn't come cheap. Coupled with a lack of atmosphere, dodgy facilities, cold, damp nights, a lack of entertainment on the track, long gaps between races, (though not always) and old music (and why is that when, if you have a public broadcasting license, you can play anything you want!?) you can begin to see why we have a shortage of people through the gates.

 

Personally, I still enjoy speedway. I can put up with all of the above because I know what speedway can be. When it's right, I think it's the most exciting sport there is. What we need to do is make it right for the new ones that come through the gate ... but I don't think Mr Hearn or Mr Ecclestone will have all the answers for that problem ... and I don't think either of those two will come cheap.

 

PS, I've yet to watch the youtube clip with Hearn.

Think you will find that Barry Hearn was your man who also pulled darts out the Pub.

[Trees]

Think you will find that Barry Hearn was your man who also pulled darts out the Pub.

Darts was always gonna be simple, compared to Speedway!

You'd think BSI would have been able to do more within the media than they have for their competition, do they even try, Philip?

[Shale Searcher]

What got us hooked on speedway? What did we get from speedway that we didn't get from football or cricket or Rugby???

 

And what did it cost us to go to speedway when we first went? How did the costs stack up against other sports then?

Why don't we get newbies now, especially with all the TV exposure now, compared to when we started going down/up the speedway?

 

Generally, 4 blokes on 4 bikes, with no brakes for 4 laps of an oval of shale?

 

Why has speedway lost its way?

[PHILIPRISING]

Darts was always gonna be simple, compared to Speedway!

You'd think BSI would have been able to do more within the media than they have for their competition, do they even try, Philip?

YES they do, especially around Cardiff time, but I have said many times on here that the National press is a very different animal now than it was when I worked in Fleet Street. Ironically, newspapers devote far more space to sport than they did 30 years ago but there is little interest in motorsport (other than F1) in general whether it be two or four wheels. Banging their heads against the proverbial brick wall.

 

It is vastly different in Poland, of course, and the Danish nationals still carry speedway in a significant way but don't think there is an awful lot in Sweden other than for the Stockholm GP.

 

Speedway doesn't sell newspapers... and even if you look at the Daily Mail online (the most viewed online newspaper in the world I believe) it is over 90 per cent football. Even cricket, golf and rugby are barely mentioned on a daily basis and tennis only when a Grand slam is on and Murray is involved.

[Fromafar]

What got us hooked on speedway? What did we get from speedway that we didn't get from football or cricket or Rugby???

And what did it cost us to go to speedway when we first went? How did the costs stack up against other sports then?

Why don't we get newbies now, especially with all the TV exposure now, compared to when we started going down/up the speedway?

Generally, 4 blokes on 4 bikes, with no brakes for 4 laps of an oval of shale?

Why has speedway lost its way?

Million Dollar Question,IMO from the entertainment point of view Technology has overtaken the sport in GB and most tracks are not suited to modern machinery.Follow the leader far to often .

[Trees]

YES they do, especially around Cardiff time, but I have said many times on here that the National press is a very different animal now than it was when I worked in Fleet Street. Ironically, newspapers devote far more space to sport than they did 30 years ago but there is little interest in motorsport (other than F1) in general whether it be two or four wheels. Banging their heads against the proverbial brick wall.

 

It is vastly different in Poland, of course, and the Danish nationals still carry speedway in a significant way but don't think there is an awful lot in Sweden other than for the Stockholm GP.

 

Speedway doesn't sell newspapers... and even if you look at the Daily Mail online (the most viewed online newspaper in the world I believe) it is over 90 per cent football. Even cricket, golf and rugby are barely mentioned on a daily basis and tennis only when a Grand slam is on and Murray is involved.

Just thought they'd have more clout in media circles. I'll never support them, ever. Edited January 26, 2016 by Trees

[Tsunami]

Haven't read all of this but a few bullet points;

 

1. The current league structure was created in 1997, so in its 20th season.

2. Since that time top line speedway in the UK is unrecognizble

3. Both leagues have less teams and less variety than back then, EL being more drastic

4. Long term supporters generally know full well its not what is was

5. It's still a thrilling spectacle on track an any level when done right.

6. The situation of continually missing riders, more created within the PL / EL double up than overseas leagues, is the biggest departure from ideal within the sport

 

There is often talk of a independent body to run the sport. Not sure that'

s what needed, more I would suggest the league hires a consultant who is paid a fee from all teams for his pay and expenses. His job is to grow the sport, work on media, PR, giving clubs suggestions to increase attendance. If older fans have diminished through drifting away or passing away, perhaps the emphasis needs to be new fans? New fans wouldn't have the better times to compare to but could be sold the product as is.

 

These days there is more competition for your entertainment $ but speedway is definately unique and sellable. I think promoters are often too spread thin to really work the main thing they need to concentrate on - bums on seats (not trophies)

 

As far as 20/20 cricket and darts go with all their extra frills, oddly enough, speedway had such first - 2nd half races, match races, test matches and big individual contests to name but a few.

Sadly Steve, there has been many marketing consultants employed over the years on behalf of the BSPA, and I don't think they ever answered the questions with anything new like you are suggesting.