mikebv Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 3 hours ago, adonis said: all very well suggestion an independent comissioner ,but who is going to pay them ,? extra quid on the admission ? All tracks pay their seven riders a fiver less each race..? (£300 a meeting). That would put a few grand a week in to get someone 'decent' across the Leagues.. BV used to pay (if 'informed' rumours were true) circa £3k a night for Matej Zagar... £6k a week if home and away... Since he left I haven't seen a mass exodus of fans so he didnt bring in anybody extra.. Yet giving £6k a week to a good marketing company would have I reckon.. Speedway spends millions each season on riders who deliver very few extra bums on seats, using an operating model ran by people with a vested interest, which actually dissuades people from attending... It needs to invest its millions far more wisely to get a better return.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 3 minutes ago, adonis said: I have always thought it's all about the money , golf Boring , darts boring , snooker boring . all attract large interest , now its not because these things are exciting is it , it's because of the prize money . Hype! Hype! Hype! You cannot sell the Sport to people who have never seen it nor are even aware of it... However. Advertising ten meetings locally, with a £200k prize fund, would trigger some interest from those who are blissfully unaware of Speedway I would suggest.. Its got to be 'in your face' these days to get your message out... And Speedway spends literally millions to remain 'small time' and unheard of... It needs to get its message out to the wider sporting public so they know exactly just how much is on offer... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 3 hours ago, TheReturn said: Some good points on the thread. Speedway is suffering, and the BSPA perhaps needs to review how they operate, that said people have been saying these exact same things for decades and yet here we still are. I actually think the sport could still thrive, but perhaps would need to change. In some respect the modern age of instant media and quick one line social media means is perfect for speedway and showcasing the best of our 60 second races. The problem of course is you need a collaborative approach from everyone, and employing social media experts and professional web designers to create attractive short clips and social media posts... not just employing speedway mates to design websites that are about 10 years out of date and media experts with no charisma (NP). Of course, then turning social media views into attendance and retaining requires more collaboration between clubs, including discounts to get people in the door, providing tracks that enable real racing (rather than 4 riders riding around) and making stadiums appealing to want to attend. I also think making a bigger deal about supporting your local club/team could help, but is pointless when that teams riders ride for other clubs in the UK on different nights. Speedway is not dead yet, but I don't see any sign that the BSPA want to make use of the modern technology that is readily available. THERE has been a huge uplift in the use of social media by many of the tracks (especially Twitter) in the UK and to a lesser extent even the BSPA. But, as we at SS have discovered, it is probable that the vast majority of fans do not which suggest that it might not be quite so effective as one might hope. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 1 hour ago, mikebv said: Hype! Hype! Hype! You cannot sell the Sport to people who have never seen it nor are even aware of it... However. Advertising ten meetings locally, with a £200k prize fund, would trigger some interest from those who are blissfully unaware of Speedway I would suggest.. Its got to be 'in your face' these days to get your message out... And Speedway spends literally millions to remain 'small time' and unheard of... It needs to get its message out to the wider sporting public so they know exactly just how much is on offer... NOT sure "speedway spends millions" is likely in this day and age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, PHILIPRISING said: NOT sure "speedway spends millions" is likely in this day and age Paying out £20 grand for 14 riders per meeting in Premiership, cups and play offs, (over 90 or so meetings in total), would be £1.8M alone without the Championship costs.. Or have the days of £10k per team per night now gone? Edited January 23, 2019 by mikebv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin Jason 72 Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 We need to embrace social media and speedway could be groundbreaking going forward. Have a app for your mobile which you can use to fill your programme in. Still have all the editorial features and advertising. Then every race day you would be sent a reminder of the evenings fixture with all the team news. Regular updates for weather reports and even photos of the track so you can see if it is really dry !! i would have a camera person in the pits filming all through the meeting which can be streamed onto your app. Action from the pits and interviews could be watched while waiting for the next heat. You could have questions posed like guess the score of the next heat or who would you put in as a tactical ? Youngsters are not going to come in it’s present form as there are too many delays between races. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 10 hours ago, Racin Jason 72 said: We need to embrace social media and speedway could be groundbreaking going forward. Have a app for your mobile which you can use to fill your programme in. Still have all the editorial features and advertising. Then every race day you would be sent a reminder of the evenings fixture with all the team news. Regular updates for weather reports and even photos of the track so you can see if it is really dry !! i would have a camera person in the pits filming all through the meeting which can be streamed onto your app. Action from the pits and interviews could be watched while waiting for the next heat. You could have questions posed like guess the score of the next heat or who would you put in as a tactical ? Youngsters are not going to come in it’s present form as there are too many delays between races. SOME good thoughts there. In my opinion one of the things that speedway needs to do to both attract and keep new fans especially is providing 'something to do' during the two hours when there isn't any actual racing. And proposals like those suggested above don't have to cost a fortune. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonis Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 27 minutes ago, PHILIPRISING said: SOME good thoughts there. In my opinion one of the things that speedway needs to do to both attract and keep new fans especially is providing 'something to do' during the two hours when there isn't any actual racing. And proposals like those suggested above don't have to cost a fortune. what has been holding speedway back about modernising , is good old fashioned greed in the form of gospeed , set up a free app such as has been mentioned ,and it wont take 5 seconds before gospeed appear with their threats of legal action , so to try and improve the raceday experience , you have to pay off people who are greedy and antiquated in their thoughts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedtiger Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 1 hour ago, PHILIPRISING said: SOME good thoughts there. In my opinion one of the things that speedway needs to do to both attract and keep new fans especially is providing 'something to do' during the two hours when there isn't any actual racing. And proposals like those suggested above don't have to cost a fortune. Totally agree with you. 15 minutes of action is not great value for money especially when you are now paying circa £20 plus plus a meeting. Will promoters listen...NO....I know speedway has many problems to solve...and the BSPA 'head in the sand' approach has made things much worse. I have supported speedway since the 1970's and seen many ups and downs but I have never known the sport to be in such a terminal mess....sad to say but the calibre and acumen of todays promoters is at an all time low and the current BSPA management i.e. Chapman, Godfrey & Co are frankly clueless.....they have been incapable of getting a grip on the real issues and consequently speedway is effectively bust and the BSPA are at fault and only have themselves to blame. Sadly 2019 will see more clubs going under more riders out of a job...more supporters loosing their clubs...I appreciate this may be seen by some as a doom and gloom scenario but look at the conclusive evidence...the BSPA are driving our sport over a cliff blindfolded...this is a realistic view of todays speedway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwright71 Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 13 minutes ago, Speedtiger said: Totally agree with you. 15 minutes of action is not great value for money especially when you are now paying circa £20 plus plus a meeting. Will promoters listen...NO....I know speedway has many problems to solve...and the BSPA 'head in the sand' approach has made things much worse. I have supported speedway since the 1970's and seen many ups and downs but I have never known the sport to be in such a terminal mess....sad to say but the calibre and acumen of todays promoters is at an all time low and the current BSPA management i.e. Chapman, Godfrey & Co are frankly clueless.....they have been incapable of getting a grip on the real issues and consequently speedway is effectively bust and the BSPA are at fault and only have themselves to blame. Sadly 2019 will see more clubs going under more riders out of a job...more supporters loosing their clubs...I appreciate this may be seen by some as a doom and gloom scenario but look at the conclusive evidence...the BSPA are driving our sport over a cliff blindfolded...this is a realistic view of todays speedway. Surely this has always been the same through recent history, even when speedway was flourishing. 15 minutes of action ,nobody seems put off going to Cardiff for 23 minutes of action. People go to watch sport for the core action not the bells and whistles in between . How many fans watch the half time entertainment at Premier League football, during the Masters snooker final interval fans could stare at an empty table, it doesn't put people off going ,they go for the main event. The first port of call must be to attract supporters on the back of the core product. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waytogo28 Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 1 hour ago, iwright71 said: The first port of call must be to attract supporters on the back of the core product. First improve the core product, so that 75% of it is not so boring. Riders not making any effort if they fail to make the gate. We know how difficult it is to pass nut that does not make it OK to not bother at all. People might criticise Chris Harris but at least he makes an effort 50% or more of the time, to turn a heat into a race. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montie Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, waytogo28 said: First improve the core product, so that 75% of it is not so boring. Riders not making any effort if they fail to make the gate. We know how difficult it is to pass nut that does not make it OK to not bother at all. People might criticise Chris Harris but at least he makes an effort 50% or more of the time, to turn a heat into a race. taking away bonus points for 3rd would help this i think Plus many times on here to see a rider who actually does all he can to provide a race called a nutcase the more nut cases the better!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedtiger Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 20 minutes ago, iwright71 said: Surely this has always been the same through recent history, even when speedway was flourishing. 15 minutes of action ,nobody seems put off going to Cardiff for 23 minutes of action. People go to watch sport for the core action not the bells and whistles in between . How many fans watch the half time entertainment at Premier League football, during the Masters snooker final interval fans could stare at an empty table, it doesn't put people off going ,they go for the main event. The first port of call must be to attract supporters on the back of the core product. Yes, I understand that and the main point I make is speedway has many problems, the idea of one fix will do the trick is NOT the case or what I'm saying. Specifically the fact is over the past 10-12 years or so the quality of the core product has been seriously dumbed down, whilst the entrance charges have gone up. You can not stand still as you go backwards, people have lots of other opportunities to attract them and obtaining leisure money is very competitive market...the speedway experience needs to be 'reinvented' and 'rejuvenated'. Before you can solve a problem you have to admit and understand the problem exist and that is clearly beyond the ability of the BSPA. Its not rocket science...high Rider costs together with depleted attendances and the loss of TV income equals a major issue, clubs are paying far more out than they bring in...which is madness and a disaster. The BSPA and clubs do little to enhance and promote the sport as a modern vibrant sport that it can be. Times have moved on...just look at the terraces, the average age group are in the 50's-60's...where are the young fans, they wont put up with 15 minutes of action, they want to be involved and interact with the what's going on, before during and after the meeting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwright71 Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 10 hours ago, Speedtiger said: Yes, I understand that and the main point I make is speedway has many problems, the idea of one fix will do the trick is NOT the case or what I'm saying. Specifically the fact is over the past 10-12 years or so the quality of the core product has been seriously dumbed down, whilst the entrance charges have gone up. You can not stand still as you go backwards, people have lots of other opportunities to attract them and obtaining leisure money is very competitive market...the speedway experience needs to be 'reinvented' and 'rejuvenated'. Before you can solve a problem you have to admit and understand the problem exist and that is clearly beyond the ability of the BSPA. Its not rocket science...high Rider costs together with depleted attendances and the loss of TV income equals a major issue, clubs are paying far more out than they bring in...which is madness and a disaster. The BSPA and clubs do little to enhance and promote the sport as a modern vibrant sport that it can be. Times have moved on...just look at the terraces, the average age group are in the 50's-60's...where are the young fans, they wont put up with 15 minutes of action, they want to be involved and interact with the what's going on, before during and after the meeting. The youngsters who go are bored by what their watching, the 50's-60's go because they always have and its more a social than anything else. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinderfella Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 Well if proof was needed the BSPA do things the hard way just look at the Championship Shield groups. Workington sadly withdrew thus leaving the Borders group with just 3 teams in it. Rather than leaving it they BSPA move Newcastle into the Borders group and as a result all three groups have been changed rather than just leaving it with the one group change. They really do like messing with the sport for goodness knows what reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DitchLev Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 British Speedway is a ticking time bomb. Clubs are closing down, but there are no buyers out there. The difference between loss and break-even, is so large that an "ego/self indulging" person is totally not interested. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedtiger Posted January 26, 2019 Report Share Posted January 26, 2019 22 hours ago, DitchLev said: British Speedway is a ticking time bomb. Clubs are closing down, but there are no buyers out there. The difference between loss and break-even, is so large that an "ego/self indulging" person is totally not interested. I’m afraid the ticking time bomb went off long ago. So many clubs have gone by the wayside...and sadly more will follow. My club can not be anywhere close to breaking even , crowds down no new sponsors...it can not go on with the way things are. My second club Belle Vue with a new £8m stadium which I go over as often as my finances allow I’m told are loosing a small fortune and according to mates I sit with say are only going because they are propped up by the council. That can not go on for long. My mates at other clubs say it’s a only a hardcore of older fans that go. The sport has been mismanaged and tampered with for years and it’s been run into the ground by the idiots at the BSPA who are clueless. Speedway is bust and promoters only have themselves to blame. Who in their right mind would want to buy, invest or sponsor a speedway club? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waytogo28 Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 No-one in their right mind, you are 100% correct. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Smith Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 On 1/23/2019 at 5:43 PM, PHILIPRISING said: THERE has been a huge uplift in the use of social media by many of the tracks (especially Twitter) in the UK and to a lesser extent even the BSPA. But, as we at SS have discovered, it is probable that the vast majority of fans do not which suggest that it might not be quite so effective as one might hope. Huge uplift in the use of social media yes, but have you noticed how every clubs accounts are pretty much the same. Same content, repeated within seconds of the other. There are many like me that follow all club accounts and it's horrendous how unimaginative social media is used. Then there's no real interaction with supporters and any slight negativity then the follower is blocked. Whoever controls and operates the social media side of British Speedway has no concept of what is required to be attractive, not only to existing fans, but those that don't follow the sport that see people they follows retweet. Speedway is run poorly from top to bottom, from start to finish. Social media is THE biggest marketing tool and it's being badly miss used and operated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Smith Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 @PHILIPRISING with regards to Speedway Star struggling with social media, what are you referring too? I'd say nearly 18k followers is pretty decent exposure or are you saying the number of followers doesn't reflect sales? I'm not sure what you mean by it's not working for the Speedway Star. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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