Bryn Posted August 14, 2016 Report Share Posted August 14, 2016 Drag the sport into the 21st century and understand that the internet exists, stop marketing it as a "family night out", promotors start promoting and not just preaching to the converted. And that's just what the new promotion at the Isle of Wight, who brought National Development League racing back to the island this year, have been working oh-so-hard on doing from all angles be it via the internet, going out and spreading the word via displays at a host of events, supermarkets etc etc encouraging folk to attend and, once they do so, involve their kids in various activities and doing likewise with adults irrespective of which team they support / those who have never been before including taking some heat-by-heat onto the centre for a glimpse of racing from there. They have also worked extremely hard too on getting involved with the local community and business concerns, working hard on the sponsorship and advertising to the extent that, for example, every single airfence section (and there are a lot given the Andrew Younie smallbrook stadium is the biggest circuit in the UK!) sponsored either with money or in return for goods / services provided to the club. Building a team for this season after everyone else had was difficult but was achieved, the riders themselves have involved themselves in a host of things including as an example one signing autographs for all and sundry during a mid-match interval break. All in all a lesson for others? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Science Posted August 14, 2016 Report Share Posted August 14, 2016 Cyril Crane - 1969 or 70. Remember reading it in the SStar Wasn't born then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveallan81 Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 I don't know about 69 or 70 but Boston ran three meetings in 1979 using a format they called 'Formula 5'. A 20-heat match was split into 5 sections of 4 heats, and a point was awarded to the winner of each section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agrotron Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 Starman to be kicked off of this forum 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shale Searcher Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 I don't know about 69 or 70 but Boston ran three meetings in 1979 using a format they called 'Formula 5'. A 20-heat match was split into 5 sections of 4 heats, and a point was awarded to the winner of each section. To be honest, there's nothing wrong with a basic 15 heat formula meeting, when it's ran efficiently, I can even live with double points.... It's the make-up of the teams, and the loyalty of riders to the teams that's the issue in the UK.. If we went to one or two night, the other Euro Nations (Poland, Sweden, and Denmark) would carve up the remaining nights for themselves, use our one or two nights for rain offs, one off meetings, practise sessions, and we would be absolutely no better off, we'd be worse off, as fans who do lots of race meetings as well as their own teams would be scuppered, and so would British Speedway.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screm Posted August 15, 2016 Report Share Posted August 15, 2016 Changes to be made for 2017, rules, thinking, standards and plans for the future would do for a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris4gillian Posted August 16, 2016 Report Share Posted August 16, 2016 To be honest and after recent events I think Tai Woffinden could answer the title of this topic better than any of us..! Starman to be kicked off of this forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Lady Posted August 16, 2016 Report Share Posted August 16, 2016 (edited) To be honest and after recent events I think Tai Woffinden could answer the title of this topic better than any of us..! Maybe he should put his money where his mouth is and promote a British club to show us how it should be done Edited August 16, 2016 by Star Lady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris4gillian Posted August 16, 2016 Report Share Posted August 16, 2016 Maybe he should put his money where his mouth is and promote a British club to show us how it should be done He may well do that when he gives up winning World titles for Britain! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike.Butler Posted August 16, 2016 Report Share Posted August 16, 2016 the one single thing that would help enormously is full strength sides week in week out from April-September (so that's two things) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted August 16, 2016 Report Share Posted August 16, 2016 He may well do that when he gives up winning World titles for Britain! It looks like he's having a year off from that this year, to go with his year off from Team GB next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted August 16, 2016 Report Share Posted August 16, 2016 (edited) Drag the sport into the 21st century and understand that the internet exists, stop marketing it as a "family night out", promotors start promoting and not just preaching to the converted.Correct on all points, however... Many on here quote examples such as guests, EDR nonsense rules, Double points, crap tracks, select teams being put together regularly, poor presentation etc etc as amongst the reasons why they don't attend or less frequently attend... The irony is that the internet (eg forums like this) actively dissuade people to attend matches nowadays as all the information as to who is or isn't there, why they are missing, track problems if any, etc etc are all laid bare for people to read prior to the meeting taking place. An example was a fortnight ago as just as I was setting off to watch him at BV I found out via the BSF that AJ was missing. Hence coat off and TV on to watch sod knows. (Wasn't forking out circa £50 for me and the lad).. Years ago, we had lots of the same issues but didn't have any media outlet other than the Star and Mail which retrospectively informed people. We basically turned up to be told that "PC was in Germany for a longtrack final so xxxx replaces him". Or a poor meeting was read about a week later after the event, but not dissected 100 times. You may get the odd letter to the sports media but that was it... Totally agree that the sport should embrace social media and any other IT medium to get their message out there.. But to gain any extra fans they have a lot of work to do logistically around the integrity and presentation of the sport to ensure that the message isn't open to ridicule, especially in the 'instant, critically focused' feedback world we live in today.. Maybe that should be the 2017 focus..? Although unravelling what has been allowed to masquerade itself as a 'proper professional sport' for far, far too long, may take considerably longer than just one year..! Edited August 16, 2016 by mikebv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk127 Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 I forgot a couple of other points, racing Friday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon to improve crowds and then form teams around those race days, rename the leagues one and two and three and have standard bikes, a track spare and put saw dust down when it rains. Let the top guys do their own thing in Europe or what ever and let British speedway get back to basics with league racing every week between April and the end of September. Cannot be any worse than what you have now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shale Searcher Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 I forgot a couple of other points, racing Friday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon to improve crowds and then form teams around those race days, rename the leagues one and two and three and have standard bikes, a track spare and put saw dust down when it rains. Let the top guys do their own thing in Europe or what ever and let British speedway get back to basics with league racing every week between April and the end of September. Cannot be any worse than what you have now. But the Premier Football League, and Champioship, plus leagues 1 and 2 play Fri, Sat and Sun afternoons.... If fans of both have to choose, I think the football would win.. Speedway is best in the evening, tracks are better, and there's less football.. The sport (speedway) can't afford to haemorrhage any more fans.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 But the Premier Football League, and Champioship, plus leagues 1 and 2 play Fri, Sat and Sun afternoons.... If fans of both have to choose, I think the football would win.. Speedway is best in the evening, tracks are better, and there's less football.. The sport (speedway) can't afford to haemorrhage any more fans.. Personally I think that continuity is important. A regular race day/night so that fans can expect to see their speedway on a regular basis...if that means running without the GP 'Stars' then so be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk127 Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 But the Premier Football League, and Champioship, plus leagues 1 and 2 play Fri, Sat and Sun afternoons.... If fans of both have to choose, I think the football would win.. Speedway is best in the evening, tracks are better, and there's less football.. The sport (speedway) can't afford to haemorrhage any more fans.. Sorry I meant only Sunday afternoon. Friday and Saturday nights for the rest and just to add spice, get Polish referees and anyone who knows nothing about speedway to officiate. Hey you could even get a retired rider to guest as ref, which would certainly make for some realistic decisions. Allow for fast gaters and make going back to the pits before a restart an exclusion offence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted August 18, 2016 Report Share Posted August 18, 2016 i say commit to a league season with no absences except injury or internationals or else do not sign a contract. the resulting weakness of both leagues will be more than offset by the benefits of a settled league competition where team supporters get behind the same 7/8 men regularly. eventually the sport would become 2 tier with league riders and world stars - its already going that way tbh so we may as well take control and manage the situation. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 Graham Reeve and Tony Steele to become ACU representatives on the SCB. That's a good start. Previously ACU reps have not come from speedway background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racers and royals Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 Graham Reeve and Tony Steele to become ACU representatives on the SCB. That's a good start. Previously ACU reps have not come from speedway background. And the right person to be appointed the new SCB prime officer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 And the right person to be appointed the new SCB prime officer Unfortunately I didn't get the job. I understand there is still some discussion about how this post will be filled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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