British Speedway

[JanAndersen]

I think most people would agree that British Speedway isn’t in great shape and needs something of a kick start. 
 

A couple of suggestions for starters from me:
 

I feel much of reason for the situation is there not being any sort of strategic vision for the sport because we sit and wait for the promoters to make up rules/league structure etc each winter. British Speedway needs a two/five/ten year plan that would allow potential sponsors, supporters and riders to see the direction of travel. Targets for measures such as percentage of riders home grown, British representation at GP level, sponsorship ambition etc. 

Secondly I believe there should be significant supporter representation at board level. This would help hold promoters to account and also ensure our voices are being heard officially. 
 

There’s a million things we could change but what would your suggestion be?

[Fromafar]

6 minutes ago, JanAndersen said:

I think most people would agree that British Speedway isn’t in great shape and needs something of a kick start. 
 

A couple of suggestions for starters from me:
 

I feel much of reason for the situation is there not being any sort of strategic vision for the sport because we sit and wait for the promoters to make up rules/league structure etc each winter. British Speedway needs a two/five/ten year plan that would allow potential sponsors, supporters and riders to see the direction of travel. Targets for measures such as percentage of riders home grown, British representation at GP level, sponsorship ambition etc. 

Secondly I believe there should be significant supporter representation at board level. This would help hold promoters to account and also ensure our voices are being heard officially. 
 

There’s a million things we could change but what would your suggestion be?

It’s hard to believe anything will change  given what has been said over the last few years.Everything seems Rosie in the BSPA.

[Trees]

British speedway and it's clubs are in such precarious positions that it's impossible to have long term plans, promoters have to plan season to season?  Of course they'd all love to have long term, big TV deals, long term, big money sponsorship deals etc etc but they don't exist for them?

[Fortythirtyeight]

5 minutes ago, JanAndersen said:

I think most people would agree that British Speedway isn’t in great shape and needs something of a kick start. 
 

A couple of suggestions for starters from me:
 

I feel much of reason for the situation is there not being any sort of strategic vision for the sport because we sit and wait for the promoters to make up rules/league structure etc each winter. British Speedway needs a two/five/ten year plan that would allow potential sponsors, supporters and riders to see the direction of travel. Targets for measures such as percentage of riders home grown, British representation at GP level, sponsorship ambition etc. 

Secondly I believe there should be significant supporter representation at board level. This would help hold promoters to account and also ensure our voices are being heard officially. 
 

There’s a million things we could change but what would your suggestion be?

Your right about a lack of an apparent plan for the future but your point on fan representation on the ‘ board ‘ is one that will not be welcomed by the people in control. Why would individuals who own their own clubs and therefore fund it, with all its is current stress and financial loses, want a fans rep saying “ your doing it wrong “ ?. Your ( our ) voices are heard, every home match if you actually speak to the promoter before or after a meeting. Happens every week at Redcar , usually over a pint after the meeting, but you have to take into account that the promoters voice is one of many at AGM’s and the like so whatever point you put across has to be agreed by ‘ the board ‘ and even if your club promoter agrees with you, it might not get accepted higher up, which is possibly why there’s been a recent trend of new promoters not lasting long in the sport and giving up bashing their heads against the wall. 
 

[JanAndersen]

18 minutes ago, Trees said:

British speedway and it's clubs are in such precarious positions that it's impossible to have long term plans, promoters have to plan season to season?  Of course they'd all love to have long term, big TV deals, long term, big money sponsorship deals etc etc but they don't exist for them?

Don’t you think the clubs being in precarious positions is linked to the fact no-one knows what is happening one year to the next? Fear of laying down commitments because things might change in 12 months time. 
 

It’s baby steps on things but for instance I’d like to see the clubs get together and work out a plan for a streaming service. Let’s bypass the tv deals and manage it ‘in-house’. Some sort of season pass allowing you to watch x number of meetings per season would be popular IMO. 

[JanAndersen]

19 minutes ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Your right about a lack of an apparent plan for the future but your point on fan representation on the ‘ board ‘ is one that will not be welcomed by the people in control. Why would individuals who own their own clubs and therefore fund it, with all its is current stress and financial loses, want a fans rep saying “ your doing it wrong “ ?. Your ( our ) voices are heard, every home match if you actually speak to the promoter before or after a meeting. Happens every week at Redcar , usually over a pint after the meeting, but you have to take into account that the promoters voice is one of many at AGM’s and the like so whatever point you put across has to be agreed by ‘ the board ‘ and even if your club promoter agrees with you, it might not get accepted higher up, which is possibly why there’s been a recent trend of new promoters not lasting long in the sport and giving up bashing their heads against the wall. 
 

I get what you’re saying and I have great admiration for (most) promoters - it is a thankless task for the majority of the time. While they do finance it I would argue that fans finance it more or just as much - albeit not with the same pressures and risk. 
 

I just feel a fresh and different perspective in the BSPA meetings would help. 

[Chadster]

I'd agree that every organisation needs to have a target for where they want to be and a plan for how they want to get there. I'd say that one of the biggest problems facing British speedway now is to bring through more British riders, or more riders who will commit to riding in this country. The Rising Star system is a start and, I think, has worked quite well, but it needs to be sustained over a period of times and not dropped as the Fast Track scheme was after a couple of years. Mike Tyson famously observed that everyone has a plan until they're punched in the mouth and British speedway has taken some brutal punches lately; Covid, Swindon, Somerset, Eastbourne, Kent and maybe Birmingham are all thing that might change the best laid plans.

I'm not so sure about having supporter representation. Any survey of opinions expressed here will show a bewildering variety of views; one big league, two leagues, three leagues, regionalisation, second halves, tactical substitutes, aggregate bonus points and so on. You have to assume that the promoters know what works for them. If they don't, well there's no future for the sport.

[f-s-p]

Stop complaining on what other people do. Contact your local track and start organising practise sessions for youngsters between 14-20 on 500cc bikes. If the club wont finance it, find the money yourself and DO IT.

Lack of domestic riders in the UK is the very basic problem of speedway, been that way for 30 years. 

[JanAndersen]

9 minutes ago, f-s-p said:

Stop complaining on what other people do. Contact your local track and start organising practise sessions for youngsters between 14-20 on 500cc bikes. If the club wont finance it, find the money yourself and DO IT.

Lack of domestic riders in the UK is the very basic problem of speedway, been that way for 30 years. 

Is that directed at me? Odd take. 

[phillwhitewasmad]

8 minutes ago, f-s-p said:

Stop complaining on what other people do. Contact your local track and start organising practise sessions for youngsters between 14-20 on 500cc bikes. If the club wont finance it, find the money yourself and DO IT.

Lack of domestic riders in the UK is the very basic problem of speedway, been that way for 30 years. 

Sad thing is there is plenty of opportunity for young riders to practice and train just a lack of people wanting to do it 

[Fromafar]

1 minute ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

Sad thing is there is plenty of opportunity for young riders to practice and train just a lack of people wanting to do it 

Can see their point ,what is the point of trying to break into a sport where most of the Competitors have 2 Clubs and chance of aTeam place is a long term prospect.The leagues need a restructure to help riders break into Teams.It won’t happen though.

[Fortythirtyeight]

53 minutes ago, JanAndersen said:

I get what you’re saying and I have great admiration for (most) promoters - it is a thankless task for the majority of the time. While they do finance it I would argue that fans finance it more or just as much - albeit not with the same pressures and risk. 
 

I just feel a fresh and different perspective in the BSPA meetings would help. 

A fresh and different perspective has been put across by just about every new promoter for the last several years, the problem being they may get listened too but don’t get a vote on affairs and the old guard just plod on doing whatever suits them no matter what. Buster Chapman had a new perspective, didn’t change anything, Godfrey …same so far.

[Fortythirtyeight]

14 minutes ago, Fromafar said:

Can see their point ,what is the point of trying to break into a sport where most of the Competitors have 2 Clubs and chance of aTeam place is a long term prospect.The leagues need a restructure to help riders break into Teams.It won’t happen though.

Isn’t that what they have done with the NDL this year ? and everybody is moaning about it.

[topsoil]

34 minutes ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Isn’t that what they have done with the NDL this year ? and everybody is moaning about it.

Welcome to speedway, moaning is what the fans do best. 

[f-s-p]

10 hours ago, JanAndersen said:

Is that directed at me? Odd take. 

It’s directed to everyone complaining how badly things are run.

[IainB]

It's a very big subject and there is no single thing that can be done to fix everything but to do nothing is not an option. Every owner of a club must be applauded for getting through this season as nobody could realistically have seen Covid coming and nobody knew what the crowd numbers would be like coming out of lockdowns... BUT, I still think much could be done to actually promote the sport which just doesn't seem to be happening at the moment. I can only speak for Leicester, but I live local to the track and you would not know anything was going on in the city as regards to Speedway other than an advert I see on the side of a bus. There's a shopping centre within a few hundred feet of the arena with a massive foot fall, yet I have never seen anything promoting Leicester Speedway in there. Why isn't there a rider and machine displaying there on match day giving away discounted tickets? It's really simple things like this that just aren't being done.

Also when were you last attracted to a match to see "rider x"? Since all of the "stars" have left British Speedway I can't recall ever thinking to myself "I must go to the Speedway tonight to see..." whoever, probably the last time I thought that was Darcy Ward in 2015. And now it seems that any star that is produced works their way to the top and then out of the sport in this country. If you're not going to have star riders to attract crowds then all you have are teams and at the moment they just aren't credible. I would be more than happy to watch  even weaker teams than we have at the moment as long as they are credible, if that means watering down the league then so be it.

The fans should have a voice somewhere, especially regarding the race night experience, if the first you know about fans not being happy is them not attending then it's too late.

I could go on... but it's all bee said before.

Edited November 7, 2021 by iainb

[*JJ]

12 hours ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

Sad thing is there is plenty of opportunity for young riders to practice and train just a lack of people wanting to do it 

Not actually true. I spent 5 years driving a would-be speedway rider around. We had to go half way across the country to get a few rides - there was no or very little coaching - which was very annoying when there was a speedway track only two miles down the road!  Too many tracks are in greyhound stadiums which allow speedway only once a week.

[phillwhitewasmad]

29 minutes ago, *JJ said:

Not actually true. I spent 5 years driving a would-be speedway rider around. We had to go half way across the country to get a few rides - there was no or very little coaching - which was very annoying when there was a speedway track only two miles down the road!  Too many tracks are in greyhound stadiums which allow speedway only once a week.

Your experience is different to ours training with Wayne Carter ,Amsa and numerous practice sessions at a track 15 minutes from home don't disagree about the mileage but it's a decision made when starting in the sport we all know which tracks can and will run and offer training and practice.

[Hawk127]

The sad thing is that the sport does not excite enough people to turn out and watch it. Why anyone would bother with the hassle of running a club only to look out on race night at a few hundred hardy souls standing watching, is anyone’s guess. On the other side if you want a decent return on the time invested in running a track then you only have to look at bangers and stock cars. A prime example would be the meeting at Kings Lynn on the 31st October. How speedway would like a crowd like that at a meeting. Tinkering around at the edges is not going to work. The sport requires extensive surgery and a long period to build back up. Poland is only going to make life more difficult and with riders able to earn a reasonable living and commute by road to a nearby country for extra club meetings, why bother flying in and out of the U.K. with all the hassle. So whilst training new British talent is essential that in itself does not solve the fundamental problem that the sport simply has little appeal and no serious sponsors at domestic level and is incapable of attracting decent crowds on a weekly basis to watch a league meeting in which you have a pool of riders thrown together under the banner of a club name who the following night are riding for another track/club. 

[enotian]

Is SGP4 the answer?

"The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and Discovery Sports Events have revealed their vision for the future of Speedway over the next decade. By bringing international Speedway together under one global promoter for the first time, the new vision will build a stronger and more connected international pyramid for the sport – from the grassroots all the way to the pinnacle of Speedway. Important part of this pyramid will be a new international entry-level category SGP4. The new SGP4 category will be introduced in 2023 and is planned to be cost effective with 4-stroke easy to handle engine that will be universal and equal everywhere. The Ambassador Tony Rickardsson is on the mission to develop the SGP4 category."

You'd at least hope that the promoters are arranging to meet with Tony Rickardsson. 

It's not clear what the level of SGP4 "grassroots" is. You'd naturally feel that it's lower than SGP3 which wouldn't be a suitable product for the paying public but if you interpret it as being standard 500cc machinery then it's probably about a National League standard. A stepping stone from youth classes into the professional leagues. 

A sustainable pyramid is what is required.