Does British Speedway Have Future?

[Garry1603]

Half the trouble is that the 'older generation' (and promoters) don't want to change the sport that we've all loved for 40+ years. However, in order to attract the next generation we have to accept that by putting up with:-

 

management who see customers as a nuisance

poor standards of presentation,

inadequate food / drink,

'team' speedway where the 'team' changes most weeks

no interaction with fans (whether by social media, internet, youtube etc)

 

........... means that there isn't really a product to sell, unless it becomes a 'treat' whe it's a couple of times per year. We have to make the regular weekly meetings an event that fans want to return to.

 

The teenagers / 20s of this world demand more (rightly). So we have to either adapt or die out. Like the dodo in fact!

Edited December 5, 2016 by Garry1603

[tigerowl]

Speedway is indeed a simple sport, but it is run by simpletons.

 

Coventry and Sheffield (possibly others, I haven't checked) have potentially six of their riders 'doubling up' and riding for different teams.

 

To sell this to the fans who attend already is hard enough but to sell it to any potential newcomers...

 

Rubbish stadiums, rubbish rules, rubbish promoters = a rubbish sport I'm afraid.

Edited December 5, 2016 by tigerowl

[Fromafar]

Team speedway has a relatively short shelf life I would suggest...

(In Britain anyway)

For a team sport to generate interest you needs it's supporters to have passion for both the sport itself, but in particular 'their team'.

But how can you engender 'emotional loyalty' to your local teams riders when they change so often?. Some weeks you may have one rider out of the seven you should have representing you.

And six from your competitors!?

Quite ridiculous and from a team sport perspective totally at odds with a team event in regards to its integrity and credibility.

Transfer the lack of single meeting integrity into the league title itself and truly why attend something all season that has no credibility even if you win it?...

Not much of a starting point with which to sell the sport is it?

As we will see next season. Most teams in the PL will have 70% or so of 'their riders' performing in the lower leagues too, meaning 'guests galore' and 'select teams' trying desperately to attract crowds on 'off nights' to fit in the logistical nightmare of completing the league season... (Good luck in achieving that). (For once)!!

Too many teams, and not enough riders of the required quality leaves team speedway in Britain as a lame duck and add in a customer base demographic of virtually only white males, middle to upper middle aged, (in a country with huge diversity) and you have a base that by 'natural causes' is withering and dying (both metaphorically and sadly physically) as each year goes by...

And as these people no longer frequent the terraces the shortfall in money has to be made up by those who still do in inflation busting price increases, thus driving more people away from an economical perspective too...

Ultimately team speedway is too far gone for me to save itself. Maybe becoming like stock cars or Moto x is the answer? ie run maybe one 'big' individual a month at each venue with good sponsorship and prize money and align it with a season long British Championship that delivers great sponsorship and great prize money?

A basket case of a sport is team speedway in Britain. A hopeless case sadly for me...

However the sport when done well is still fantastic to watch so who knows?

Get some credibility, get some integrity, get four riders of relatively equal ability in each race, have no guests, ride on nights that generate the biggest crowds for your club, deliver a full evening of on track and off track entertainment that brings in a diverse fan base and meets a 21st Century crowds expectations, and sort out a cost structure that allows an absolute PL max £15 admission, and Speedway in Britain may have a chance as a team sport...

More chance of knitting fog than delivering that list I would say, sadly...

Good post,Although if we are lowering the standard we should be promoting more riders from NL if 2nd strings and reserves are of similiar standards it should produce decent racing,which fans want.British speedway just can't afford the top guys in the numbers to make it competive throughout the league.Also they are not really interested in the diversity of British tracks with are more technical regarding set ups and better bike skills.

[steve roberts]

Half the trouble is that the 'older generation' (and promoters) don't want to change the sport that we've all loved for 40+ years. However, in order to attract the next generation we have to accept that by putting up with:-

 

management who see customers as a nuisance

poor standards of presentation,

inadequate food / drink,

'team' speedway where the 'team' changes most weeks

no interaction with fans (whether by social media, internet, youtube etc)

 

........... means that there isn't really a product to sell, unless it becomes a 'treat' whe it's a couple of times per year. We have to make the regular weekly meetings an event that fans want to return to.

 

The teenagers / 20s of this world demand more (rightly). So we have to either adapt or die out. Like the dodo in fact!

I'm really at a loss what the average teenager/20s year old person wants personally but I'm sure that someone out there will have some answers and/or helpful suggestions?

[Little Thumper]

I'm really at a loss what the average teenager/20s year old person wants personally but I'm sure that someone out there will have some answers and/or helpful suggestions?

Perhaps they expect more than 15 measly minutes of action for their money?

[steve roberts]

Perhaps they expect more than 15 measly minutes of action for their money?

I'm the same actually...and well into my fifties! However I'm not sure what teenagers and or twenty somethings want (at the risk of stereotyping) and it would be useful to receive some input (please don't keep quoting music!) and constructive advice and/or criticism if there are any of that age group out there? I'm sure the promoters would love to hear from you!

[moxey63]

It is astonishing how times have changed, even the last five years. People want things instantly now... and speedway has a problem here. How do you keep a youngster coming along to watch the sport for the first time interested, say, in the gaps between the heats, or the needless re-runs, tractor breakdowns. You have to love speedway to put up with those things. Can you imagine a spotty teenager nowadays, who doesn't even have to sit through ad-breaks on TV in this SKY+ world, putting up with two fat geezers trying to push a broken down truck from the track on a chilly Manchester night?

 

We live in different times than when we started attending. Speedway's quirks then are frustrations now. The imagination of a younger fan is all over the place like car a supermarket trolley. They have so much else to occupy them, when we had just the programme to stare at between the gaps.

 

Not one solution would fix speedway's problems. Bits and pieces are falling apart. You say this would fix it, I say that would. But a lifetime of trying to fix the problems we thought we had 30 years ago have resulted in what we have now.

 

It is still a good spectacle though, on its day. But any serious attempt to keep the people coming back a second and third time must be addressed by the reasons good folk who have been attending for years are being driven away.

 

Tigerowl, who has done good work for the love of his sport.. I am suspecting he is another.

Edited December 6, 2016 by moxey63

[ch958]

take a friend some have suggested. I did - loads of times - and spent the evening apologising or assuring them that it might get better.

The sport can survive but it needs a hand on the tiller - not 30 hands. The sport is only as strong as its weakest clubs. For every Pooleand Kings Lynn, there needs to be a Buxton and Plymouth.

[waytogo28]

Concentrating every bit of each promotions efforts on attracting new fans is the most important thing between now and the next season. The "bring a friend" marketing technique worked a bit in 1965 and cannot do much to revive the sport at the moment. Encouraging all sports fans to take a look at speedway racing on YouTube if they have never been before, would be a great start. As would be the sale of a DVD for £1 ( or whatever the production costs currently are ) of The Best of 2016 races. This may be possible in partnership with a newspaper or broadcaster and then even may be a free giveaway. For those who have never seen speedway racing before it could bring them in for a first visit. Then it is essential that the live experience in the stadium is as crisp and exciting as possible and not a long, dreary stand in the cold!

There is too much of a mentality among promoters ( seemingly ) that having had a major re-vamp and a re-branding all is well and new fans will pour in or even pop in. Outside of current speedway areas no-one noticed it! The sport will not reach it's centenary without serious attention to selling it's best points to the wider world and making sure that the "on the night" experience is worth repeating. Selling a double sided A4 racecard for a £1 would be a positive thing. This might mean a loss of some local advertising revenue but would make a night at the speedway much better value.

[HAMMER180]

speedway will survive just needs local councils and government to

come good on all the promises they make.there is a twice yearly I think

meetings at the houses of parliament with MPS so hopefully that will bear

some fruit. but the main thing is for the fans to stop moaning about everything

their promoters do and everything the BSPA try to change.so stand up and be counted

or put your hand in your own pockets and try to make things better and

stop slagging off the ones that do. AND YES IT IS A FAMILY SPORT.

[Skid Sprocket]

Concentrating every bit of each promotions efforts on attracting new fans is the most important thing between now and the next season. The "bring a friend" marketing technique worked a bit in 1965 and cannot do much to revive the sport at the moment. Encouraging all sports fans to take a look at speedway racing on YouTube if they have never been before, would be a great start. As would be the sale of a DVD for £1 ( or whatever the production costs currently are ) of The Best of 2016 races. This may be possible in partnership with a newspaper or broadcaster and then even may be a free giveaway. For those who have never seen speedway racing before it could bring them in for a first visit. Then it is essential that the live experience in the stadium is as crisp and exciting as possible and not a long, dreary stand in the cold!

There is too much of a mentality among promoters ( seemingly ) that having had a major re-vamp and a re-branding all is well and new fans will pour in or even pop in. Outside of current speedway areas no-one noticed it! The sport will not reach it's centenary without serious attention to selling it's best points to the wider world and making sure that the "on the night" experience is worth repeating. Selling a double sided A4 racecard for a £1 would be a positive thing. This might mean a loss of some local advertising revenue but would make a night at the speedway much better value.

Its often said that everything has been tried before but in your post, Waytogo, there are a couple of brilliant ideas that could not have been tried until recent years as the technology was just not available. I am trying to get an Idea off the ground to encourage the younger generation to take an interest involving reasonably modern technology but getting the go ahead from the powers that be is another story.

[Little Thumper]

I took my mum to a northern NL speedway venue once.

 

I said look at that rider, "he is from Australia".

She said, "couldn't they get somebody more local?"

 

She said, "I think I could do with going to the loo".

I said, "if I were you, I would try and hold on until you get home".

 

She said, "well, that didn't take too long. Do they do it all again in the 2nd half?.

I said, "perhaps we'll try the cricket next week, mum".

[Pieman72]

The concencus seems to be that an organisation needs to be formed that can engage with and promote motor cycle racing on dirt/shale in a stadium that is fully insured and regulated but without the red tape and overheads that is moderating the sport. Thanks for the wonderful replies and it is so nice that they are pregmatic and sensible. Keep the ideas coming !!

[Little Thumper]

speedway will survive just needs local councils and government to

come good on all the promises they make.

 

Well, that's interesting HAMMER180.

 

What are all these promises that have been made?

[Pieman72]

Losing Coventry is a massive blow to speedway hopefully it will be a 'wake up call' for everyone invoved in the sport.

[martinmauger]

Speedway is indeed a simple sport, but it is run by simpletons.

 

Coventry and Sheffield (possibly others, I haven't checked) have potentially six of their riders 'doubling up' and riding for different teams.

 

To sell this to the fans who attend already is hard enough but to sell it to any potential newcomers...

 

Rubbish stadiums, rubbish rules, rubbish promoters = a rubbish sport I'm afraid.

Mostly. And yet we all care enough about the sport to suggest ways of improving it and generating more spectators and therefore more income. When it's good, it's really good and nothing, no other sport, beats it....

[Trees]

Whatever it takes to provide more passing/racing? That's what the fans love full stop ....

[uk_martin]

What exactly makes speedway not "family friendly"? You could take a 5 year old and a 95 year old and they would both get something from their experience.

 

That's the problem. The 5yo pays no admission and the 95yo gets in on a concession. The promoters aren't getting the income that they need to take things further. I'm told that at some venues over 70% of the revenue is "concessionary". People talk about speedway being only worth £10 in admission value, well at some places thats more than the average take per head.

 

We need to move away from being family friendly and move to an audience that you can concentrate your efforts on. Focus on "Club 18-35" if you like. At least they will be full fare payers, with disposable income to spend on other things. Make the whole experience youth-friendly and you may succeed in getting a new audience. If that sounds harsh on the oldies, well I'm sorry, but sometimes you have to crack some eggs to make an omlette. Right now the sport has as much life left in it as have the pensioners watching it. For there to be a long term future, the youth of today need to be attracted in.

[Gemini]

Losing Coventry is a massive blow to speedway hopefully it will be a 'wake up call' for everyone invoved in the sport.

Do you know something we don't know? Just logged on and had to quickly check the Coventry thread expecting the worst. Just when I'm trying my best to be positive about the situation.

[Daniel Smith]

TMC had some great points in his post & semi-pro is the way forward.

A lot of riders today are having to do 2nd jobs to make it pay but the hand should be forced to reduce the riders costs in uk racing.

 

Off the shelf, how much are 4 complete bikes? £20,000???

 

This is how I'd set about straightening speedway in the uk (excuse my maths but hopefully you get where I'm going with it)

 

• Clubs pay a yearly fee to the equivalent of 2 meetings riders points money to run into a BSPA Central Account
• Fixed points money for all 3 divisions
• Clubs pay weekly fees to the equivalent of 90 points (75 + 15 bonus points) to a BSPA Central Account
• BSPA pays rider's wages based on the referees score card (excluding fines) from the BSPA Central Account
• NL £20 per point - £7 admission - 515 people to break even
• Championship £60pp - £10 admission - 1080 people to break even
• Premiership £100pp - £13 admission - 1385 people to break even
• Sponsorship for both clubs & riders are there to help fill gaps in purchasing equipment and running costs etc
• At the end of every season any money accumulated in the "BSPA Central Account" is shared out to all clubs
• NL 20%
• Championship 30%
• Premiership 40%
• The remaining 10% is used by the BSPA for shared events & youth development the following season

British riders should still have the ambition to compete in Poland, Sweden, GP's etc but the money going out of British clubs shouldn't be financing that.

That finance should be sourced from those leagues and sponsorship