DJWolves Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 The figures in speedway are much smaller, but the principles are the same. The downward spiral in quality, and in attendances, is not going to change by further reducing the quality. That just makes things worse. In football, speedway and just about every sport and industry on the planet, you have to invest to progress. Wolves were smashed to pieces and came within minutes of closing completely. They didn't then become a Premier League team overnight by spending millions they didn't have, its been a long, steady and painful ride. But the alternative was to just pack up and go home, which some on here seem to think speedway should do 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 1 hour ago, Trees said: most of the fans on here think they have all the answers but need to put their money where their mouths are, plenty of clubs to take over now, do it and sort the sport out!! We do! £18 every match, sadly if I did have the money to buy a club I wouldn't be able to change anything anyway, the only way to do that would be to buy the majority of clubs 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray c Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 40 minutes ago, iainb said: We do! £18 every match, sadly if I did have the money to buy a club I wouldn't be able to change anything anyway, the only way to do that would be to buy the majority of clubs the only way to change it if speedway was run by an outside body so promotors wont have self interest cant see that happening I'm afraid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INCOGNITO Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 10 minutes ago, ray c said: the only way to change it if speedway was run by an outside body so promotors wont have self interest cant see that happening I'm afraid It doesn't have to be run by an independent body but one is required to run alongside them to give ideas and feedback before rules and regulations are put forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris116 Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 59 minutes ago, iainb said: We do! £18 every match, sadly if I did have the money to buy a club I wouldn't be able to change anything anyway, the only way to do that would be to buy the majority of clubs Trouble is that even if you did buy the clubs you would not have a vote for three years and by that time your investment would be worth very little! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcatdiary Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 5 hours ago, g13webb said: Yes it may be their money, but look where that has got them. I am in no doubt the dire situation the sport is in is totally down to the rules and decisions made by the BSPA. Decisions governed by personal agendas. They have this one last chance to make a new start and rise from the ashes, but quite honestly I don't have any confidence in them doing much to change it... You and me both 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodger Blue Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 1 hour ago, DJWolves said: The figures in speedway are much smaller, but the principles are the same. The downward spiral in quality, and in attendances, is not going to change by further reducing the quality. That just makes things worse. In football, speedway and just about every sport and industry on the planet, you have to invest to progress. Wolves were smashed to pieces and came within minutes of closing completely. They didn't then become a Premier League team overnight by spending millions they didn't have, its been a long, steady and painful ride. But the alternative was to just pack up and go home, which some on here seem to think speedway should do The investing made by Glasgow doesnt appear to have paid off 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 17 minutes ago, Dodger Blue said: The investing made by Glasgow doesnt appear to have paid off Maybe so on the Speedway front,but the land they have bought in both Stadium and surrounding area will see them Ok in the future if they bail out of the sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorelsm Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 A few years ago we had a couple of promoters willing to invest to make the product better, it led to a winter of discontent. Look where it's ended.. Frosty out of the sport altogether, thank the gods for Ged Rathbone, and no Coventry at all.. Tragic or what. So, I'm going to say my 2 pennies worth....we need to build rivalries.. something for the press to build up, something for the promoters make a fuss about. It's no secret that the best crowds for Peterborough in recent years have been when we have had Ipswich for home and away matches on a bank holiday. Image if we then had Stars and Lions home and away derbys, surely the travelling fans would make a big difference. I'm not advocating a north south split either, we'd just end up seeing the same teams, riders every other week, I just loved watching Adam Ellis beating all our riders for 3 weeks running! When I was young I supported Rayleigh and remember the coaches being organised for the annual northern tour. It might take some organising but surely a tour taking in Glasgow Edinburgh and Berwick with maybe Workington and Newcastle thrown in would be an attractive proposition for a modern version. Imagine the fans and riders staying in the same Hotels. The fun we had at our end of season party..... If it attracted an extra 100 fans on a holiday style weekend.... the Northern Clubs getting together to offer a special tour price to get in. What would those 100 extra away fans mean to somewhere like Workington or Edinburgh or Redcar, not just financially but the atmosphere as well. Surely the biggest bug bear is the doubling up thing, riders cannot make a living on one league as it is. But if they rode in say 32 meetings wouldn't that make a big difference. There would be some riders who wouldn't want to do that many meetings in the uk but I'm pretty sure there would be others who'd come back. A few years back I remember seeing Kevin Wolbert at the showground, didn't the Monarchs call him the Kaiser, if his performance that night was anything to go by it was with much justification.... Ahh well, lets just hope they come up with something that enables us to turn the corner... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midland Red Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 2 hours ago, DJWolves said: The figures in speedway are much smaller, but the principles are the same. The downward spiral in quality, and in attendances, is not going to change by further reducing the quality. That just makes things worse. In football, speedway and just about every sport and industry on the planet, you have to invest to progress. Wolves were smashed to pieces and came within minutes of closing completely. They didn't then become a Premier League team overnight by spending millions they didn't have, its been a long, steady and painful ride. But the alternative was to just pack up and go home, which some on here seem to think speedway should do Your ideas haven't worked for Glasgow Tigers by the sound of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny the spud Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 It’s funny how some supporters shout that the promoters should spend more money on gp stars, 2 minute clocks, electric scoreboards etc, etc, but moan at the price of entry/ programs. Youll never please everyone no one no matter what. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 the comparisons with football are completely bogus. For one thing, a home team mullering the away team every week is fine in football but v boring in speedway. People keep going on about the product being lower standard but the product is racing not names. As long as the racing is competitive then the product is fine. In the good times of the 60s and 70s for every Briggs, Mauger, etc there were 2 or 3 journeyman riders making up the numbers. How do you think they achieved regular 11 plus averages? If Briggs, Mauger, Moore, Fundin, etc met each other once a week their averages would struggle past 9. Mathematical fact 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC! Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 Looking at a vast majority of the issues that are regularly raised (averages, guests, rules, team strengths etc), I feel that Speedway is no longer sustainable as a team sport in the UK. The 'team' aspect causes too many problems. If you take out the team aspects, you take away a lot of the issues. Each track could hire, say, 3 local favourites (keeps loyalty) to be involved in individual events, with say 9 other invited riders. This would open up the options for a variety of different concepts to keep things interesting to a new public. Off the top of my head, 1 or 2 lap races, pursuits, time trials, side cars, 125cc, 250's, veterans. Clubs could invite top stars outside of GP calendar, with no need for the riders to be tied to inconvenient schedules, and have a major event (Golden Hammer type thing). Maybe they could tour 2 or 3 tracks while over, reducing cost? This would mean that each club could run when it was best for their business, with no need to have a specified number of events each year within the league calendar. While you will lose some of the 'old guard' I feel that this would be more likely to make things easier for new supporters to get involved - no meetings over by heat 8 with a team running away as all categories would be building through to its own final. Probably a bit too radical though for our current promoters to even consider 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWitcher Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 12 minutes ago, Jonny the spud said: It’s funny how some supporters shout that the promoters should spend more money on gp stars, 2 minute clocks, electric scoreboards etc, etc, but moan at the price of entry/ programs. It's not funny at all, it's perfect sense. Many fans are tired of paying the same, or increased prices for a product that is being consistently lowered in standard. No business can expect to survive in that fashion. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 1 hour ago, INCOGNITO said: It doesn't have to be run by an independent body but one is required to run alongside them to give ideas and feedback before rules and regulations are put forward. Isn't that what the SCB are supposed to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgy Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 16 minutes ago, Jonny the spud said: It’s funny how some supporters shout that the promoters should spend more money on gp stars, 2 minute clocks, electric scoreboards etc, etc, but moan at the price of entry/ programs. Youll never please everyone no one no matter what. Maybe that’s because they don’t have them but are still expected to pay a higher price for less. Reducing the level of product offering and increase the price is a business model that can only have one outcome. Where we are today. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A ORLOV Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 2 hours ago, Chris116 said: Trouble is that even if you did buy the clubs you would not have a vote for three years and by that time your investment would be worth very little! If a person bought the most of the major clubs then they could tell the bspa to change the rules, or get the majority of club owners to change them as it was wanting a vote from day one, or it would set up a new organisation to run speedway, and since it owned and ran the major clubs it would be up to the remaining club owners to join him or carry on without the major clubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 1 hour ago, iainb said: Isn't that what the SCB are supposed to do? That's more there for licensing, regulatory and disciplinary matters - not for the day-to-day running of the sport. It's quite reasonable for those with a financial stake in the sport to be determining how it should be run, but that should be determining the structure and the outline principles during the close season..The day-to-day implementation of that should be handled by a neutral commission or commissioner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 4 hours ago, DJWolves said: The figures in speedway are much smaller, but the principles are the same. It's actually an entirely different thing. Many, if not most football clubs live well beyond their means, but there's usually another mug with too much money to replace the previous one when they run out of cash. Even where there isn't, there's literally hundreds of others football clubs clamouring to take the place of fallen. Speedway is simply not in the same position. It does not attract rich, and especially super-rich mugs, who're willing to endlessly pour money into a loss-making business, nor does command anything like the television or sponsorship monies that formerly equivalent minor sports are able to obtain nowadays. Tracks are not only not clamouring to get into the top league (which says something in itself), but there's just 24 tracks remaining in the entire country - many of which are leading a very marginal existence. A far better analogy would be ice hockey, which seems to have achieved a relatively stable existence of late, after years of also being a shambolic mess. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted November 13, 2018 Report Share Posted November 13, 2018 5 hours ago, iainb said: We do! £18 every match, sadly if I did have the money to buy a club I wouldn't be able to change anything anyway, the only way to do that would be to buy the majority of clubs I dare say you would have as much chance as any other promoter has with your survival and growth proposals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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