Eastbourne 2020

[MattB]

15 hours ago, Fromafar said:

You must be joking.! Blind they have had white sticks for years.You cannot seriously think your crowds are going to double because of COVID.Knowing the BSPA they probably did.!!

Absolutely.  It really does feel as though the promoters thought the sport could just pick up where it left off at the end of 2019.  Typical short-sightedness 

[GWC]

1 hour ago, iainb said:

I've added to my original post I think since you replied... your 50% is actually nearer to 20% look at the riders lost to the sport! Those that went on to make any kind of career out of the sport:

Kyle Howarth
Jason Garrity*
Steve Worrall
Paul Starke
Stefan Nielsen
Tom Perry
Ashley Morris
Adam Roynon
Lewis Kerr
Todd Kurtz

I've not done a deep analysis, just looked at who was riding in the 1st match of the season for each NDL home team. But as a DEVELOPMENT league that return is a disaster!

If you have followed speedway for years as I have then you will find that the 20% is pretty much the norm. Injury accounts for about 50% and then lack of good equipment or just lack of ability accounts for the rest.

Speedway is an elite sport and we want good riders who can adapt to all conditions any many just can’t.

[MattB]

15 hours ago, Marshall07 said:

Everyone's going on about high wages and over budget.

Eastbourne have a full British team. No flights in and out, no paying for riders accomm or bike storage!

They could all live in the stadium car park.  If they're paying riders beyond their means, then it's the same outcome.

[IainB]

2 minutes ago, GWC said:

If you have followed speedway for years as I have then you will find that the 20% is pretty much the norm. Injury accounts for about 50% and then lack of good equipment or just lack of ability accounts for the rest.

Speedway is an elite sport and we want good riders who can adapt to all conditions any many just can’t.

I have followed speedway for over 40 years and 20% back in the day from 2nd half's and the odd junior meeting may have been acceptable but from a league that has been designed and setup to develop new riding talent 20% to even just make it to an average level is a total disaster. You can't run a successful NDL without team spots being available in the higher leagues for those riders to progress into. And all these team spots are being taken by riders doubling down. 

[SteveLyric2]

7 minutes ago, MattB said:

They could all live in the stadium car park.  If they're paying riders beyond their means, then it's the same outcome.

Don't forget vans and rider insurance.

[GWC]

4 minutes ago, iainb said:

I have followed speedway for over 40 years and 20% back in the day from 2nd half's and the odd junior meeting may have been acceptable but from a league that has been designed and setup to develop new riding talent 20% to even just make it to an average level is a total disaster. You can't run a successful NDL without team spots being available in the higher leagues for those riders to progress into. And all these team spots are being taken by riders doubling down. 

But I think it goes back to what standard of league do you want and clearly the CL wants a league that is too strong for the ability of many riders that would have been available.

This has been born out by some teams in the middle league employing overseas riders and outnumbering U.K. riders. 

[ruckerroo]

You get promoters with megabucks that bust the bank to get who they perceive is the best side money can buy, it then spirals from there, i suppose, its ok if you got more coming in than going out, but it aint, sadly in lots of cases .

[IainB]

9 minutes ago, GWC said:

But I think it goes back to what standard of league do you want and clearly the CL wants a league that is too strong for the ability of many riders that would have been available.

This has been born out by some teams in the middle league employing overseas riders and outnumbering U.K. riders. 

The question is, what is the NDL for? Is it to develop riders as the name suggests or is it to allow clubs that want to, to run at an affordable level? It should/could be both... it is clearly not a development league though as the higher leagues don't allow for that to happen

Edited August 18, 2021 by iainb

[Fromafar]

1 minute ago, GWC said:

But I think it goes back to what standard of league do you want and clearly the CL wants a league that is too strong for the ability of many riders that would have been available.

This has been born out by some teams in the middle league employing overseas riders and outnumbering U.K. riders. 

Years of watering down the averages ,have create previously mediocre riders becoming much sought after and being overpaid for their services.They are happy to stay in their comfort zone earning decent money ,unfortunately raising admission prices for a second rate product( compared to the past)was not the answer.Fans have drifted away ,and the sport does not have the credibility to attract new young fans in any great numbers( and keep them).

[MartinBSN]

32 minutes ago, MattB said:

They could all live in the stadium car park.  If they're paying riders beyond their means, then it's the same outcome.

What I am meaning is that if the points money seems to appear higher than average it could also be down to the fact they have no extra costs in those other things.

[Pinny]

How clubs thought crowds would rocket after covid is a madness, surely theyd know fans pockets would be tighter than ever after a world wide crisis?

[mikebv]

1 hour ago, Fromafar said:

Years of watering down the averages ,have create previously mediocre riders becoming much sought after and being overpaid for their services.They are happy to stay in their comfort zone earning decent money ,unfortunately raising admission prices for a second rate product( compared to the past)was not the answer.Fans have drifted away ,and the sport does not have the credibility to attract new young fans in any great numbers( and keep them).

Spot on...

The British Final the other night showed how far the talent level has dropped..

No disrespect but not one of those lads are "World Level" at the moment (with an honourable mention to a couple who could be if they keep their current trajectory)..

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..

Definitely in the 70' and 80's and even in the 90's and early 00's there was a fairly deep level of 'top talent' in the British Final..

Most of the lads on show on Monday would have gone out at the semi final qualification stage (at best), in those days when such meetings were ran due to the huge amount of British riders..

As 2nd tier heat leaders used to often fall by the wayside then...

Now these 'very average' lads (when you compare them to the highest level), are heat leaders in both the top leagues so are earning the best money their respective clubs pay out..

What would happen if the "true world class talent" came back? I presume the current lads wouldnt accept a pay cut even though they would drop a fair way down the pecking order, even to second string level, with second strings becoming reserves..

How much would therefore need to be paid out for all 15 GP riders, and Nicki P, Mikkelsen, Bjerre, Dudek, etc etc etc if they came over here..?

The mind would truly boggle.

£50 to get in minimum I would think.. 

Form orderly queues please.. 

Edited August 18, 2021 by mikebv

[old bob at herne bay]

Clubs that find themselves in financial trouble, ought to be placed under “emergency measures” by the BSPL at least to complete the season and given an opportunity to clear debts.

So how about

the riders in teams under emergency measures being paid only at the “BSPL rate” plus a bonus dependent on how many paying spectators above the promoters breakeven watch them?

teams given lee way to reschedule home and away fixtures to smooth out cash flow.

teams given a temporary discount on SCB fees and referee fees to assist with short term finance issues. 

Teams applying for emergency measures will be required to submit their accounts to an independent auditor to review the business , audit club officials renumeration and make binding recommendations to allow emergency measures to be applied

 

[GWC]

‘’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.

 

[cityrebel]

7 minutes 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.

 

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.

[Hackett]

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Al Stewart]

1 hour 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.

 

I can certainly say that the 1975 and 1976 British Finals were two of the greatest meetings I have ever seen, with four qualifiers and names like Collins, Louis, Simmons, Kennett, Wilson, Ashby, Jessup, Pusey, Wyer, McMillan, Morton... Fantastic. But I'm old and it was a long time ago. 

I enjoyed this year's meeting as well. I don't blame anyone really for the sport's decline, it's just what has happened. Several vastly inferior sports get more press and TV coverage, speedway with noise and dust, no female and no ethnic minority participation is very unfashionable.

[IronScorpion]

The riders not being paid has always been an issue to raise even in the past. Riders abroad being owed thousands. Was it not Kim Nilsson or A Jonsson owed thousands by Lakeside before they closed.

Just what is in a contract for the riders?

Do the captains still have to sign a form saying riders have been paid?

Riders not paid can not refuse to ride otherwise they get a 28 day ban!

What happened at Leicester on Friday shows that riders can act with their feet but it is a fine line with fans not knowing what is going on behind the scenes feeling the effects.

[Fromafar]

25 minutes ago, IronScorpion said:

The riders not being paid has always been an issue to raise even in the past. Riders abroad being owed thousands. Was it not Kim Nilsson or A Jonsson owed thousands by Lakeside before they closed.

Just what is in a contract for the riders?

Do the captains still have to sign a form saying riders have been paid?

Riders not paid can not refuse to ride otherwise they get a 28 day ban!

What happened at Leicester on Friday shows that riders can act with their feet but it is a fine line with fans not knowing what is going on behind the scenes feeling the effects.

We’re the fans at Leicester not being cheated though,by lack of effort from certain riders,they should have withdrawn but were obviously scared of being banned from riding.BSPA need do do better regarding non payments.

Edited August 18, 2021 by Fromafar

[cityrebel]

9 minutes ago, Fromafar said:

We’re the fans at Leicester not being cheated though,by lack of effort from certain riders,they should withdrawn but we obviously scared of being banned from riding.BSPA need do do better regarding non payments.

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.