Great Central

I sincerely hope that all those issues can be resolved since grass roots speedway needs Iwade. It is a brilliant little track, quite technical in nature and situated in a great place. Best of luck to all involved with resolving the problems.

Well it is now the 1st February and there does not appear to have been any last minute offers to rescue speedway in the isle of Wight for 2014 so that looks like the end for this year. This is an extremely sad situation for NL speedway, and for British speedway in general. This isn't about fighting to save the stadium because it is being sold off for housing, but for a problem that is more deep rooted in the lack of support and sponsorship. I sincerely hope that Wightlink have been thanked for their support over the last few years because without them it would be impossible to hold it in the past and they need to be kept on board should their sponsorship be wanted in the future. The fight now begins to build a platform, which the shareholders and Directors will support, on which to get it going again in 2015.

It has been on the BSPA website for some hours now

To be fair, a loss of £30k on speedway last year could have been possible and some of it is those skeletons. Unpaid VAT, Council loan not paid were just two mentioned last night. I don't doubt that The Chairman and Board are all honest people but just seem bereft of new ideas to turn it round. Population of 130,000 which must be doubled in summer and you can't get more than 250 there on a nice summers evening!!!

You are indeed entitled to your opinion and nobody should attack you for it, and you make a valid point about the Board stumping up an amount of money to save speedway in the IOW but the figure quoted is inaccurate unless the Chairman has put in nearly £80k of his own money and since he didn't know last night how much he had loaned, I can't argue with you. The bank overdraft and Council loan equate to nearly £45k of the £100k and the Council loan repayment appears well under control. What I found strange last night being a non shareholder and it being my 1st meeting, was that there appears to be no plan in place to turn it round and a resignation that if people don't want to watch speedway then there is nothing you can do about it. As greyhoundp said, given time, there was every opportunity to find ways of funding the deficit this year, even to the point that the debts could be cleared quicker but having said that there do seem to be too many skeletons left over from previous Boards that have wrecked forward financial planning. On a positive note, the Supporters Club seem hell bent on keeping going and finding ways to increase club funds so well done to them because they may provide the rock on which speedway in the IOW continues in the future.

I echo your comments - the fact that people are continuing to try their best to help the club will bring heart to Kevin Shepherd, Bryn Williams and the others who are fighting to keep the club alive.

I think that Bryn is probably the best person to take this question and possibly offline. What is disappointing is that you are one of a number of people that may have found some support for the IOW club and had the cry gone out earlier, then just imagine what may have been possible.

I agree but in reality it has passed through the promoters hands very quickly, paying un-realistic wages for EL riders. A portion should have been held back, like football does from their TV money, to support the sport at grass roots level and to support the development of the sport. It seems from what little I have found out to be a very complex situation and if anyone could offer the shareholders some advice on company law, I am sure it would be appreciated because as Bryn has stated it could be a fiery and emotional meeting on the 21st January. The air fence purchase was just a smoke screen since there were solutions and financing offered to get round it. Currently there is nearly 50% raised in pledges and there are still untapped sponsorship opportunities. The real problem has been low attendances and higher costs than some other clubs incur but when the Chairman or someone else appears not to want to improve matters in respect of the speedway element of the club, maybe even working against the aims of the club in that respect, the shareholders are in a tricky position. One wrong move could see the club fall into the wrong hands. I don't think it is as easy as voting out the Chairman and Directors and you only have to check how many changes in directorship there have been lately to know that things aren't right at the top. Great club and a great sponsor in Wightlink - just a pity that it has been steered down the wrong path.

Bryn, I agree with your comments and when there is no speedway left in the UK, maybe some people will be happy. Yes it isn't pretty at times and I am sure that we all have ideas on how it can be improved, but it is what it is until someone really looks into what speedway has become and starts looking into the future a bit more. I have two more wishes: 1) One which is dear to your heart, is that I hope the the Isle of Wight survives as a going concern. A great club that has lost its way a little and needs a lifeline to take it forward. 2) I sincerely hope that there are less injuries this year. It won't be solved by more air fences but by getting rid of those lethal silencers and there isn't much chance of that.

An interesting link that you have provided which I think shows that certain activities may be being run with the wrong cost allocation. Yes the 6 a side football is providing a contribution to the club but it is only bringing in £168 per week and presumably lighting and the referees have to be paid out of that. If the other other activities are contributing on a similar basis, the speedway will appear to be more costly than it is. This is not an unusual problem and I think they will find that if speedway doesn't run in 2014, some of the costs previously allocated to the speedway element will still be there and what was thought to be a profitable sideline is no longer so. Vince, you ask an interesting question over the constitution of the IOW Club. Not being a shareholder, I am not party to the constitution but I understand that you get a vote regardless of the number of shares held but the Chairman who is paid, I think, can make decisions without recourse to the shareholders so not running in 2014 may be one of those decisions that he could make to improve the financial position of the Club(company). Of course what complicates things is that speedway is part of the name of the company and was set up to run speedway so how will the majority of the shareholders feel when the company is not running speedway anymore. I suppose they will feel agrieved but unless somebody comes up with cash to run it, what else can they do? Could they cash in their shares and what effect would that have?

You are right Dean but it appears to me that he doesn't want to run it anymore, and doesn't want anyone else to run it either. Has he declared to the shareholders how much he has put into keeping the club going and doesn't this amount to financial mismanagement as a Director just putting in his own money to what is apparently a bankrupt business? It is complex and a situation has to be found but I do think that regardless of what you or anyone suggests, it won't happen because the Chairman doesn't want it to happen. Really sad situation since it is a great little club.

It is indeed a complex situation over there and the more you ask, the more complicated it seems to get. Cutting riders costs would help reduce that annual deficit as would not competing in the NL Trophy which generally is run in the less popular times of the year in terms of spectators. The air fence issue was a smokescreen since a number of offers of fences and sponsorship seem to have been rejected, and has diverted the attention away from the fact that the Chairman doesn't want to run speedway anymore. How that sits with shareholders I don't know since they all bought into a Company to support speedway, not to make money, and all they would be left with is being a shareholder of a stadium and its subsidiary "income streams". In fact Speedway is in the name of the company so it is totally clear what the Company was set up for. In my view the decision not to run was made ages ago but deliberately declared so late that other parties and additional financial assistance couldn't be found in time to rescue it, unless of course somebody with real money comes in with a business plan that works. That of course is highly unlikely given the timescales and the attitude of the Board. I don't know the answer but I do know that this is a unique case of a team closing not because of houses being built on the land but because of other issues and therefore every effort has to be put into finding a solution somehow because without the Islanders, British speedway at NL level will be worse off.

And of course ferry space then becomes a problem. I am sure that Wightlink would not want to give up valuable space to non paying speedway riders and officials but no suggestion should be put down without adequate thought.

You are spot on. The financing of the air fence issue is something that can be overcome, not easily, but can be overcome. It is the losses that have been sustained and look like being sustained going forward unless something is done to turn it round that is the real problem. There does seem to be some negativity that seems to be preventing people working together to come up with solutions which is a pity. Maybe the mystery backer came up against that negativity in his short discussions with the club? I sincerely hope that the club continues since NL speedway cannot afford to lose it. It is unique and the people involved are good, passionate people but that won't pay the bills. What is clear is that Kevin and Chris and several others worked their socks off this year trying to turn it round but it needed something extra and that is probably more advertsing revenue and more promotion of what is a good nights entertainment at a stadium which some clubs would love to own.

Good signing and a fairly local lad as well. I wish whoever posts the press release would check their facts though. The following is posted from the press release. "Kent are delighted to announce the addition to their 2014 squad, teenager, Brandon Freemantle who appeared last season for the Isle of Wight and who made rapid improvement in the latter half of the season." He rode for the Islanders on the 2nd July, was injured and took no further part in racing in 2013. His average is only 3 though which is a steal.

I thought that the deal that they had going in partnership with Wighlink and Ryde taxis was a fantastic deal ie £22 all in but I am not sure that it was publicised enough. Yes it is on the website, but not in the easiest place to find and quite a few people that I talked to weren't aware of the offer thinking that driving across on the ferry was the only way.

Not the case anymore. The very generous sponsorship package by Wightlink Ferries ensures that all riders and officials get across to the Island and back free of charge. Very efficiently they do it too!!

No. I am presuming(don't know) that the BSPA will be informed before releasing any news to the wider world. There has been a lot of work going on everywhere to keep the club alive and there was even a big pledge today from across the water but whether it is enough to sway the verdict I don't know. It is disappointing that it has been left so late to take action since more could have been done before the season ended.

Bryn, Is it possible to get the website updated with the correct amount raised. It has sat for ages on £9135 yet the GoFundMe appeal has been boosted by a very generous anonymous donation of £100 only yesterday. Thanks to all who have pledged donations. Martin

I think you will find it is Reading. Read it in SS recently.

No it is more than the £20k. I thought that but was advised differently. As you point out money has to be found somehow to advertise the product on offer.

Bryn, It is Great Central, not that young upstart Grand Central from the New World!! I think that Halifax Tiger is spot on with his comments about advertising being so important to the Isle of Wight. If it is a lost cause trying to stir up support in the Island, and I don't think it is which is why I keep helping out in the background, the tourists who come across are therefore the lifeblood of speedway at Smallbrook but if they don't know it is there then they won't go. I also don't think that the air fence is the issue here. Yes the club is about £10k short right now but how long has the campaign been running. Not that long and a protracted campaign over the winter will bring in the additional money, and the Supporters Club have offered some help going forward with any instalment payments. What it needs however is a unified push on air fence fundraising and also how to improve attendances and I have offered my help in any way that I can. Why am I bothered about whether the IOW runs or not? It is because in this case it is not about the land being sold for houses but being viable going forward. It is a great club, run by shareholders in a not for profit context which is a great ethos. It will affect the NL and British speedway if it doesn't run and who cannot be excited by its unique position. I was involved to a small extent in Leicester coming back and am trying to get a home for the Long Eaton Invaders and like many on here who have tried to resurrect speedway clubs, it is nigh on impossible to do. Much easier to keep it going rather than trying to start afresh which TMW was alluding to. The focus should be therefore on clearing the debt and improving visibility of speedway to the tourists and the air fence will take care of itself. At the moment, in my opinion, it is acting as a smoke screen to the real problems behind the club's vilability. Martin

Bryn, I think you know my views on the IOW and where they should go in the future but with Mrs W(TMW) watching my every move, I could not possibly commit on this forum to such a generous offer from you. As the Government would say "We are currently exploring all avenues and opportunities"!! Martin

Some great ideas coming up all of which I hope will sway the decision the right way on Tuesday. I think now the issue has come out onto the forum it is showing how people are willing to help with ideas. Of course they have to be translated into action by someone but at least the ideas are there. Leaflets should be placed in every tourist attraction on the Island and maybe a deal struck up whereby a purchase to one attraction gets you reduced admission to another. There is a small advert on page 61 of the Wightlife magazine right down at the bottom but could be easily missed since it seems to blend in with the ones next to it. A thought would be for the Supporters Club to try and fund a full page advert next year if they run. What about contacting former riders(there are some illustrious ones that have cut their teeth around Smallbrook) and ask them to donate one item for auction on ebay with funds going to the Supporters Club to pay for increased advertising. What about advertising on the TV screens on the ferries - more expensive but for about £2k I think, it appears that you can access a potential of 800,000 pax for three months(June, July and August) with over 400,000 opportunities to view the advert on the 5 ferries Portsmouth to Fishbourne route. It would be better than watching the garlic growing!!

And that is at the root cause of the problem. Apparently there are speedway supporters on the Island that will not go and support NL racing which they see as being of a poorer quality to PL racing. Well they should watch some old videos because the NL lads race just as hard with probab;y more passing. The Club really needs to attract the youngsters in the Island since not many turn up on a Tuesday to watch the great racing but you can't fault Chris Hunt, Kevin Shepherd and a few others that spent their weekends trying to drum up support attending every possible venue that they could, displaying bikes and handing out promotional material. .