Belle Vue 2017

[Aces51]

There was/is a stadium manager and a sales executive. Various events have been held, including a business conference which was held there a few days ago. A number of events are advertised leading up to Christmas. Unfortunately, like with any new facility it takes time to build up the business and I suspect that next year would and still can produce significantly more income.

 

Speedway couldn't survive at the dog track and the only way it will have a chance now is not by returning there or, to that financial model but by increasing the crowds and the income from the bars, food outlets and the Peter Craven suite. The planned academy needs to be up and running and other money making ideas implemented like, training days, flat track racing, sidecars etc.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Aces51

[Halifaxtiger]

There was/is a stadium manager and a sales executive. Various events have been held, including a business conference which was held there a few days ago. A number of events are advertised leading up to Christmas. Unfortunately, like with any new facility it takes time to build up the business and I suspect that next year would and still can produce significantly more income.

 

Speedway couldn't survive at the dog track and the only way it will have a chance now is not by returning there or, to that financial model but by increasing the crowds and the income from the bars, food outlets and the Peter Craven suite. The planned academy needs to be up and running and other money making ideas implemented like, training days, flat track racing, sidecars etc.

 

I think you are absolutely right.

 

Even if speedway could survive on its own, it would be foolish not to use the stadium to its maximum potential.

[coldace]

Looking forward to any news this week. On a related subject, has anyone information on George Carswell's position. He's listed as Promoter in the programme so I rather assume he has been 'struck off' with Gordon and Morton but have seen no reference to how he might have been linked to the financial problems.

 

At the final two Colt's meetings he seemed very confident of running the Colts next year and he always appeared to be the one responsible for the Colts.

 

I also believe that the Worralls, Fricke and Kyle Bickley are signed to and by him rather than by the club. If this is the case do these signing revert to the BSPA or does he still 'own' them in the way Rick Frost held the registration of several Peterborough riders.

 

I really hope that George is part of the new promotion not only to provide a link but because he appeared a genuine guy who had BV speedway at heart. Any views or information?

[New Science]

This is my worry to i posted the same thought on another thread.I just hope that if the BSPA want speedway to continue at Belle vue they have someone or a new promoter in place getting a competitive team together for next year.Because as you say if the same thing happens as it did in 2007 when the new promoters took over late and we had a very poor team of left over riders that other teams did not want then we are in big trouble.The die hard fans will still stand behind the club if they field a very poor team as they did in 2007 but the new /returning fans i would think will not so the gates will fall in a big way.So a poor team will lead to poor crowds and without good crowds to bring in the money any new promoter will need to make a go of the club will not be there.

A poor team will leave Belle vues future looking very bleak.

This is precisely why speedway in this country is stuffed. You have arguably the best track in World speedway but fans wont turn out in numbers unless your winning. Never figured this out, no team can be successful every year, that's one of the successes of the points system but fans only want to watch a winning team. 2008 at Wolves was one of the best seasons ever for racing at Monmore, 8 last heat deciders if I remember,the racing was ten times better than this season when we won the league.Give me great racing every week over watching successful teams with no passing. Maybe its me !

[Aces51]

I am the same. What I remember from this year is the best racing I have seen for many years not the number of matches that we won.

[Sidney the robin]

Going back over the years it has never bothered me the winning part,Swindon i think in that time have come bottom three or four times.As long as i see half decent racing i am happy what ever happened to a team having nearly the same team for two or three years.Now the sport is ruled by averages the sport needs to go back to trying to produce a good night out and from what i saw last year Belle Vue provided that.

[poolebolton]

Any rumours of who BV will sign.

Fricke and Cook are musts. Will Zagar return??

[KIRKYLANE]

I just hope that tyhe deal with the new promoter is announced sooner rather than later.

 

Then the real business of setting up for 2017 can begin

[Joe Beevers]

Any rumours of who BV will sign.

 

Fricke and Cook are musts. Will Zagar return??

 

I would have thought Zagar and Cook plus a Worrall. Then maybe a 2-3 point rider and possibly Joe Jacobs.

[poolebolton]

I would have thought Zagar and Cook plus a Worrall. Then maybe a 2-3 point rider and possibly Joe Jacobs.

Hahhaha Joe Jacobs, you can have him on his high average. Never seen such a home track rider you might as well go away with 6 riders.

[Col]

If Zagar is the new Hancock i.e. the most expensive rider, would you want him back? Any team in financial trouble does not need expensive imports. Surely Cooke, Hougaard & the Worralls will constitute your top four? Your best NL team will get you decent reserves.

 

Cook 9.83

L Bjerre 6.64

R Worrall 8.49

S Worrall 8.47

Hougaard 8.7

Williamson 3.67

Bewley 4

Leaves 0.2

A fair few teams seem to be going high top end with 2 pointers at reserve.

[waiheke1]

Surely you would upgrade r worrall to fricke/zagar/nicholls and downgrade Williamson to a 2 pter ?

Better options than l bjerre as well surely?

[Phil The Ace]

 

Agree 100%

But we need riders that can ride the NSS also.

[Joe Beevers]

I was going to say Belle Vue need all the good home riders they can get and Jacobs was excellent at home last season at the reserve berth.

[1 valve]

I am the same. What I remember from this year is the best racing I have seen for many years not the number of matches that we won.

I agree that the entertainment plays a large significant part in attracting and retaining new fans. It is worth considering that over the past few years BV have not been that dominant in terms of league position and once new visitors have got over the spectacle of speedway, the hard reality of promoting a team event means that the team performance does need to be taken into account when retaining fans.

Not every team can win the league, in fact some never have done so. but being competitive and winning the majority of home meetings is paramount to long term growth and success.

Also, fans need to relate to the team they are expected to support. team line ups that keep changing week to week never mind season to season will struggle to build loyalty. As an example, remember the days of PC & CM etc...almost the same line up week in week out - season to season. This meant fans had allegiance to the team and the team members not just as it is today "the brand".

Edited November 14, 2016 by 1 valve

[Bagpuss]

Easy to forget that Jacobs had a year out before returning last season. He's never going to be a huge scorer on other tracks but could well improve now he had been to them all again and bearing in mind some of the lower order riders who are likely to be around next season.

[mikebv]

I agree that the entertainment plays a large significant part in attracting and retaining new fans. It is worth considering that over the past few years BV have not been that dominant in terms of league position and once new visitors have got over the spectacle of speedway, the hard reality of promoting a team event means that the team performance does need to be taken into account when retaining fans.

Not every team can win the league, in fact some never have done so. but being competitive and winning the majority of home meetings is paramount to long term growth and success.

Also, fans need to relate to the team they are expected to support. team line ups that keep changing week to week never mind season to season will struggle to build loyalty. As an example, remember the days of PC & CM etc...almost the same line up week in week out - season to season. This meant fan2s had allegiance to the team and the team members not just as it is today "the brand".

 

Spot on....

 

If Speedway (in Britain) is to continue as a team sport then it has to stop all the guest/select team nonsense...

 

By running 'team speedway' you are asking the fans to make an emotional attachment to 'their team'. Swapping riders around between different teams ad nauseum does nothing to deliver this attachment, therefore wont engender the 'tribal loyalty' that other team sports deliver...

 

Dont deliver emotional loyalty and you, quite simply, will never deliver a successful team sport..

 

To a fan with an emotional attachment, whether their team is successful or not is often irrelevant as they will be there. If 'your team' isnt really 'your team' I would suggest you would question why you bother attending at all...

 

And with the current situation of too many team places to fill with not enough riders of the required quality, delivering a 'team with integrity' week in and week out will continue to prove virtually impossible..

 

The irony is if speedway went 'individual only' in this country I would suggest it would become much more successful..

 

eg. Running once a month at the NSS with a good prize fund, decent level of rider and properly marketed, would deliver six meetings with 3-4,000 in attendance I would suggest.

 

Maybe for the image, publicity, sponsorship levels and overall growth of the sport it would be better to run 6 meetings in front of 24000 fans in a 'full stadium' rather than 18 meetings in front of the same total amount of people scattered around 'half empty' terraces..?

 

Dont think anyone is in doubt that the sport (in this country) is at a critical point in its evolution. If its to be ran as a 'team sport' going forward then many radical changes are required.

 

Be interesting to see if those who run it have the vision and capability to deliver them..

Edited November 15, 2016 by mikebv

[woodenspoon]

Perhaps, the NSS is just too good for speedway, with its expensive overheads taken into account, and with speedway at its current crowd level.

I believe speedway will always be a minor sport and has its own level of followers, which in these days of competition from other events is unlikely to increase.

 

I do really fear for the continuance of speedway at the NSS,. Unless the council is prepared to write off the outstanding arrears, I cannot see any other promotion picking up the tab.

I do wonder what happened to all the money that did come in though, and how this state of affairs came about, as it has been suggested that the debt is a lot larger than you could guess at.

It was always really the NSS in name only, conveniently to get the place built in the first place, as no way were the other promoters going to allow it to stage the majority of the bigger and more lucrative financially meetings. Sadly some of which used to be classed as the big meetings have diminished in status for example the ELRC that was.

 

The problem with open meetings with a big cash prize, has been that in the past the riders have agreed to share the prize money between themselves, which spoils the whole thing. I prefer

team meetings, the only individual meetings with any bite to them are the GPs, and possibly the British Final.

 

We can only hope that the new league structure will help all clubs to survive and attract the fans back in larger numbers.

[tocha]

 

If Zagar is the new Hancock i.e. the most expensive rider, would you want him back? Any team in financial trouble does not need expensive imports. Surely Cooke, Hougaard & the Worralls will constitute your top four? Your best NL team will get you decent reserves.

 

Cook 9.83

L Bjerre 6.64

R Worrall 8.49

S Worrall 8.47

Hougaard 8.7

Williamson 3.67

Bewley 4

Leaves 0.2

A fair few teams seem to be going high top end with 2 pointers at reserve.

 

Zagar has signed in both Poland and Sweden which rules him out from riding here.

[SteveLyric2]

Why? Slovenia doesn't have a domestic league of any sort so he could nominate UK!!