What Changes Have To Be Made In 2017?

[moxey63]

Perhaps put some of those Pokerman things in speedway stadiums. Then the young blighters would have to enter one...

Edited August 5, 2016 by moxey63

[Daniel Smith]

I find this an obsession with some speedway fans and its outlined in this post. Do speedway fans have something better to do on a speedway night because all they seem interested is getting home as soon as possible. I get it with meetings finishing approaching 10 pm but as a speedway fan I want a 2 hour show. I want it when I go to the theatre, concert or any other sporting event. Under some posters request to return to 13 heats and TWK's idea of putting the 2 minutes on at the end of every heat,if we have a parade at 7.25 we can all be home within the hour with no stoppages.Is this really what fans want ? I don't. We are in the entertainment business,what other form of entertainment night out lasts less than an hour, ridiculous .

Just on another note WK , I know you object to the double points rule, but its replacement , Tactical Subs if a team is 1 point behind will infuriate you even more, not sure you're return is just around the corner yet.

 

So, let's get down to this subject of time & entertainment

 

Lets say (which is actually in the rules) matches stuck to the 5 minute rule per heat from the 2mins to the next 2mins.

That is a 75 minute meeting, add in the 15 minute interval 90 minute meeting total

 

What entertains you so much between heats that things should be 'dragged' out for a further 30-45 minutes?

Surely it should be about keeping the fans engaged on the main product?

 

Speedway is suffering from poor presentation

• Poor stadium quality
• Badly prepared racetracks
• Crap music
• Crap presenters
• Imbalanced race format

With the above it's no surprise race fans just want to get in & out these days.

Even hardcore fans (me) are struggling to find Speedway today 'Value For Money'.

I too are one of those fans that now just heats 1-15 done asap as the whole atmosphere of the sport is pretty dreary.

[moxey63]

The choice of music does help, I suppose. Used to love Bryan Adams' Summer of '69... until they played it at every opportunity at Belle Vue.

[Trees]

Perhaps put some of those Pokerman things in speedway stadiums. Then the young blighters would have to enter one...

Peterborough did, aren't they where the people are sorta thing?

[orion]

Times have changed, people have changed, young people need to be asked what they want really ....

Sadly old speedway fans have not ..when you get these topics you end with the same old fans fans only coming with idea's that are not for the good of the sport but just the rules when they went ...the tac sub double points is the classic example

[Gresham]

Why would you want to get rid of programmes, electronic scoreboards are just a nice addition to race nights surely? Something else they could put in progs, some do, is the merchandise available ....

I agree... No need to get rid of programmes...lots of people like them, but an addition of scoreboard would definitely enhance the situation.

 

Apart from the scorecard, programmes are pretty much a waste of time. The majority of information in them can be found via other sources, Club website, FB pages and other social media etc.

 

Yet people still buy them and like them. Same as most other sports. Why buy a football programme? It's absolutely useless in this day and age.

 

I've noticed a lot more people printing their own race cards as well these days.

 

I suppose it's something to consider for attracting new fans.

[Trees]

When folk lose their home track, nothing feels the same anymore, I'd be the same if Lynn went under ..... you've got to have that connection with your club and care imo.

 

Of course loads of things need to change for the better but even if they did it's still not the same having YOUR TEAM to support.

 

Loads of posters on here have this problem, nobody will convince me otherwise.

I agree... No need to get rid of programmes...lots of people like them, but an addition of scoreboard would definitely enhance the situation.

 

Apart from the scorecard, programmes are pretty much a waste of time. The majority of information in them can be found via other sources, Club website, FB pages and other social media etc.

 

Yet people still buy them and like them. Same as most other sports. Why buy a football programme? It's absolutely useless in this day and age.

 

I've noticed a lot more people printing their own race cards as well these days.

 

I suppose it's something to consider for attracting new fans.

There is NOTHING like that piece of paper in your hand to read and of course given the age of many fans still they don't frequent the www.

[Steve Shovlar]

One of the biggest problems speedway has, is promoters who frankly don't have a clue how to promote.

 

For an example, Belle Vue. And this is no dig at them, just the way I see it. But I will use BV as they have a nice shiny new stadium.

 

How many people live in the Greater Manchester area? 2.55 million people.

 

And Belle Vue's average attendance is say 1500. What the hell is going on? A fraction of one percent.

 

Whilst the BV promotion have done brilliantly to get themselves a brand new stadium, where are the fans? Why isn't it a sellout every week? How are the promotion promoting? I drove around Manchester last weekend and didn't see a single poster or anything to say there was speedway at a new stadium every week.

 

Like many other speedway promotions, their idea of promoting is to open the gates on race day. In todays media savvy world this is not good enough. Even Matt Ford lags behind with the online shop only coming online this year. Poole couldn't sell Darcy Ward merchandise because of this.

 

The problem is speedway promotions don't employ staff who can sit on the phone all day and promote, sell advertising, send out brochures to local companies, visit schools with complimentary tickets and show off a bike etc. The opportunities are endless but which promotions actually do this? It might mean handing iut hundreds of comps but so what? A few could be turned into regulars, who in turn bring along a friend. Swathes of empty seats on an opening season is not good to see. When the circus hit an area, they have people go ahead to that town and nearly every shop has a curcus poster up and two free tickets for doing so. The circus gets all the advertising for nothing other than the cost of the poster.

 

Its not so much the rules that drive people away, its the lack of investment, over decades, that has failed to address bringing younger fans into the sport. A whole generation is missing, hence we look around us and see an aging fan base more suited to crown green bowls than a high adrenalin sport that is speedway. Sure the rules need sorting with edr issues. Sure the guest rule and missing riders need looking into. But fundementally its a great sport left behind in the mainstream simply due to lack of investment on the promotional front.

[Gresham]

When folk lose their home track, nothing feels the same anymore, I'd be the same if Lynn went under ..... you've got to have that connection with your club and care imo.

 

Of course loads of things need to change for the better but even if they did it's still not the same having YOUR TEAM to support.

 

Loads of posters on here have this problem, nobody will convince me otherwise.

There is NOTHING like that piece of paper in your hand to read and of course given the age of many fans still they don't frequent the www.

I agree...keep programmes for the older generation and those that want to fill it in.

 

I'm thinking more about people who are new to the sport.

 

I recently took some people to the British GP. Some who have never been to Speedway before.

 

Some enjoyed filling in the programme, others asked why there wasn't a scoreboard showing each race result and time and running scores.

 

They weren't interested in a programme to fill in....they just wanted to watch and absorb the atmosphere and chat with others.

The whole family in front of me had printed off scorecards and one was using the SS.

[The White Knight]

I find this an obsession with some speedway fans and its outlined in this post. Do speedway fans have something better to do on a speedway night because all they seem interested is getting home as soon as possible. I get it with meetings finishing approaching 10 pm but as a speedway fan I want a 2 hour show. I want it when I go to the theatre, concert or any other sporting event. Under some posters request to return to 13 heats and TWK's idea of putting the 2 minutes on at the end of every heat,if we have a parade at 7.25 we can all be home within the hour with no stoppages.Is this really what fans want ? I don't. We are in the entertainment business,what other form of entertainment night out lasts less than an hour, ridiculous .

Just on another note WK , I know you object to the double points rule, but its replacement , Tactical Subs if a team is 1 point behind will infuriate you even more, not sure you're return is just around the corner yet.

It would look so much more professional. On a freezing cold night in March/April/sometimes May it can be very uncomfortable to stand around stamping your feet trying to keep warm. (We've all done it). I know that essential Track Grading has to take place but that does not alter the fact that there are far too many long unnecessary gaps between Races.

 

Regarding your final sentence - I am against any form Tactical Ride/Tactical Substitute. Both are unfair - and as we saw in the most recent World Cup, can severely affect the Result. The difference of Great Britain getting a Silver Medal having used the 'Joker' and Sweden unable to do so. If everything had been equal - Great Britain should have had the Bronze Medal and Sweden the Silver.

 

Now THAT would have been FAIR.

 

[no-brakes-uk]

People on here have mocked the idea of returning to 13 heat speedway -some even jokingly (I think they were) calling for one heat speedway or two laps even. They often call me for having no right of even offering an opinion, as I no longer attend. But the very same individuals imply perhaps they and others could not be attracted by two less heats than the 15 now. There love of speedway as fragile as mine was, then?

 

As for the Play-Offs... don't get me started. Oh, OK then. A complete pretense for several months of what are merely qualifying matches and fans kidded into paying good money to watch. The Finals bring out the crowds, but the qualifying matches that get us there suffer as any single match isn't too important, as losses can be made up later to make the top four cut. Usually it is the big lads who lag behind and then, like wrestling I used to watch on World of Sport, they get up off the ropes, make the cut.. and then, with several new additions, often lift the prize.

 

That is why the Play-Offs drag em in. Those fans are like I was. I wasn't there for the conception... but I was there to cheer my lad being born. I was so proud. A proper dad.

I still find it a bit odd how the formats of the world championships and the leagues turned on their heads.

 

World championship - one off final to a season long campaign of total points.

Leagues - season long campaign of total points to a one off final.

 

So which one wasn't working out?

Edited August 5, 2016 by no-brakes-uk

[orion]

What happens if they say a straight league championship is better than a cup championship or tactical subs better than double points bollox or want a meeting followed by an interval followed by an individual style second half?

 

Well I know what would happen, the unusual suspects would just say its been done before and you cant turn the clock back and other vacuous statements, completely ignoring that if something really is better then you should turn the bleedin clock back!

I expect they would say that must clubs would not last the season ..when you come up with an idea you back I up with some logic why it would work in terms of crowd size and money wise ..on both of the ide's above no on ever has ...so you can only put it down to old fans stuck in the past and hence no one under 50 wants it .

[Trees]

I agree...keep programmes for the older generation and those that want to fill it in.

 

I'm thinking more about people who are new to the sport.

 

I recently took some people to the British GP. Some who have never been to Speedway before.

 

Some enjoyed filling in the programme, others asked why there wasn't a scoreboard showing each race result and time and running scores.

 

They weren't interested in a programme to fill in....they just wanted to watch and absorb the atmosphere and chat with others.

The whole family in front of me had printed off scorecards and one was using the SS.

No excuse for BSI not to utilise the Cardiff screens for running totals really, I would never pay what they want for a programme either ....

New people could use the twitter updates or updates site I guess if the stadium has 4G. Mind you that is where a good tannoy system comes in .....

[Grachan]

I agree...keep programmes for the older generation and those that want to fill it in.

 

I'm thinking more about people who are new to the sport.

 

I recently took some people to the British GP. Some who have never been to Speedway before.

 

Some enjoyed filling in the programme, others asked why there wasn't a scoreboard showing each race result and time and running scores.

 

They weren't interested in a programme to fill in....they just wanted to watch and absorb the atmosphere and chat with others.

The whole family in front of me had printed off scorecards and one was using the SS.

 

There was. All the details were on the big screen, albeit not permanently.

 

Lack of a scoreboard is a major beef for me. The lack of them is, I'm sure, a supposed cunning plan to make people get a programme, but having a big scroeboard like in Basketball or Ice Hockey would immediately add to the sense of watching a team sport and I can't understand why it isn't used.

 

Swindon use a scoreboard and show heat line ups and heat results, but it rarely shows the match score. That, for me, should be permanently on display.

 

I know people love their programmes, but the fact is that as soon as a race is finished half the crowd are heads down and scribbling all the details. It affect the atmosphere and adds to the sense of speedway being rather unfashionable. It's hilarious when they say on Sky that the crowd are going wild, and promptly show a small group of people filling in a programme.

 

I used to keep my programmes religiously by the way. I'm not knocking the filling in of programmes. But keep a scoreboard up there and you'll add to the atmosphere I'm sure.

Edited August 5, 2016 by grachan

[BWitcher]

 

 

No, just want to revert back to times when MORE people went.

 

Yep, because there are so many businesses that operate just how they used to....

 

What old time speedway fans fail to realise is one of the biggest reasons the sport has declined so much is the very fact it HASN'T changed enough and is still very much as it was in the 'old days'. Like any business, if you don't continue to evolve, you will be left behind.

[sparkafag]

I still find it a bit odd how the formats of the world championships and the leagues turned on their heads.

 

World championship - one off final to a season long campaign of total points.

Leagues - season long campaign of total points to a one off final.

 

So which one wasn't working out?

 

 

Both.

 

GP averages about 160,000 attendaees across the year, there isn’t a stadium going that could accommodate that kind of crowd for a one off Final. As well as the increased attendance for a GP season it gives Speedway 6/7/8/9/10 weekends a year prime time coverage on a Saturday night on top sports channels (rather than one), in top stadia and in the media. You then throw in replays and reruns, multiple sponsor opportunities - it is hours on end of coverage for the sport it wouldn’t get from a World Final (which by the end was starting to die on it's arse a bit).

 

The fans and riders also win as we get to see the best guys racing more often, the riders get a better chance to become World Champion, it is more affordable and more accessible for fans as there is always the chance to see the meeting locally rather than having to travel.

 

There was a justified demand for a Grand Prix season.

 

League and Play Off Final – despite what naysayers might say it is still a “league” the league part does still hold importance as you actually have to qualify for the Play Off and gain position - it increases interest across the league rather than for a couple of clubs going for a title.

Edited August 5, 2016 by The Mockingjay

[Gresham]

 

There was. All the details were on the big screen, albeit not permanently.

 

Lack of a scoreboard is a major beef for me. The lack of them is, I'm sure, a supposed cunning plan to make people get a programme, but having a big scroeboard like in Basketball or Ice Hockey would immediately add to the sense of watching a team sport and I can't understand why it isn't used.

 

Swindon use a scoreboard and show heat line ups and heat results, but it rarely shows the match score. That, for me, should be permanently on display.

 

I know people love their programmes, but the fact is that as soon as a race is finished half the crowd are heads down and scribbling all the details. It affect the atmosphere and adds to the sense of speedway being rather unfashionable. It's hilarious when they say on Sky that the crowd are going wild, and promptly show a small group of people filling in a programme.

 

I used to keep my programmes religiously by the way. I'm not knocking the filling in of programmes. But keep a scoreboard up there and you'll add to the atmosphere I'm sure.

I couldn't agree more fella...a fact which my girlfriend pointed out recently, who is new to the sport...that it was like watching train spotters straight after a race...to which I was scolded for saying so on here.

 

Where's the scoreboard at Swindon now? I remember one over the pits many moons ago.

 

I generally stand on the back straight these days.

[Grachan]

I couldn't agree more fella...a fact which my girlfriend pointed out recently, who is new to the sport...that it was like watching train spotters straight after a race...to which I was scolded for saying so on here.

 

Where's the scoreboard at Swindon now? I remember one over the pits many moons ago.

 

I generally stand on the back straight these days.

 

Same. Still there. Sometimes it's on. Sometimes it's not.

[BWitcher]

What was there to back up the double tr bollox or a meeting with an interval then nothing? Everyone knows why crowds have dropped since the play offs so no need to go there ..... yet.

 

Except the crowds were falling way before the play-offs. I do see the arguments you are making and they have credence, I don't think it's a deal breaker though. Scrapping play-offs isn't going to suddenly pull the punters in. The key, as always, is marketing and presentation. Get those two factors right you can sell anything.. get them wrong and the best product in the world is a tough sale... speedway has been getting it wrong for years!

 

I agree with you on the double TR stuff, I don't like it.... all I have argued is it not because of 'fairness' which some like to try and claim.. more to do with, it's just daft!

 

If a rider had to start 15 metres behind, you can explain that.. they get double because they are handicapped.

[The White Knight]

 

 

Both.

 

GP averages about 160,000 attendaees across the year, there isn’t a stadium going that could accommodate that kind of crowd for a one off Final. As well as the increased attendance for a GP season it gives Speedway 6/7/8/9/10 weekends a year prime time coverage on a Saturday night on top sports channels (rather than one), in top stadia and in the media. You then throw in replays and reruns, multiple sponsor opportunities - it is hours on end of coverage for the sport it wouldn’t get from a World Final (which by the end was starting to die on it's arse a bit).

 

The fans and riders also win as we get to see the best guys racing more often, the riders get a better chance to become World Champion, it is more affordable and more accessible for fans as there is always the chance to see the meeting locally rather than having to travel.

 

There was a justified demand for a Grand Prix season.

 

League and Play Off Final – despite what naysayers might say it is still a “league” the league part does still hold importance as you actually have to qualify for the Play Off and gain position - it increases interest across the league rather than for a couple of clubs going for a title.

Well - the selected few anyway.