Jump to content
British Speedway Forum
wealdstone

The continuing decline of Speedway

Recommended Posts

After reading Ronnie Russell’s comments in the star it got me thinking maybe Swindon, wolves belle vue and Poole should apply to join the polish extraleague, logistically is very easy and I’m sure the fans would back it, only drawback is affording the teams to compete

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 7/16/2018 at 11:20 AM, Fromafar said:

It's all about self interest,no co- operation.Its just a circus now.As everyone is saying the sport needs Independant people in charge,but that will never happen.

It does need a new chairman. 

The BSPA is pretty self explanatory in its wording. It's a promoters association so basically the clubs run the sport, that is what creates so much in fighting because nobody can ever agree. They all have their own investment and some have louder voices than others. 

That will make it incredibly difficult for an independent chairman to oversee an association of people who's own money is propping the sport up. They'll never be heard. 

If I had the money myself I'd pay the lot of them off and be done with it. 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
11 hours ago, Skid Sprocket said:

The greatest strength of a supporters group is numbers and as you say two means nothing. The greatest weakness is apathy. There are many willing take time to discuss whats wrong with the sport but no time to help find a cure.  How do you motivate supporters? or maybe you just accept that there are no problems to be fixed.

I think motivating supporters is an almost impossible task because we have had 20 years of total submission / acceptance of continuing to pay to see what the BSPA put on.  Very few care enough to form some kind of Supporters Action Team because they realise that we have no power to put pressure on Promoters, collectively or individually. It is they who will decide on the destiny of the sport here and whether or not it reaches the Centenary in 2028. There will still be a few tracks racing amateur speedway matches and these will be staffed and organised by grassroots enthusiasts. Or, will speedway be just another lost sport...

Edited by waytogo28
additional point made
  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Following a comment in the Red car programme a few weeks ago about the very poor attendance at the Julie Lewis Memorial Meeting, I sent an e-mail to the promoters making a suggestion of how they could make future individual meeting more enticing. Guess what----I am still waiting for a reply even if it was just to say it was rubbish suggestion. If I cannot get a reply from my local promotion what chance getting anything from the BSPA?

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
42 minutes ago, Thornaby48 said:

Following a comment in the Red car programme a few weeks ago about the very poor attendance at the Julie Lewis Memorial Meeting, I sent an e-mail to the promoters making a suggestion of how they could make future individual meeting more enticing. Guess what----I am still waiting for a reply even if it was just to say it was rubbish suggestion. If I cannot get a reply from my local promotion what chance getting anything from the BSPA?

Do you think that it is now a collective policy by the BSPA NOT to respond, even to constructive feedback, from supporters? That is how our small group became so disillusioned when the local promotion failed to even say "Ta, thanks" to our joint constructive points, put forward three years ago. And that was in response to a request in the programme for fans to do just that - come up with ideas!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Regarding surveying fans at meetings, I am almost certain that permission for such a thing would not be given at Lakeside. Jon Cook's attitude has always been that fans with an opinion are a pain in the behind. The club has been better than many at tweeting and updating the website, but hardly earth shatteringly impressive. These mediums are of course for telling us what they want us to know. They are not for us mere paying customers to express an opinion. The club did have a quite lively official fans forum, until Mr Cook got annoyed at the notion of it being used to criticize the club and closed it down. The bottom line is that the members of the BSPA do not want to hear from us the fans. Their attitude is we should be quiet and be grateful for whatever they serve up to us.

  • Like 1
  • Sad 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
11 minutes ago, Bryce said:

Regarding surveying fans at meetings, I am almost certain that permission for such a thing would not be given at Lakeside. Jon Cook's attitude has always been that fans with an opinion are a pain in the behind. The club has been better than many at tweeting and updating the website, but hardly earth shatteringly impressive. These mediums are of course for telling us what they want us to know. They are not for us mere paying customers to express an opinion. The club did have a quite lively official fans forum, until Mr Cook got annoyed at the notion of it being used to criticize the club and closed it down. The bottom line is that the members of the BSPA do not want to hear from us the fans. Their attitude is we should be quiet and be grateful for whatever they serve up to us.

That rings a bell although Bratters was just getting a grip of ours when Frost did the same (well decoupled it from the website rather than closed it down but he may as well have done so).

Edited by Crump99

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just thinking, though... I hate being told that I'm not doing something right. I go all uppity and still carry on how I was doing it and don't listen to advice. An ideal candidate for running a speedway club?    

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
16 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

After reading Ronnie Russell’s comments in the star it got me thinking maybe Swindon, wolves belle vue and Poole should apply to join the polish extraleague, logistically is very easy and I’m sure the fans would back it, only drawback is affording the teams to compete

Just an idea

Why not get back to a couple of leagues of teams with UK based riders where we have racing every week. Promotion/relegation. Exclude "International GP level riders". Regular racing will happen if we have league, cups and British championship meets. Cut costs but give us regular racing. Remember when it was Saturday and speedway or Thursday and speedway ...or whatever. Meetings every week, a continuity and ongoing interest. Really look at it as national / junior level racing (which lets be honest, the UK has sort of become by default and team down gradings)

 

Many of us really enjoy elite racing (Team GP Racing in effect) and I believe there is a big demand...but it has to be good....a quality product

In Poland that elite league racing regular season only amounts to 7 meetings a year at home! 14 nights in a season. About 1 a fortnight, or once every four weeks from a home standpoint. That's it.  (Plus a further 1 or 2 for play-offs and final for the top 4 as in the UK) .

Run this separately in the UK. Find 8 locations in the UK that could host this in addition to UK racing.  You state the obvious 4, but I'm sure 4 others could be found. Then do a deal and WORK WITH the Polish Clubs. Use the same teams (but use up and coming UK riders at Reserve in place of the Polish Reserves) and choose another day (other than Sunday) which minimises clashes with the regular UK. It pays in Poland with crowds around 10,000 and sponsorship. 3,000 to 4,000 in the UK should generate the same sort of revenue. I have a feeling fans from an area would support this elite level, not just fans normally attending a tracks regular team meets.

An International fanbase and shared support.  Sparta Wroclaw are also  Swindon Elite, Unia Leszno are Belle Vue United, Unia Tarnow are Wolverhampton International for example. Think we could even see fans travelling around to see "their" team in Poland or in the UK :)

 I'm being silly. Too radical! We can't get promoters to work together in the UK so across border, no chance :)

But could it be done? Simplifies many things. Got a feeling the tables could look very different in Poland to UK given the much wider variance of tracks in UK.

Hey, even a Table collating results in the UK and Poland.

 

In effect, GP style/level Team Competition.

     

 

 

 

 

Edited by TonyGlos

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Rather than making predictions about the future of British Speedway there has to be a reality check and a pragmatic approach to the current problems has to be achieved. The commercial model of speedway is virtually defunct and looking very tired. Have a look at how much it costs and what you are getting for what are astronomical admission prices. There are other factors but who possesses the disposable income to afford this entertainment luxury. Accepting that may ensure the continuity of British Speedway.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Thornaby48 said:

Following a comment in the Red car programme a few weeks ago about the very poor attendance at the Julie Lewis Memorial Meeting, I sent an e-mail to the promoters making a suggestion of how they could make future individual meeting more enticing. Guess what----I am still waiting for a reply even if it was just to say it was rubbish suggestion. If I cannot get a reply from my local promotion what chance getting anything from the BSPA?

Redcars new promoter is one ray of sunshine in this whole mess, he is very approachable but the workload he  has taken on is horrendous.  I am sure your email must have slipped through the net, what were your suggestions? (pm me if you would prefer)  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Skid Sprocket said:

Redcars new promoter is one ray of sunshine in this whole mess, he is very approachable but the workload he  has taken on is horrendous.  I am sure your email must have slipped through the net, what were your suggestions? (pm me if you would prefer)  

I agree with you about Kevin Keay, he certainly keeps the Red car fans informed and puts on a very good show. I consider the speed way at Red car far better than at the old Cleveland Park.Basically I suggested that people prefer team racing rather than individual meeting ,so have 6 pairs representing local towns. ____Stockton, Middlesbrough, Red car with Berwick, Newcastle and Workington.This way supporters have a local team to follow rather than just a favourite rider.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Thornaby48 said:

I agree with you about Kevin Keay, he certainly keeps the Red car fans informed and puts on a very good show. I consider the speed way at Red car far better than at the old Cleveland Park.Basically I suggested that people prefer team racing rather than individual meeting ,so have 6 pairs representing local towns. ____Stockton, Middlesbrough, Red car with Berwick, Newcastle and Workington.This way supporters have a local team to follow rather than just a favourite rider.

Not sure what you mean, Stockton team etc. Do you mean a made up team name for the night for supporters who live in those towns? If thats the case then should it be all local towns instead of real team names eg. Whitby, Guisbrough etc. so that you would have say Aaron Summers riding for Guisbrough.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
36 minutes ago, Skid Sprocket said:

Not sure what you mean, Stockton team etc. Do you mean a made up team name for the night for supporters who live in those towns? If thats the case then should it be all local towns instead of real team names eg. Whitby, Guisbrough etc. so that you would have say Aaron Summers riding for Guisbrough.

The 3 local teams I mentioned would be made up of Red car riders just for that night, so Stockton could be the Anderson bros., Red car could be Ben Barker and sayTobias Busch and Middlesbrough could be Dimitri Bergen and say Thomas Jorgansen, just throwing names about there. Then pairs could be invited from Berwick, Newcastle and Workington.I know that this is a pairs meeting with pairs meeting each other once  but I think that this might be more attractive than an individual meeting.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
21 minutes ago, Thornaby48 said:

The 3 local teams I mentioned would be made up of Red car riders just for that night, so Stockton could be the Anderson bros., Red car could be Ben Barker and sayTobias Busch and Middlesbrough could be Dimitri Bergen and say Thomas Jorgansen, just throwing names about there. Then pairs could be invited from Berwick, Newcastle and Workington.I know that this is a pairs meeting with pairs meeting each other once  but I think that this might be more attractive than an individual meeting.

Oops forget to mention ,the top 4 scorers could then race off for the title.The idea of using 6 local town names with guest riders sounds attractive

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy