Speedway's future IMO

[Guest]

On 10/17/2019 at 9:14 AM, gustix said:

I don't think speedway will disappear from the British sporting scene. However I think it could eventually cease to be a team sport and evolve more along the open-individual style lines so popular in California, USA. 

 

12 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

Are we any nearer to a conclusion, whether speedway would be better off as a series of individual meetings or continuing to run as a team sport? Perhaps we need a forum referendum? Pinny can't vote though, as he isn't in Britain, apparently. Or would it only be those that attend speedway meetings that can vote and have to prove they had attended by CCTV evidence? Or they still have their beefburger napkin as evidence?     

 

2 minutes ago, DC2 said:

It’s far better as a team sport.

I agree with the assessment. So far as speedway in Britain is concerned it is very much favoured as a team sport.

[Ray Stadia]

4 minutes ago, gustix said:

 

 

I agree with the assessment. So far as speedway in Britain is concerned it is very much favoured as a team sport.

Now that's sorted....we just need to sort out Brexit! 

[fatface]

On 10/29/2019 at 12:36 PM, ChrisSimpson said:

If you're looking to add things to the night to entice families to attend etc the cost spread amongst your whole crowd could be very minimal.  Working on a crowd of say 1000.

Band or DJ to play throughout interval and in bar after meeting - £250

Free Bouncy Castle for Kids - £100

Beat the Starter - Fastest Time of the Night wins £50 mounted on a home team riders 2nd bike which kids and fans get the chance to sit on.

A4 Colouring in Stencil of Rider to give out free to kids - Say 300 at 10p each -  £30

Free Draw to watch a race from centre green based on ticket number - FREE

Photo & Autograph Session with 1 x Home Team Rider per meeting before meeting - FREE

Sweets for home team to throw out to crowd on parade - £50

Then just add anything that money can't buy in relation to fans mingling with their heroes.

Just the above would offer better value for money, everyone loves something that appears to be free.

 

Cost of the above £480 divided by 1000 fans = 48 pence.  It's not exactly rocket science is it ?!?!?!?

Give or take a few quid and notwithstanding the public liability insurance risks for bouncy castles, there are some sound suggestions here.

But, it's all pretty worthless if speedway takes place on a school night in the middle of the week. Straight away you are restricting the number of potential customers. Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Ice Hockey, Netball, Basketball all have a core schedule for the weekend for this very reason. What makes speedway so special that it expects to entice families out on a school night every week? If ever a sport needed to widen its net, it's speedway. 

British speedway needs to be honest, cut its cloth and stop working itself around Sweden, Poland and the GPs and go for the weekend crowd. If that means we lose a few riders on the way, so be it. Let's face it, bending over backwards to accommodate riders demands isn't working now. So what is there to lose? You would more likely get greater commitment from riders who put their UK team first and foremost and we got that stronger team identity we all crave. 

I think speedway works best as a team sport, but I would incorporate much of the above alongside some other track-based sport...sidecars, quad bikes, flat track perhaps and give the families a full 4-5 hours entertainment on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Edited October 30, 2019 by falcace

[rocket007]

Before Speedway finally dies a slow death, can't promotors see that FRN is not working and causing financial suicide to many clubs. Speedway should be run on any night/day that clubs think is best to get crowds in.

[mikebv]

1 hour ago, Ray Stadia said:

Ok. A team sport it shall remain! 

Not fair...

I didn't really know what I was voting for...

So therefore, I want another vote..

And I also demand at least three years worth of prevarication before the original decision is finally verified..

Or isn't.....

Anyway, just got in, popcorn freshly popped and ready...

Good thread this...

 

 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by mikebv

[Hacksaw Jim Duggan]

The clutch of fans who post on here, but don't go have always been a pathetic bunch of sad old pricks wishing the sport dead and they have done it for the entire existence of this forum which is about 14 years now.

"this time next year the sport will be dead" 

The desperation for it to happen that pours from some is utterly tragic 

"I went to speedway so I can say things that will change it" 

No, you can't and you won't because no one actually gives a idiot that you used to attend but now don't because your persona non grata and things have moved on without you 

If people acted like this in a pub, they would be politely told to piss off 

[orion]

2 hours ago, rocket007 said:

Before Speedway finally dies a slow death, can't promotors see that FRN is not working and causing financial suicide to many clubs. Speedway should be run on any night/day that clubs think is best to get crowds in.

Who is it  causing financial  suicide to ?    we were told that guests and rr were causing this financial suicide ...Of course if we change back people will then moan about the riders missing and the reason they are not going .

FRN has been one the best things to happen in recent years imo.

[rocket007]

It killed off Rye House pretty quickly.

[chunky]

7 hours ago, mikebv said:

Not fair...

I didn't really know what I was voting for...

So therefore, I want another vote..

And I also demand at least three years worth of prevarication before the original decision is finally verified..

Or isn't.....

Anyway, just got in, popcorn freshly popped and ready...

Good thread this...

 

 

 

 

We also need to allow the younger voter. After all, they are the ones most affected... 

[chunky]

6 hours ago, Hacksaw Jim Duggan said:

If people acted like this in a pub, they would be politely told to piss off 

They are told that here - just not always that politely!!!

[orion]

16 hours ago, rocket007 said:

It killed off Rye House pretty quickly.

Were they  force to go in the top league and ride on that night ? they done that themselves .No doubt Workington were killed off as they allowed to  race on the  night they wanted to

[wealdstone]

The problem IMO is that for too long the sport has been in the control of a cartel of spivs and wide boys more concerned with self interest than the wider picture. Those that have tried to change things have been hounded out.  Confidently expect the 2020 master plan will be a re hash of increase prices and water down the product.     

[Ray Stadia]

32 minutes ago, wealdstone said:

The problem IMO is that for too long the sport has been in the control of a cartel of spivs and wide boys more concerned with self interest than the wider picture. Those that have tried to change things have been hounded out.  Confidently expect the 2020 master plan will be a re hash of increase prices and water down the product.     

I personally don't think that is fair (above in red), as I believe no track makes a profit, some may just about break even. I think the central problem is the basic product is still good, but the world has moved on and speedway hasn't. But without a massive cash injection, it can never move on. The sport without cash will either 'tread water' or go further in decline. Up to a few years back, it was treading water, but with the closures of last year, it has declined severely. I really don't think the Spivs and Wideboys, know what to do about it.   

[Vince]

On ‎10‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 4:20 PM, falcace said:

Give or take a few quid and notwithstanding the public liability insurance risks for bouncy castles, there are some sound suggestions here.

But, it's all pretty worthless if speedway takes place on a school night in the middle of the week. Straight away you are restricting the number of potential customers. Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Ice Hockey, Netball, Basketball all have a core schedule for the weekend for this very reason. What makes speedway so special that it expects to entice families out on a school night every week? If ever a sport needed to widen its net, it's speedway. 

British speedway needs to be honest, cut its cloth and stop working itself around Sweden, Poland and the GPs and go for the weekend crowd. If that means we lose a few riders on the way, so be it. Let's face it, bending over backwards to accommodate riders demands isn't working now. So what is there to lose? You would more likely get greater commitment from riders who put their UK team first and foremost and we got that stronger team identity we all crave. 

I think speedway works best as a team sport, but I would incorporate much of the above alongside some other track-based sport...sidecars, quad bikes, flat track perhaps and give the families a full 4-5 hours entertainment on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

I agree with the idea of Speedway being a weekend sport, the good old days with big crowds also had the majority of people working until 5 or 6pm which is no longer the case

I don't think you can extend the time a meeting takes or involve it with other sports without it becoming an amateur event supported by friends and family of the competitors and funded by the racers. Too many Speedway fans have absolutely no interest in other forms of racing. About 3 or 4 years ago we did a demonstration race at Rye House on a Saturday night, 'luckily' it was a very good race with loads of passing and plenty of elbows and hard passes made. The crowd were very receptive with plenty of cheering on and applause afterwards and lots of spectators after the meeting asking about flat track and telling us how good it was. . The following day we held a full British Championship meeting at the same track with a minimal spectator entry fee in front of the usual one man and his dog.

All live sport struggles to capture an audience most of the time, even football and cricket which are part of our education and culture only pull a crowd at the highest level. Speedway is expensive to put on and I find it really difficult to see where future crowds are coming from no matter what you do. I've always maintained that much more should be made of the very real danger and risk to the riders as outsiders would be horrified at the list of injuries some riders can collect in a career, it really is an extreme sport marketed as a family friendly one. However while I see that creating some interest I have no idea how long it would last or just how many people would turn up live to watch. Might just be time to fund the sport in a different way with sponsorship available because of good TV coverage being the aim rather than people through the gate.

[Fortythirtyeight]

Interesting that even before the AGM clubs are announcing riders signed and riders released ( Kyle Bickley, an upcoming Brit released before the AGM has even started)

This being the case then the promoters surely know exactly what's been decided on points limits etc . We have clubs moving divisions yet no one as ' officially ' been accepted anywhere .

Sounds like it's already decided and the AGM will see the richer clubs get what they want,( bigger points limit) .

The TV deal may have saved the ' premiership ' , it hasn't saved the sport.

 

[foamfence]

1 minute ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Interesting that even before the AGM clubs are announcing riders signed and riders released ( Kyle Bickley, an upcoming Brit released before the AGM has even started)

This being the case then the promoters surely know exactly what's been decided on points limits etc . We have clubs moving divisions yet no one as ' officially ' been accepted anywhere .

Sounds like it's already decided and the AGM will see the richer clubs get what they want,( bigger points limit) .

The TV deal may have saved the ' premiership ' , it hasn't saved the sport.

 

This has been the case for a few years, there are pre-conference meetings and the actual conference is just for rubber stamping and a few final details...Oh and a nice biscuit selection.

[DC2]

5 minutes ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Interesting that even before the AGM clubs are announcing riders signed and riders released ( Kyle Bickley, an upcoming Brit released before the AGM has even started)

This being the case then the promoters surely know exactly what's been decided on points limits etc . We have clubs moving divisions yet no one as ' officially ' been accepted anywhere .

Sounds like it's already decided and the AGM will see the richer clubs get what they want,( bigger points limit) .

The TV deal may have saved the ' premiership ' , it hasn't saved the sport.

 

With two extra clubs applying you’ll probably find that the leading promoters have agreed that they do not need to pander to one or two lesser clubs who might want a 38 point limit and instead believe they can insist on a 40 point limit and possibly even get 41.

If it’s 41, we might well find Plymouth, Kent and Newcastle underpowered due to insufficient available heatleaders and built to 39.

[Chris116]

I find the comments about young people not being able to attend midweek meetings due to school the next day interesting as throughout my school days I went with my parents to Wimbledon Speedway every week and they used to run on a Monday evening in the early days which then changed to Thursday evenings. My parents had a strict rule that I had to finish my homework before we went to the meeting. If truth were known it was the one day in the week when I did do my homework properly as there was no way I was going to miss the racing! Are today's children really so soft that they are unable to have one or two late nights during the school week? 

[mikebv]

7 hours ago, Chris116 said:

I find the comments about young people not being able to attend midweek meetings due to school the next day interesting as throughout my school days I went with my parents to Wimbledon Speedway every week and they used to run on a Monday evening in the early days which then changed to Thursday evenings. My parents had a strict rule that I had to finish my homework before we went to the meeting. If truth were known it was the one day in the week when I did do my homework properly as there was no way I was going to miss the racing! Are today's children really so soft that they are unable to have one or two late nights during the school week? 

I think the list of other attractions during the week impacts more than not being allowed to stay up..

Since the halcyon days of the sport there are a myriad of things for kids to do post school hours. .

Thousands of kids football/rugby/cricket etc teams now operate and train during the week, my lad trained four nights a week for his several sports teams..

My daughter used to attend two dance classes that were packed mid week..

Schools now do an incredible amount of after school clubs till 8pm or so, covering drama, dance, arts, media production etc etc given so many now have state of the art facilities...

And of course you then have gaming which keeps the little cherubs up to all hours on a school night..

Bottom line is Speedway doesn't maintain the interest of enough kids, many of whom "save the world" each evening on their PS4, narrowly avoiding 'death' each evening to do so..

Hence 'death defying Speedway' leaves them much less impressed than the way earlier generations used to be..

They simply get their adrenaline rush elsewhere these days..

And let's face it, anywhere your Dad and Grandad go to (and most of the crowd are 40 something and above), cannot be cool can it?

Edited November 6, 2019 by mikebv

[Ray Stadia]

6 minutes ago, mikebv said:

I think the list of other attractions during the week impacts more than not being allowed to stay up..

Since the halcyon days of the sport there are a myriad of things for kids to do post school hours. .

Thousands of kids football/rugby/cricket etc teams now operate and train during the week, my lad trained four nights a week for his several sports teams..

M daughter used to attend two dance classes that were packed mid week..

Schools now do an incredible amount of after school clubs till 8pm or so, covering drama, dance, arts, media production etc etc given so many now have state of the art facilities...

And of course you then have gaming which keeps the little cherubs up to all hours on a school night..

Bottom line is Speedway doesn't maintain the interest of enough kids, many of whom "save the world" each evening ln their PS4, narrowly avoiding 'death' each evening to do so..

Hence 'death defying Speedway' leaves them much less impressed than the way earlier generations used to be..

They simply get their adrenaline rush elsewhere these days..

And let's face it, anywhere your Dad and Grandad go to (and most of the crowd are 40 something and above), cannot be cool can it?

I think as well, yesteryear there was more interest in motorcycles. 16 year olds were able to ride a 250cc motorbike on a provisional licence and of course if you were 13 years plus in years, many would be counting down the days to their 16th birthday. To get a motorbike licence nowadays, you have to 'jump through' many hoops and have to obtain your licence in stages, so for a youngster to be naturally interested in motorcycles and motorcycle sports, is going to be few and far between.