YouTube

[mikebv]

Recently I have been watching far more on YouTube than ordinary TV and have come across lots of Sunday League and Non League teams filming themselves and putting out 20 to 30 min shows featuring their games..

SE Dons in London (Grass roots Sunday League), have built up a huge following (and therefore money), on YouTube, with literally hundreds of thousands of followers..

The basic premise is around five to ten mins of players and club officials arriving and a quick discussion with them about the game, how they have been etc, and a quick talk with some of the fans watching, then they show the managers team talk before the highlights of the first half..

Managers half time talk again then the highlights of the second half, with the managers post match team talk to finish..

All done in circa 25 mins with no longer than five mins tops on any actual segment..

SE Dons actually now have players included in mainstream TV on Soccer AM such is there 'fame' and do exhibition fund raising matches around the country..

They have also had over 3000 people watching them in a final.. 

They sell their merchandise at the same time (10,000 shirts sold!), and have several companies advertising with them, and do product endorsements. (Energy drinks etc)..

And they are not alone as many other clubs do the same but maybe to not that level yet, but you can clearly see they are working on it..

Therefore. What is stopping Speedway clubs doing the same? 

Most 'yoofs' dont watch a full programme of anything these days so highlights and showing the characters of the individuals appeals to them, and the cameras that are used are certainly not SKY level but comfortably deliver in HD what is required. (Some coverage is even done by phone)..

I was suggested it by the algorithm that is used on sites like YouTube due to me watching lots of football at grass roots and pro level on there..

A Speedway club would, you would think, get included within the 'motorsport' algorithm which could suggest watching to F1, MotoGP, MX and Superbike followers etc..

The coverage is making 'celebrities' out of these grass root playing lads in a key demographic, (my lad knows all their names and capabilities), so why can't Speedway try and do the same?

Advertising on Facebook or Twitter to those who already know about you wont stimulate any extra interest..

There are literally millions out there using platforms like YouTube daily so surely clubs should try and get themselves noticed on it..?

Cherry pick the best races to show, hopefully have a touch of controversy to cover, and get the personalities of the lads out there.. 

We live in a world of "bite size" information which is used to attract a public with an ever diminishing attention span given so much is 'out there' to watch..

A huge untapped market for Speedway clubs, especially with algorithms including local town names..

The more who watch you, the higher you appear on the suggested names using the predicted text, which can only generate some curious interest from those 'local people' watching who maybe dont know about you, or even prick interest from those who do know about you  or even used to go...

 

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by mikebv

[cityrebel]

4 hours ago, mikebv said:

Recently I have been watching far more on YouTube than ordinary TV and have come across lots of Sunday League and Non League teams filming themselves and putting out 20 to 30 min shows featuring their games..

SE Dons in London (Grass roots Sunday League), have built up a huge following (and therefore money), on YouTube, with literally hundreds of thousands of followers..

The basic premise is around five to ten mins of players and club officials arriving and a quick discussion with them about the game, how they have been etc, and a quick talk with some of the fans watching, then they show the managers team talk before the highlights of the first half..

Managers half time talk again then the highlights of the second half, with the managers post match team talk to finish..

All done in circa 25 mins with no longer than five mins tops on any actual segment..

SE Dons actually now have players included in mainstream TV on Soccer AM such is there 'fame' and do exhibition fund raising matches around the country..

They have also had over 3000 people watching them in a final.. 

They sell their merchandise at the same time (10,000 shirts sold!), and have several companies advertising with them, and do product endorsements. (Energy drinks etc)..

And they are not alone as many other clubs do the same but maybe to not that level yet, but you can clearly see they are working on it..

Therefore. What is stopping Speedway clubs doing the same? 

Most 'yoofs' dont watch a full programme of anything these days so highlights and showing the characters of the individuals appeals to them, and the cameras that are used are certainly not SKY level but comfortably deliver in HD what is required. (Some coverage is even done by phone)..

I was suggested it by the algorithm that is used on sites like YouTube due to me watching lots of football at grass roots and pro level on there..

A Speedway club would, you would think, get included within the 'motorsport' algorithm which could suggest watching to F1, MotoGP, MX and Superbike followers etc..

The coverage is making 'celebrities' out of these grass root playing lads in a key demographic, (my lad knows all their names and capabilities), so why can't Speedway try and do the same?

Advertising on Facebook or Twitter to those who already know about you wont stimulate any extra interest..

There are literally millions out there using platforms like YouTube daily so surely clubs should try and get themselves noticed on it..?

Cherry pick the best races to show, hopefully have a touch of controversy to cover, and get the personalities of the lads out there.. 

We live in a world of "bite size" information which is used to attract a public with an ever diminishing attention span given so much is 'out there' to watch..

A huge untapped market for Speedway clubs, especially with algorithms including local town names..

The more who watch you, the higher you appear on the suggested names using the predicted text, which can only generate some curious interest from those 'local people' watching who maybe dont know about you, or even prick interest from those who do know about you  or even used to go...

 

 

I went to watch one of my local step 7 clubs, which attracted a crowd of less than 100. Yet they used a multi camera set up to film the proceedings. This is not uncommon at non league football.

[stevehone]

a while ago we had to sign papers to allow gospeed full rights to any media produced at speedway, wonder if there is something similar in place now from somewhere else that has restricted things?

i think people that used to record the odd race and put them online soon got stopped

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

53 minutes ago, stevehone said:

a while ago we had to sign papers to allow gospeed full rights to any media produced at speedway, wonder if there is something similar in place now from somewhere else that has restricted things?

i think people that used to record the odd race and put them online soon got stopped

Short sighted restrictions such as this do the sport no favours at all

[uk_martin]

1 hour ago, stevehone said:

a while ago we had to sign papers to allow gospeed full rights to any media produced at speedway...

Eh? So YOU do all the grafting, and Terry Russell gets all the profits from it?

Is Russel / SlowSpeed still in business? He used to have the worldwide television rights to distribute Polish Speedway, which he used purely to stop anyone outside of Poland from seeing it...but obviously, that cornerstone to his business is no longer in place, so I wonder if the business is still going?

[IainB]

12 hours ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

Short sighted restrictions such as this do the sport no favours at all

They used to prohibit photo's and videos at rock concerts... more recently the talent themselves on the stage encourage it, it all equals more exposure

[mikebv]

For me it should be a 'no brainer'...

Something like this doesnt need 'professional quality' production as its more about the "back story". ie the characters under the helmets, the fans on the terraces, the managers thoughts etc, etc..

The emotional reaction of the riders, managers and fans to races or whole meetings victory and defeat is what you should be aspiring to show more of. 

Just 10,000 views would, most likely, be predominantly from around the local area and getting just 1% of those to come to their local track would deliver circa another couple of grand per night.. 

You can stand in supermarket foyers handing flyers out all you want..

Getting a following on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram etc is worth a huge amount more..

Plenty of "characters" in the sport that should be given the platform to get themselves noticed locally in particular and that would undoubtedly gain interest in the club...

From kids at 16 just starting out with dreams of stardom, to elder 40 somethings who have travelled the globe successfully racing, Speedway has a broad demographic of rider so should show it off..

20 minute vignettes would be perfect for the modern day audience who simply like to record everything and fast forward it to the "good bits"...

Edited June 14, 2021 by mikebv

[Falcon1983]

I've started my own grass roots Sunday football league side

www.youtube.com/realsuffolkfc any subscribers welcome, first of all it is a very long process but SE Dons is the level to be at, I think the Dons have done well in terms of having a platform to launch from as Don Strapzy one of the key figures behind it had a following in the grime scene, but they have certainly built up a good reputation across social media they have fans in Brazil that buy their shirts etc, to be honest at the moment I am working on setting up a friendly with them in 2022 however they have and quite rightly built up the rights to dictate how this happens, so i have to cover travel, food and drinks etc. for their whole team

YouTube now alongside Facebook and Insta allow for mini videos to be played as mini adverts this is where British Speedway should look to do, big passes, crashes etc. promote on social media to younger people, make them think WOW and get the shares, likes, views up even some subscriptions to the channels and social media links, then its captured more numbers to market meetings to

I think domestic Speedway in all honestly would work better having a Grand Prix Style British Championship say over 7 rounds, and market this as the main event, the big event to get people to attend and watch potentially as their first meeting, if marketed correctly you will find people are interested or may be interested in a big event in their local area as opposed to something that is more regular, for example if there was a World or British round of Motocross locally people would be engaged as its a "world or british championship round" sounds like a one-off opportunity to watch, once they are there, league racing can be promoted by the host venue etc.

 

[mikebv]

4 hours ago, Falcon1983 said:

I've started my own grass roots Sunday football league side

www.youtube.com/realsuffolkfc any subscribers welcome, first of all it is a very long process but SE Dons is the level to be at, I think the Dons have done well in terms of having a platform to launch from as Don Strapzy one of the key figures behind it had a following in the grime scene, but they have certainly built up a good reputation across social media they have fans in Brazil that buy their shirts etc, to be honest at the moment I am working on setting up a friendly with them in 2022 however they have and quite rightly built up the rights to dictate how this happens, so i have to cover travel, food and drinks etc. for their whole team

YouTube now alongside Facebook and Insta allow for mini videos to be played as mini adverts this is where British Speedway should look to do, big passes, crashes etc. promote on social media to younger people, make them think WOW and get the shares, likes, views up even some subscriptions to the channels and social media links, then its captured more numbers to market meetings to

I think domestic Speedway in all honestly would work better having a Grand Prix Style British Championship say over 7 rounds, and market this as the main event, the big event to get people to attend and watch potentially as their first meeting, if marketed correctly you will find people are interested or may be interested in a big event in their local area as opposed to something that is more regular, for example if there was a World or British round of Motocross locally people would be engaged as its a "world or british championship round" sounds like a one-off opportunity to watch, once they are there, league racing can be promoted by the host venue etc.

 

Spot on..

18 teams will collectively pay out several hundred thousands of pounds to riders per season  yet hardly make a ripple in the awareness of the people right on their doorsteps...

If every top two division club reduced their payroll by £10k this season (which over so many matches wouldn't be a huge amount per meeting divided by 14 riders)...

It would allow a "British Masters" or some such competition name to take place over several rounds with a £180,000 prize pot...

In fact 11 tracks could get a round with the other seven nominated for the four quarters, the two semis and the final itself..

Taking place at the seven best tracks for entertainment/capacity... 

£10,000 divided by seven riders is a reduction of £1429 per rider over a season (less than £100 a night for a full fixture list) and if they rode in say six 'well attended' qualifiers each then you would hope they would get much more than that back..

With those reaching the quarters to the final earning even more...

Surely this size of event would generate far more publicity than the sport currently gets, both locally and nationally?

And as Falcon1983 recommends, you promote your "team" on the back of meeting you are promoting...

With the savvy ones doing special offers, collecting emails, mobile numbers etc...

Currently they are literally paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds for what appears zero return...

So use some of this money to improve things...

 

 

Edited June 15, 2021 by mikebv

[enotian]

I recall there being a reality TV style series which I think aired on E4 around a class within the BSB championship for young riders.  It was a good while ago because it featured the likes of Jonathan Rea, Tommy Hill and Tom Sykes.  From memory it was a higher level than the British Talent Cup but they were all young lads trying to climb the ladder.  There wa as much behind the scenes footage as there was actual racing coverage.  Focusing on the rivalries between the competitors and their backgrounds.

Not something speedway has ever been short of!!  Imagine if you could document the previous rivalries between British riders alone.  The North South split etc I guess the stories are  endless.

I wonder if any youtube content would be best focussed on a (GP style) series for young riders to try and reach that younger audience.  I'm thinking the current crop of youngsters Brennan, Kemp, Rowe, Palin, Flint, Thompson's etc.  Maybe throw in a young American, Aussie. Europeans etc. riders of similar standard and age range. Invitational to ensure the right 'cast' and product.  Charge £10 for spectators but have each competitor provide background content to build their own brand to attract sponsors.

Hopefully attracting a younger audience (who can relate to the competitors ) and even an older audience (who relate to their parents) and maybe even attracting youngsters who want to emulate these youngsters.

It should be relatively low cost to run and at the very least would give these youngsters track time and hopefully media exposure.  And you never know some people might just follow these youngsters journeys beyond the series.

[Falcon1983]

This is where everyone has a different idea but if all the best parts were taken from all ideas then there could be something to look at....

For me the main event of British Speedway should be a "British Speedway Grand Prix Championship"

The idea is to give British riders a reason to take up the sport as not everyone will reach the heights of World Grand Prix level or Poland.

So the British Grand Prix Series take place over say 12 rounds, these are the events that should be on Eurosport.

Looking for a series sponsor which would be easier to find for a British Championship as opposed to a league championship, say someone like Vanarama £50k plus a Van

Overall winner could take home £30k cheque and a brand new Van

2nd place can be £15k with 3rd place taking £5k

I would call it the "Super 12 Grand Prix" as its 12 rounds but also only have 12 riders in it, so from riders here and now I would say

1. Dan Bewley
2. Charles Wright
3. Steve Worrall
4. Danny King
5. Richard Lawson
6. Craig Cook
7. Chris Harris
8. Scott Nicholls
9. Adam Ellis
10. Kyle Howarth
11. Richie Worrall
12. Lewis Kerr

12 race format with riders getting a race from Gates 1-4, top 4 riders into a Final at each round, for "Medal Points" overall champion is decided by total standard race points accumulated with a bonus "medals points table" so Bewley and Wright could finish on 120 points each for their 4 programme races across 12 rounds but the "medals points" table then counts on their overall total so medal points is for each final at each round, Gold is 3 points, Silver is 2 points, Bronze is 1 point.

Over the 12 rounds prize money is distributed via ticket sales say 1000 spectators at £20 so £20,000 prize per round, any ticket sales over 1000 is host venue to keep

£6k winner, £4k runner up, £2k 3rd place with the £8k distributed between the other 9 riders.

Riders with guaranteed 12 meetings on Eurosport LIVE should get decent sponsorship revenue.

£50k of Eurosport money should go towards developing riders for the future £50k should go towards promoting the British Grand Prix Championship and other marketing 

As part of this you have a "Rising Stars Championship" for riders under 23 who are not racing in the top flight Polish league and not at heat leader status in the Top British League so for now you would have a field consisting of

1. Anders Rowe
2. Tom Brennan
3. Kyle Bickley
4. Leon Flint
5. Drew Kemp
6. James Shanes
7. Connor Bailey
8. Jack Smith

(not sure if any are over 23)

These race as part of the programme, their championship is over 8 heats top 4 into the final.

so overall you get a "British Super '12' Speedway Grand Prix Series" consisting of 12 races + 1 final, incorporated into this you get a "British Super 8 Rising Star Grand Prix Series" consisting of 8 races + 1 final so 22 races.

 

League racing should then be a 10 team British League built to Championship strength now, riding home and away once then play offs with a Cup competition, then a 12 team National League built to what Championship strength is now but you replace the top average rider with a rising star so it's a weaker league racing home and away once with play offs and a cup competition 

League meetings can be 15 heats as now, cup meetings can be the old 13 heat format to add variety 

The BSPL to set up a league channel similar to a Netflix, say £6.99 per month you get live meetings from British and National League say 6-8 meetings per month, British & National League Riders Championship, England test matches vs Germany/Sweden/Poland/Latvia etc. plus old reruns of classic matches, interviews, behind the scenes, documentaries etc. Enough content to make is a 12 month subscription and VFM if the 22 league clubs had say 200 subscribers each that's 22 × 200 x £6.99 x 12 months = £369,072 revenue 

 

I'm going with a less is more theory with the aim of ensuring clubs get bums on seats and only have the individual series on TV to benefit British riders, and to benefit clubs and promoters people will have to buy tickets to actually see it, not on TV only every now and again on the Speedway GB Channel

As league racing is minimal I would even look at doing PPV extras on the channel maybe doing a 3 round Commenwealth Championship and/or a 3 round Inter-Continental Championship which rewards some of the foreign lads that are dedicated to British Speedway make the PPV £9.99 restricted to a 50mile radius from the host venue and use some of the revenue from the Channel as prize money

Commonwealth Championship could consist of 

1. Brady Kurtz (Australia)
2. Charles Wright (UK)
3. Dan Bewley (UK)
4. Jason Crump (Australia)
5. Danny King (UK)
6. Jake Allen (Australia)
7. Bradley Wilson-Dean (New Zealand)
8. Craig Cook (UK)
9. Troy Batchelor (Australia)
10. Jack Holder (Australia)
11. Adam Ellis (UK)
12. Rory Schlein (UK)
13. Sam Masters (Australia)
14. Chris Harris (UK)
15. Scott Nicholls (UK)
16. Nick Morris (Australia)

an Inter-Continental Championship could consist of 

1. Luke Becker (USA)
2. Craig Cook (UK)
3. Brady Kurtz (Australia)
4. Eric Riss (Germany)
5. Jason Crump (Australia)
6. Bjarne Pedersen (Denmark)
7. Troy Batchelor (Australia)
8. Thomas Jorgensen (Denmark)
9. Jack Holder (Australia)
10. Dan Bewley (UK)
11. Broc Nicol (USA)
12. Adam Ellis (UK)
13. Michael Palm-Toft (Denmark)
14. Sam Masters (Australia)
15. Charles Wright (UK)
16. Danny King (UK)

If these meetings had a decent level of prize money on offer, its rewarding riders who commit to British Speedway, gives them an incentive to take home some good prize money at the end of the season, looking at that list where are the Swedes? should be more Danes, could tempt some riders over.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by Falcon1983