Fromafar 10,363 Posted August 24, 2015 It'll depend on how they account for things, I'll leave that discussion for the wonderfully grey world of the bean counters, I'm sure there must be a forum for that sort of thing! They've certainly done a great job, and their P&L will be a good indicator of whether or not speedway is viable with significant investment. Buying the stadium and land has to be a good investment alone. Agree,Stadium and land is really an investment for them in the future.They seem to be doing the right things though.The sport itself is the problem. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
To The Point 356 Posted August 24, 2015 The highlight of the meeting for me was young Leon Flint and Kyle Bickley. I am so proud to sponsor Liam, a lot of speedway riders could learn a lot from young Leon in how to treat sponsors, and from someone so young. Both these lads are part of the future in speedway but only if speedway is still running when they reach the right age. SO DAMNED PROUD OF YOU LEON, A REAL PLEASURE TO SPONSOR YOU. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
screm 8,057 Posted August 24, 2015 The very real prospect of Berwick closing could have a real impact on local riders like Leon Flint who are at the start of their careers as the closest track would be Newcastle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fromafar 10,363 Posted August 24, 2015 The very real prospect of Berwick closing could have a real impact on local riders like Leon Flint who are at the start of their careers as the closest track would be Newcastle.They don't really get a lot of track at Berwick,they have honed their skills elsewhere IMO Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
To The Point 356 Posted August 24, 2015 The very real prospect of Berwick closing could have a real impact on local riders like Leon Flint who are at the start of their careers as the closest track would be Newcastle. For Leon thats really local, he already put in huge miles, he's really lucky to have grandad Tony. :rofl: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lady s 2 30 Posted August 24, 2015 Have to agree Leon flint is one great young rider and one I'm proud to have sponsored and will do again omens from a great family . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigeddiechek 1,094 Posted August 24, 2015 Leon is a fantastic young prospect. Could be the next Woffinden. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tyretrax 2,253 Posted August 24, 2015 Leon is a fantastic young prospect. Could be the next Woffinden. Or be the first Flint. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
screm 8,057 Posted August 24, 2015 Or be the first Flint. Spot on, he has the talent to be as good as he wants to be without being compared to any other rider, good as Tai is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigeddiechek 1,094 Posted August 24, 2015 Or be the first Flint. Spot on, he has the talent to be as good as he wants to be without being compared to any other rider, good as Tai is. I'm sure you both know what I was meaning! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topsoil 2,498 Posted August 24, 2015 good idea if the promoter.s can afford ,as how i see it they are toiling.but my main concern, is lack of infermation on the build up to race day on the internet ,ie on saturday there was no teams for both sides, we have a round trip to berwick of 100,miles ,but we are there often .but felt on sat no information somerset on there northern tour are worth the effort to see we are on bandit alert but could be better .b.t.w we ended up on sat going to stockies at fife only for our resason stated The subject of social media was brought up in Speedway Star last week. Teams in general and Berwick are amongst these teams who sadly fall behind in using different types of social media. Not just a case of posting results and updates on meetings, but keeping fans updated on line ups, any developments within the club etc. But also clubs can use social media to advertise sponsors, this is something we do for our amateur football team. I follow a couple of professional rugby teams on twitter and they constantly interact with fans, asking them to post their favourite game, favourite memory, first game, favourite player, even favourite strip. Anything to interact with fans and keep the club in the spotlight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coolcol 57 Posted August 25, 2015 o well well well the lads and john raced ther hartsout. but not gd enuff roleon 2016 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thebaron 434 Posted August 25, 2015 (edited) Its 37 years or so since I last saw speedway in Berwick. Infact it was the Willie Templeton testimonial in 1978 to be exact. I seem to recollect a different state of affairs back then; a sunny Sunday afternoon; and big crowd. Contrast that with Saturday night v Somerset 37 years on was I even in the same stadium? you could have fooled me. Except I must have been since Dick Barrie was still carping on from the centre green!. So somethings never change thank goodness I suppose. I walked to all four corners of the track and were it not for a contingent of brave souls from Somerset on bend two; I would say Berwick speedway looks in dire trouble support wise. Very thin crowd; very little atmosphere or enthusiasm pervaded. As I say I was a bit unsure if this version of Shielfield Park was the same as the last?. Back in 78 I might have stood on the 3-4 bend; but I was stood on grass; and there was no perimeter wall behind me and was the pits to my right back then? Maybe one of you Bandits fans can correct me. Anyway the racing on Saturday was fairly routine. Bandits had two Scorps in their team Theo and Tommy Gun so that was added interest for me. But the Bandits were hapless against the Rebel rout. Edberg for Bandits was way off it! totally zeroed out and Garcia also not really at the races. Had it not been for the Scorps pair it would have been a complete "stick em up Bandits" by the Rebs. I found a small crew of flag waving Bandidos on turn three. The over hanging view point had me reminicing for the Shay Halifax in fact the place had that old school speedway feel about it to be fair. Whos the irrate video guy on turn one ? As I wandered back to the exit gate I happened to stand on turn one looking back at the start gate. Just for posterity I thought I would nab a camera shot of Shielfield Park race 13. Incidentally nothing in programne banning public caneras from what I can see. Next news theres a quite intimidating and agitated chap having a go with a steward cause he claimed I had stood in front of his camera! Didnt even see his gantry hidden in the corner and hes clearly miffed off. When I tried to apologise; he seemed even more uncharitable "dont speak to me". Ok I had made a mistake but it was nigh on four decades since my last visit. Dont think he was anywhere near back in them days. Nothing to warn you not to stand there by the way or as I tried to explain ask me simply to move away. I am struck by how narrow the track is and a bit unforgiving. Its like a switch back down-the very bumpy long straights. Indeed it is a big circuit; so much so in Heat1 I am thinking hell thats a long 4 laps and it was! because it was 5. The flag marshall cocked up and put the yellow/black up late on lap 4. So overall impression returning after four decades. Berwick Speedway is not in the best of health right now. Its has a nice retro feel about it for me but clearly it is the few die hard fans who support it; not in sufficient numbers. Having fallen foul of the rather irrate video chap like Somersets Rasmus Jensen later tweeted "Berwick last night glad to get out alive". I probably wont be back anytime soon. But good luck with efforts to try to keep Berwick speedway alive in this traditional northern outpost. Another track lost is another one too many. Edited August 25, 2015 by the outsider 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topsoil 2,498 Posted August 25, 2015 o well well well the lads and john raced ther hartsout. but not gd enuff roleon 2016 Google translate just imploded when I typed this in Its 37 years or so since I last saw speedway in Berwick. Infact it was the Willie Templeton testimonial in 1978 to be exact. I seem to recollect a different state of affairs back then; a sunny Sunday afternoon; and big crowd. Contrast that with Saturday night v Somerset 37 years on was I even in the same stadium? you could have fooled me. Except I must have been since Dick Barrie was still carping on from the centre green!. So somethings never change thank goodness I suppose. I walked to all four corners of the track and were it not for a contingent of brave souls from Somerset on bend two; I would say Berwick speedway looks in dire trouble support wise. Very thin crowd; very little atmosphere or enthusiasm pervaded. As I say I was a bit unsure if this version of Shielfield Park was the same as the last?. Back in 78 I might have stood on the 3-4 bend; but I was stood on grass; and there was no perimeter wall behind me and was the pits to my right back then? Maybe one of you Bandits fans can correct me. Anyway the racing on Saturday was fairly routine. Bandits had two Scorps in their team Theo and Tommy Gun so that was added interest for me. But the Bandits were hapless against the Rebel rout. Edberg for Bandits was way off it! totally zeroed out and Garcia also not really at the races. Had it not been for the Scorps pair it would have been a complete "stick em up Bandits" by the Rebs. I found a small crew of flag waving Bandidos on turn three. The over hanging view point had me reminicing for the Shay Halifax in fact the place had that old school speedway feel about it to be fair. Whos the irrate video guy on turn one ? As I wandered back to the exit gate I happened to stand on turn one looking back at the start gate. Just for posterity I thought I would nab a camera shot of Shielfield Park race 13. Incidentally nothing in programne banning public caneras from what I can see. Next news theres a quite intimidating and agitated chap having a go with a steward cause he claimed I had stood in front of his camera! Didnt even see his gantry hidden in the corner and hes clearly miffed off. When I tried to apologise; he seemed even more uncharitable "dont speak to me". Ok I had made a mistake but it was nigh on four decades since my last visit. Dont think he was anywhere near back in them days. Nothing to warn you not to stand there by the way or as I tried to explain ask me simply to move away. I am struck by how narrow the track is and a bit unforgiving. Its like a switch back down-the very bumpy long straights. Indeed it is a big circuit; so much so in Heat1 I am thinking hell thats a long 4 laps and it was! because it was 5. The flag marshall cocked up and put the yellow/black up late on lap 4. So overall impression returning after four decades. Berwick Speedway is not in the best of health right now. Its has a nice retro feel about it for me but clearly it is the few die hard fans who support it; not in sufficient numbers. Having fallen foul of the rather irrate video chap like Somersets Rasmus Jensen later tweeted "Berwick last night glad to get out alive". I probably wont be back anytime soon. But good luck with efforts to try to keep Berwick speedway alive in this traditional northern outpost. Another track lost is another one too many. Interest post. You are right that Berwick is struggling at the moment, over a number of years the fan base has dwindled. Berwick and the sport in general has failed to move with the times. Not a lot will have changed format wise since the 70s or 80s. Still the same parade tune, still racing with big gaps in between, still playing the same music in many cases. Whilst almost every other sport has re-branded itself or provides additional entertainment during intervals and pre-match, speedway trundles on. And another downfall has been the lack of promotion of the sport. This again applies to the sport in general and not just Berwick. I can't speak for other tracks but if I was a visitor to Berwick on a Saturday I would have no idea there was a meeting on a Saturday night. So there are two big reasons why crowds are down. As for the track, there isn't much the club can do about this it's round the football pitch. My own personal opinion is that the bikes have become too fast for the track. Go back to the 70s or 80s when the bikes were much slower and you would get a lot more racing because the speed would be more suited to the track. Funny you should mention standing on the 3rd and 4th bend, I used to sit there are a child in the late 70s when I would go with my parents. But health and safety has done for that. It's a pity because you get some great views from round there. If you ever visit the tea hut on the 4th bend you get a real idea of the speed of these bikes entering the 3rd bend and you can't help but be impressed with the noise and speed. Then you are showered in shale for the full experience :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goodiepatchie 417 Posted August 25, 2015 o well well well the lads and john raced ther hartsout. but not gd enuff roleon 2016 parody poster Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
