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mikebv

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Posts posted by mikebv

  1. Posted

    6 hours ago, szkocjasid said:

     

    Not when you consider Poole are doing better than Edinburgh, who have a strong top 2 & used 8 points for their reserves positions compared to the 5.5 points Poole used up. Oxford worse off with similar team planning, Nicholls & Batchelor looked a strong top 2 (before going downhill) & they also used up 8 points for the reserve positions!

    Three top riders usually ride in14 of a teams 30 races, 15 if one a Tac Sub...

    And on at least two occasions, together, three potentially if one on a Tac Sub ride..

    A potential 10-2 off two heats can be a game changer, as can 15-3 if running a Tac Sub ride..

    Reserves ride in less races combined and in some of those one of the top three will be alongside them..

    Makes sense to me to get a strong trio leading the team...

     

    • Like 1

  2. Posted

    7 hours ago, MattB said:

    Don't get me wrong.  I wish them well with the project and I'll be delighted to have egg on my face when the tapes go up on Edinburghs first match in the stadium.

    But getting planning permission, sufficient funding AND constructing the place all before next Spring?  Seems a little ambitious.

    As I say, believe it when I see it

    I thought the same re the NSS..

    However, lots of leg work had gone in previously, and Dave Gordon and Chris Morton had very much got the right level of people within the council completely onside....

    When you have the right contacts supporting you 100% then it can be surprising how quickly the wheels can turn..

  4. Posted

    1 hour ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

    In fact here you go I have had this for a while and as one or two on here thought I was kidding feast your eyes on the list

    This was the list he has sent out all with pretty pictures along side (to big to attach on here) However you will get the gist...

    Few bits of the gear we have.
    I’ve got the pits containers listed for sale too.  They do for field shelters.  
    Don’t know if they any good for you for pits or spectator shelter 

    I have another complete 40ft container there too

    Complete air fence with 6 blowers and all the cables 
    Complete starting gates
    Complete exclusion lighting rig
    Referee control panel 
    Both green lights
    All the red lights and cables 
    £7000

    Black water bowser £1500
    4 wheel blade £500
    Red slurry tanker £500
    Blade for back of tractor £400
    Tyre packer £100

    Our PA system. 4 big speakers for centre green with amplifier/mixer desk and azure mic set with 60 metre reach with receiver and cables   £500
    If anything is any good to you just let me know

    Fire sale everything must go... prices subject to change I would say the more desperate he gets

    Regards
    THJ

    But if he doesn't sell everything then the club may close forever as no one would want to come in and buy it...

    Errr...

    Think I have spotted the slight flaw in his cunning plan....

    • Haha 2

  5. Posted

    39 minutes ago, Trees said:

    The SKY millions really wasn't that much was it though?

    Wasn't it around 20 years at over a million a year? 

    Not bad that for such a minority sport...

    Sky pulling the plug the way they did probably didnt too much for the "brand" either I would think in the wider media world...

    Be interesting to see how Discovery make good their big plans..

    • Haha 1

  6. Posted

    15 hours ago, thecoombdog said:

    "Changes to Greyhound media rights in 2024 could well see Swindon losing a number of meetings. "

    I saw that someone had posted the above comment on the Adver story about the stadium. It could explain a lot because its always been said that the payments from the bookmakers has made the greyhounds profitable. If that income is lost then no need for the stadium. Delay the stadium build enough so we can't commit to 2023 and then say the greyhounds don't make it pay anymore and then they have the perfect excuse to apply for housing. 

    Speedway looks like it could end up being a unwitting pawn in a strategic game...

    Unfortunately Geeyhound racing is similarly dying on its arse as a spectator sport so will end up being something followed on TV only, living off the very lucrative fees paid from the betting companies to them for providing the racing which make the betting companies several fold on their investments..

    You wont need many tracks to do this so strategically the owners of the tracks, the GRA, the betting companies and the developers can work together to build a business plan in who stays open, and who goes...

    Given the "mad" Far East betting market, racing could take place from early morning through to the evening as, for example, Hong Kong is seven hours in front, so 10am here is 5pm over there, and then you will have the UK market later in the day..

    Not many Greyhound tracks will remain open due to spectator numbers that is for sure, and even those that can, face an uncertain future from protesters, activists, public opinion etc..

    The big opportunity Speedway didnt take was when the Sky Millions came in...

    Using that money to shape their own destiny was a "no brainer", particularly for those who ran at Greyhound tracks and paid rent...

    Instead it did nothing to cement it's own future with that huge cash injection..

    Hence we are where we are today..

  7. Posted

    32 minutes ago, Roger Jacobs said:

    The common denominator is that British speedway can't sell itself - that's not any landlord's fault.

    You can imagine that if every track had 3000 a week, all paying £20 on average, and the landlords got £10k a match rent 20 times a year, then more landlords would be more supportive of the sport...

    It certainly isnt the landlord's fault that the crowds their tenants get are so low, and that they then look elsewhere to make more money.. 

    • Like 1

  8. Posted

    24 minutes ago, HGould said:

    Yep I checked Redcar is 271 Eastbourne 275

    Get the bikes going sideways for as long as is possible, with plenty of room to pass as they do, and the overall size of the track isnt a key determinant.. 

    Nor either then is the straight line speed of the bike..

    Two perfect examples there as to how the shape makes the racing...

    Redcar one of the best in the country...

    Great news for Edinburgh, presume Glasgow will stay in the Championship rather than consider moving up now their local derbies are saved? 

    • Thanks 1

  9. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    2 hours ago, ruffdiamond said:

    Mike, what we need is someone with knowledge of running such a thing. It seems that you know what you are talking about, so can we put your name down as chairman and can you organise a get together and set the ball away? Thanks. 

    I am planning to (semi) retire in September mate...:D

    55 years young... (in mind if not in body)...:D

    But honestly, engaging people through pro active marketing, especially today given the digital platforms that exist, isnt hard...

    Like running a business..

    Bring drive, energy, passion, resilience, bravery, inspiration and tenacity to what you do, and utilise the skills of those around you who are more qualified and gifted than yourself technically to deliver your aims, and you can move mountains...

    36 years of running stores and regions for one of worlds leading retailers has taught me that....

    I am sure around Newcastle (and all over the country), there are potential leaders who can engage and mobilise a few hundred people, especially when those people already want the same thing so need no convincing.. 

    • Like 1

  10. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    10 hours ago, ruffdiamond said:

    Sorry to poop on ya party mate, but where do you find 600 fans willing to part with £300?,,, cos basically that's what you'd need, it's ok agreeing to pay £10 per week, but really keeping up with payments could prove problematic for many reasons. 

    The maths looks easy, but doesn't make it simple.

    As for the final meeting last season, yeah there was many there,,, but how many where only there for one reason?

    Great idea in principal, thanks,,, hopefully it can generate enthusiasm. 

    The figures could be spread over 12 months maybe? 

    Call it £20 a month, (circa a fiver a week), meaning £240 per person per year..

    A "Community Club" is, for me, something that could work in Speedway given such a relatively small amount of patrons attend, but have a fierce loyalty to their teams and sport....

    Let's be honest, the way the sport is ran, if you are still a regular today you are a "lifer"' and it can be as much about the social aspect of the night out as it is the racing, (maybe even more?)...

    Therefore, use the "social event" aspect as its selling point.. 

    Run it like a supporters club holding social events through the whole year to keep fans engaged even in the off season, eg eve of season party, end of season party, xmas party etc..

    Get a detailed database on the supporters, birthdays for example to send cards from the club to them and their family members, and if any kids parties are being held at McDonalds etc, then send a rider to attend to surprise the kid and spread the word...

    And run weekly or monthly prize draws to those who commit to add some interest, doesnt have to be huge prizes, the constant engaging is the key...

    Discount merchandise too, to members of the club, it looks great in Poland seeing loads of fans with an "identity" by all wearing club colours, and can only prick interest in those yet to be engaged..

    For clubs that dont have someone happy to run Speedway as a vanity project with deep, deep pockets, then surely having a collective of local, like minded folk could be a way forward? 

    Sponsors could/may still put in their four or five figure sums the same as they do now, and there will still need to be a leadership team, who could/may still be the ones putting big money in as is currently the way things are ran now..

    However, having a few hundred fans engaged and involved with their club for 12 months using regular communication with them, and getting 20 matches or so for £240 a season, has to be worth giving a go surely as it will provide guaranteed income, (by DD, with any default payments meaning no more membership)...

    Give the size of many clubs, a "Community Club" could just be a possibility, giving fans a real stake in their team, whilst helping spread the cost over 12 months and providing them with real value for money Speedway at the same time, and will also help them be in charge of their own destiny, rather than hoping the sole person in charge can keep what they enjoy attending so much, going for the whole season...

    • Like 4

  11. Posted

    19 minutes ago, The Dog said:

    Whilst the sequence of events last night was unfortunate and unprecedented, there never seems to be a meeting or week goes by where something shambolic happens and this is why fans walk away or vent their frustration on here. Nobody seems to learn from each others mistakes and it's getting to the point of no return. And this is the sport overall and not just aimed at Sheffield!! 

    To be honest, there is quite a bit of humour (even if it is gallows), to be had in observing the rich, wide and varied ways those who run the sport find to shoot themselves in the foot and help destroy their own sport from within...

    A truly unique way of running a sport and business.....:D

    • Like 2

  12. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    Could you get 600 fans to put £10 a week in?..

    £10 a week for 28 weeks (March to September), would mean a total for £168k..

    On the Eastbourne section of the Speedway Star this week £150k is mentioned as possibly "enough" to run Speedway there by a prospective promoter..

    Let all in the "600 Club" in for nothing and charge everyone else who attends the going rate..

    20 matches at £280 per person (£10 x 28 weeks), means each match would be just £14 per person...

    And you would expect all 600 to attend most weeks given they are already paying/paid so the atmosphere at the track would be decent each week, even if no one else goes...

    Possibly you would get sponsors buying a "few slots" if needed..?

    Or they could still just sponsor the club with one off payments if you can get 600 fans who want to have shares in a club...

    A club that will effectively ran by the fans under the leadership of elected individuals..

    You could even do a weekly draw for £100 or so for those who pay in..

    Maybe having such a "guaranteed income" could then persuade someone with deeper pockets to take on the reins and the teams strength would be of a decent level..

    It seems very sad if such a unique sport, virtually in the centre of such a huge conurbation, couldnt find just 600 people to invest in it...

    And, as the final meetings showed last year, there are still a fair few fans out there who follow the club.. 

    Could someone engage them to collectively save the club...?

    • Like 2

  13. Posted

    22 minutes ago, 4thbender said:

    Something else which didn't escape my attention last night was the amount of shale on the track - probably more than I've ever seen in 57 years. It was also noted that there were three quite serious pile-ups which, if memory serves, is more than we've had in the entire season up to now. Can the two facts be related?

    Kelvin did mention how deep the outside was before the meeting using his "dirtometer" and how on bends three and four in particular it can "pull you in" at Owlerton..

    The dirt line certainly moved out and the racing certainly benefited off the back of it..

    A very fine line between safety and entertainment in Speedway..

    Which is probably why it can be so great to watch.. 

  14. Posted

    1 hour ago, geoff100 said:

    U try stopping them gardening.

    Poland seem to be able to...

    2 minutes, tapes up, gone, (or out)..

    One thing noticeable about last night was how quick RR can be actioned when the rider has two on the run..

    Poland do it every week like this and dont need a curfew to make it happen like last night did..

    2 minutes, tapes up, gone, (or out)..

    No "extra time for two on the trot" like we have over here...

    You want to "garden" in Poland then you had better get there early, because.. 

    2 minutes, tapes up, gone, (or out)..

    And they all set off in a straight line in Poland with the front wheel within a couple of inches of the tapes..

    Not firing off at all angles after first rolling back when the start marshall walks away..

    They do then seem to have a lot less "first bend incidents" off the back of it..

    • Like 3

  16. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    Really enjoyed that tonight.. 

    So much so, I am actually thinking of getting an inflatable air fence now..

    Looks like loads of fun to be had putting it back together, and there was lots of handy tips tonight on how best to do it..

    I will need 12 or so neighbours to come around, fold their arms, talk amongst themselves, and watch me repairing it to get the full value of my purchase obviously, but I am sure it will give me hours of fun..

    The only disappointment tonight for me was the amount of racing that kept breaking out between the air fence repairs..

    Maybe they should give the racing their own programme and leave us air fence followers the chance to watch our programmes without interruption?

    Edit..

    For those of you on here complaining about those doing the air fence repairs I would ask you just this...

    Have you ever air fence repaired for our entertainment?

    No?

    Thought not...

    Maybe you should try it and then see what risks these air fence repairer's take..

    British Speedway..:rolleyes:

    :D

    • Haha 5

  17. Posted · Edited by mikebv

    5 hours ago, wtf said:

    The final nail in the coffin for speedway in many ways is "the digital age". Speedway since it began was a "Cash" business. Lots of cash swilling around and very little auditing of payments and attendance figures etc etc. For decades large amounts of cash were "washed" through speedway, enabling things like large signing on fees of the 60's 70's 80's and 90's. Over recent times with more auditing, and waning crowd numbers, there have been fewer hiding places and it's become less attractive to all, as it shrinks in size. Everything these days can be scrutinised much more easily. Things have to stand up on their own two feet. Is it really any wonder that many of the businesses that are surviving also run hugely attended cash based Stock car meetings? If speedway has to stand on it's own two feet and pay it's own bills without help and subsidies, it doesn't fare well as the state we are in today shows only too well.

    As some self employed people found out during Covid...

    If you had maybe been somewhat "economical with the truth" in previous years, re your income, then you didnt get the support package that others got...

    My mobile barber and my window cleaner both felt somewhat "hard done to" shall we say when they recieved their support, however given both earned less than £11k per annum it wasnt surprising..

    (Earned less than £11k according to their tax returns..:D)...

    I did ask both if they were now going to get one of those card reader things for simplicity in doing their tax returns as we move to a cashless society, and both replied in a similar fashion..

    "Am I f%*k!).. (or something like that)..:D

    I think any business that was "cash only" will be finding out what an impact to their business having an electronic footprint of your actual income can have...

    NB. And re "little auditing", the HMRC go where they can make the most money and optimise this by using the minimum amount of resource pool at their disposal, to achieve the maximum gain, (low hanging fruit I believe is an apt description), and will often start to scrutinise much closer, those businesses who have similar operating models to ones that they find have had some "issues" exposed...

     

    • Like 2
    • Haha 1

  18. Posted

    Wasn't their break even number 1000 fans a week?

    To have even considered it achievable in Birmingham was a staggering thought...

    Some clubs are just NDL or nothing...

    And they are the clubs who want to ride "full time pro speedway" but cannot afford to fill their teams with Div 1 HL's and Second Strings...

    Unfortunately for these clubs who struggle at Div 2 level, a successfully ran NDL got changed to help the 2nd Division....

    When Speedway becomes a well paid "other job" or hobby again (like it used to for the majority of riders), then it will have a chance...

    Paying riders enough for them to not work six months of the year, and to also pay them enough to fund their own personal individual ambitions, can never, ever be workable or cost affective in a sport followed by so few...

    • Like 4

  19. Posted

    24 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

    The days of the professional rider in British speedway is over, I warned a few years back this was happening offering various ideas at the time to address some of the issues we face on both sides of the fence but I was crucified by certain riders in the sport, until we accept the dire situation we are in the sport is doomed, I don’t claim to have the answers but you don’t need to be a fortune teller to see the dark days ahead, speedway is under pressure from external forces too but it’s main danger comes from within our sport 

    Spot on

    Death by a thousand self inflicted cuts...

    • Like 1

  20. Posted

    On 6/22/2022 at 11:23 AM, ch958 said:

    in reality, the situation is similar to the 6 team National league of the mid 60s. This resulted in the RAC appointing Lord Shawcross to come up with recommendations to ensure the survival, nothing less, of the sport.

    Can the RAC be asked to intervene again to independently find a way forward?

    His (Shawcoss) work lead to the formation of the British League (one big league!!) which prospered, led to a Division 2 which equally prospered and led further to a period of great success internationally and domestically.

    The problems any such commission would face are quite different to those in the 60's(rapidly diminishing audience and environmental concerns for two) but would at least be independent and dispassionate.

    The issue is exactly as you describe...

    The "leadership" isn't either independent or dispassionate....

    Even if large companies ever decided to sponsor Speedway, who negotiates?  

    You can only imagine that whoever gets the job will have to shuttle back and too throughout the talks as they get commitment and agreement from others who will have wide and varied different agendas from one to another. ..

    Ultimately we are at a point that doubling up is pretty much a given ongoing as riders will be used to two jobs' worth of income, with 50 to 60 meetings being what they expect/need, to earn the amount of cash that they see as acceptable. ..

  21. Posted

    7 hours ago, ch958 said:

    350 souls at Birmingham, the second city. If its not possible to get more people in, and double that crowd would still be pretty poor, then costs must be slashed. Its a double whammy, poor income, high outgoings. Is anyone winning in this situation?

    The riders....

    Two jobs and loads of guesting...

    Kerching....

    • Like 1

  23. Posted

    40 minutes ago, Trees said:

    I knew you wouldn't agree Mike!  So you don't think track/racing time is imperative to a rider's progression?

    Hugely, of course....

    So build the infrastructure of the sport around that but keep it within a framework that delivers a credible offering...

    If that is team racing then great...

    If it isn't team racing then also great...

    When (if) GB truly becomes a consistent force once more in the sport, it will start to get some wider recognition outside of a few mentions now and again in the mainstream press...

    And hopefully, by then, (if it still exists), Team Speedway in the UK will have an operating model which will stand up to scrutiny and live off the back of the National Team's, and individual GB riders' success on the international stage...

    Like it did through the 70's and early 80's....

    In this example, having one rider riding for three teams, and getting injured for just one week, would mean three teams looking for guests and several meetings that week, depending on how many fixtures he was due to race in, (could be seven!), becoming somewhat contrived..

    And, unfortunately, that won't get any cut through with the wider media, nor bring back the tens of thousands who still follow the sport closely but don't attend UK domestic Speedway...

    • Like 1
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