NO WORD FROM THE BSPA

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,738]

16 minutes ago, Stoke Potter said:

I've heard it all now!  With an attitude like that you should be a promoter Felton old boy.

Ask anyone who doesn't actually go and, if they've actually heard of the sport at all, they will all say first out of the start wins!  Nowhere is that more true than the UK.

The product is broken, you turn up, pay for 15 heats of racing and if you're lucky get 2 races and 13 processions! 

That's the major reason nobody goes, it's exactly why marketing drives at tracks don't work.  

People turn up for cheap or free admission and then the following week it's back to normal.  Why?  Because you're marketing a product nobody wants to watch.

More non fans would turn up to see 20 bad crashes on a crap track than 15 brilliant races on a perfect track, making a track perfect with perfect racing will do nothing to attract new fans 

Edited July 18, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[acef 795]

4 minutes ago, Grand Central said:

Really???
I think you are totally wrong.

All team sport is like this and just as much today as at any time in the past.
In all team People who are into any sport have a 'Team' and that comes above everything else.

Just today there was a table in the papers shoing that all the PL Fottball clubs Kit Pricing for the new season ... all costing upwards of £80 for Kidsand some double for adults
To be dressed like this years team. It matters that much to be like your heroes that is what you pay.

I know Footbal 'is different' in many respects. But ALL team sports are about team loyalty.... if they are getting it right.

Tuning into that is the future. The only one.

Worrying about the 'track' and 'racing' will get us absolutely nowhere.

The sport is in double digit decline YOY. That isn't because we don't have teams anymore, because as far as I can see we still have about 35 'teams' remaining. It's because the sport in its main form bores people to tears. Like I stated earlier, ask anyone with limited knowledge and they will all tell you the same thing. It's just not exciting enough. They don't go to watch 'Belle Vue' the team, if that was the case, surely they'd come back??? 

Unfortunately they don't come back and that's because the entertainment value is non existent. 

Edited July 18, 2018 by acef

[E I Addio 15,843]

Any chance of this thread getting back on topic ?

Still not a dickie bird from the BSPA, treating the fans with absolute contempt as usual. 

What ever we do to improve tracks , facilities, bikes, training or anything else, it will all be a waste of time while Chapman and Co operate under a veil of secrecy.

[acef 795]

The team argument can quite simply be put to bed for me. Crowds are declining every day and that speaks volumes. 

If it was the team element that made people come back then they'd come back. They don't. End of argument as far as I'm concerned 

Edited July 18, 2018 by acef

[Stoke Potter 242]

4 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

More non fans would turn up to see 20 bad crashes on a crap track than 15 brilliant races on a perfect track, making a track perfect with perfect track will do nothing to attract new fans 

Don't agree.  But how does your solution get the fans back then?

[Stoke Potter 242]

1 minute ago, acef said:

The team argument can quite simply be put to bed for me. Crowds are declining every day and that speaks volumes. 

If it was the team element that made people come back then they'd come back. They don't. End of argument as far as I'm concerned 

If the team argument were correct then the marketing would work to some extent but it doesn't so, yes, you are quite correct.

[acef 795]

3 minutes ago, E I Addio said:

Any chance of this thread getting back on topic ?

Still not a dickie bird from the BSPA, treating the fans with absolute contempt as usual. 

What ever we do to improve tracks , facilities, bikes, training or anything else, it will all be a waste of time while Chapman and Co operate under a veil of secrecy.

It's all related at the end of the day. We are having a discussion about the sport generally. That the association don't respond is all driven by exactly what we are discussing 

[Crump99 4,474]

13 minutes ago, Stoke Potter said:

I've heard it all now!  With an attitude like that you should be a promoter Felton old boy.

Ask anyone who doesn't actually go and, if they've actually heard of the sport at all, they will all say first out of the start wins!  Nowhere is that more true than the UK.

The product is broken, you turn up, pay for 15 heats of racing and if you're lucky get 2 races and 13 processions! 

That's the major reason nobody goes, it's exactly why marketing drives at tracks don't work.  

People turn up for cheap or free admission and then the following week it's back to normal.  Why?  Because you're marketing a product nobody wants to watch.

When discussing the sport many years ago with Nigel Couzens I remember him saying nearly exactly the same thing (although I guess it was 13 heats then?) The product is broken but IMO that's only one of the reasons and not the major one.

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,738]

9 minutes ago, Stoke Potter said:

Don't agree.  But how does your solution get the fans back then?

There are a few but read all my posts from the last year I have pretty much covered every angle from bikes, riders, fans, cost and more , I have done pretty much the sport from all angles and now as a fan again I know what I want and I’m asking other fans and ex ones what they want from speedway and my posts reflect the answers I get 

Edited July 18, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Stoke Potter 242]

7 minutes ago, E I Addio said:

Any chance of this thread getting back on topic ?

Still not a dickie bird from the BSPA, treating the fans with absolute contempt as usual. 

What ever we do to improve tracks , facilities, bikes, training or anything else, it will all be a waste of time while Chapman and Co operate under a veil of secrecy.

Surely the thread will get back on topic when there finally is word from the BSPA?  Set your alarm clock for December then! 

[Stoke Potter 242]

1 minute ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

There are a few but read all my posts from the last year I have pretty much covered every angle from bikes, riders, fans, cost and more  

But not the tracks it seems...  i.e.  The MAIN problem!

[acef 795]

Just now, Crump99 said:

When discussing the sport many years ago with Nigel Couzens I remember him saying nearly exactly the same thing (although I guess it was 13 heats then?) The product is broken but IMO that's only one of the reasons and not the major one.

At BV you get about 60% of the racing being edge of the seat stuff. 

The club had decent crowds last year, up on the stadiums debut season I belive.

This year serious decline and that's because of the race night. 

Good racing puts bums on seats because the crowd are being entertained. 

 

[acef 795]

1 minute ago, Stoke Potter said:

But not the tracks it seems...  i.e.  The MAIN problem!

The tracks are the main issue SP. 

From the material used, to the shape, to the general prep. 

It seems we are in a minority 

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,738]

9 minutes ago, Stoke Potter said:

But not the tracks it seems...  i.e.  The MAIN problem!

Before a new fan or even an ex fan gets to see the track or it’s racing we need to get them to the turnstiles, as I said priority’s 

[Stoke Potter 242]

1 minute ago, acef said:

The tracks are the main issue SP. 

From the material used, to the shape, to the general prep. 

It seems we are in a minority 

We are in a minority I'm afraid.
When I started banging on here about almost all tracks being fundamentally flawed, I was met with probably 95%+ ridicule.
Now that's down to about 75% so there's been some realisation just nowhere near enough yet.  Keep at it mate!

It seems that Mr Rising is on side these days as well so we're getting there slowly.

The ridicule doesn't bother me in the slightest, I will still keep at it.  The fact is if people don't recognise it then the sport will die in this country.