The continuing decline of Speedway

[wealdstone]

Brought home to me recently when someone asked me who was my favourite rider. Suddenly realised things had gone so far that I had not got one and probably had not for some time

Edited May 22, 2018 by wealdstone

[Tsunami]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Another thread on the decline of Speedway

[KevH]

1 hour ago, Tsunami said:

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Another thread on the decline of Speedway

Well spotted, although I would imagine the title of the thread gave you the hint!!

[gee jay]

6 hours ago, wealdstone said:

Brought home to me recently when someone asked me who was my favourite rider. Suddenly realised things had gone so far that I had not got one and probably had not for some time

maybe not a sign of the decline in british speedway just your declining interest in it .    

[foamfence]

Is there a decline? There certainly is since my early visits in the 50s but is it continued, is it worse now than two or three years ago? I ask because my local tracks are long gone.

[waytogo28]

There is no decline in speedway. It continues to put on the same old show in much the same way ( but with faster bikes with more shiny bits and brighter kevlars ). The decline is in the interest of the general public in speedway racing as a UK sport. As far as I am concerned the racing has declined in excitement with less passing ( or even the prospect of it ) and less close racing. There has been a decline in the way people relate to "their" team because of double upping, guests and r/r. Speedway promoters no longer sell what the general public want ( especially the under 30s ). With now 2 or 3 really exciting races out of 15 and little of interest in the others, the decline since I first went in the mid 1950's is very visible to me ( and others I know ).

I still enjoy speedway on TV, especially the GPs, but even watching Swedish and Polish matches last night on Freesports I found I could get on with a lot of other more interesting things in the gaps between races (the Swedish match in particular ). The GPs are a great entertainment bundle with the interest kept high most of the time. If there is a future for speedway it needs to include live streaming ( an abysmal failure so far ) and not only for those who now prefer to stay at home but for those who want to watch it on a phone, tablet or whatever in the pub.They want to watch 15 mins of close exciting racing but not wrapped up in 2 hours plus of their time ( well that is my guess ). I will go to watch my local team, KL Stars, when they next have a full team at home.

Edited May 23, 2018 by waytogo28
spelling error

[wealdstone]

8 hours ago, Tsunami said:

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Another thread on the decline of Speedway

Ignore it and all will come right

[Tsunami]

2 hours ago, wealdstone said:

Ignore it and all will come right

That wasn't my point.

 

[RobMcCaffery]

17 hours ago, wealdstone said:

Brought home to me recently when someone asked me who was my favourite rider. Suddenly realised things had gone so far that I had not got one and probably had not for some time

I have a very simple answer.

Emil Sayfutdinov, with an honourable mention for Bartosz Zmarzlik. Both superb racers. Pity neither are British. 

[RobMcCaffery]

4 hours ago, wealdstone said:

Ignore it and all will come right

It's blatantly obvious that British Speedway is in decline. However, an individual not having a favourite rider isn't exactly a fundamental reason.  I seem to have been labouring under a misconception that it was a team sport.....Yes, it shows your declining interest but I suspect the reasons that others have lost interest is rather more complex.

Anyway, what does this latest 'knocking' thread offer that the many others on the same subject don't? 

[Hawk127]

8 hours ago, RobMcCaffery said:

It's blatantly obvious that British Speedway is in decline. However, an individual not having a favourite rider isn't exactly a fundamental reason.  I seem to have been labouring under a misconception that it was a team sport.....Yes, it shows your declining interest but I suspect the reasons that others have lost interest is rather more complex.

Anyway, what does this latest 'knocking' thread offer that the many others on the same subject don't? 

I guess it gives someone the opening to voice an opinion and while it may relate to a general theme regarding the state of speedway in the U.K. the idea of the forum is generally provide a platform to make point.

Many other threads are from disgruntled, disappointed or disillusioned supporters and the one common factor is that on this side of the fence many fans old and new are not happy with the direction things are going and on the other side you have those who are merely custodians at a point in time, totally disregarding the swell of opinion.

All the hot air that the BSPA come out with re FRN and top riders coming back etc and a minority believing that it will happen one day are both wide of the mark. Possibly a waste of time but I guess the point will be proven one way or another when we see who comes to the tapes in 2019

What is not in doubt is that Speedway in the U.K. cannot financially support top riders of GP standard. U.K. speedway needs to find its own level and stop pretending that it can compete at the highest level at this point in time. It cannot and the sooner that the realisation hits home and that financially and tactically team building does not need to revolve around top GP riders or the Danes, Swedes and Poles. U.K. is probably more on a level with Germany, Italy, Czech, France and other lesser nations so why not accept it. Rebuild using British and other European options, reinstate test matches home and abroad, introduce North and South Leagues with the chance of more travelling support to away matches and put the sport back to being weekly fixtures between say May and September. Either side of this period clubs can run whatever fixtures they want.

Introduce standard bikes which could mean rider skills are improved rather than the gate and go merchants that grace the tracks today. This not turning the clock back but trying to build for a future which ensures clubs survive. The fact that some believe less meetings are better as it reduces the potential losses beggars belief. That is only putting off the inevitable.

The only way perhaps those in charge might listen is to receive a written petition from the fans delivered in person to BSPA HQ with as much publicity as one can muster.  Will the sport survive across the country as it stands, probably not but it does have a chance if they stop looking at it through rose tinted glasses and hanging on to the very few good points such as the young talent coming through and start looking at trying to entertain the fans. As has been said so many times, it is a spectacle if the racing is close and good, but it is simple, four riders, four laps on equal machinery. Why complicate it when the reality is it is dangerous, fast and furious the riders put their lives at risk. Sell it as it is.

One final point, if only they could try and promote the racing in a a similar vein to the FIM and its trailers for Ice Speedway. The film, music etc is very good and gets across, the cut, thrust, speed and danger.

[Big Al]

Two 7 - heat matches. League points up for grabs in each match. Topped off by a heat 15 for nominated riders where a league point is up for grabs.

Main interval after the first match, shorter interval prior to heat 15.

[Grachan]

18 minutes ago, Big Al said:

Two 7 - heat matches. League points up for grabs in each match. Topped off by a heat 15 for nominated riders where a league point is up for grabs.

Main interval after the first match, shorter interval prior to heat 15.

Didn't they try something similar to that a few years back? A match in 3 parts, with a point up for grabs each time. I don't think it got past the trial stage though. So the final result would be 2-1, 3-0 or whatever. Not sure what happened if one section was a draw though. Maybe they had a run-off.

[ch958]

Great post from Hawk - exactly my thinking.

I was just thinking the other night about where we sit in world rankings and yes around Germany i would say although with some fantastic talent coming through.

We do well to have such a good league structure in those circumstances

[Big Al]

6 hours ago, Grachan said:

Didn't they try something similar to that a few years back? A match in 3 parts, with a point up for grabs each time. I don't think it got past the trial stage though. So the final result would be 2-1, 3-0 or whatever. Not sure what happened if one section was a draw though. Maybe they had a run-off.

Per 7 heat match I'm thinking maybe league 2 points for a win, one apiece for a draw, although with the away team getting a point if they finish within 3 match points (but still only 1 point for a draw). The "grand finale heat" would be a straight 1 league point, but only if there is a heat win otherwise no league point is earned.

So the overall league points could for example end up as 4 for the home team, and 3 for the away team - if the results were 22-20, 22-20, and 2-4.

Or 5-0 for a clean sweep by the home team.

Keeps the interest going right through to the end. You just have to look at cricket and how the 20/20 format has worked to see that people like the shorter versions now, especially younger people who seem to have much shorter attention spans.

[topsoil]

On 5/24/2018 at 4:18 PM, Big Al said:

Per 7 heat match I'm thinking maybe league 2 points for a win, one apiece for a draw, although with the away team getting a point if they finish within 3 match points (but still only 1 point for a draw). The "grand finale heat" would be a straight 1 league point, but only if there is a heat win otherwise no league point is earned.

So the overall league points could for example end up as 4 for the home team, and 3 for the away team - if the results were 22-20, 22-20, and 2-4.

Or 5-0 for a clean sweep by the home team.

Keeps the interest going right through to the end. You just have to look at cricket and how the 20/20 format has worked to see that people like the shorter versions now, especially younger people who seem to have much shorter attention spans.

Even cricket authorities are looking at shortening Twenty20 matches now to 100 ball innings.

[Big Al]

On 5/26/2018 at 9:50 PM, topsoil said:

Even cricket authorities are looking at shortening Twenty20 matches now to 100 ball innings.

Absolutely right. Younger people like things in shorter formats, and it's a trend which is intensifying. I suspect that speedway has left it far too late in getting around to keeping in step with these significant changes.

[The White Knight]

1 hour ago, Big Al said:

Absolutely right. Younger people like things in shorter formats, and it's a trend which is intensifying. I suspect that speedway has left it far too late in getting around to keeping in step with these significant changes.

Which goes with their shorter concentration spans.

[PHILIPRISING]

On 5/26/2018 at 10:50 PM, topsoil said:

Even cricket authorities are looking at shortening Twenty20 matches now to 100 ball innings.

 

30 minutes ago, The White Knight said:

Which goes with their shorter concentration spans.

BUT a 20/20 match lasts three hours 

[waytogo28]

Sadly the 15 heats themselves are very rarely all "exciting" or have have points of interest in them. And those 15 heats are wrapped up in virtually nothing. If we cannot improve the thrills on track and there is no consensus on the importance of running crisper meetings, the sport has little to offer new fans of any age.It's presented in a very tired way in the UK.