Newcastle vs Redcar SGB Championship 29th May 2022- 4pm

[arnieg]

3 minutes ago, Dinosaur said:

 During the delays the entertainment is dire. Roy’s drivel bores anyone to death and he interviews a random bloke off a radio station, a fan who happened to be on the center green plus a basketball player!  If you’re gonna have endless delays while people feed their faces on expensive burgers at least let’s hear from the riders or team managers. Overall it’s just a poor night out now ! 

Roy is an acquired taste, but I like him on a personal level. Given the tired clichés we usually get from riders and TMs the above interviewees could easily be more interesting. But surely he missed a trick not interviewing someone serving from the burger van?

[cinderfella]

4 minutes ago, arnieg said:

But surely he missed a trick not interviewing someone serving from the burger van?

Brings a new meaning to a speedway meat-ing

[Sings4Speedway]

43 minutes ago, GiveusaB said:

Just a suggestion.... Cut teams to 6 riders (main body) plus 2 reserves from NDL.  15 Heats....top 6 have 4 rides. 2 reserves have 3 rides each.... Total 15 Heats.

Position the reserve races at Heat 4, 8,12....

The problem being that the 2 reserves from NDL (20 riders total) is taking the top 3 from each current NDL team (possibly more as there are already several double uppers creeping above CL reserve level). That will mean these riders will become full time professionals and want rewarding as such, there will still be a gulf in class between teams and potentially the sides with the best reserves who record 3 x 5-1's will swing meeting results regardless of the top 6. 

Im definitely all for forward thinking and radical approaches could be the way forward to a pretty desperate situation but it all needs assessing for the long term and not the current quick fix approach that is currently being utilised by the powers that be.

[ruffdiamond]

3 minutes ago, Sings4Speedway said:

The problem being that the 2 reserves from NDL (20 riders total) is taking the top 3 from each current NDL team (possibly more as there are already several double uppers creeping above CL reserve level). That will mean these riders will become full time professionals and want rewarding as such, there will still be a gulf in class between teams and potentially the sides with the best reserves who record 3 x 5-1's will swing meeting results regardless of the top 6. 

Im definitely all for forward thinking and radical approaches could be the way forward to a pretty desperate situation but it all needs assessing for the long term and not the current quick fix approach that is currently being utilised by the powers that be.

Also,,, would there be enough (for6) CL level riders to go around?,,, am sure there is already one or two NL riders doubling up.

[Mimmo]

21 minutes ago, cinderfella said:

Brings a new meaning to a speedway meat-ing

Or interview those walking out long before the meeting finishes, which you see at quite a few tracks these days.  Meetings take far to long to run. Barring accidents, 90-minutes is ample time. 

[Moranboys]

37 minutes ago, Dinosaur said:

Quite apart from the poor team there’s one glaring issue that never gets mentioned and that’s the time it takes Newcastle speedway to run a meeting.  Starting at 4pm and finishing at 6:30pm just isn’t acceptable.  There were no major incidents just small delay after small delay mainly due to a lack of organisation.   Why not water the track for example while the medical officer was with Wethers !  Instead we had a delay for both !  No skirting on the air fence,  green light not working, tapes getting broken by the photographer. All silly little things that are down to a lack of professionalism.   During the delays the entertainment is dire. Roy’s drivel bores anyone to death and he interviews a random bloke off a radio station, a fan who happened to be on the center green plus a basketball player!  If you’re gonna have endless delays while people feed their faces on expensive burgers at least let’s hear from the riders or team managers. Overall it’s just a poor night out now ! 

I personally believe also that there are now numerous factors that are not helping crowd levels.

1.cost of living.people having to pull in the reigns of how they now spend their disposable income .a night out at the speedway for two now amounting to 50 pounds plus when you factor in the cost of admission,fuel,programme,food,drink,etc

2.streaming.ad far as I,m concerned,a big shot in the foot,going on cost alone and taking away actually being there.11.99 for the stream as opposed to the cost of attending.

3.team strengths.as you rightly say,doubling up,numerous guest appearances,all contribute to the mockery of the sport.

4.entertainment

And Yes,I agree that you should support your club through thick and thin but if the entertainment on show is inferior,then people are going to want more bang for their buck....human nature.

 

There are probably more factors as well,obvious ones like length taken to complete meetings,inadequate medical cover,interest levels kept up in the event of delays between heats.kids not being able to have riders as their favourite s because they've cleared off after one season or can,t be accommodated because of the averages ruling.small things I know but large ones when you think of the whole package.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Moranboys

[cinderfella]

8 minutes ago, Sings4Speedway said:

The problem being that the 2 reserves from NDL (20 riders total) is taking the top 3 from each current NDL team (possibly more as there are already several double uppers creeping above CL reserve level). That will mean these riders will become full time professionals and want rewarding as such, there will still be a gulf in class between teams and potentially the sides with the best reserves who record 3 x 5-1's will swing meeting results regardless of the top 6. 

Im definitely all for forward thinking and radical approaches could be the way forward to a pretty desperate situation but it all needs assessing for the long term and not the current quick fix approach that is currently being utilised by the powers that be.

With all due respect to riders, that gulf in standard was obvious at Armadale on Friday night

[redlead]

I think the problem stems from the last day of last season, (which was going to be the final match at Newcastle) After all the fans turned up and did the final track walk, Rob let his heart rule his head and promised to bring the Diamonds back for this season. I hope things can be turned around for Newcastle, but it will be an up hill struggle. Redcar were almost in similar situations (wooden spoon 2 years running). So things can be turned around with good support. I hope Rob can turn things around.

[cinderfella]

8 minutes ago, Mimmo said:

Or interview those walking out long before the meeting finishes, which you see at quite a few tracks these days.  Meetings take far to long to run. Barring accidents, 90-minutes is ample time. 

The thing is do people want meetings to be over quickly or do they want more entertainment, junior races, etc for their money.

When you consider actual racing probably takes between 15 and 18 minutes depending on the length of the track speedway doesn't offer good value for money.

[Dickie Head]

Surely streaming can’t be a problem. The relatively few clubs who do it wouldn’t continue it if it wasn’t at least covering its costs..would they?

[Fina]

5 minutes ago, Moranboys said:

I personally believe also that there are now numerous factors that are not helping crowd levels.

1.cost of living.people having to pull in the reigns of how they now spend their disposable income .a night out at the speedway for two now amounting to 50 pounds plus when you factor in the cost of admission,fuel,programme,food,drink,etc

2.streaming.ad far as I,m concerned,a big shot in the foot,going on cost alone and taking away actually being there.11.99 for the stream as opposed to the cost of attending.

3.team strengths.as you rightly say,doubling up,numerous guest appearances,all contribute to the mockery of the sport.

4.entertainment

And Yes,I agree that you should support your club through thick and thin but if the entertainment on show is inferior,then people are going to want more bang for their buck....human nature.

 

There are probably more factors as well,obvious ones like length taken to complete meetings,inadequate medical cover,interest levels kept up in the event of delays between heats.kids not being able to have riders as their favourite s because they've cleared off after one season or can,t be accommodated because of the averages ruling.small things I know but large ones when you think of the whole package.

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with your points and would add that when it comes to getting new fans into the sport there is also the challenge of actually getting them off the sofa and out the door to watch anything.

The last few years have really established a habit of staying at home and adding that to your other points its an uphill struggle.  I have tired to get several friends who are already into watching motorsport on TV to go to their local speedway and its always variations the same answer - CBA going out on an evening any more, rather stop home with a beer and a takeaway and watch what ever is on TV.

One lives a mile from a track and wont even go once to see if him and his son would enjoy it.

 

[HGould]

15 minutes ago, Dickie Head said:

Surely streaming can’t be a problem. The relatively few clubs who do it wouldn’t continue it if it wasn’t at least covering its costs..would they?

I guess that depends Club by Club on the basis of (a) any Contractual agreement with the provider (b) what they have invested in equipment.

As you indicate, if it's costing money then surely a Club would have the balls to stop it (may be thats what Glasgow did?).

The issue with straming no-one other than Owners IF they have the data is how many tickets a Stream purchaser would normally buy?

If one guy buys a stream but would usually take a family of 4 it's never going to be cost effective, if a single person buys a stream instead of going, it is cost effective you'd think.

The danger is the easier that you make it for a  very regular and occasional regular not to go and to sit at home, the bigger the problem for the Club. 

[Fromafar]

Streaming is a catch 22 situation IMO.Edinburgh seem to successfully financially because the cost is all “in house”and they have been well set up with the equipment for years now.But what you have factor in every Club is the fans are actually watching the stream for £11.99.in stead of the real Admission Cost therefore quite a lot of  home fans will see this as better value in these Financial Times,which in turn affects crowd levels paying the full amount.It is a bit of a risk given the revenue the Clubs need to generate to “ break even” regarding rents ,riders wages ect.It’s becoming an £11.99 sport admission wise.

[cinderfella]

1 minute ago, Fromafar said:

Streaming is a catch 22 situation IMO.Edinburgh seem to successfully financially because the cost is all “in house”and they have been well set up with the equipment for years now.But what you have factor in every Club is the fans are actually watching the stream for £11.99.in stead of the real Admission Cost therefore quite a lot of  home fans will see this as better value in these Financial Times,which in turn affects crowd levels paying the full amount.It is a bit of a risk given the revenue the Clubs need to generate to “ break even” regarding rents ,riders wages ect.It’s becoming an £11.99 sport admission wise.

The other factor streaming solves is dodgy weather forecasts.

If I was faced with the prospect of a 2 hour round trip and the possibility of a rain-off I know what I'd choose.

Clubs have to be careful though because a £12 stream can be watched by a roomful of people in a warm room with a good atmosphere and that could be a couple of hundred pounds in lost revenue to the team. I know EMTV is not available within a certain distance of Armadale but if there is another attractive meeting being streamed from elsewhere that evening I'm sure the weather (or opposition) would influence the decision.

[Fromafar]

3 minutes ago, cinderfella said:

The other factor streaming solves is dodgy weather forecasts.

If I was faced with the prospect of a 2 hour round trip and the possibility of a rain-off I know what I'd choose.

Clubs have to be careful though because a £12 stream can be watched by a roomful of people in a warm room with a good atmosphere and that could be a couple of hundred pounds in lost revenue to the team. I know EMTV is not available within a certain distance of Armadale but if there is another attractive meeting being streamed from elsewhere that evening I'm sure the weather (or opposition) would influence the decision.

 I agree,The weather factor is a big influence these days.

[Fina]

6 minutes ago, Fromafar said:

Streaming is a catch 22 situation IMO.Edinburgh seem to successfully financially because the cost is all “in house”and they have been well set up with the equipment for years now.But what you have factor in every Club is the fans are actually watching the stream for £11.99.in stead of the real Admission Cost therefore quite a lot of  home fans will see this as better value in these Financial Times,which in turn affects crowd levels paying the full amount.It is a bit of a risk given the revenue the Clubs need to generate to “ break even” regarding rents ,riders wages ect.It’s becoming an £11.99 sport admission wise.

I am sure that one of the live streams I watched last year, maybe Edinburgh, had a restriction so you had to live a certain distance away to access it.

With Redcar, I was not going last year as to get the train after work I miss the first heat, generally would also miss last heat to get back to station for last train home and add on the train ticket, its getting to a silly cost for a meeting.  This year some fans who live near me are kindly giving me a lift when ever they go, so I will only get live stream days they are not attending.

Its a difficult balance between any new fans clubs will get by streaming v losing those who would otherwise have gone to the track, but get the stream to save money.  Also its better to have fans feeling the pinch drop to live stream rather than lose them entirely.

Looking at the business side of speedway with some knowledge gained from several years as finance manager at a small horse racing track, anyone trying to make a financial success out of a speedway team has a very tough challenge as, from what I have managed to find out so far, they have very limited additional revenue streams and have to cover more of the costs.

[Fromafar]

4 minutes ago, Fina said:

I am sure that one of the live streams I watched last year, maybe Edinburgh, had a restriction so you had to live a certain distance away to access it.

With Redcar, I was not going last year as to get the train after work I miss the first heat, generally would also miss last heat to get back to station for last train home and add on the train ticket, its getting to a silly cost for a meeting.  This year some fans who live near me are kindly giving me a lift when ever they go, so I will only get live stream days they are not attending.

Its a difficult balance between any new fans clubs will get by streaming v losing those who would otherwise have gone to the track, but get the stream to save money.  Also its better to have fans feeling the pinch drop to live stream rather than lose them entirely.

Looking at the business side of speedway with some knowledge gained from several years as finance manager at a small horse racing track, anyone trying to make a financial success out of a speedway team has a very tough challenge as, from what I have managed to find out so far, they have very limited additional revenue streams and have to cover more of the costs.

Edinburgh have a 30 mile restriction.

[mikebaker]

Diamonds official Website is not up to date. No mention of Starke missing. And no report on last night's meeting. 

[Roger Jacobs]

20 hours ago, HectorRacing said:

Hahah are you sure? 

Well, they might have broken 30 with him in the team.

[KEITH M]

2 hours ago, Dinosaur said:

Quite apart from the poor team there’s one glaring issue that never gets mentioned and that’s the time it takes Newcastle speedway to run a meeting.  Starting at 4pm and finishing at 6:30pm just isn’t acceptable.  There were no major incidents just small delay after small delay mainly due to a lack of organisation.   Why not water the track for example while the medical officer was with Wethers !  Instead we had a delay for both !  No skirting on the air fence,  green light not working, tapes getting broken by the photographer. All silly little things that are down to a lack of professionalism.   During the delays the entertainment is dire. Roy’s drivel bores anyone to death and he interviews a random bloke off a radio station, a fan who happened to be on the center green plus a basketball player!  If you’re gonna have endless delays while people feed their faces on expensive burgers at least let’s hear from the riders or team managers. Overall it’s just a poor night out now ! 

Some people just like to moan. If it was over in an hour someone would say what was the point in stepping out the house. Jeff King has done brilliantly to push speedway on Nova radio and deserved some recognision. Young lad was 21 yesterday and is autistic, he'll remember that for the rest of his life and Lewi the Basketball player had his photo taken by his partner and it'll be on social media so we may get a few of the many fans who go and watch the Eagles come to see what HE likes. He paid in and said it was brilliant and he would tell all his mates ..With thoughts like yours , no wonder the dinosaur is extinct..

Edited May 30, 2022 by KEITH M