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Spl77

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Everything posted by Spl77

  1. Spl77

    King's Lynn Stars 2020

    When Gollob was at Ipswich he attracted a few Poles along but only a mini bus full.
  2. Spl77

    King's Lynn Stars 2020

    Ipswich had crowds in excess of 5k for the play off and Cup finals in recent seasons and I seem to remember a couple of good Friday meetings vs Lynn in the early 90s attracting crowds in access of 5k. However getting those numbers regularly mid 80s I would guess.
  3. Spl77

    King's Lynn Stars 2020

    The main difference between the UK and Poland is they have been attracting huge crowds for well over 40 to 50 years and the sport is embedded in those communities much like football is over here.
  4. Spl77

    No Government Support?

    If this money is a loan then I guess speedway is in no position to pay it back given given the financial state of the sport and lack of income both though the turnstiles and via sponsorship
  5. Spl77

    King's Lynn Stars 2020

    Blame the poles? More like blame the UK authorities who have mismanaged the sport over the past 30 years the result being the frail sport you see in the UK today.
  6. The sport in Poland has always been very supported and has manged to keep its self in the public eye, changing and adapting as time moves on to always stay relevant. The poles are trying to protect their product and in sure that it continues to evolve. The argument that if the poles monopolise the sport the GPS become nothing more than a polish championship and the world cup competition stops due to lack of competing nations probably doesn't worry them. The domestic league is far more important to them than the GPS etc these are just a sideshow in comparison.
  7. Spl77

    Ipswich 2020

    Did anyone see the meeting from Belle Vue on Thursday? It would be interesting to know what you thought of Crump with 2021 in mind.
  8. THIS Saturday’s British Final at Ipswich will go ahead – but very sadly without fans in attendance. The meeting will now be a solely behind closed doors, live-streamed event, as a consequence of the Prime Minister’s Tuesday update imposing significant new Covid-19 restrictions on the country
  9. The pilot programme, which was to trial events of up to 1,000 spectators, has also been paused. From the BBC news feed
  10. Looks like the pilot scheme for allowing limited attendance to test events has been suspended. Will this still go ahead behind closed doors?
  11. Hopefully Crump goes well and we'll see him at Foxhall in 2021 covid allowing.
  12. Cook is no big loss to be honest, if it rained the weekend before he'd want it called off.
  13. Spl77

    British Speedway to be reborn??

    During lockdown I managed to find quite a bit of speedway from the 70s and 80s on you tube. As I was too young to remember those days I have been massively suprised how big the sport was. Lots of speedway on world of sport but was was suprised to find team racing was also featured I found Ipswich v Cradley heath highlights. Bruce Penhall holding out for a new contract and being offered 30k a year extra, Kenny Carter on tvam. The way speedway and its riders were portrayed on mainstream tv it seem like they were house hold names. It's even more sad to see where this sport is today and how far it's fallen. I wonder if anyone involved in the sport looks at it now and thinks 'we f:%ked it right up'
  14. The attendance will be restricted to 33% of the stadium capacity. So given Foxhall has the largest capacity of any UK speedway stadium it makes perfect sense.
  15. Spl77

    Brandon Update

    Some positive news fingers crossed
  16. One of the many issues with this idea is that the poles ride on a Friday. I think that British speedway needs to find an operating model that works for level of support that can be currently generated. So at the highest level its no more than semi pro with standard equipment that is easy and cost effective to run. At the same time work on improving the credibility and image of the sport is a must.
  17. Spl77

    Taking the knee

    Repeats of the Dukes of Hazzard won't be the same with the flag air brushed out :-)
  18. If you're going to have capped pay rated the only way to inforce it is to pay the riders centrally and the clubs pay in the wage pot rather than each club paying the riders separately.
  19. Spot on great post! It's worrying that the promoters put personal ambition above saving UK speedway. When the ambition is to win things that have little or no value and mean absolutely nothing outside of UK speedway. Very very sad times.
  20. I don't see how it's inaccurate? How many times do we read on here in the speedway star or elsewhere Promotion a b or c complaining about falling attendances rising costs and how they are running below their break-even figure and losing money hand over fist? Just because we don't go on a regular basis or at all doesn't mean we don't stay connected via the speedway press. No one can deny the empty terraces compared to 10, 20 or 30 years ago. Some promotions are trying and some are loosing huge sums trying. Untill there is a collective will to push forward nothing will change.
  21. Poland is certainly an interesting case. I like many have held Poland up to be as the holy grail in what league speedway can be. The interesting thing is having watched several Polish matches on TV the quality of the racing isn't as good as I thought it would be. So that begs the question why is it so successful? I personally think its because the people who run it have made the show slick and ensures that it is ran in a highly professional manor. There for they have a product that the general public and business alike want to be involved with. The crowds generate a superb atmosphere. The combination of the atmosphere and the slick presentation makes the product cool regardless of the quality of racing. I guess the UK was once in that sort of position having watched racing from the 70s and 80s on you tube it wasn't all passing and excitement far from it. However you had the crowds the banter between Fans and the atmosphere that generated. Unfortunately as the sport became more and more micky mouse the fans started to drift away which ment less and less atmosphere so the quality of the racing became the focus wrongly in my opinion. For me I walked away because of the constant rule changes the vaslty over use of the guest rule. The double up and down rule finally saw an end to my picking and choosing meetings. Now I go once a year to catch up with friends who like me used to go. As a guy in his early 40s with young kids I was and should be part of speedways future. However until they can run the sport as a professional product or run it purely as an amateur sport and charge fiver to get in away I shall stay,
  22. No need for an enquiry. Everybody on here knows the reasons why the sport is in terminal decline here in the UK. So many threads so many comments over the years on here. The star have even tried to address it. Sadly the powers that be have done very little to address it. I no longer worry about it speedway is very much something I have left behind unless I fancy a night at the races for social reasons. I can't change it or influence the powers that be so as its out of my control I just enjoy the memories and the odd night out to the speedway once a year or so.
  23. The BSPA are probably dining out on being given elite status by the government. It's probably the first time for 30 plus years that anyone other than the BSPA have seen speedway as an elite sport!
  24. Well Godfrey is well placed to run an amateur meeting if his press release from in front of those curtains is anything to go by
  25. Spl77

    Brandon Update

    Regardless of where the cash went it's proof if needed that those who run speedway in the country are incompetent. Vast amounts of money wasted and not invested in the future of the sport, total failure to capitalise on the involvement of sky sports and the greater media attention that brought for a few seasons. I would love to see the sport return to Brandon I have such fond memories of watching my team Ipswich at Brandon on Saturday evenings during the 90s and of course those wonderful Sunday afternoon British finals of the early mid 90s. I'm sorry to say that unless this once wonderful sport changes dramatically in the next 6 months ready for 2021 then the fate of speedway in this country will mirror that of Brandon. I wish you guys who are trying to save the stadium and return it to speedway use all the best but without massive change the sport will be nothing but a memory in a few years with the exception of one or two tracks staging the old open meeting and experience days.
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