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Eastbourne 2020


Hackett

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3 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

Is there no one overseeing the promoters and making sure they play by the financial rules. They seem more concerned with Connor Coles riding on the IOW. Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

That’s the trouble they oversee themselves.Nothing will change though.

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2 hours ago, Hackett said:

I would imagine that supporters of Speedway in Sweden and Denmark would say exactly the same. Undoubtedly in the 60's ,70's and 80's the riders were of a higher ranking on the World stage but those times have gone. Times have changed !!  I would state that the quality of racing and the field is higher than when Tai Woffinden won his hat-trick of titles. Then you knew it was the semi final and final were the only seriously competitive races. 

Getting back to UK speedway now - the issue is the sport and the fan base is dying. Continually the sport is preaching to the converted - it needs to target a new demographic. I am no great fan of Eddie Hearn but it needs somebody of his sports business and promotion skills to drive the sport forward. Speedway is 15 mins / 22 mins of adrenalin fuelled entertainment in 1 min bites. Perfect for the younger generations attention span - the sport needs to be pushed via social media even more - instagram, tik-tok etc 

Get you-tubers at the meeting and on a bike with a rider for viewings on you tube - Glasgow Tigers one of the better promoted teams and have only 1300 subscribers - Speedway Great Britain has 6920 subscribers - Hashtag FC a football team driven by social media and social media content has 567,000 subscribers - this is where the new opportunity of support is !!! 

If speedway keeps reaching out to the support it already has it will always be in decline and meet the same continual problems. It needs a drastic change - the sport itself can be enthralling, exciting and entertaining but too many people are not aware of it. 

All sports are suffering in atttracting the younger generation and tearing them away from phones, tablets and computer screens -  The issue is that the sport is methanol fuelled excitement , perfect in 1 min short bites of excitement - the potential is there ... it just needs somebody with the right forward thinking mindset. 

Blimey, even my YouTube channel has over 600 subscriptions and I've only ever marketed it on here... I've just looked at the Speedway Great Britain channel, they're subscribed to some, erm, strange channels!!! Rob Godfrey must be a Sophie Ellis Bexter fan!

You're right, Speedway is good for people with a short attention span... the trouble is those 15 minutes are often crammed into 120 minutes with little else going on in the mean time.

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Martin and myself were concerned to read the recent statement from Eastbourne Speedway and know how much the Eagles mean to their devoted fans. Whilst the ongoing uncertainty continues at Arlington, the Wightlink Warriors Shale Track Racing club invite all Eagles season ticket holders to join us for free admission on race days on the Island.

Warriors co-owner Barry Bishop said, "When I was a supporter on the terraces at my club, Oxford, the sport in the city hit hard times and was forced to close. That was the first year that my father and I actually purchased season tickets and that was because I pestered him to buy them. When we got the news that speedway was finished I wrote to Avtar Sandhu at Coventry (the closest track to home) and explained that it would cost us an extra £30 a week to attend Brandon and I asked if he could give us some kind of discount on entry. To his credit he offered all season ticket holder from Oxford free entry - an offer that was very well received. Now, I am not forecasting the same fate for Eastbourne, but while fans are waiting for the good folk there to sort things out, we invite you to spend some time with us.

Our fixtures are:
Aug 19th     Mark Cooper @ Truly Independent US Style Handicap Racing
        Alan Critcher Pee Wee and 125 Races
        The Wheel Specialist Fareham Classic races

Aug 24th      Alan Critcher Pee Wee and 125 Races
Four Seasons Landscaping and Garden Maintenance 3TT Warriors V Oxfor VCradley
        MSP Body and Paint Team Jawa V Freelance Installations Team GM

Sept 2nd     Alan Critcher Pee Wee and 125 Races
        Acclaim Logistics Island Master Round 2
        Wizards V Falcons

Plus Island Master’s Round 3 TBC and hopefully 1 or 2 other meetings.


Eagles season ticket holders taking up this offer will need to present their passes at the turnstile to secure free admission.

 

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12 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

Riders or fans!

Fingers crossed both sets of riders and fans will be there

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3 hours ago, cityrebel said:

The crowds are certainly not better. My first British final at West Ham in 1970 pulled in over 20,000 punters on a Tuesday night. How times have changed.

The early 90s at Coventry on a Sunday afternoon the place was packed and the atmosphere electric! Happy days!!!

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4 hours ago, GWC said:

‘’The British Final used to be contested by several riders who you would feel had a chance of the World Championship itself, and when only five went through, many genuine World Class riders got knocked out..’’
 

I doubt the racing was any better and that’s what really counts.

 

Unfortunately it isn't. ..

Getting some hype into the event through great marketing and promotion, which generates a crowd level that then naturally delivers great atmosphere, and also excellent revenue returns, is what really counts. .

A night of great racing in a half empty stadium won't be remembered anywhere near as much as even the most ordinary of racing which takes place in front of packed in, shoulder to shoulder, noisy full house of fans...

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32 minutes ago, old bob at herne bay said:

Mentioned a financial restructuring is taking place and was optimistic it could be sorted in “ a few days”  To see EB complete the season 

"financial restructuring" we all know what that means in speedway circles, reduce riders wages & withdraw any guarantees! Facts are most other cost are fixed. Any rider not agreeing to a new deal can go to Glasgow.

I honestly hope the problem is resolved & Eastboune are around next season. 

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2 minutes ago, Ghosty said:

"financial restructuring" we all know what that means in speedway circles, reduce riders wages & withdraw any guarantees! Facts are most other cost are fixed. Any rider not agreeing to a new deal can go to Glasgow.

I honestly hope the problem is resolved & Eastboune are around next season. 

What is the fixation, or maybe bitterness, with Glasgow?

If reducing wages at Eastbourne is a possibility, then does that not suggest that the club were paying too much to begin with?

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The only rumours I have seen are Lawson refused to ride at Leicester in ht 15, the size of the debt with the stadium owners and that EK and RL have left ?? Hopefully they can resolve the situation and speedway can continue at Arlington. Time will tell .... "Fingers Crossed" 

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