Glasgow 2019 Onwards

[foamfence]

1 hour ago, Trees said:

Exactly, how many British councils would Ever invest in speedway... 

Especially after Manchester has seemingly lost a fortune that won't ever be recovered.

[cinderfella]

5 hours ago, Woz01 said:

There is absolutely no reason to be losing over £100,000 a year in speedway. 

There is if you stupidly pay over the odds to bring in riders in pursuit of winning trophies.
One promoter was quoted at the beginning of last season saying his aim was to see the continuation of the sport in the area with sensible budgeting rather than spending money, that wasn't there, on buying success. The problem there is do fans want to see the a winning team and then possibly walk away if that doesn't happen or are fans happy to see their sport continue at whatever level? I'd like to think real speedway fans would rather watch their local team whatever the level rather than be glory hunters only going when the team is winning. 

Edited November 13, 2018 by cinderfella
Spelling error

[cinderfella]

1 hour ago, semion said:

Is it Speedway Stadia that The Councils in Poland invest in ?  How many stand alone Speedway Stadiums do we have in the UK.  Wouldn't look great if Local Councils were seen to invest for example in Greyhounds Tracks

Can you really see councils spending on leisure facilities when the majority of them are crying out for more money to meet their education, social care etc budgets?
Speedway is a business first and foremost but sadly when it comes to the AGM too many of the owners/promoters are blinkered and vote in their own interests rather than looking at the bigger picture which impacts on the future years of our sport.

[semion]

No at all, that why I was surprised that someone would  even flagged it up.

[Liz !!!]

4 hours ago, Paulco said:

We already have volunteers doing that kind of stuff

Exactly Paul,  as do all clubs, speedway would be in an even bigger mess without those people, I just found it that part of the statement bizarre !

[cinderfella]

2 minutes ago, Liz !!! said:

Exactly Paul,  as do all clubs, speedway would be in an even bigger mess without those people, I just found it that part of the statement bizarre !

Yes it's almost a kick in the teeth to the current volunteers. The statement reads like Glasgow don't have fok doing these jobs efficiently.
I wonder if promoters ever about seeing things through a volunteer's eyes?  I did my bit for many years ago and then wanted to enjoy my speedway. Yes a lot of volunteers get in for nothing but how much of the racing do they actually get to see? Track rakers rarely get to fill in their programmes between races as they are raking the track with a tractor trundling past when results and times are announced and likewise with folk selling raffle tickets etc when folk come up and talk to them. I suppose it's all down  to personal choice of how you want to spend your time at a speedway meeting but promoters should realise there is more to it than getting in for free.

[TotallyHonestJohn]

Honestly

You can not fault the promotion in any way here really they get ten out of ten for effort,  even if it is considered that they went about team building the wrong way their promotion of the sport in Glasgow has been magnificent and can not be faulted, (and it has been effective to a certain extent) although it hasn't put high numbers of regular fans on the bottom line crowd figures.

I was recently working with guys from Balornock and asking some of these chaps on the job what they thought about the Speedway in Glasgow and although none of them were fans they had all heard about the team and the Facenna family and what they were about and what they done, and more importantly what they do, (these guys to my mind were surprisingly quite knowledgeable and interested in their local area). They also said the Facenna family were recognised as good employers and had done a lot for the City and especially the local area. The question is this "Yes " the club are running at a loss at present, however what value do the Facenna companies get out of the team in advertisement and subsequent sales with their presence in Glasgow with the Glasgow Tigers.

Is it not the case like Mike Ashley and Newcastle (on a much smaller scale of course) that they have an exclusive advertising mechanism which they can readily associate with (Ashley only bought Newcastle supposedly to advertise his business world wide)  However what we have here is something bespoke to Glasgow and this advertising must have a positive effect on the Facenna businesses, however how do you measure this value or worth; and as a businessman I am not advocating that they are correct in running the club at a loss however local clubs in any sport have a marketing value and give the Main Sponsor of a club a higher profile locally. Positive advertisement reinforcement through the Glasgow Tigers of the Facenna brands in the local media and press has to have a value or benefit to the companies involved (surely). Also the type of businesses they run seem a perfect fit.

I remember working for Rok when they were the main sponsor of Whitley Bay football team here in the North East when Bay won the FA Vase and played at Wembley getting national (and local) recognition with the Rok company name emblazoned on the front of their shirts; and at the start of the season everyone queried as to why such a big company like Rok were sponsoring such a small provincial club, now honestly Rok hit it really lucky to be fair with Bay getting to the FA Vase final (and winning it) however it was reckoned that this sponsorship brought in over 4 million in additional orders within the local area alone. I don't know how the bean counters came up with that figure but they did. (although football does carry a much higher profile even at the lower levels)

So the club do need to be cost neutral that's for sure and need to live and operate within their means, breaking even is a prerequisite as a minimum (not just for Glasgow bye the way but for all clubs) however I believe the Facenna group of companies will be seeing the benefit of the advertising vehicle they have in the Glasgow Tigers especially at a local level where they can target around 650,000 people in the city and around 1.8 million in the metropolitan area.  Although a small demographic in the scale of things Speedway fans cover a large area.

The question is how can you put a value on this advertising? how many people read the local paper Sports Section and see Glasgow Allied Vehicles Tigers and the Tigers at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium and this subliminal messaging aligned with positive reinforcement must have an impact in improving sales.

So hopefully the Facenna family and their companies will recognise this value and as long as the Tigers can get their house in order with regard to mitigating the losses I believe there is hope for the club. It won't be easy and you may no longer see the marquee signings you are used to of late which will invariably come with prudent financial management however this is surely a small price to pay to retain Speedway for the city.

Also I believe that the advertising and marketing potential is to valuable to lose IMHO and will be recognised in the final decision regarding the clubs future. (Hopefully)

Regards
THJ

[Weeyin]

1 hour ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

Honestly

You can not fault the promotion in any way here really they get ten out of ten for effort,  even if it is considered that they went about team building the wrong way their promotion of the sport in Glasgow has been magnificent and can not be faulted, (and it has been effective to a certain extent) although it hasn't put high numbers of regular fans on the bottom line crowd figures.

I was recently working with guys from Balornock and asking some of these chaps on the job what they thought about the Speedway in Glasgow and although none of them were fans they had all heard about the team and the Facenna family and what they were about and what they done, and more importantly what they do, (these guys to my mind were surprisingly quite knowledgeable and interested in their local area). They also said the Facenna family were recognised as good employers and had done a lot for the City and especially the local area. The question is this "Yes " the club are running at a loss at present, however what value do the Facenna companies get out of the team in advertisement and subsequent sales with their presence in Glasgow with the Glasgow Tigers.

Is it not the case like Mike Ashley and Newcastle (on a much smaller scale of course) that they have an exclusive advertising mechanism which they can readily associate with (Ashley only bought Newcastle supposedly to advertise his business world wide)  However what we have here is something bespoke to Glasgow and this advertising must have a positive effect on the Facenna businesses, however how do you measure this value or worth; and as a businessman I am not advocating that they are correct in running the club at a loss however local clubs in any sport have a marketing value and give the Main Sponsor of a club a higher profile locally. Positive advertisement reinforcement through the Glasgow Tigers of the Facenna brands in the local media and press has to have a value or benefit to the companies involved (surely). Also the type of businesses they run seem a perfect fit.

I remember working for Rok when they were the main sponsor of Whitley Bay football team here in the North East when Bay won the FA Vase and played at Wembley getting national (and local) recognition with the Rok company name emblazoned on the front of their shirts; and at the start of the season everyone queried as to why such a big company like Rok were sponsoring such a small provincial club, now honestly Rok hit it really lucky to be fair with Bay getting to the FA Vase final (and winning it) however it was reckoned that this sponsorship brought in over 4 million in additional orders within the local area alone. I don't know how the bean counters came up with that figure but they did. (although football does carry a much higher profile even at the lower levels)

So the club do need to be cost neutral that's for sure and need to live and operate within their means, breaking even is a prerequisite as a minimum (not just for Glasgow bye the way but for all clubs) however I believe the Facenna group of companies will be seeing the benefit of the advertising vehicle they have in the Glasgow Tigers especially at a local level where they can target around 650,000 people in the city and around 1.8 million in the metropolitan area.  Although a small demographic in the scale of things Speedway fans cover a large area.

The question is how can you put a value on this advertising? how many people read the local paper Sports Section and see Glasgow Allied Vehicles Tigers and the Tigers at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium and this subliminal messaging aligned with positive reinforcement must have an impact in improving sales.

So hopefully the Facenna family and their companies will recognise this value and as long as the Tigers can get their house in order with regard to mitigating the losses I believe there is hope for the club. It won't be easy and you may no longer see the marquee signings you are used to of late which will invariably come with prudent financial management however this is surely a small price to pay to retain Speedway for the city.

Also I believe that the advertising and marketing potential is to valuable to lose IMHO and will be recognised in the final decision regarding the clubs future. (Hopefully)

Regards
THJ

Very good post THJ

[SteelShoe]

16 hours ago, jamlad said:

 from where I’m sitting marra it is hilarious ....welcome back to the real world in Speedway , your games are over it got ya nowhere , brought back down well and truly to earth. Give us a K give us an A give us a R give us a M give us an A   . Must leave it at that though ,, just reliving  the moments we clinched the treble only a few Monday’s ago  

Bit of humility in order here jamlad. For what i'm hearing things not looking good for Comets coming to tapes. Don't like to see our wonderful sport on its knees. If the Tigers are struggling every club must be.

[TotallyHonestJohn]

Just now, dorothy58 said:

Very good post THJ

I'm not always "Itch & Scratchy" Dot honest I do have a day off from time to time and for all my Glasgee pals who enjoy their Speedway it would be a travesty if we lost Glasgow (and not just Glasgow but any club for that matter) I enjoy my Speedway and the craic and as much as we can get "Bolshie" at times we all have a common interest and that is seeing the sport firstly survive and secondly progress and gain strength 

A guy in Newcastle does a fantastic if not poignant web site called "Defunct Speedway" the link is below have a look as there are a few entries for Glasgow (Hampden Park!!! Celtic Park!!! amazing!!! oh and don't forget Nelson Athletics Grounds the first ground in Scotland to have dirt track racing; White City and Shawfield which I can even remember) and I do genuinely hope Ashfield is not the next in a long list

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/A to Z.htm

Good luck to all the Glasgow Fans; Sponsors; Supporters far and wide and Promotion, here's hoping!!!

Regards
THJ

 

[SteelShoe]

8 hours ago, kevcfc said:

Workington lost a similar amount by all accounts. Success on track didn't generally lead to the required increase in attendances, coupled to more outlay (points money) and no prize money the losses soon mount up. Although with losses at these sort of levels it does beg the question of how much tracks really can afford to pay riders? 

I've also heard this figure its eye watering, whatever happened to realistic budgets based on previous season average attendance. It could be argued riders are pricing themselves out of a job and promotions out of business.

[TotallyHonestJohn]

1 minute ago, SteelShoe said:

I've also heard this figure its eye watering, whatever happened to realistic budgets based on previous season average attendance. It could be argued riders are pricing themselves out of a job and promotions out of business.

Well that's why Workington picked a rubbish team by all accounts, with the aim to "just win" their home meetings and get to the end of the season, hopefully somewhere around the mid point, you know just don't get the "wooden spoon", Mid Table!!! Everyone wrote them off at the start of the season, a 16 year old kid with no big league experience; one heat leader; and not a very good one at that; and five second strings that quite frankly no one wanted. I blame them stupid riders for winning everything its their fault, what a bloody cheek turning the form book on its head and delivering a fantastic treble, no mean feat that and you can get lucky by winning one competition but all three that was some achievement.

However on a more serious note how ironic is it that when you are successful in Speedway it costs you more money, how crazy is that, success should reap the rewards surely, shouldn't it? nope!!! success gets you a bigger wage bill, more stadium costs and more indirect costs. Yet every promotion chases the dream how bonkers is that. I cant honestly weigh it up. Be near the bottom and lose fans as your team is getting beat or win everything and near bankrupt yourself.

So I think I have sorted the problem finish 5th every year and hope all your meetings are 49 - 41 home and away. Sorted

If it were only that simple eh!

Who would be a promoter?

Regards
THJ

[mikebv]

3 hours ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

Well that's why Workington picked a rubbish team by all accounts, with the aim to "just win" their home meetings and get to the end of the season, hopefully somewhere around the mid point, you know just don't get the "wooden spoon", Mid Table!!! Everyone wrote them off at the start of the season, a 16 year old kid with no big league experience; one heat leader; and not a very good one at that; and five second strings that quite frankly no one wanted. I blame them stupid riders for winning everything its their fault, what a bloody cheek turning the form book on its head and delivering a fantastic treble, no mean feat that and you can get lucky by winning one competition but all three that was some achievement.

However on a more serious note how ironic is it that when you are successful in Speedway it costs you more money, how crazy is that, success should reap the rewards surely, shouldn't it? nope!!! success gets you a bigger wage bill, more stadium costs and more indirect costs. Yet every promotion chases the dream how bonkers is that. I cant honestly weigh it up. Be near the bottom and lose fans as your team is getting beat or win everything and near bankrupt yourself.

So I think I have sorted the problem finish 5th every year and hope all your meetings are 49 - 41 home and away. Sorted

If it were only that simple eh!

Who would be a promoter?

Regards
THJ

It is ludicrous isn't it? Winning can actually close a club down..

And one of the reasons is that the club doesn't get the chance to make more of its success financially due to the ridiculous fixture list...

Winning three titles is a fantastic achievement but doing it all in a fortnight costs the fans a fortune, the clubs a fortune and has finals ran in the worst weather month of the season meaning fans could end up picking and choosing which final to attend!!

Two of the Comps start months and months earlier in the season so surely it would be more beneficial for clubs to spread out that success across the season..?

Having a trophy to be won in say June, one in August, and one in October would keep the interest going through the whole season and mean if one club dominates they get the chance to maximise each final to deliver the best returns, and if three separate clubs win the trophies it shares the opportunity to have 'bumper crowds' across the league...

So many simple easy to do improvements can be made to this sport, many not needing any money spent,  it just doesn't seem they can see them..

 

Edited November 13, 2018 by mikebv

[Hodgy]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

It is ludicrous isn't it? Winning can actually close a club down..

And one of the reasons is that the club doesn't get the chance to make more of its success financially due to the ridiculous fixture list...

Winning three titles is a fantastic achievement but doing it all in a fortnight costs the fans a fortune, the clubs a fortune and has finals ran in the worst weather month of the season meaning fans could end up picking and choosing which final to attend!!

Two of the Comps start months and months earlier in the season so surely it would be more beneficial for clubs to spread out that success across the season..?

Having a trophy to be won in say June, one in August, and one in October would keep the interest going through the whole season and mean if one club dominates they get the chance to maximise each final to deliver the best returns, and if three separate clubs win the trophies it shares the opportunity to have 'bumper crowds' across the league...

So many simple easy to do improvements can be made to this sport, many not needing any money spent,  it just doesn't seem they can see them..

 

The fixture list F-Up’s, and those responsible, must have lost Workington much needed income and possibly their future - after the clubs most successful season ever. As you say, ludicrous.  Totally unnecessary and avoidable. 

[mikebv]

16 minutes ago, Hodgy said:

The fixture list F-Up’s, and those responsible, must have lost Workington much needed income and possibly their future - after the clubs most successful season ever. As you say, ludicrous.  Totally unnecessary and avoidable. 

I don't know how many attended the last few meetings but if say Worky had picked up to two trophies by the end of August I am sure the attendances would have been very good from then to the end of the season as they could have marketed a potential 'treble' each week to the local population..

By the play offs time I am sure the whole town would have been acutely aware of the importance and size of the achievement that potentially lay ahead...

They would have had weeks of hype and advertising rather than just a few days in which to generate interest which I am sure would have delivered several hundred more fans over the period that they actually got cramming in meetings at the end of the year...

Speedway really hasn't a clue about marketing itself has it? 

 

[stevehone]

maybe whatever TV money comes in should be used as prize money?

[MD]

Just now, stevehone said:

maybe whatever TV money comes in should be used as prize money?

Aren't BT Sport showing it for nothing and actually doing speedway the favour? 

[cinderfella]

9 minutes ago, MD said:

Aren't BT Sport showing it for nothing and actually doing speedway the favour? 

If that is the case then questions must surely be asked of the BSPA/SCB of themselves as to why a lucrative contract with Sky was not renegotiated. I'm sure Sky would have handed out warning stating things such as lack of teams in the so called top league and lack of big GP names wasn't helping any. Broadcaster know what they want and it has to be said they know more about a lot of sports and attracting new customers than many sporting ruling bodies.
I know when i worked at Sky they requested the green helmet colours because the Sky remote has 4 buttons and the plan was to actually have each rider wear a camera and the viewer could then pick which riders view he could watch from during a race.  Sadly the support for the idea never came to fruition from within the sport and I'm sure that didn't endear the bosses at Sky.
Sadly these days domestic speedway on television is limited to PL meeting and both the broadcaster and speedway authorities both failed to realise that the majority of both teams and fans are in the CL and I'm sure if they had shown some CL matches (which let's face it feature about 95% of the same riders as PL matches anyway) they would have had a bigger following.

[scaramanga]

On ‎11‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 1:44 PM, ruckerroo said:

Don't keep paying over the odds to riders , it effects every team when you do that and pushes then nearer the mire as well 

while I agree in theory 

my first passion is road racing  the guys who race the roads are hero's and just like speedway when it goes wrong the can get seriously hurt very easily 

so if you compare the risks with speedway and road racing not 1 of them is over payed unlike the footballers who roll round in agony getting thousands a week  for no reason at all 

[Byker Biker]

28 minutes ago, stevehone said:

maybe whatever TV money comes in should be used as prize money?

Think you'll find you're mate Robin has his eyes on some of that