Rob Godfrey interview in Speedway Star

[HGould]

Plenty of Clubs doing great things to attract kids that I saw with my own eyes in NL in 2018 at my Club Birmingham, Isle of Wight, Plymouth; Eastbourne.

May be the NL Clubs have to work harder but Brummies have attracted some, I was staggered at what IOW do and its been widely reported, Plymouth have kids running race at Interval and a Mascot going round throwing sweets and when I went to Eastbourne for KOC Final there were about 100 kids being shown round before the meeting given a Tour.

If you don't try it won't happen. 

[winstoncigar]

1 hour ago, Daniel Smith said:

There's only one way to get kids interested in Speedway.

Every club should send their team manager and club captain to secondary schools around their local areas. Bikes on show and clips of the racing, crashes and also embrace the subject of injuries and death within the sport. Students will fully embrace the rough side of the sport as this is what will get them interested with their youthful, fearless mentality. 

Then also every student should be given a full, in depth letter and usb stick with the same presentation that can be shown to the parents. Within this, a free training school voucher so any brave parent can allow their adolescent to experience just how tough this sport really is.

Only this way will the sport get back to the full stadium days and keep Speedway alive for decades to come. It's the only way to get the young to understand and appreciate just how tough and exciting this sport can be.

Taking a student to a meeting where there's no racing, no crashes etc will put them off for life. They need to understand the hard side of the sport, it'll gets their juices flowing.

This is real pie in the sky stuff. 

Schools don't entertain commercial presentations unless they're getting some serious cash back there way. 

And seriously, do you really mean "Come and have a go at this dangerous sport, a broken neck will be good for you"? 

[Sidney the robin]

1 hour ago, HGould said:

Plenty of Clubs doing great things to attract kids that I saw with my own eyes in NL in 2018 at my Club Birmingham, Isle of Wight, Plymouth; Eastbourne.

May be the NL Clubs have to work harder but Brummies have attracted some, I was staggered at what IOW do and its been widely reported, Plymouth have kids running race at Interval and a Mascot going round throwing sweets and when I went to Eastbourne for KOC Final there were about 100 kids being shown round before the meeting given a Tour.

If you don't try it won't happen. 

Swindon do well they really try hard to encourage young kids to get interested Lee Kilby has done a great job in that respect the kids in the pits with there parents before the start great to see.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Sidney the robin

[Speedtiger]

1 hour ago, Sidney the robin said:

Swindon do well they really try hard to encourage young kids to get interested Lee Kilby has done a great job in that respect the kids in the pits with there parents before the start great to see.

Which is commendable.

The BSPA should have a coordinated marketing plan that can be implemented and consistently pushed forward by each club. The PR on speedway that eminates from Rugby and most clubs is very poor and amateur.

Marketing and competition for the leisure pound is extremely fierce and very expensive...it isn’t a quick fix and gaining paying customers through the turnstiles requires sustained attention to detail and lots of hard work and vision.

[steve roberts]

On 2/12/2019 at 9:29 PM, Speedtiger said:

Agreed, it must go to one league and should have done years ago now. The sport bizarrely operates in 2 distinct entities...they even have separate meetings and discusstions at the AGM....and during the season...!!!

I appreciate that 10-15 years ago the difference in rider quality between what was Elite (now Premier) League EL and Premier (now Championship) League PL BUT that could/can be balanced out, especially now the quality of riders in both leagues means there is very little difference between the Leagues.  

Historically the main issue (maybe still is) to forming one league was money. The Premier League clubs business model and pay structure, in the main, actually worked. Elite League business structure and rider pay became far too high and seriously inflated by Sky money which EL didn’t want to share with PL. Why would a PL club making money want to go in to EL and loose money...?

Then when the TV money disappeared along with thousands of paying customers....bingo, disaster. 

It is clear that speedway is in a terminal state and needs to be radically restructured and the ‘product reinvented’ and vigorously promoted...this is the only way to attract more people and bring money into the sport....the $64,000 question is...has the BSPA the vision, courage and ability to do it...sadly history says NO. 

...of course this would require the full co-operation of all existing Premier and Championship BSPA members and that has more often than not proved problematical historically within speedway between the two leagues...whatever the name they go under.

Edited February 14, 2019 by steve roberts

[Speedtiger]

1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

...of course this would require the full co-operation of all existing Premier and Championship BSPA members and that has more often than not proved problematical historically within speedway between the two leagues...whatever the name they go under.

Spot on Steve...and there's the problem. We have a sport run effectively by two separate factions with very different views as to how the sport is promoted. First thing is to make the sport untied and ditch the us and them situation. Restructure or its finished.

[TonyMac]

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 12:37 PM, MattK said:

The difference between the promoters and the fans is that they have all the information available at their fingertips to come up with a solution, whereas the fans have nothing. Share profit and loss, attendances, wages costs and so on with the fans and we can come up with a detailed, costed model for British speedway. Until then, fans are merely shooting in the dark.

Not shooting in the dark. The closure of four teams since last season, with others looking ominously precarious, shines a burning light on the sport's obvious problem: promoters are paying riders more than they can afford.

[Halifaxtiger]

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 6:15 PM, iris123 said:

 

One thing comes to mind.Going back to 2004 or 2005,we had fans criticising things going on.They were getting posts on here telling them it was the Promoters who were putting in the money and because of that were above criticism and those criticising should put substantial amounts into the sport and then maybe they would have a different opinion.Even worse,they were told by certain Promoters to bugger off

You have to engage with fans,no matter how hard it might seem.You have to try and explain your position even if some won' accept the answer.You have to fight like a champion to make your business successful,because all of your competitors,whoever they may be,will take advantage if you don't.Telling fans to p off or ban them from forums isn't the way forward

Spot on. I touched on it in my post earlier but this is something else the BSPA can't blame anyone else for : absolutely dreadful customer care.

A friend of mine and his dad used to occasionally attend a certain track. One day, they complained about the racing surface and were told :

'If you don't like it, don't come'.

They took the advice and never went back. That track has now closed, citing poor attendances as one reason. 

A good friend has attended another track every week for years. Fed up with the poor quality of the racing, he took to the internet and complained. On entry they next week, a member of the track staff sought him out, verbally abused him and said he would get my friend banned from the stadium. The promotions initial response was to agree, but fortunately wiser heads prevailed.

When I was told, my reaction was disbelief then anger, because what was proposed was surely contrary to any sensible practice. Had he been banned, 4 other regulars and one occasional fan would have walked out and not come back. I'm no business man, but if it had been me I would have made the member of track staff apologise (and if he had refused I would have sacked him) apologised myself, explained why things were not as good as they should be and invited him to come direct to me in future with any issue rather than using the internet. 

To really put this in perspective, I went to a meeting a few years ago and it was clear the track surface was extremely poor from the outset and the meeting was eventually abandoned because it became dangerous. I took to the internet and complained. The next time I saw a co-promoter he too was verbally abusive. I haven't been back since.

In early 2016, I went to the newly reopened Isle of Wight. The track was in a similar condition and again I complained. Barry Bishop contacted me and said :

'We're really sorry about the track. We are new and learning, and will try hard to make sure it doesn't happen again. We really hope you come back and see us soon, and if you do we'll give you a pits tour and a go on the centre green'.

It says everything about speedway PR that I was astonished. 

Barry has since become a friend, I have been back numerous times and have turned into a huge advocate for Isle of Wight speedway. 

The incredible difference between reactions is simply down to a few words in response to criticism. 

[steve roberts]

1 hour ago, Halifaxtiger said:

Spot on. I touched on it in my post earlier but this is something else the BSPA can't blame anyone else for : absolutely dreadful customer care.

A friend of mine and his dad used to occasionally attend a certain track. One day, they complained about the racing surface and were told :

'If you don't like it, don't come'.

They took the advice and never went back. That track has now closed, citing poor attendances as one reason. 

A good friend has attended another track every week for years. Fed up with the poor quality of the racing, he took to the internet and complained. On entry they next week, a member of the track staff sought him out, verbally abused him and said he would get my friend banned from the stadium. The promotions initial response was to agree, but fortunately wiser heads prevailed.

When I was told, my reaction was disbelief then anger, because what was proposed was surely contrary to any sensible practice. Had he been banned, 4 other regulars and one occasional fan would have walked out and not come back. I'm no business man, but if it had been me I would have made the member of track staff apologise (and if he had refused I would have sacked him) apologised myself, explained why things were not as good as they should be and invited him to come direct to me in future with any issue rather than using the internet. 

To really put this in perspective, I went to a meeting a few years ago and it was clear the track surface was extremely poor from the outset and the meeting was eventually abandoned because it became dangerous. I took to the internet and complained. The next time I saw a co-promoter he too was verbally abusive. I haven't been back since.

In early 2016, I went to the newly reopened Isle of Wight. The track was in a similar condition and again I complained. Barry Bishop contacted me and said :

'We're really sorry about the track. We are new and learning, and will try hard to make sure it doesn't happen again. We really hope you come back and see us soon, and if you do we'll give you a pits tour and a go on the centre green'.

It says everything about speedway PR that I was astonished. 

Barry has since become a friend, I have been back numerous times and have turned into a huge advocate for Isle of Wight speedway. 

The incredible difference between reactions is simply down to a few words in response to criticism. 

I always liked Steve and Vanessa Purchase who were promoters at Oxford during 1998 to 2002. Steve would often walk amongst the spectators engaging in conversation and Vanesa was always approachable. Steve even invited me to sit in on a pre-season meeting based on what he thought was my 'sensible' input on the old Oxford Speedway Forum. However Steve eventually became disillusioned with the sport and eventually sold out to Nigel Wagstaff.

[waytogo28]

Another problem of how the BSPA has evolved is that the better quality Promoters became disillusioned and walked away. Only the stodgy - "it's alright as it is " & " I agree with you, you are right" promoters stayed on and this is one factor in the strangulation of the sport in the UK. The Emperor's New Blazer syndrome.

[wealdstone]

Quote

 

Anybody who thought anything that the Mafia did not like was driven out.

[cityrebel]

4 hours ago, Halifaxtiger said:

Spot on. I touched on it in my post earlier but this is something else the BSPA can't blame anyone else for : absolutely dreadful customer care.

A friend of mine and his dad used to occasionally attend a certain track. One day, they complained about the racing surface and were told :

'If you don't like it, don't come'.

They took the advice and never went back. That track has now closed, citing poor attendances as one reason. 

A good friend has attended another track every week for years. Fed up with the poor quality of the racing, he took to the internet and complained. On entry they next week, a member of the track staff sought him out, verbally abused him and said he would get my friend banned from the stadium. The promotions initial response was to agree, but fortunately wiser heads prevailed.

When I was told, my reaction was disbelief then anger, because what was proposed was surely contrary to any sensible practice. Had he been banned, 4 other regulars and one occasional fan would have walked out and not come back. I'm no business man, but if it had been me I would have made the member of track staff apologise (and if he had refused I would have sacked him) apologised myself, explained why things were not as good as they should be and invited him to come direct to me in future with any issue rather than using the internet. 

To really put this in perspective, I went to a meeting a few years ago and it was clear the track surface was extremely poor from the outset and the meeting was eventually abandoned because it became dangerous. I took to the internet and complained. The next time I saw a co-promoter he too was verbally abusive. I haven't been back since.

In early 2016, I went to the newly reopened Isle of Wight. The track was in a similar condition and again I complained. Barry Bishop contacted me and said :

'We're really sorry about the track. We are new and learning, and will try hard to make sure it doesn't happen again. We really hope you come back and see us soon, and if you do we'll give you a pits tour and a go on the centre green'.

It says everything about speedway PR that I was astonished. 

Barry has since become a friend, I have been back numerous times and have turned into a huge advocate for Isle of Wight speedway. 

The incredible difference between reactions is simply down to a few words in response to criticism. 

Unfortunately, Barry is a voice in the wilderness.

[GWC]

Some promoters are not blessed with the intelligence to handle situations and have probably got where they are in life by bullying.

Rob Godfrey strikes me as an intelligent man who cares passionately about this sport but one or two others are not.

As has been said the welfare of the sport is paramount and a need for ALL promoters to work together now more than ever.

[Halifaxtiger]

6 hours ago, steve roberts said:

I always liked Steve and Vanessa Purchase who were promoters at Oxford during 1998 to 2002. Steve would often walk amongst the spectators engaging in conversation and Vanesa was always approachable. Steve even invited me to sit in on a pre-season meeting based on what he thought was my 'sensible' input on the old Oxford Speedway Forum. However Steve eventually became disillusioned with the sport and eventually sold out to Nigel Wagstaff.

Barry Bishop and his partner Martin Widman do this (Barry usually, Martin is doing everything else ).

Thing is its not difficult to appreciate your customers and the worst of it is I could probably cite about another half dozen examples similar to the above. 

3 hours ago, cityrebel said:

Unfortunately, Barry is a voice in the wilderness.

I actually think things are getting better. Belle Vue's Adrian Smith, certainly, is both approachable and personable  

[Humphrey Appleby]

6 hours ago, steve roberts said:

I always liked Steve and Vanessa Purchase who were promoters at Oxford during 1998 to 2002. Steve would often walk amongst the spectators engaging in conversation and Vanesa was always approachable. Steve even invited me to sit in on a pre-season meeting based on what he thought was my 'sensible' input on the old Oxford Speedway Forum. However Steve eventually became disillusioned with the sport and eventually sold out to Nigel Wagstaff.

I suspect Steve Purchase wishes he'd never heard of speedway given the subsequent developments... 

[Speedtiger]

1 hour ago, GWC said:

Some promoters are not blessed with the intelligence to handle situations and have probably got where they are in life by bullying.

Rob Godfrey strikes me as an intelligent man who cares passionately about this sport but one or two others are not.

As has been said the welfare of the sport is paramount and a need for ALL promoters to work together now more than ever.

A lot of really good experienced promoters have gone out of speedway which is not good for the sport...they must have seen this dreadful situation was going to happen.

Godfrey maybe be passionate about his club but I can assure He is certainly not an intelligent man. He is clueless. Along with his mate Chapman, another back woodsman, he has overseen the worst and most disastrous period in recent history of the sport. These two will go down as the fools that finished off speedway. IMO I think it’s too late but for the good of sport both he and Chapman should go. 

[PHILIPRISING]

1 hour ago, Speedtiger said:

A lot of really good experienced promoters have gone out of speedway which is not good for the sport...they must have seen this dreadful situation was going to happen.

Godfrey maybe be passionate about his club but I can assure He is certainly not an intelligent man. He is clueless. Along with his mate Chapman, another back woodsman, he has overseen the worst and most disastrous period in recent history of the sport. These two will go down as the fools that finished off speedway. IMO I think it’s too late but for the good of sport both he and Chapman should go. 

GO where? 

[Speedtiger]

13 minutes ago, PHILIPRISING said:

GO where? 

Out of the BSPA (management) as Chairman and Vice Chairman. They have totally failed miserably.

[BWitcher]

On 2/13/2019 at 4:55 AM, Sidney the robin said:

Those riders i named were revered because the simple facts were they were great riders four of them World champions.I don't remember them because they were getting a 15 point max at  Exeter on Monday night and then only dropping the odd point here and there giving them inflated averages.

Yes you do and it absolutely ridiculous to suggest otherwise. That's how all riders are judged.

When riders win the majority of their races they are considered great riders.

The less they win, the less great they are considered.

I'd love to hear how you and Steve Roberts 'judge' riders if it's not based on how often they win. Strangely you've never listed any riders whom you classed as 'world class' who didn't do the exact thing which you say you don't judge riders on...

 

 

Edited February 15, 2019 by BWitcher

[orion]

it's been explained to Sidney about 50 times ..he never going to understand