waytogo28 Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 When do Freesports usaully show these matches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enotian Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 2 hours ago, waytogo28 said: When do Freesports usaully show these matches? randomly and only some weeks. I've a series link set up to catch them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enotian Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 20 hours ago, Bavarian said: Foreign clubs can not join the Ekstraliga. A British Club may apply to join the Polish League, but has to start in Division Two, like a couple of German clubs did. But this level of competition is worse than what You already have in the SGB Premiership in Britain, perhaps not even as good as SGB Championship. No option for a club like Belle Vue. currently but if it was financially beneficial (better TV deal or larger market for sponsors) I'm sure they'd consider the proposition. alternatively propose something similar to the Swedish/Danish authorities. Maybe add a German and/or Latvian club so the league is held at GP standard venues. I just feel that the sport in this country could do with having a top tier product that British fans could access. The current strategy to improve the standard seems to be by developing British talent (which they're doing a great job at with limited resources) but even if the current batch reach world standard don't they just (justifiably) follow the Woffinden/Lambert path and concentrate on continental fixtures? I don't think there is any future in a six team (5 promoter) top league without any world stars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waytogo28 Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 14 hours ago, enotian said: I don't think there is any future in a six team (5 promoter) top league without any world stars It's just of the swirls as UK domestic speedway goes down the plughole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 14 hours ago, enotian said: currently but if it was financially beneficial (better TV deal or larger market for sponsors) I'm sure they'd consider the proposition. alternatively propose something similar to the Swedish/Danish authorities. Maybe add a German and/or Latvian club so the league is held at GP standard venues. I just feel that the sport in this country could do with having a top tier product that British fans could access. The current strategy to improve the standard seems to be by developing British talent (which they're doing a great job at with limited resources) but even if the current batch reach world standard don't they just (justifiably) follow the Woffinden/Lambert path and concentrate on continental fixtures? I don't think there is any future in a six team (5 promoter) top league without any world stars What a state speedway in this country has become what with two leagues back in the seventies compromising of 18 plus teams per league and all the world stars competing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Someone posted about losing interest yet still being involved, it’s so true, Arena finished 3 years ago and the current first division is something of a joke but I still love the sport, I get my fix from clips on YouTube both current and old. Someone even posted the recent Witches vs Wolves meeting, is that Kevin Long still doing the MC on the centre green? Sounded like him, one of the better ones given my 30 plus years of following the sport. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontforgetthefueltapsbruv Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 2 hours ago, marko said: Someone posted about losing interest yet still being involved, it’s so true, Arena finished 3 years ago and the current first division is something of a joke but I still love the sport, I get my fix from clips on YouTube both current and old. Someone even posted the recent Witches vs Wolves meeting, is that Kevin Long still doing the MC on the centre green? Sounded like him, one of the better ones given my 30 plus years of following the sport. Yes Kevin is still in situ and I agree he is one of the very best 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted July 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 Would the crowds return, if fewer meetings were staged with all the top riders competing. We were discussing this subject at Eastbourne this afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25yearfan Posted July 4, 2021 Report Share Posted July 4, 2021 (edited) You'd get few more in but not that many more cause I fear that the majority of lapsed fans who don't go can't be arsed with speedway full stop. A prime example of this is Mildenhall speedway. They don't want to move up to the 2nd Division even though the crowds are on a par with many in that Division cause crowd levels wouldn't increase by hardly any yet the costs would go through the roof. I'm afraid speedways a retro sport and when us 60+ age group, fans are gone their won't be many others left to make staging meetings worthwhile. In a way I feel blessed that I can still watch speedway in my retired years cause the few youngsters that attend meetings now I suspect won't have the same opportunity in their later years? - I hope I'm proven wrong! Edited July 4, 2021 by 25yearfan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 8 hours ago, 25yearfan said: You'd get few more in but not that many more cause I fear that the majority of lapsed fans who don't go can't be arsed with speedway full stop. A prime example of this is Mildenhall speedway. They don't want to move up to the 2nd Division even though the crowds are on a par with many in that Division cause crowd levels wouldn't increase by hardly any yet the costs would go through the roof. I'm afraid speedways a retro sport and when us 60+ age group, fans are gone their won't be many others left to make staging meetings worthwhile. In a way I feel blessed that I can still watch speedway in my retired years cause the few youngsters that attend meetings now I suspect won't have the same opportunity in their later years? - I hope I'm proven wrong! It's all very sad. speedway did, and still should, have all the ingredients of being a spectacular experience combining skill, dare devil riding, thrills and spills and yet struggles to grab the attention. However one of the most repetitive sports imaginable (tennis) enjoys blanket coverage on both BBC channels and media hype which says something about modern society and how easily it can be swayed into believing something is good. I would dare to suggest that other sports fall into that same category. Speedway's failings I blame almost entirely on bad management skills and indecisiveness down the years (constant unnecessary rule changes for example) when the promoters should have been pulling together rather than appearing at odds and now they appear to be paying the ultimate choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk127 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 11 hours ago, cityrebel said: Would the crowds return, if fewer meetings were staged with all the top riders competing. We were discussing this subject at Eastbourne this afternoon. Few outside the current followers have ever heard of many of the top riders (except for Polish supporters perhaps) and the lapsed fans may well take the view that “we have seen it all before but it won’t last” . It might be too big a financial risk for many running tracks. It is sad but the U K version has to find its own level and rebuild at club level. Outside that you have some talented riders who will rise through the ranks but for now it would seem that the best option for the weekly fix in the U K is to plough our own furrow. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRKYLANE Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 I have been to Belle Vue each meeting this year. there are a lot of missing faces.... but not necessarily due to lack of interest......there are fans that are very wary at the moment and will pick back up once the restrictions are eased. I expect crowds to pick up after July 19th...... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OveFundinFan Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 1 hour ago, KIRKYLANE said: I have been to Belle Vue each meeting this year. there are a lot of missing faces.... but not necessarily due to lack of interest......there are fans that are very wary at the moment and will pick back up once the restrictions are eased. I expect crowds to pick up after July 19th...... Why do you think fans who were wary “at the moment”, presume during COVID restrictions, will be back when restrictions are eased. Some are sure to have stayed away because they concerned about catching COVID, even with masks and social distancing, and the relaxing of restrictions are not going to take away their concerns. The government is saying it will be a time of personal responsibility. COVID doesn’t follow a government lift of restrictions, it’s with us for years “we have to learn to live with it”, that means some level of sensibility and personal responsibility. What I hope is those that lack sensibility and personal responsibility will show due respect to those that will want to take precautions where necessary by leaving space and not abuse someone’s personal decision and space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRKYLANE Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 I still think there is hesitancy which will diminish with time. Covid will still be around after the 19th… but is up to the public to remain vigilant. with the number of double vaccined people getting to high levels the danger is being minimised as opposed to being removed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HackneyHawk Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 (edited) I can't resist...........I've said this a million times to anyone that will listen but here I go again League Speedway needs to be promoted with professionalism and taking itself seriously as a sport to attract new committed partisan supporters of local clubs. I DO NOT LIKE Speedway being promoted as a sideshow, you get the picture "extreme sport - no brakes" type of thing. That is not sustainable. It should be a serious sport. If it's a sideshow, people come along like they would to a 'monster truck' show then they've seen it once, the racing thrill soon wears off if they have nothing to support and they don't come back. A cultural phenomena that has really taken hold over the past 20yrs is more and more people getting into supporting a football team, wearing the merchandise and 'belonging' to a club. People will even wear team colours of sports teams from other countries. Put on a decent presentation (which doesn't cost money) and promote the sport as though it means something as a sport and not just a spectacle. And any 'promoter' who doesn't put some signposts up around the town or try to get the team into local newspapers/tv/radio should be shot! The general quality of UK league speedway PR is horrible Edited July 5, 2021 by HackneyHawk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Stadia Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 17 minutes ago, HackneyHawk said: I can't resist...........I've said this a million times to anyone that will listen but here I go again League Speedway needs to be promoted with professionalism and taking itself seriously as a sport to attract new committed partisan supporters of local clubs. I DO NOT LIKE Speedway being promoted as a sideshow, you get the picture "extreme sport - no brakes" type of thing. That is not sustainable. It should be a serious sport. If it's a sideshow, people come along like they would to a 'monster truck' show then they've seen it once, the racing thrill soon wears off if they have nothing to support and they don't come back. A cultural phenomena that has really taken hold over the past 20yrs is more and more people getting into supporting a football team, wearing the merchandise and 'belonging' to a club. People will even wear team colours of sports teams from other countries. Put on a decent presentation (which doesn't cost money) and promote the sport as though it means something as a sport and not just a spectacle. And any 'promoter' who doesn't put some signposts up around the town or try to get the team into local newspapers/tv/radio should be shot! The general quality of UK league speedway PR is horrible Doesn't cost money to who? The fans, the riders or the promoters? To put on a decent presentation and to promote the sport properly will definitely cost money, a lot of money which isn't in the sport, maybe never was, probably not for many many years. For speedway (or for 4 riders going round an oval shale track to survive), in my opinion, it needs to go back to grass roots and build from the bottom. The sport needs more tracks and more homegrown riders. The sport needs to be far cheaper for everyone, the riders the fans and the promoters/organisers. It needs to be an amateur sport, similar to grass track. More tracks will probably mean 'tracks in a field', but does that matter? If a rider wants to ride, they will ride for free or even pay to ride, as grass track riders do. The sport needs to get back to everyone loving the sport, i.e. the riders, organisers and the fans. At the moment, everyone is gathered around the patients bed watching the patient slowly die and everyone feeling depressed. However, there are a minority who feel all is well and are ignoring the fact, the emperor is wearing no clothes! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 Something else which is seldom mentioned is with crowds going down so is the likely effect of lack of volunteers, and that is something speedway depends a lot on, back in the 80s there seemed to be more track staff than there are now, (using Arena Essex as an example) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waytogo28 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 2 hours ago, Ray Stadia said: It needs to be an amateur sport, similar to grass track. More tracks will probably mean 'tracks in a field', but does that matter? If a rider wants to ride, they will ride for free or even pay to ride, as grass track riders do. The sport needs to get back to everyone loving the sport, i.e. the riders, organisers and the fans. And that will be UK league speedway's destination / future before much longer. Looks unavoidable IMHO. 2 hours ago, Ray Stadia said: At the moment, everyone is gathered around the patients bed watching the patient slowly die and everyone feeling depressed. However, there are a minority who feel all is well and are ignoring the fact, the emperor is wearing no clothes! Better than I could put it myself! Next season - 4 Premier League tracks and only 3 make the "playoffs"? Already the bulk of all teams are made up of double up riders. I believe tha final season of UK league speedway will consist of riders being chose from a pool, who make themselves available on the night and who roughly fit into some sort of loose averages limit. The real rider circus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davie10 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 fed up with it long time ago same old rubbish getting served at inflated prices , i have still to was a match on telly all the way through without either turning over or falling asleep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted July 6, 2021 Report Share Posted July 6, 2021 22 hours ago, HackneyHawk said: I can't resist...........I've said this a million times to anyone that will listen but here I go again League Speedway needs to be promoted with professionalism and taking itself seriously as a sport to attract new committed partisan supporters of local clubs. I DO NOT LIKE Speedway being promoted as a sideshow, you get the picture "extreme sport - no brakes" type of thing. That is not sustainable. It should be a serious sport. If it's a sideshow, people come along like they would to a 'monster truck' show then they've seen it once, the racing thrill soon wears off if they have nothing to support and they don't come back. A cultural phenomena that has really taken hold over the past 20yrs is more and more people getting into supporting a football team, wearing the merchandise and 'belonging' to a club. People will even wear team colours of sports teams from other countries. Put on a decent presentation (which doesn't cost money) and promote the sport as though it means something as a sport and not just a spectacle. And any 'promoter' who doesn't put some signposts up around the town or try to get the team into local newspapers/tv/radio should be shot! The general quality of UK league speedway PR is horrible Also at the risk of repeating mys 21 hours ago, Ray Stadia said: Doesn't cost money to who? The fans, the riders or the promoters? To put on a decent presentation and to promote the sport properly will definitely cost money, a lot of money which isn't in the sport, maybe never was, probably not for many many years. Also at the risk of repeating myself from a couple of other threads... Leicester have done little to nothing to promote the fact that they are current league and cup winners, you really have to dig down on the website to find that out, there was not even a preview of the opening match in the defence of the cup for the home match... yet they'll put a press release out about being concerned about the lack of ticket sales. Yes promotion can cost money but there's lots of things you can do that cost little to nothing and at Leicester this is just not being done. Many potential supporters are attracted by success but the fact we're reigning league and cup champs seems to be dirty words at Leicester. There's nothing around the stadium or in the presentation to signify that you're watching something special (even if you're not, new people aren't going to know this). There are adverts on some busses in the city, they've not had league and cup champs added to them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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