Odsal

[RS50]

2 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

West Ham was up there with all of them. Speedways biggest problem is the loss of so many great big city venues.

Or the loss of so many fans?

[cityrebel]

7 minutes ago, RS50 said:

Or the loss of so many fans?

The two go hand in hand, don't they?

[Guest]

9 hours ago, cityrebel said:

West Ham was up there with all of them. Speedways biggest problem is the loss of so many great big city venues.

 

9 hours ago, RS50 said:

Or the loss of so many fans?

 

9 hours ago, cityrebel said:

The two go hand in hand, don't they?

The start is the loss of spectators - probably because they tire of speedway. Then the stadium closes because it is no longer financially viable.

[cityrebel]

13 minutes ago, gustix said:

 

 

The start is the loss of spectators - probably because they tire of speedway. Then the stadium closes because it is no longer financially viable.

Plenty of stadiums were viable, but their land value was far more valuable than their sporting income. Norwich and Southampton were two of the earliest casualties.

[Guest]

37 minutes ago, gustix said:

 

 

The start is the loss of spectators - probably because they tire of speedway. Then the stadium closes because it is no longer financially viable.

 

21 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

Plenty of stadiums were viable, but their land value was far more valuable than their sporting income. Norwich and Southampton were two of the earliest casualties.

Businesswise that  appears to be a logical step then for stadium owners cityrebel.

[25yearfan]

If every sport needed to be profit making in order to continue existing then there would little to no sport about now and that includes the Worlds most popular sport - football! - Look at the current plight of 3rd tier clubs Bolton Wanderers and Bury as well as one of the biggest football clubs on the planet Manchester Uniteds ongoing debt.

Indeed without many modern day football stadiums being multi use venues, football would be even more unviable!

The universally more acceptable athletics has never been profitable! 

 

I do feel that certain things should go above profit making and money for the best interests of society. Stadiums should be included in this.

 

Iconic speedway stadiums like Belle Vue, Exeter, Norwich, Southampton, Wimbledon, West Ham, the old Leicester, Coventry, Cradley, Oxford and probably quite a few others should have been listed and prevented from being turned into housing estates. Had indeed been the case then the sport today would undoubtedly be in a better shape. Football gets afforded this allowance cause of its popularity and local communities all over benefit from it. and 

 

Like I've said before on here, Odsal could be staging football, speedway and stock cars if ways could be found to make the venue more multi use? 

Edited August 25, 2019 by 25yearfan

[topaz325]

I don’t know how some of the Lower league Scottish football clubs survive with average attendances of 3 to 4 hundred people.

[25yearfan]

Sponsorship/lower wages for the players/ rich benefactors!

 

 

[adonis]

2 hours ago, 25yearfan said:

Sponsorship/lower wages for the players/ rich benefactors!

 

 

and don@t forget the gov't  forcing HMRC to give  tax discounts .  just like wembley .all the non football  taxpayers pay more for football than it's supporters ever will ..

[gee jay]

4 hours ago, topaz325 said:

I don’t know how some of the Lower league Scottish football clubs survive with average attendances of 3 to 4 hundred people.

i think most of the players are semi-pro and have other jobs like our non-league.

Edited August 25, 2019 by gee jay

[DSC67]

2 hours ago, gee jay said:

i think most of the players are semi-pro and have other jobs like our non-league.

With the expecption of Falkirk all the clubs outside the Premier & Championship leagues are part time 

[cityrebel]

8 hours ago, 25yearfan said:

If every sport needed to be profit making in order to continue existing then there would little to no sport about now and that includes the Worlds most popular sport - football! - Look at the current plight of 3rd tier clubs Bolton Wanderers and Bury as well as one of the biggest football clubs on the planet Manchester Uniteds ongoing debt.

Indeed without many modern day football stadiums being multi use venues, football would be even more unviable!

The universally more acceptable athletics has never been profitable! 

 

I do feel that certain things should go above profit making and money for the best interests of society. Stadiums should be included in this.

 

Iconic speedway stadiums like Belle Vue, Exeter, Norwich, Southampton, Wimbledon, West Ham, the old Leicester, Coventry, Cradley, Oxford and probably quite a few others should have been listed and prevented from being turned into housing estates. Had indeed been the case then the sport today would undoubtedly be in a better shape. Football gets afforded this allowance cause of its popularity and local communities all over benefit from it. and 

 

Like I've said before on here, Odsal could be staging football, speedway and stock cars if ways could be found to make the venue more multi use? 

One of the most recent casulties was the iconic art deco Walthamstow Stadium. A massive campaign to save it from the bulldozers failed. When the money men come calling to build houses, the writing is on the wall. If either Coventry or Oxford could be saved, it would be a big boost in these worrying times for the sport.

[25yearfan]

Walthamstow stadium was iconic and was still turning over a tidy profit with decent crowds still watching the greyhound racing right up until its closure.

 

Another place that should have been listed and the old speedway track was still inside the dog albeit tarmacked over. Walthamstow stadium could have provided the answer to speedways current lack of presence in the capital.   

[BangerBoy]

think you will find only the front was listed hence why it's still there

 

[cityrebel]

19 hours ago, BangerBoy said:

think you will find only the front was listed hence why it's still there

 

Shame the rest of its gone. I worked over there a few times, it certainly had a touch of style about it. Even though i worked for the GRA, they treated me very well.

[Piotr Pyszny]

On 8/25/2019 at 2:07 PM, 25yearfan said:

Iconic speedway stadiums like Belle Vue, Exeter, Norwich, Southampton, Wimbledon, West Ham, the old Leicester, Coventry, Cradley, Oxford and probably quite a few others should have been listed and prevented from being turned into housing estates. Had indeed been the case then the sport today would undoubtedly be in a better shape. Football gets afforded this allowance cause of its popularity and local communities all over benefit from it.

To gain listed status, a structure has to be deemed of 'special architectural or historic interest'. I'm not sure any of the speedway stadia you list fall into either category (other than for followers of the sport). Possibly West Ham? Football hasn't fared terribly well, either, despite its greater popularity, when it comes to grounds acquiring listed status. The odd stand here and there, yes, but not (I suspect) an entire stadium. Listed status is no guarantee of evading the wrecker's ball. Wembley's Twin Towers had Grade II listing, and look what happened to them. Many architecturally important (I hesitate to use that over-employed, therefore now meaningless, adjective iconic) football grandstands designed by Scot Archibald Leitch have been razed. For example, at Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Southampton and Sunderland.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Piotr Pyszny

[Guest]

12 hours ago, cityrebel said:

Shame the rest of its gone. I worked over there a few times, it certainly had a touch of style about it. Even though i worked for the GRA, they treated me very well.

I never saw speedway at Walthamstow Stadium but saw several short oval car (aka stock car) meetings there in the 1970s. It was an impressive stadium both exterior and interior.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Guest
spelling error

[Chris116]

1 minute ago, gustix said:

I never saw speedway at Walthamstow Stadium but saw several short oval car (aka stock car) meetings there in the 1970s. It was an impressive stadium both exterior and interior.

Trouble with The Stow at that time was that it was Bangers with everything and very rare to see the Superstox which were always my favourite formula. Far too many Bangers and Hot Rods meetings for my liking.

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, gustix said:

I never saw speedway at Walthamstow Stadium but saw several short oval car (aka stock car) meetings there in the 1970s. It was an impressive stadium both exterior and interior.

 

16 minutes ago, Chris116 said:

Trouble with The Stow at that time was that it was Bangers with everything and very rare to see the Superstox which were always my favourite formula. Far too many Bangers and Hot Rods meetings for my liking.

I tend to agree Chris116. i always liked the superstox - my favourite driver was the late Tony Roots.

[Chris116]

1 minute ago, gustix said:

 

I tend to agree Chris116. i always liked the superstox - my favourite driver was the late Tony Roots.

Tony was a very good driver in a number of formulae and a very nice person who I was very happy to call a friend. There are still three of the Roots family in the Superstox , Chris, Nick and Dan. They are all star grade drivers with Nick currently holding the European, National and English Championship titles as well as being top of the points at the end of July.