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How Do We Attract A New Young Audience?

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It might minimally detract from programme sales – although not if the editorial content of the programme is good enough to still warrant purchasing – but this progression to the digital age is long overdue.

It doesn’t require any wi-fi connection and would appeal to those youngsters who are joined at the hip to their smartphones.

 

Would that mean promoters having to give out the riding order on their website? Heaven forbid we find that out before a meeting. :lol:

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Back in the 80,s we had riders like Sean Wilson ,Gary Havelock, Joe Screen, Dave Norris, Dean Barker . Shane Parker , Characters both on and off the track , most of them could be found in the bars after meetings having a laugh and joke with supporters sponsors and each other.handing out stickers to kids or discussing the latest trends with teenagers , today we have mainly foreign riders , who cant get out of stadiums fast enough or dont speak english , either way you are not likely to see them either before or after their 5 minutes on track . last year Jason Doyle the only glimmer of light in a poor Leicester team ,more often than not, had opted not to ride in heat fifteen , and had left the stadium before the parade truck was loaded . Even at national league level theese days the kids get their name on the side of a van and think they are some sort of untouchable superstar , Stop fawning over MX riders as well , Mx is a sport which largely thrives on flash and money and appeals to chav mentality , in recent years NL teams have thrown team places at MX riders in the mistaken belief that that will succesfully make the transition into speedway and become great riders , well sadly having the latest £250 a pair sunglasses 6 matching bikes and a brand new winnibago with your name on the side , 10 mechanics in matching team clothing , counts for very little , in a sport where 2 days with filthy hands in the workshop , skill and talent are whatt it takes to succeed . all I have seen from the current crop of MX wizards is a few mediocre National league riders who think because of all the flash they are something ,which the results sheets say they are not .To go forward , speedway needs to step backwards ,Promoters need To start running their teams for the benefit of their supporters , and not for the benefit of the few top class riders , Sky sports , BSI , and Polish speedway ,


Again though, this demonstrates the thinking in the sport. Whilst I'd agree that filling in the programme used to be part of the appeal for me, it's perfectly possible in 2015 to relay results directly to an app, so no filling in is necessary. And if wifi was made available in the stadium, maybe kids would be more willing to come along if they can do whatever they do on their phones in between the indeterminable delays between heats.

My son is in a band , just local lads playing to a few souls , with the use of an app which is free , they can stream the gigs live so that people at home can watch on their phones or computers , although most teams could not afford a large screen they could use this app to show rider interviews between races , and show bits of action from the pits to fill the gaps necessary for track preperation .

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Problem is the BSPA think every thing is fine,you will never changed their mind ,it's their ball and your not getting it.Every close season the same subjects up come up for discussion between the fans but their voices are in vain.Look at this years shambles!!

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Yes, I was taken by my Dad when I was 8 and 67 years later I'm still going, but some have already pointed out the thing that annoys me the most these days ~ long gaps between races. :mad: According to Peter York it's to 'get the shale back on the racing line.' Okay so where exactly is the racing line at Coventry and is there only one? The tractors just go round and round and don't touch the inside because apparently that has to be left as it is. So if the shale has moved out why can't it stay where it is so we can see exciting blasts round the outside from Chris Harris...for instance? I'm not convinced all this grading is necessary and think it's just something that's done to make the meeting last longer so we feel we've had our monies worth. It is boring watching tractors go round, I get cheesed off so I'm sure children do as well. I only go to 3 tracks nowadays Coventry, Leicester and Peterborough, plus a holiday visit to Kings Lynn and I wouldn't go back there again as there is a sun break as well as grading. :lol: Peterborough and Leicester are the worst for track grading and at Peterborough the tractor often comes out after heat 2. I just don't get it but I'm sure someone will explain why it has to be done.

 

 

 

 

Presumably fully grazed by a few Sheep? Lucy would like that. :wink:

 

 

 

 

Thank goodness SCB isn't able to post at the moment. :P

Ok, when I started going in 69/70 I didn't really know anything about the sport, it was when I hit double figures in 73/74 I really got into the racing, and in them "good old days" grading was done after every race!!! Rakers dragging back dirt onto the inside, and tractor with grader doing 2/3 laps spreading, levelling the shale, taking off any berm that builds up 3/4 way up the bends.... Now, it's officially only done after heats 3,7 10 and 14 ish.

So there's less grading now, technically....

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It will be difficult to attract younger fans in sufficient numbers, so Speedway Sta and Philip Rising had better stop living the high-life! Don't worry Phil, I haven't been a regular at the speedway for a decade but still buy your mag (by the way, any chance of a history book covering domestic racing, with stats and major stories?)

 

These days it is hard to imagine anyone taking to speedway the way we did. It is a time of a "want it now" attitude, and why should you wait yonks for the next race, as even those watching at home fast forward the gaps and just watch the racing. Going to a live match must be quite a yawn when you can't skip the needless airspace between the heats.

 

As a fan for 40 years, I can never see a time I'd want to stand on the terraces for hours just to watch 15 races. And I know what the sport is all about, so why would an itchy toed youngster stand there for hours when he has a phone to prize away his attention. The attention span of people has never been so short.

Edited by moxey63
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Regarding apps and live results, I think that 15 years into the 21st century, fans should

not have to provide live results by sending

each other text messages which is then posted by another person on a web forum.

 

Don't get me wrong, SU's texters and updaters are doing a very good job but surely BSPA should

take care of that part themselves?

 

Svemo's TA system is neither fast or perfect but usually it works.

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Think it shows how hard it is in the situation speedway finds itself in,that even two very experienced enthusiasts like Kelvin + Phil can't really come up with a solution.I do think an awful lot is down to the stadia.If speedway was always held in modern stadiums with great sound and lighting and viewing and good covering,then I am sure it would all be a lot easier to attract people

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Think it shows how hard it is in the situation speedway finds itself in,that even two very experienced enthusiasts like Kelvin + Phil can't really come up with a solution.I do think an awful lot is down to the stadia.If speedway was always held in modern stadiums with great sound and lighting and viewing and good covering,then I am sure it would all be a lot easier to attract people

I'm sure that Belle Vue and Swindon can prove this, in so much as the rebuilding of football stadiums in the 90s attracted more and different types of supporters.

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I'm sure that Belle Vue and Swindon can prove this, in so much as the rebuilding of football stadiums in the 90s attracted more and different types of supporters.

Wish them all the success in the world.Fingers crossed it starts an upturn in the sport.I remember football back in the 70s and it was largely a male dominated sport.Now women and also important ethnic minorities are to be seen in fairly large numbers.Speedway doesn't have the problem that football did in attracting women,but why is there no talk of attracting ethnic minorities as well as youngsters?

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There's nothing much new here - all these themes have been done to death many times over. However, a common thread seems to be more racing, less grading and less delays generally. So what about 6-man teams, 18 heats, no superstars? Or 5-man teams, 20 heats? Riders' wage bills could be the same or less without the globetrotters, so the promoters wouldn't incur extra cost.

 

I've heard all the arguments against dropping the "superstars, but they all come from diehard old gits like me on this forum. If you want a new audience, they don't know or need to know whether their favourite home rider is a GP contender. I know nothing about ice hockey, except that it seems to be a minority sport that's more popular than ours, and I'm guessing the spectators don't know/care whether any particular team member is an international star. And most of the team are on the pitch at the same time, so the argument that smaller teams mean you'll see the same riders in too many races doesn't hold water, either.

 

Oh, and DO AWAY WITH TACTICAL RIDES.......

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What's the difference between attracting 1,000 new fans aged 15-30 and 1,000 new fans aged 40-55? I'd hazard that speedway looses far more fans due to lose of interest, cost, rules etc. than through death.

The 15 to 30 Group will last longer. :shock:;):blink:

 

one only has to look at the old uns bickering on here over .25 of a point etc... the rules are far too complicated in what is inherently a very simple sport. The risk of bumping into someone like TWK would make yourt avarage teenager run a mile

It may surprise you but I generally get on very well with teenagers. :t::)

Edited by The White Knight
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Ok, when I started going in 69/70 I didn't really know anything about the sport, it was when I hit double figures in 73/74 I really got into the racing, and in them "good old days" grading was done after every race!!! Rakers dragging back dirt onto the inside, and tractor with grader doing 2/3 laps spreading, levelling the shale, taking off any berm that builds up 3/4 way up the bends.... Now, it's officially only done after heats 3,7 10 and 14 ish.

So there's less grading now, technically....

I honestly can't remember all this grading after every race but I'll take your word for it . I know there were always track rakers who got on swiftly with their job as soon as the riders had exited the track. I also remember after every match (not sure how many heats, 13, 15 or 18) there was at least a 6 heat second half but don't recall the evening's entertainment taking as long as it does these days. Perhaps I've just got less patient in my old age and get fed up hanging around, especially if it's cold, but reading comments on the forum I'm certainly not alone in wishing things could be speeded up a bit with less delay between heats.

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Looking at a more general level the sport needs professional marketing, but the eternal question is who can or will pay for it? I really can't see that the sport can work together on this, even if somehow the funds were to be found.

 

The sport needs external funding which it can only get from sponsorship since official funding bodies generally barely recognise it as a sport. Perhaps if the Sky money had been spent on this instead of being used to prop up unrealistic budgets at tracks the sport could have taken that vital step forward?

 

I read a lot of regional papers and it's notable how often that other sport that often shares our stadia, Stock Car Racing takes out significant, eye-catching advertising. Speedway, apparently cannot afford this, and I dare say if I were privy to the books of tracks (heaven forbid!) I'd see why they can't. It's a terribly sad situation; lack of unity, ideas and fundamentally, hard cash.

 

The sport needs hype, but modern hype, not the form that we've tried and failed with (myself included on a very minor scale). We're constantly informed of the 'great new craze to come out of the USA" and we really need this kind of marketing working for us. The sport is now obscure enough to be sold as a 'new' sport I'd suggest, but in a completely new way. We used the 'family sport' tag when football was almost crippled by hooliganism. They've cleaned up their act (or more significantly a large chunk of the media plays this down to protect its investment) and I'd suggest this approach has reached the end of its usefulness.

 

One of SCB's best moments here was to argue that the sport needed to be sold as a dangerous one - radical and almost something that your mother wouldn't approve of.

 

It needs to be seen as something edgy, almost forbidden - that to follow it is to rebel and be an individual - to make a mark.

 

Social media is vital - but not this forum which far too often does nothing at all to enhance the sport's image (cue howls of indignation form the self-serving and self-justifying 'mob' that dominates here now).

 

Going 'viral' is essential - attract attention. Despite my comments about advertising earlier I've always believed strongly in word-of-mouth. Now with social media the ability to spread the message this way, by personal recommendation. is stronger than ever.

 

Sadly for too many in authority in the sport the internet is a threat - it gives voice to malcontents and trouble-makers, as is so sadly often the case with with the BSF which really squanders its potential role as a healthy ideas generator. That's why I get so frustrated when I see this happen, it's such a waste of opportunity.

 

There are agencies that offer these services professionally. They create positive comments about the client all over the internet and especially in Facebook and similar products. They sell quantity of mentions. It's 'kick starting', and the amounts involved are quite substantial.

 

Without breaching client confidentiality I was helping to pay the bills for a major soft drink manufacturer earlier this year and the bills from the social media marketing firms were significant and revealing. Sadly they were also totally beyond the sport's current ability to pay.

 

People don't realise that comments about products or services don't always come from amateurs. Often what you read is the creation of a professional working for a client.

 

We need someone to do that for us. We need to sell the danger and risk, not just the lack of brakes, we need to sharpen our meeting running times and presentation (I've been as guilty as many others in my time). But there HAS to be racing and incident - F1 may get away without it but the marketing there is astronomical!

 

We need to make speedway attractive, exciting, but most of all entertaining. Without that you're just polishing the unmentionable....

 

All thoughts need to be on product improvement, starting with the things that don't cost too much - using the assets that we have, the riders and making them part of people's lives. We need people thinking and talking about Tai Woffinden without even necessarily knowing why.

 

Look at Guy Martin. He's all over Channel Four. I hear he's a biker. Get the point? He's being marketed professionally.

 

We need the money, but also the will. It's got to be about the action, racing, incident, controversy - make people want to see all of that and talk about it. The world turns on gossip thanks to social media. We need to be part of that conversation.

Edited by rmc
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if we look at why speedway works at GP/WORLD CUP level, just maybe, league racing can follow?

GP/WC...no guest riders.......No rider sharing....Meaningful fixtures....Fast moving, not drawn-out...lock tight rules..

just a thought

Edited by ColinMills

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if we look at why speedway works at GP/WORLD CUP level, just maybe, league racing can follow?

GP/WC...no guest riders.......No rider sharing....Meaningful fixtures....Fast moving, not drawn-out...lock tight rules..

just a thought

Lock tight rules? Did you see Warsaw last year?

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