The continuing decline of Speedway

[chunky]

27 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

Totally agree with you, we have always had good meetings and poor meetings. What we have lost is great big city venues. When you are watching a meeting in a big stadium, The sense of occasion can compensate for a poor meeting. A good example of this is Wembley, never a great race track, but always a good atmosphere. 

How long have I been saying that???

Steve

[steve roberts]

32 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

Totally agree with you, we have always had good meetings and poor meetings. What we have lost is great big city venues. When you are watching a meeting in a big stadium, The sense of occasion can compensate for a poor meeting. A good example of this is Wembley, never a great race track, but always a good atmosphere. 

...the fact that speedway no longer exists in London is a major killer blow in my opinion.

[iris123]

14 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

...the fact that speedway no longer exists in London is a major killer blow in my opinion.

Whilst I agree it is a shame and a hindrance to the sport that there is no venue,the idea that speedway should be in some ‘great big city stadium’ is pie in the sky romanticism.White City or Wembley would never be financially possible in today’s sporting climate.Even back in the 70’s speedway at White City was akin to Queens Park playing at Hampson.750 fans in a 52,000 capacity stadium!!!People have to face the reality of the modern situation

Edited July 6, 2018 by iris123

[screm]

2 hours ago, martinmauger said:

" My next door neighbour asks, "What's speedway?"  ".  Like many others no doubt, if I had a pound for everytime I've been asked this, I'd have an awful lot of money. 

A true tale I've told before:  not one person I've 'actively encouraged', not exactly forced (!), to watch speedway - either in the flesh or on the box - has said "what a load of rubbish".  The only semi-negative comment, ever, has been "it's just motorbikes going round a track".  One fine day a lady at work and her family chanced upon beach racing, at Mablethorp I believe it was, and she and her family (husband, 1 boy, 2 girls) stayed until the very end.  She even asked when telling the tale "was it the speedway you are always going on about, it was very exciting. we'd love to see it / that beach racing  again".  Not exactly extensive market research but, again, many could probably tell smilar tales.....

Not as much for those who say, I used to go to speedway years ago, or speedway haven't been for years. A great night at the speedway is still just as great now as it ever was, sad thing is there`s a fraction of us there now to see it.

[iris123]

3 minutes ago, screm said:

Not as much for those who say, I used to go to speedway years ago, or speedway haven't been for years. A great night at the speedway is still just as great now as it ever was, sad thing is there`s a fraction of us there now to see it.

In a way it can’t really be as great.Years ago it was partly great because of the sheer numbers that made the great atmosphere.That is now missing,no matter how good the racing is.And because of those numbers it also had significance in the community.The day after and the day of the meeting you would be discussing it at school or at work.I went to school with a number of other fans and later worked alongside fans.But ok I did leave school,but there were fewer people I knew that still went.Things were and are even more so,missing

And there is the answer to why there are fewer people posting on here than there were ten years ago.People have been lost to the sport in large numbers,it is only realistic to expect fewer people here!!!!

[chunky]

36 minutes ago, iris123 said:

In a way it can’t really be as great.Years ago it was partly great because of the sheer numbers that made the great atmosphere.That is now missing,no matter how good the racing is.And because of those numbers it also had significance in the community.The day after and the day of the meeting you would be discussing it at school or at work.I went to school with a number of other fans and later worked alongside fans.But ok I did leave school,but there were fewer people I knew that still went.Things were and are even more so,missing

Funny, isn't it?  The BSF used to be full of people complaining that the lack of great racing is killing the sport, and how much better the racing USED to be.  Now, thanks to videos which dispel all those misconceptions, it is amazing to realise the truth, and the racing really WASN'T better back then.  Even to watch live streams from thousands of miles away, the lack of atmosphere - and people - is so evident.

Being at Wembley on World Final night. or standing on the pit bend at Plough Lane mocking the 'ackney fans, it really is the people who made the difference.

Sigh...

Steve

[moxey63]

6 minutes ago, chunky said:

Funny, isn't it?  The BSF used to be full of people complaining that the lack of great racing is killing the sport, and how much better the racing USED to be.  Now, thanks to videos which dispel all those misconceptions, it is amazing to realise the truth, and the racing really WASN'T better back then.  Even to watch live streams from thousands of miles away, the lack of atmosphere - and people - is so evident.

Being at Wembley on World Final night. or standing on the pit bend at Plough Lane mocking the 'ackney fans, it really is the people who made the difference.

Sigh...

Steve

The most memorable matches I can remember were when Wolves brought a decent-sized crowd (glory seekers) with them to Belle Vue in the mid-90s. It created some great banter, Belle Vue fans who had stood for years at the side of one another without speaking a word were, for one night only, found out they spoke the same language. Fans do create a better spectacle. 

[iris123]

1 minute ago, moxey63 said:

The most memorable matches I can remember were when Wolves brought a decent-sized crowd (glory seekers) with them to Belle Vue in the mid-90s. It created some great banter, Belle Vue fans who had stood for years at the side of one another without speaking a word were, for one night only, found out they spoke the same language. Fans do create a better spectacle. 

One of my all time favorite meetings were the British League 2 or NNL riders championships and it wasn’t all to do with the racing.In fact on one occasion they put bags and bags of sawdust down to get the meeting on.But the great bands of fans from around the country with their different colors, flags and accents made the night for me.THAT was an atmosphere!!!

[steve roberts]

1 hour ago, iris123 said:

Whilst I agree it is a shame and a hindrance to the sport that there is no venue,the idea that speedway should be in some ‘great big city stadium’ is pie in the sky romanticism.White City or Wembley would never be financially possible in today’s sporting climate.Even back in the 70’s speedway at White City was akin to Queens Park playing at Hampson.750 fans in a 52,000 capacity stadium!!!People have to face the reality of the modern situation

...my point wasn't so much the stadiums that used to hold speedway in the capital but the fact that speedway no longer features in London which has to be a factor in the lack of media interest in the sport (a point raised when reading articles in the 'Backtrack' magazine as to the decline of the sport).

Obviously there are many problems associated with the sport and it's continual slide but would a GP held at Wembley (highly unlikely I know) help raise the profile?

[cityrebel]

1 hour ago, iris123 said:

Whilst I agree it is a shame and a hindrance to the sport that there is no venue,the idea that speedway should be in some ‘great big city stadium’ is pie in the sky romanticism.White City or Wembley would never be financially possible in today’s sporting climate.Even back in the 70’s speedway at White City was akin to Queens Park playing at Hampson.750 fans in a 52,000 capacity stadium!!!People have to face the reality of the modern situation

When Wimbledon reopened in 2002, The sport was given the keys to the crown jewels. The BSPA should have gone in there and layed a proper track and staged their top meetings there. The stadium was in good nick at the time with executive boxes for corporate customers. This was at a time when SKY were getting excellent  viewing figures, and a track in London could have worked wonders for the sport.

[stevehone]

one of the biggest problems for the sport in recent times should have been something that was used to the benefit of the sport - THE INTERNET

on the down side it gives people more insight into how things are being run, how petty arguments between supporters get out in the open, how people moan about whether the shale is the wrong colour, or we're not being appreciated by the promoter, or how rumours get around about who will be at a track or won't, potentially affecting the attendance, or so many other reasons putting people off actually going out of sheer scare tactics.

 

the internet could have been used for so much good, but i think those in charge were too set in their ways to use it to their advantage at the right time, and where sites like this forum could have been used differently and as great advertising, nothing really goes on here other than stupid arguments and that's got to put off quite a few

 

years ago i just loved speedway, and would turn up on the night hoping to see a good meeting, without all the pettiness.

Wimbledon, Hackney, Canterbury, and Rye House was a normal week for me.

nowadays, there is no continuity with ANY club, and that's enough to put people off too

Edited July 6, 2018 by stevehone
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[Hot Shoe]

7 hours ago, acef said:

What would say are the fundamental differences between how the sport was operated then, versus now? 

It was promoted better and was in keeping with the times (i.e. the 1980s). Now people demand more like better facilities, better presentation etc.

All successful sports have moved on while speedway has simply stood still.

[martinmauger]

2 hours ago, screm said:

Not as much for those who say, I used to go to speedway years ago, or speedway haven't been for years. A great night at the speedway is still just as great now as it ever was, sad thing is there`s a fraction of us there now to see it.

True.  This ^^ would almost double my hypothtetical fortune.  Sigh....

[Hot Shoe]

7 hours ago, acef said:

But the racing imo, is better than its ever been. I believe too much empashsis is put into the quality of racing when, really, it wasn't much cop back then either. 

I think the racing is excellent at the moment and at many meetings now good racing is more consistent than it was in the 60s, 70, 80s & 90s.

I probably see more overtakes in an evening at Scunny now than i did in a month at Wimbledon in the 'good old days'.

 

[R87]

19 minutes ago, Hot Shoe said:

It was promoted better and was in keeping with the times (i.e. the 1980s). Now people demand more like better facilities, better presentation etc.

All successful sports have moved on while speedway has simply stood still.

Totally agree.  People's standards have stepped up since that and new fans expect good facilities and presentation that is vibrant and exciting.  The presentation and facilities at a lot of tracks have not changed since my first meeting in 1990.

Sports like Rugby League and Ice Hockey have embraced this and had a set plan to invest in the sports infrastructure.  Speedway has not done this.

[Thornaby48]

3 hours ago, ch958 said:

theres probably scope for a billboard facing the A66 with thousands of cars passing every day

I  totally agree with you.

 Last night's meeting Red car v Scunthorpe was excellent with some tremendous racing in and both sides deserve a lot of credit.However, I know that Scunthorpe have been hammered with injuries so how would I explain to a new fan that they used 3 guests and r/r to them for them to take speed way seriously.

[steve roberts]

4 minutes ago, mb1990 said:

Totally agree.  People's standards have stepped up since that and new fans expect good facilities and presentation that is vibrant and exciting.  The presentation and facilities at a lot of tracks have not changed since my first meeting in 1990.

Sports like Rugby League and Ice Hockey have embraced this and had a set plan to invest in the sports infrastructure.  Speedway has not done this.

...just reading an article in 'Backtrack' whereby the late John Berry made a reference to this very topic and football in particular.

"...consider the standard of comfort and amenity now provided since Hillsborough and other disasters. And before you start asking why speedway doesn't do the same thing, ask yourself if the various levels of government are prepared to throw the same amount of money at other professional sports as they have done to football in the form of grants, subsidies, peppercorn rents, free or subsidised crowd control and the like"

[Ray Stadia]

5 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

...just reading an article in 'Backtrack' whereby the late John Berry made a reference to this very topic and football in particular.

"...consider the standard of comfort and amenity now provided since Hillsborough and other disasters. And before you start asking why speedway doesn't do the same thing, ask yourself if the various levels of government are prepared to throw the same amount of money at other professional sports as they have done to football in the form of grants, subsidies, peppercorn rents, free or subsidised crowd control and the like"

But speedway had a nice brand new stadium, probably needed more money spent on it, but was 80% there, Newport. things didn't go well, particularly after Tim passed away and has been razed to the ground and is now a lorry park, I understand. Speedway is not joined up. Speedway continues operating on a team/league basis, but speedway as a collective body, is not there, the promoters are only interested in themselves, not the sport as a whole. To some degree, I get that, as they have put the cash into their own club, but the sport needs an independent regulator/moderator/arbiter or whatever you want to call it, to act as a catalyst. I do think the Newport situation was an extreme tragedy. 

[Fromafar]

Matt Ford article sums up the sport very well.Please don't start telling me he started it all,I am only talking what he has said in THIS WEEKS  SS.I tend to agree with his view.

[steve roberts]

1 hour ago, Ray Stadia said:

But speedway had a nice brand new stadium, probably needed more money spent on it, but was 80% there, Newport. things didn't go well, particularly after Tim passed away and has been razed to the ground and is now a lorry park, I understand. Speedway is not joined up. Speedway continues operating on a team/league basis, but speedway as a collective body, is not there, the promoters are only interested in themselves, not the sport as a whole. To some degree, I get that, as they have put the cash into their own club, but the sport needs an independent regulator/moderator/arbiter or whatever you want to call it, to act as a catalyst. I do think the Newport situation was an extreme tragedy. 

...I think that John Berry's article intimated that there wasn't/isn't a level playing field when it came to facilities and/or amenities and that football, in particular, gained far more favourable incentives to unable the sport to upgrade. Speedway, generally, has had to rely on self funding and initiatives in which to develop facilities without little help, financially, from governments local or national.

I'm not familiar regarding the background of the new Belle Vue facility and where the finances were obtained but any information would be appreciated.

I would agree wholeheartedly that speedway needs an independent body/person to run the sport...John Berry was once nominated but soon resigned when he realised that he wouldn't get the necessary support from members of the BSPA.

Edited July 6, 2018 by steve roberts