Eastbourne 2020

[Midland Red]

3 hours ago, crescent girl said:

Only if they've been indoctrinated that winning is everything.  Plenty of regular attendees (note l don't say fans) go to a speedway be entertained, to enjoy a night out in convivial company and to watch a good contest, good racing and a thrill and spill.   Your team wins, yes that's nice too, but it shouldn't be everything.

“Happiness is 40-38”, they used to say - not 65-13!!!!

[Jimsboy]

3 minutes ago, Richard Weston said:

What matters is where the Eastbourne riders go, if the club closes...deadline day Friday.

Hopefully nowhere. They remain at Arlington for 2021 and the club continues and sees the season out.

[crescent girl]

1 minute ago, Richard Weston said:

What matters is where the Eastbourne riders go, if the club closes...deadline day Friday.

If Eastbourne close -- and I hope and pray they will not -- their rider-assets devolve to the SCB/BSPL.   I suspect that's only Tom Brennan from the current line-up.

The others -- loanees --will go back under the wing of whosoever "owns" their registration -- mostly Premiership clubs?

But even returned loanees would still be under SCB/BSPL control in such circumstances, and while MC permission might well be granted to allow clubs with long-term gaps (Glasgow for Ostergaard, Redcar for Stewart) to sign such riders "in the best interests of the sport" it might not be as easy for other clubs to just take on a former Eagle to bolster their side.     

That kind of move is -- surely -- less likely to gain MC approval without some further discussion.

However, as I said above, let's hope for the miracle.

[torpointfanatic22]

1 hour ago, Marky_Mark said:

Yes, Leicester speedway owner Damien Bates 

And while there are many issues with British speedway, one of the biggest remains current promoters sitting on the committee. It's completely shambolic and has been for years. Until a genuinely objective committee sit at the top table our sport will always remain a joke.

Ex-riders / referees with an objective not speedway official should look after the sport to ensure decisions are made by people without a vested interest.

This of course takes away from the incredibly sad news that is another institutional brand in our sport has gone. I only hope the Eagles can find a way back to the tapes in 2022.

[speedwaysliders]

3 hours ago, lisa-colette said:

Difference being Poole is next to the town centre and Eastbourne is in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure that doesn't make it easy for them.

100% agree with you there,but with the super quick A22 to connect the 10 miles journey,ive just got this vision of  shuttle bus  sponsored shuttle bus  to and from Arlington.Also places like seaford and even brighton 40 mins drive could be targeted.

[Hackett]

Praying for the miracle - but reading between the lines and seeing how speedway is organised I see today's non-announcement more about the SCB sorting out the situation with other promoters - lost points effecting the league and riders situations etc - rather than the delay being sorted to allow Eastbourne to find further funding. 

Eastbourne's location doesn't help them but it has been the same for years - All clubs are likely to struggle this season with the Covid restrictions and economic climate.  I remember seeing posters around Brighton in years past but as stated on other threads - the sport and fanbase is dying so the promoters have to look at other ways of targetting a younger demographic and bring in an independent Chairperson to run the sport. Love him or loathe him an Eddie Hearn type to promote the sport.  Social media coverage has improved but that is not difficult - the sport as a short sharp minute of action should be perfect for the younger generations attention span but needs experts in finding ways to tap into the digital age.. You-Tubers - instagram personalities riding on the back of a bike with a rider using go pros then using footage to their subscribers etc 

The greatest fear is that for anybody in London, Surrey + Sussex this is probably the last opportunity to watch the sport regularly live. My kids have been brought up with the sport taken in carrycots and now 11+15 - Kent Kings timings won't work , Poole is too far away ; so that will be it for a local side and  th speedway itch wil have to be scratched with SGP, British Finals and SoN if at Manchester. 

Should they look at cutting costs in the future and Eastbourne return to NL - those days with Martin + Connor Dugard were very good and a successful time for the club but the current level of NL racing is a far poorer offering and definately wouldn't hold the same interest in it's current format as it did previously. 

Fingers crossed but don't hold out much hope,  

 

[Mike0310]

Hope they survive wouldn’t be surprised if Godfrey has a few lined up for Scunthorpe’s final push for the playoffs.

[old bob at herne bay]

Took a look at the Spedeworth stock car fixtures,  http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/fixtures.php

 all Eastbourne fixtures after the end of August are marked “provisional”.

I wonder what is going on down at Arlington ? 

 

 

[cityrebel]

7 hours ago, Hackett said:

Praying for the miracle - but reading between the lines and seeing how speedway is organised I see today's non-announcement more about the SCB sorting out the situation with other promoters - lost points effecting the league and riders situations etc - rather than the delay being sorted to allow Eastbourne to find further funding. 

Eastbourne's location doesn't help them but it has been the same for years - All clubs are likely to struggle this season with the Covid restrictions and economic climate.  I remember seeing posters around Brighton in years past but as stated on other threads - the sport and fanbase is dying so the promoters have to look at other ways of targetting a younger demographic and bring in an independent Chairperson to run the sport. Love him or loathe him an Eddie Hearn type to promote the sport.  Social media coverage has improved but that is not difficult - the sport as a short sharp minute of action should be perfect for the younger generations attention span but needs experts in finding ways to tap into the digital age.. You-Tubers - instagram personalities riding on the back of a bike with a rider using go pros then using footage to their subscribers etc 

The greatest fear is that for anybody in London, Surrey + Sussex this is probably the last opportunity to watch the sport regularly live. My kids have been brought up with the sport taken in carrycots and now 11+15 - Kent Kings timings won't work , Poole is too far away ; so that will be it for a local side and  th speedway itch wil have to be scratched with SGP, British Finals and SoN if at Manchester. 

Should they look at cutting costs in the future and Eastbourne return to NL - those days with Martin + Connor Dugard were very good and a successful time for the club but the current level of NL racing is a far poorer offering and definately wouldn't hold the same interest in it's current format as it did previously. 

Fingers crossed but don't hold out much hope,  

 

Top post. I'm lucky enough to be able to get to Kent on a Tuesday night, but after last nights farce, i do question my sanity sometimes.

[old bob at herne bay]

Blimey Cityrebel, what was wrong at Kent last night …. Comfortable home victory according to speedway updates ? and 15 heats before curfew

[SuperSpeed]

39 minutes ago, old bob at herne bay said:

Took a look at the Spedeworth stock car fixtures,  http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/fixtures.php

 all Eastbourne fixtures after the end of August are marked “provisional”.

I wonder what is going on down at Arlington ? 

 

 

It looks like fixtures at other tracks are listed as provisional as well, so I don't think there's too much to be gleaned from that.

[old bob at herne bay]

Yes, on second looks there are a lot of provisional stock car fixtures at all the tracks….

[Jimsboy]

58 minutes ago, old bob at herne bay said:

Took a look at the Spedeworth stock car fixtures,  http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/fixtures.php

 all Eastbourne fixtures after the end of August are marked “provisional”.

I wonder what is going on down at Arlington ? 

 

 

So is every other track they operate at including Ipswich from September onwards. Nothing to read into there old Bob. 

[The Dog]

Maybe it's Spedeworth that's in trouble... 

[cityrebel]

35 minutes ago, old bob at herne bay said:

Blimey Cityrebel, what was wrong at Kent last night …. Comfortable home victory according to speedway updates ? and 15 heats before curfew

The track was poor to start with. The riders didn't want to ride. After numerous track inspections we finally got underway at 6.50. It resembled a concrete bowl on the inside and a ploughed field outside. No tractor breaks could remedy the situation, so it was a dust bowl. With such a large crowd present, i was relieved that it wasn't abandoned.

[Jimsboy]

6 minutes ago, The Dog said:

Maybe it's Spedeworth that's in trouble... 

 seriously 

 

[Sings4Speedway]

Can anyone clarify the structure at Eastbourne?

Arlington Owners - Margret & Eric Dugard

Arlington leaseholder - Martin Dugard ?

Speedway Directors - Ian Jordan + Fineing ?

Speedway Promotors - Geer & Kilby ?

So with that in mind regarding 'alleged' outstanding monies....

For the stadium how far up the chain has the money made it or not at all? Do the directors owe Martin D and then in turn he is liable to Eric & Margret?

For the riders is it Geer & Kilby that are liable for the figures owed?

Who gets first financial control of the gate monies? The Directors? 

 

 

[arnieg]

49 minutes ago, Sings4Speedway said:

Can anyone clarify the structure at Eastbourne?

Arlington Owners - Margret & Eric Dugard

Arlington leaseholder - Martin Dugard ?

Speedway Directors - Ian Jordan + Fineing ?

Speedway Promotors - Geer & Kilby ?

So with that in mind regarding 'alleged' outstanding monies....

For the stadium how far up the chain has the money made it or not at all? Do the directors owe Martin D and then in turn he is liable to Eric & Margret?

For the riders is it Geer & Kilby that are liable for the figures owed?

Who gets first financial control of the gate monies? The Directors? 

 

 

Almost all of those will be in corporate wrappers, and liability will be almost entirely down to the extent to which the various company bankers require personal guarantees of the directors/owners.

[M.D]

I may be wrong but I thought that Martin didn't have anything to do with the Stadium anymore?

[Halifaxtiger]

9 hours ago, Hackett said:

Praying for the miracle - but reading between the lines and seeing how speedway is organised I see today's non-announcement more about the SCB sorting out the situation with other promoters - lost points effecting the league and riders situations etc - rather than the delay being sorted to allow Eastbourne to find further funding. 

Eastbourne's location doesn't help them but it has been the same for years - All clubs are likely to struggle this season with the Covid restrictions and economic climate.  I remember seeing posters around Brighton in years past but as stated on other threads - the sport and fanbase is dying so the promoters have to look at other ways of targetting a younger demographic and bring in an independent Chairperson to run the sport. Love him or loathe him an Eddie Hearn type to promote the sport.  Social media coverage has improved but that is not difficult - the sport as a short sharp minute of action should be perfect for the younger generations attention span but needs experts in finding ways to tap into the digital age.. You-Tubers - instagram personalities riding on the back of a bike with a rider using go pros then using footage to their subscribers etc 

The greatest fear is that for anybody in London, Surrey + Sussex this is probably the last opportunity to watch the sport regularly live. My kids have been brought up with the sport taken in carrycots and now 11+15 - Kent Kings timings won't work , Poole is too far away ; so that will be it for a local side and  th speedway itch wil have to be scratched with SGP, British Finals and SoN if at Manchester. 

Should they look at cutting costs in the future and Eastbourne return to NL - those days with Martin + Connor Dugard were very good and a successful time for the club but the current level of NL racing is a far poorer offering and definately wouldn't hold the same interest in it's current format as it did previously. 

Fingers crossed but don't hold out much hope,  

 

 

I agree with much of what you have said but you have to question why Eastbourne are on the verge of closure when 70 miles along the south coast it is - by all accounts - boom time at Isle of Wight (I am reliably informed that last nights attendance was the biggest ever under the present promotion).

Smallbrook is no less inaccessible than Arlington, and you need a car to get there  (you can walk but having done so a few times I certainly wouldn't recommend it - with no streetlights and no pavements, its like a rather nasty game of chicken with speeding motorists).

I think the stupid BSPL decision to run before Covid restrictions were removed and before the vaccination programme got into its stride hamstrung Eastbourne (and indeed all the other clubs) That meant reduced capacity (Wolverhampton, for instance, described that as a 'financial disaster') and people - rightly or wrongly - still being nervous about attending spectator events. Isle of Wight, in contrast, waited until all Covid controls were lifted and more had been vaccinated, and therefore suffered no limited attendances nor misgivings about actually being there, nor were they burdened by financial loss in the early part of the season.

Covid has actually worked in Isle of Wight's favour, at least to a point. Its likely that the amount of domestic holidays in 2021 has been greater than at any time since the early 1970's (every day I seem to read about how packed Cornwall is) and the Warriors have really cashed in on it. You have to ask why Eastbourne - which is in no less of a holiday area - have not done the same. Part of the reason might be Isle of Wight's furious attempts to publicise the sport on the Island, recognising that many visitors might be unaware of the speedway's existence. In my many trips to Eastbourne, I don't recall any such attempts at all. 

Then there's the fact that Isle of Wight have substantially diversified their activities on race night. That might not be to everyone's taste (me included) but is anyone going to suggest it doesn't work ?

The main factor, though, I think is financial responsibility and that is taken extremely seriously by the Isle of Wight promotion. Whatever else might have been said about the Warriors, they operate on the basis that income must reasonably cover expenditure. To me, its seems clear that Eastbourne grossly overestimated income and/or grossly underestimated expenditure and that's why one club is in the black (more than that, much more, I suspect) and the other is on the brink of closing down.

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by Halifaxtiger