When Did Uk Speedway Decline Start?

[Little Thumper]

I'm just looking at some pictures from today's Rugby Union fixtures and it makes things very clear for me.

Looking at the pictures, it is evident that the fans are passionate in supporting their teams.

The Exeter Chiefs fans are there wearing their Native American headgear and chanting their Tomahawk Chop rallying cry.

And the fans of their opponents, the Leicester Tigers, are there in their droves all proudly sporting their team's colours and making lots of noise.

 

So for me, British speedway started to go into terminal decline when it made the decision that it was such a marvellous a sport that it no longer needed much of a connection to it's fans and that they were merely there to tip up their money each week. The promoters and their trade body knew best.

 

Rugby union has always been built on the strong foundations of a loyal and enthusiastic band of supporters and as it has re-invented itself, it has taken these fans with them and now is reaping the rich rewards.

 

British speedway should have been much better than it now is but as with the British motorcycle industry, abysmal management has made it a shadow of it's former self.

 

Crying shame.

Edited December 24, 2016 by Little Thumper

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

IMO the biggest decline was the period when penhall walked away from the speedway followed by the death of carter , it all coincided with the race fixing scandal , but also a couple of years later was when the social aspect of the sport dissapered and we haven't recovered since

[Guest]

IMO the biggest decline was the period when penhall walked away from the speedway followed by the death of carter , it all coincided with the race fixing scandal , but also a couple of years later was when the social aspect of the sport dissapered and we haven't recovered since

 

I like the phrase '...the social aspect of the sport disappeared...' Can you enlarge on the definition please - I think we have an important factor here.

I'm just looking at some pictures from today's Rugby Union fixtures and it makes things very clear for me.

Looking at the pictures, it is evident that the fans are passionate in supporting their teams.

The Exeter Chiefs fans are there wearing their Native American headgear and chanting their Tomahawk Chop rallying cry.

And the fans of their opponents, the Leicester Tigers, are there in their droves all proudly sporting their team's colours and making lots of noise.

 

So for me, British speedway started to go into terminal decline when it made the decision that it was such a marvellous a sport that it no longer needed much of a connection to it's fans and that they were merely there to tip up their money each week. The promoters and their trade body knew best.

 

Rugby union has always been built on the strong foundations of a loyal and enthusiastic band of supporters and as it has re-invented itself, it has taken these fans with them and now is reaping the rich rewards.

 

British speedway should have been much better than it now is but as with the British motorcycle industry, abysmal management has made it a shadow of it's former self.

Crying shame.

 

This from LittleThumper is akin to the previous comment by THE DEAN MACHINE. Is it boring down basically to this "...because speedway ignores the views of its paying supporters..."?

Edited December 24, 2016 by Guest

[steve roberts]

I'm just looking at some pictures from today's Rugby Union fixtures and it makes things very clear for me.

Looking at the pictures, it is evident that the fans are passionate in supporting their teams.

The Exeter Chiefs fans are there wearing their Native American headgear and chanting their Tomahawk Chop rallying cry.

And the fans of their opponents, the Leicester Tigers, are there in their droves all proudly sporting their team's colours and making lots of noise.

 

So for me, British speedway started to go into terminal decline when it made the decision that it was such a marvellous a sport that it no longer needed much of a connection to it's fans and that they were merely there to tip up their money each week. The promoters and their trade body knew best.

 

Rugby union has always been built on the strong foundations of a loyal and enthusiastic band of supporters and as it has re-invented itself, it has taken these fans with them and now is reaping the rich rewards.

 

British speedway should have been much better than it now is but as with the British motorcycle industry, abysmal management has made it a shadow of it's former self.

 

Crying shame.

Good post!

 

In my formative years following the sport youngsters (as well as the oldies) weren't ashamed showing their colours (scarves, hats, coats, badges, rattles, horns...you name it) and cheering on their heroes. I read recently on another thread that youngsters are now embarrassed by such behaviour but it doesn't stop them from showing their allegiance to their football/rugby/cricket teams...as has often been said (John Berry was one) it isn't that the fans have turned their backs on speedway but that speedway has turned its back on the fans.

Edited December 24, 2016 by steve roberts

[Paulco]

I dare say clubs not owning their stadiums has been the biggest factor . Trying to make the sport pay while fending off developers , greedy landlords etc can be easy , hence why so many clubs no longer exist

Edited December 24, 2016 by Paulco

[steve roberts]

I dare say not clubs owning their stadiums has been the biggest factor . Trying to make the sport pay while fending off developers , greedy landlords etc can be easy , hence why so many clubs no longer exist

I agree to a certain extent however some promoters did once own their stadiums (Coventry/Leicester/Belle Vue immediately come to mind) but were/are sold off as the sport started to decline and I guess the chance to make some money selling their asset to developers was too good an opportunity to turn down.

[Paulco]

I agree to a certain extent however some promoters did once own their stadiums (Coventry/Leicester/Belle Vue immediately come to mind) but were/are sold off as the sport started to decline and I guess the chance to make some money selling their asset to developers was too good an opportunity to turn down.

You could be right , but no other sport in this country has had anywhere near the same mortality rate .

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

What I mean by the social aspect of the sport dissapeared is speedway used the be somewhere you went to socialise with your mates and generally the riders were a big part of that scene but now riders seem to be trying to be this sort of athelete and the bond between the fans and riders has been lost , its hard to put into words but I suppose fans don't feel like riders are everyday blokes anymore ,they can't bond with riders anymore ,sometimes when I see woffinden I feel like he is doing another sport similar to speedway but not the speedway I love , I know this sound wierd and maybe I'm not getting across what I'm trying to say but hopefully someone will get me , maybe I'm just getting old and living in the past and speedway is moving on but from what I can see the new speedway is not flicking the switch like the previous one for many people

Edited December 24, 2016 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Guest]

What I mean by the social aspect of the sport dissapeared is speedway used the be somewhere you went to socialise with your mates and generally the riders were a big part of that scene but now riders seem to be trying to be this sort of athelete and the bond between the fans and riders has been lost , its hard to put into words but I suppose fans don't feel like riders are everyday blokes anymore ,they can't bond with riders anymore ,sometimes when I see woffinden I feel like he is doing another sport similar to speedway but not the speedway I love , I know this sound wierd and maybe I'm not getting across what I'm trying to say but hopefully someone will get me , maybe I'm just getting old and living in the past and speedway is moving on but from what I can see the new speedway is not flicking the switch like the previous one for many people

 

​That comment tends to ring a bell for me as well. But usually when I start going down this path I run into flak from certain BSF posters who reflect that I live "...too much in speedway's past..."

[SCB]

1998. Matt Ford bought Poole.

[New Science]

Speedway may have been in decline since the height of the roaring 30's and 40's . But speedway's decline has been noticeably rapid since 2011 when the new silencers came in. Our heavy clay based tracks in Britain particularly the smaller ones where its not flat out all the way round simply aren't compliant with today's machines, to produce good enough racing often enough to keep fans attending regularly.

[Sotonian]

Speedway may have been in decline since the height of the roaring 30's and 40's . But speedway's decline has been noticeably rapid since 2011 when the new silencers came in. Our heavy clay based tracks in Britain particularly the smaller ones where its not flat out all the way round simply aren't compliant with today's machines, to produce good enough racing often enough to keep fans attending regularly.

In truth, the decline was well underway before then but that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. The poor racing combined with the loss of the classic speedway roar was too much to bear.

[stevehone]

What I mean by the social aspect of the sport dissapeared is speedway used the be somewhere you went to socialise with your mates and generally the riders were a big part of that scene but now riders seem to be trying to be this sort of athelete and the bond between the fans and riders has been lost , its hard to put into words but I suppose fans don't feel like riders are everyday blokes anymore ,they can't bond with riders anymore ,sometimes when I see woffinden I feel like he is doing another sport similar to speedway but not the speedway I love , I know this sound wierd and maybe I'm not getting across what I'm trying to say but hopefully someone will get me , maybe I'm just getting old and living in the past and speedway is moving on but from what I can see the new speedway is not flicking the switch like the previous one for many people

 

having a drink in the bar after a meeting, local riders for local teams, bikes on the back of the car .. somewhat more down to earth and approachable riders

[Paulco]

 

having a drink in the bar after a meeting, local riders for local teams, bikes on the back of the car .. somewhat more down to earth and approachable riders

Some still are , especially in the second tier . Nobody was more approachable than Saint Shane Parker . But some of todays riders still have time for the fans

[New Science]

In truth, the decline was well underway before then but that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. The poor racing combined with the loss of the classic speedway roar was too much to bear.

Spot on post !

[WembleyLion]

I first went to Speedway in 1970 when crowds turned up for meetings in numbers that some clubs would now be happy if they got in a season.

 

In those 47 seasons I have travelled far and wide to spectate and clocked up nearly 3,000 meetings and would say the sport has pretty much been in decline throughout although there were probably some periods of a few years or so where the decline was not so marked but sadly overall it has been a downward trend with no real sign of ever being reversed.

 

Despite this I have thoroughly enjoyed virtually every moment of my involvement with the sport although I regret to say I can easily understand why so many have been driven away and why it is not that attractive to newcomers!

 

It is not just a UK thing though as throughout the Speedway world there is a decline. The sport is almost extinct in some European countries now!

 

Naturally there are many reasons for the downward spiral all of which probably get aired from time to time on this forum!

[Guest]

I first went to Speedway in 1970 when crowds turned up for meetings in numbers that some clubs would now be happy if they got in a season.

 

In those 47 seasons I have travelled far and wide to spectate and clocked up nearly 3,000 meetings and would say the sport has pretty much been in decline throughout although there were probably some periods of a few years or so where the decline was not so marked but sadly overall it has been a downward trend with no real sign of ever being reversed.

 

Despite this I have thoroughly enjoyed virtually every moment of my involvement with the sport although I regret to say I can easily understand why so many have been driven away and why it is not that attractive to newcomers!

 

It is not just a UK thing though as throughout the Speedway world there is a decline. The sport is almost extinct in some European countries now!

 

Naturally there are many reasons for the downward spiral all of which probably get aired from time to time on this forum!

 

Sadly you are so correct in your opinion WembleyLion. Speedway's decline is a topic in this forum's YEARS GONE BY section as Countries Where League Racing Has Failed

[Paulco]

When i was a teenager we used to go to Coatbridge on a Friday night and Paisley on a Saturday night . I remember reading somewhere that Paisley shut down at the end of their second season when the crowds dipped below five thousand ...........scary or what .

[Guest]

When i was a teenager we used to go to Coatbridge on a Friday night and Paisley on a Saturday night . I remember reading somewhere that Paisley shut down at the end of their second season when the crowds dipped below five thousand ...........scary or what .

 

An interesting comment in regard to crowd attendance Paulco. When New Cross closed early in the 1953 in a dispute where they were refused permission to sign Olle Nygren, and they claimed he was needed as crowds were small, I was told (and this has never been confirmed) that attendances were averaging 10,000! But of course actual admission charges and the cost of the programme were then probably around 15 shillings (old money - now about 75p).

[Mike.Butler]

It seemed to start to decline when I first started going. Great!