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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/14/2021 in all areas

  1. 5 points
    Having attended my first match for 2years this week I have been giving this topic some thought, I'm prepared to be shot down so feel free to comment on my thoughts. I was introduced to the sport as a 12 year old in the late 80s. I was fortunate enough to witness my team in the old national League which to my mind is still the closest I've seen in this country to the sport being run professionally. The sport in that league was Great, each team in general only visited once a season the exception being for early season challenge or cup matches. There was also the national 4 team championship and pairs events plus the individuals which gave the different disciplines that everyone seems to be calling for and the best thing guest riding was outlawed each team had a proper functioning junior/reserve team. Anyhow why did I become hooked on speedway and gave up attending football? The ability to be able to go behind the scenes to the pit area pre match to see the preparation, collect rider autographs and actually speak the stars of the track. Then there was the smell & the noise something completely different to any other team sport. At that time my local track was still getting close to 4000 spectators a week including a decent number of visiting fans that gave the centre green mic man something to work with to create an atmosphere, the crowd generated noise actuall cheering of the home team and booing of the visitors that all led to the atmosphere. All this was underpinned by the feeling that this was your team they didn't leave as soon as the meeting was over and in some cases before because they had to leave to ride for someone else tomorrow. The sights the smell wer part of it but without that team aspect I wouldn't have fell in love with speedway. Move forward to the 2000s and I fell out of love with speedway and eventually gave up all together. Why? I was fed up seeing the same teams 2,3,4,5 times a season and sometimes with only a couple of weeks between visits, I got fed up as the doubling up and guest regulations became more and more relaxed so that at times the team I supported was made up of 3 riders from another club. For me the attachment to my team was lost and that was that. Now I attended very occasionally I think on average once a season since 2009, I've been to less home meetings in 12 years than I used to attend in a season. As for reinvention well the sport has to decide what it wants to be. A team sport in that case make it a team sport that people can attach too ditch doubling up and work to rid the sport of guests once and for all. If it's to be an individual sport then come up with some proper classes like other motor sport & run decent championship events. Whichever it decides the machinery, the track surfaces and the presentation need a radical rethink.
  2. 4 points
    That's simply not the case, the riders do TV interviews every meeting, and it usually features in the Friday evening news on South East ITV Station Meridian tonight. Also bbc radio Kent mention it quite often. And there is also a close tie up with sittingbournes own radio station Len has also every year produced thousands of posters and fliers, and supplied them to fans to distribute in thier own local areas, this scheme is known as fans force. Then there is the carnival scene, where the club has a float representing speedway in each town. Also the Kent messenger group (countywide), and the more locally sittingbourne rags, all fearure weekly reports and previews too. I think we can all agree the king of promotion are the Wightlink Warriors, and them seemingly never stop promoting thier club. Even they found island residents at recent meetings gave stumbled across the racing whilst claiming they never knew speedway existed on the Island. What that tells me is even with a consistently high energy promotional effort, people will always slip through the net. Can most clubs do more? Certainly, but actually when you scratch under the surface there are plenty of clubs doing a hell of a lot of work out their to bring more people in.
  3. 4 points
    This is so far from correct.. We dont just try to attract holiday makers - they are the cherry on the cake... what we must do is attract business, sponsors (every single air fence panel sponsored) we atract TV, Radio, we attract Islanders, we attract students to the speedway school, we attract people who realise they associate their brand with our brand "The Warrior Way" purely because other clubs dont fit it... I can list sponsors of the IOW from across the UK and world actually that could just as easily invest it locally to their club and they choose not to. Regards the supporters club activity thats brilliant what you are doing there.. well done.. and you are right likewise I could list for ever on here our fan based ideas and feel free to use them... Free whistles and a lolly for kids, speedway bike display, beat the starter ready to be used, great priced high quality food, kids races, 50/50, 200 club, social events, fans working parties (sounds crazy but brings fans closer to the club - they invest their time in to it, it means more), autograph sessions, riders in the bar, shows, school visits, social club visits, supermarket visits, open the pits, make the riders come through the crowd.... the list goes on....... Keep up the great work and keep supporting your clubs and I hope your clubs will reinvest that support for you. All the best
  4. 4 points
    From my vantage point it looked like Bjarne locked up and Worrall had nowhere to go. Well done Plymouth on getting the point and it could have been more. Great to see a few fans making the trip and one of them won the 50/50 draw.....so hopefully drinks on them tonight. Good luck at Berwick tomorrow and for the rest of the season. Also thanks for being great hosts when I was down at Plymouth a couple of weeks ago. Lovely set up and great fans.
  5. 3 points
    I think the current fan base is split in two, those who think there is nothing wrong and would probably promote it in a positive manner on social media but they aren't active so SM. The second group are the fans who are active on SM but don't feel they can share or promote the sport because they see what's wrong.
  6. 3 points
    I often disagreed with him on here ... In a very enjoyable way. His view was to be respected and I greatly appreciated the numerous times he instigated one to one discussions via personal messenger that greatly enlightened my understanding of the 'real story' that would not be possible to print. My respect for him was greatest just because he did have the balls to come on here and engage in real debate with us. He did so with the passion of someone still in love with the sport but with the deep knowledge of his lifetime of covering it so magnificently in print. A wonderful combination. His biggest legacy is of course Speedway Star, which PR curated for so long, offering Michelin Star coverage of what is often a transport cafe sport. I trust the team will carry his torch well. Farewell Philip.
  7. 2 points
    A league of their own? Behave.
  8. 2 points
    Paternity leave ! Jack millan will be spinning in his grave, explain to any new fans how the same rider has been here the last 3 weeks riding for 3 teams? Soz but we are getting circus like every season.
  9. 2 points
    Barry from what I have seen & read you're doing a fantastic job in not only promoting speedway but also shaking up the format. It would be great to see the Isle of Wight promotion put in charge of UK speedway and to see what you could achieve. You're certainly light years ahead of the current BSPA who seem to love quotes that compare there business to modern day hunting or the smell of cooking oil. Keep up the great work.
  10. 2 points
    That's great what you do, however you're doing that for existing speedway fans and sadly the number of existing speedway fans becomes smaller each year. It's the non speedway fans you need to attract that where the Isle of Wight is showing the way.
  11. 2 points
    Thanks to all those who submitted objections but it would seem that less commented than for the previous application. I think only two or three BSPL promoters objected and as far as I can see nothing from the BSPL Board. An absolute disgrace by a company that is supposed to promote speedway in the UK. Martin Widman Wight Warriors
  12. 2 points
    The Speedway star kept on going through some really tough times but Philip had the vision to keep on track.The longevity of that magazine is outstanding, a great tribute to Philip and his hard work and having great staff with him at the speedway star.The biggest thing for me was he always listened and always wanted to move the magazine forward.He will be a huge loss to speedway and he for for me was in the John Berry mould , people had huge respect for him but he had his own view as well.RIP Philip.
  13. 1 point
    Rotten luck for Plymouth. Would have probably won if Worrall hadn’t knocked off Bjarne in heat 13 forcing him to withdraw.
  14. 1 point
    I don't see a problem with that. Would give extra rides to riders who have committed to a season in British speedway. Might also convince my own club to make Danyon Hulme a permanent replacement. Might be some issues with say the Aussie riders who might decided they want go home earlier. But the concept and the principal I totally agree.
  15. 1 point
    That’s their best chance of winning.
  16. 1 point
    Seem to recall that Arena Essex operated for one meeting only free entry for all and attracted a big crowd...however crowd levels returned to normal thereafter.
  17. 1 point
    That's very good value for money. Although, it is a shame that the meeting is in Manchester, which is quite far away for most of the country.
  18. 1 point
    Really sad news. Can only echo the other comments, that speedway had lost a gentleman, a hugely passionate, knowledgeable and articulate advocate, and one whose lasting legacy is a top class magazine. RIP Phil.
  19. 1 point
    In summary….. 3 x Pee Wee Races 2 x 125 Demo 3 x Lady Races Full parade and all individual rider intros 6 x Jawa V Weslake Races 15 x 3TT race Half Time Kids race Bruce Cribb Ice Bike Demo More Pee Wee and Revvi Demos Japs and upright demo Track grade every 5 heats Every race winner did a lap of honour And all done by 9pm That wasnt just entertainment that was a great welcome, great value, a great show.... By the way 6 riders on display last night came through My First Skid Speedway School not including the youths…
  20. 1 point
    ... If it was being held at Lublin again. Sadly for him it's not. (I've posted this so you can ram it down my throat when he rostrum's again )
  21. 1 point
    I saw someone talking about the Hundred on tv the other day and they said it was brilliant having the teams known by their nicknames - yet Speedway has been doing this for nearly a century. Speedway is a team sport. It needs to come across as a team sport and not just four blokes riding bikes round a track To many people that is all it is. There's not a lot wrong with the actual product, it just needs consistent teams (something that has been wrecked by Doubling up and low points limits) and to be presented in a way that makes you feel that you are watching a team sport. Instead, we just get "...and the winner in heat one, in red, in a time of blah blah blah..." while everyone fills in a programme. I know people don't all agree with me, but have a big scoreboard above the pits with the score on constant display. And show replays on it. It can't be that hard. Swindon used to show regular replays on televisions around the stadium a few years back. Then they had the great idea of stopping it. Make it feel like you are watching a sport between two teams. And encourage riders to have a bit of a barny, rather than banning them if they do. On a side note, I was speaking to a work colleague on Monday and mentioned that I'd watched the Speedway GP over the weekend. "I didn't think they had speedway any more" was his response. So clearly some marketing is needed too! Every cost cutting move they make takes more people off the gate. It has been doing so for years. Yet they keep doing it. We now have a top league of 6 teams with the same riders as in the lower tier. Mental.
  22. 1 point
    Maybe the riders do need regular track time and many like Troy thrive on racing but the U.K. scene is not conducive to likes of Troy and many others. Hit and miss meetings and without doubling up (which I am not a fan of) these guys are rusty and in the current climate travelling around Europe is not going to work. U K speedway could help every rider by being innovative by putting on meaningful sponsored individual meetings and the 4T T to give these guys track time. What we currently have is a formula that may have worked in normal times but that does not apply now.and the powers that be will never admit that they have failed the riders and the punters with their intransigence which is the core of the problem here in the UK. Don’t knock the riders blame the sport’s managers who sit on the top table
  23. 1 point
    I've always loved the Speedway Star. I adored the stats page, and spent more time reading with that magazine than anything else while I was growing up during the 1980s. Of course, the editor of the Star during that period was Phil Rising. He made such a huge contribution to speedway, while at times, it could be argued that magazine is better than speedway has deserved. RIP Phil.
  24. 1 point
    I often didn't agree with him on here, but it was never personal and we had some good banter along the way. I would fully agree that the Speedway Star was a higher quality magazine than the sport deserved, and I did appreciate his insights into the sport on here.
  25. 1 point
    He mentions this in the Raceday Magazine. He says: "We have dropped the car parking charge of £1 to help make things cheaper. It's OK a minority saying, well you're losing all that money, but in fact our car park holds only 180/200cars depending how well they are parked, then you have to staff it and provide security it was just as easy to forfeit £180 a meeting and help make it cheaper for punters. We regularly get told we are too expensive and if that's the case we don't want to put people off for the sake of £1 on the car park that has more hassle attached than it's worth. If any of you feel strongly about the car park charge by all means help us and buy and extra ticket on the 50/50 draw for £1. The ladies will be walking around at the start of every meeting."
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