Kings Lynn 2018..

[Trees]

1 hour ago, Daniel Smith said:

At the same time, just imagine how sad and upset you'll feel if the club closes because of the ever dwindling crowds.

Just think about that for a moment and who would you blame? 

Remember the feelings of a few years ago when the club closed for a year and couldn't see a way back??

While we're all disappearing and no replacements filling our spots in the stand as you look around.

Who will YOU blame?!?

I'll probs blame the modern day and age Daniel. There is no magic wand, speedway is not football, the local young people cannot identify with speedway, they don't care to support their local clubs (football or speedway).  Maybe the writing is on the wall, although this has been said for many years! 

 

[semion]

Trees if only the people running the thing at Lynn were as good at thier job as you are at supporting the Club then the place would be playing to 2,000 plus gates.

 

[Bald Bloke]

Lynn started off ok. The team didn't look good on paper, but delivered, until Injuries and missing riders took over. We now sit bottom, when we held a play off place. We had matches in hand, but the missing riders gobbled them up !. It's not the rider's fault they are injured or missing meetings because of other commitments. Surely the club could of worked the fixture clashes before hand.

Some moan how ruthless Ford is at Poole, and I agree, but you have to be to a certain extent. Buster seems the opposite. Somewhere inbetween might be good. There's 4 points on offer for Kasper, who has dropped to 2.55 and still dropping !

[waytogo28]

4 hours ago, Trees said:

I'll probs blame the modern day and age Daniel. There is no magic wand, speedway is not football, the local young people cannot identify with speedway, they don't care to support their local clubs (football or speedway).  Maybe the writing is on the wall, although this has been said for many years! 

 

The writing on the wall has been in Very Big Letters for at least 3 - 5 years. But no-one in "power" seems able to read it and act on it. How much further do gates at every club need to fall before they get the message? How low can average gates fall before it collapses in on it self  like a Black Hole? Fewer punters must result in even lower club incomes and crucially fewer interested sponsors.

[Daniel Smith]

38 minutes ago, waytogo28 said:

The writing on the wall has been in Very Big Letters for at least 3 - 5 years. But no-one in "power" seems able to read it and act on it. How much further do gates at every club need to fall before they get the message? How low can average gates fall before it collapses in on it self  like a Black Hole? Fewer punters must result in even lower club incomes and crucially fewer interested sponsors.

Clubs are in a vicious circle now. They're getting sponsors from TV air time but no money from TV. lose TV they'll lose sponsors. British Speedway has got itself between a rock and a hard place. 

Because of the above the focus on the bread and butter (the fans) is being neglected. 

Clubs now run on sponsorship, fans are now the extra revenue whereas years gone by the fans were priority. 

This isn't going to change any time soon.

That's the reality. 

 

[Bald Bloke]

I wonder how many Prem teams could run in 2019 with no sponsors... The reported £3k per televised meeting  don't cover the low crowds at such meetings, but will attract some sponsors.

If the TV goes altogether, I fear most of the sponsors will follow.

[stevebrum]

8 hours ago, Trees said:

, I have a husband at home who feels the same. He first went as a kid and finished going in the naughties and that was it. Maybe some of you just need to concede that that is how you feel and enjoy your life without speedway? You will never feel the same about it again, it cannot fulfil you, the pressures of the current promoters annoy you so much that you have to wash your hands of it. Remember the good times eh..... when you loved speedway and it gave you the buzz it still gives lots of us...... 

Sorry it’s not Kings Lynn related but I was lost to the sport when I left school but returned out of curiousity 18 years later and it’s fair to say I’m a regular attender again. Most certainly do get out of the habit so I realise my case isn’t the usual at all.

[semion]

The missing riders is the big bug bear for me.  As the saying goes ..... Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

[Haza]

58 minutes ago, semion said:

The missing riders is the big bug bear for me.  As the saying goes ..... Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Best bit is of course they knew there would be meetings the Danes would miss through Danish League and in Palm Tofts case Championship meetings as well but they still went and signed him after Rose quit - I personally wouldn’t have touched him nothing against Palm Toft but he just made the whole thing worse he’s just going to miss too many meetings- for me one meeting missed is too many unless injured . We need our own 1-7 each meeting . 

[waytogo28]

Buster keeps his team building thoughts to himself. Is he an inscrutable, much-maligned genius or someone who cares little for what the supporters hope for and prefer? We are led to believe that Brundle, Allitt and Chapman spend countless hours locked in boardroom discussions sharing their opinions and juggling the many team options. Long may it be so, even when the terraces are bare. Will sponsors also disappear?

[Orbiter]

It's a huge shame to see KL in this shape 

[Haza]

9 minutes ago, Orbiter said:

It's a huge shame to see KL in this shape 

Too right - it’s not all doom and gloom don’t forget there are around 1000 that’s a guess that quite happily go to watch the Stars each meeting - and as others have said there is a good vibe around the club this season- in my case i perhaps except far too much from a speedway meeting. 

[mrss]

It's not all doom and gloom at Stars meetings, but it's close to it. The problem is apart from R Lambert there hasn't been much to get excited about. The racing isn't great the atmosphere is flat and I have my doubts it will get any better. Speedway is on a slippery slope. Hardly anyone in the village where I live know what speedway is. Years ago 99 people out off 100 in my village knew who Mike Lee was. Now 99 out of 100 don't know who Rob Lambert is. 

[Bald Bloke]

15 hours ago, waytogo28 said:

Buster keeps his team building thoughts to himself. Is he an inscrutable, much-maligned genius or someone who cares little for what the supporters hope for and prefer? We are led to believe that Brundle, Allitt and Chapman spend countless hours locked in boardroom discussions sharing their opinions and juggling the many team options. Long may it be so, even when the terraces are bare. Will sponsors also disappear?

Seems what Buster says goes.Maybe not a 100% but still 90. 

Edited June 23, 2018 by Bald Bloke

[kelvinht]

On 6/23/2018 at 4:24 PM, mrss said:

It's not all doom and gloom at Stars meetings, but it's close to it. The problem is apart from R Lambert there hasn't been much to get excited about. The racing isn't great the atmosphere is flat and I have my doubts it will get any better. Speedway is on a slippery slope. Hardly anyone in the village where I live know what speedway is. Years ago 99 people out off 100 in my village knew who Mike Lee was. Now 99 out of 100 don't know who Rob Lambert is. 

Don't what racing you've been watching, but it's been very good this season. Big improvement on last few seasons. Last week was poor, but that was down to the away team rather than the track.

[stevehone]

noticed quite a few Kings Lynn supporters at Peterborough recently .. is it due to a lack of regular meetings at KL?

[Haza]

33 minutes ago, stevehone said:

noticed quite a few Kings Lynn supporters at Peterborough recently .. is it due to a lack of regular meetings at KL?

In our particular case it’s because Sunday at 5pm is far better than Wednesday at 8ish .

[waytogo28]

As has been suggested elsewhere on the forum, that the number of fans paying to get in is irrelevant to the finances of some clubs and hence the falling crowds is not a problem - is there some truth in that at KLS? With sponsors and alternative income streams are "crowds" unnecessary at Saddlebow Rd anymore? Is that why the promotion do not feel the need to reach out to supporters? It seems incredible and tragic if that is the case, but some of us get the impression that it may be so.

[Haza]

35 minutes ago, waytogo28 said:

As has been suggested elsewhere on the forum, that the number of fans paying to get in is irrelevant to the finances of some clubs and hence the falling crowds is not a problem - is there some truth in that at KLS? With sponsors and alternative income streams are "crowds" unnecessary at Saddlebow Rd anymore? Is that why the promotion do not feel the need to reach out to supporters? It seems incredible and tragic if that is the case, but some of us get the impression that it may be so.

There could be something in what you are saying - one thing for certain the club has lost its way were treating the clubs fans are concerned if that’s the reason I’m not so sure . 

[semion]

I remember back in the Premier League heyday when Buster had sponsors queuing up to throw money at him.  Seem to recall we had 3 'shirt' sponsor's at one time ( Money Centre, Jark and Banham Poulty)  That must have amounted to some serious wonga, it was suggested it amounted to a 6 figure sum, combined. That for a club in the 2nd Tier of British Speedway.  I would think those days are long gone.

For me, back in those days everything was rosey in the garden.  The fans were happy and were involved with the riders.  Buster was happy , sponsorship and decent gates.  The riders were happy as we had a successful team so there was plenty of points money to be had.  JC was pulling the PR strings and making the whole nights entertainment something that fans were looking forward to week on week.  Then we decided to move up with the big boys.  Interaction between riders and fans all but disappeared, sponsorship was harder to come by, riders were picking up pay cheques then onto to the next gig.  Fans no longer felt 'part' of the Club.  JC upped sticks and left ( many know and understand why).    With all this going on Buster was just content to re-arrange the deckchairs on the Titanic ( or the equivalent of)