Promoter's Agm!

[Tsunami 10,219]

 

That might be so...but in my eyes speedway is an individual sport, like boxing or athletics, etc.

Of course footbal fans want to watch their team. There would be no football if there were no teams,

but speedway is one guy against three others.

But if it's not a team match, it would be watched by a poorer crowd, unless it was a top quality field or of special interest.

[Gemini 4,894]

I'm sorry you feel that way Gemini.

 

Hopefully, we can agree to differ.

I must have felt differently years ago because I used to go to the Laurels and Internationale at Wimbledon, the BLRC at Hyde Road Belle Vue, Brandonapolis at Coventry and Golden Gauntlets at Leicester etc., but they just don't interest me any more as I much prefer team racing these days.

[martinmauger 584]

At Hull, Boulevard we had the Yorkshire Television Trophy individ meet from 1974 (or 75) - 1981. It drew big crowds with World Final-class line ups but as with many of these events half way through most riders were out of the top placings, had lost interest and so the racing wasn't great. But it looked great, better, on TV & was an almost unmissable annual event, much like the old British League Riders Champs (Div 1) at Belle Vue, Hyde Rd which was defo one not to be missed. Seem to recall one promoter saying such 'indivds' petered out due there being so many each season, at least one per track....

Edited November 27, 2017 by Martin Mauger

[TheReturn 1,724]

I must have felt differently years ago because I used to go to the Laurels and Internationale at Wimbledon, the BLRC at Hyde Road Belle Vue, Brandonapolis at Coventry and Golden Gauntlets at Leicester etc., but they just don't interest me any more as I much prefer team racing these days.

 

Is that because there's rarely a decent field of riders, or just a general lack of interest?

[Humphrey Appleby 13,939]

The beauty of speedway, in my view, was that there was once an opportunity to watch meetings run under different formats to add a bit of variety...which I'm sure was unusual as regards most other sports?

 

However with people's tastes changing and being more selective in their choice of entertainment generally it's only the fixtures that 'carry weight' that appear to attract fans now.

 

I think the main problem was that the 'novelty events' became devalued when the top riders started to be allowed to miss them, and especially when the lineups started to be whoever could be bothered to turn-up (which frankly is also the problem with the British Championship and Riders' Championship). Even more than for league meetings, you need to have some star names involved.

 

I've never been a huge fan of the 3TT format, but the occasional 4TT, pairs and individual meeting added some variety. I think that today you'd need to link such meetings into a wider competition to add context, but they could be used to fill some gaps now there's fixed race nights.

[The Third Man 2,212]

In the past Sheffield used to have a WC qualifying meeting, the occasional British Final, a Northern Riders Qualifier and the final, and usually at least one other individual meeting

 

i guess our preferences for the type of meetings we like to watch must have changed

[Chadster 221]

In the past Sheffield used to have a WC qualifying meeting, the occasional British Final, a Northern Riders Qualifier and the final, and usually at least one other individual meeting

 

i guess our preferences for the type of meetings we like to watch must have changed

This was in an era when teams met in the league once at home and once away and when guests were far less prevalent. So these individual meetings would be a chance to see riders for only the second time that season. Sadly, that doesn't apply now and it may be a reason why Test matches are not considered, because it would just be the same riders you've seen several times before.

[iris123 20,935]

But it did get a bit out of hand.

 

At Wimbledon we'd have the early spring tournament qualifying against local teams like Reading and Ipswich etc,then you'd have world quali and southern rider quali and then 4tt and of course ko cup and a test match plus 3 or 4 individual meetings and then the league......

[waytogo28 2,054]

But it did get a bit out of hand.

 

At Wimbledon we'd have the early spring tournament qualifying against local teams like Reading and Ipswich etc,then you'd have world quali and southern rider quali and then 4tt and of course ko cup and a test match plus 3 or 4 individual meetings and then the league......

 

But it was only 2/6 to get in or shilling for juniors, with kids free!

[RobMcCaffery 2,752]

 

But it was only 2/6 to get in or shilling for juniors, with kids free!

Many a true word spoken in jest (?).

 

I think we can link the decline in interest in meetings other than league matches to the huge increase in real terms of speedway admissions (along with many other sports thanks to football) over the past 30 years. The increases are way above the rate of inflation and speedway, like most other sports is now a much more expensive product than in the past, even allowing for general rises in prices and incomes.

 

People are inevitably much choosier since for most it's no longer a casual thing to pay out for sport admissions.