jenga 2,998 Posted June 22, 2019 2 hours ago, Albert said: Really hope a new owner can be found, speedway can't afford to lose another club. People I spoke to at Scunny last night all spoke with a common theme.. "Who on earth would want to buy an ailing speedway club in a dying sport"... A city the size of Sheffield should easily be able to support a speedway team. I agree with a previous poster, Owlerton stadium is the big problem.. could do with moving to a purpose built venue, one they own. Find a field and build from scratch.. Add a bar, cafe, car park and reap the profits.. Get away from greedy landlords that don't care about the sport, as it stands the landlords are probably the only ones making money out of it. Sheffield speedway would be more attractive to any potential new owner if they didn't have all the overheads and stadium access/availability issues..... If only finding a suitable field was easy... Poor Halifax/Bradford couldn't find one. Hmmm . a field of dreams , build it and they will come ! plenty of spare fields in Cumbria , but the sheep like them ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4thbender 382 Posted June 22, 2019 4 hours ago, Albert said: Really hope a new owner can be found, speedway can't afford to lose another club. People I spoke to at Scunny last night all spoke with a common theme.. "Who on earth would want to buy an ailing speedway club in a dying sport"... A city the size of Sheffield should easily be able to support a speedway team. I agree with a previous poster, Owlerton stadium is the big problem.. could do with moving to a purpose built venue, one they own. Find a field and build from scratch.. Add a bar, cafe, car park and reap the profits.. Get away from greedy landlords that don't care about the sport, as it stands the landlords are probably the only ones making money out of it. Sheffield speedway would be more attractive to any potential new owner if they didn't have all the overheads and stadium access/availability issues..... If only finding a suitable field was easy... Poor Halifax/Bradford couldn't find one. This is a massively unfair indictment of the stadium owners, who have been very enthusiastic landlords and given successive promoters every encouragement. Where else in speedway can you find facilities like the ones enjoyed by Sheffield? The stadium management have invested heavily over several decades, providing the Panorama Room, executive boxes, the restaurant and shortly to incorporate a swish banqueting suite. All this is far superior to what is provided in any other speedway venue, including the National Speedway Stadium at Belle Vue. Promoters have always been at pains to point out that they have the best landlord in the business, and there is no evidence whatsoever that we have "greedy landlords that don't care about the sport" as you suggest. Owlerton Stadium and Sheffield Speedway go together like fish and chips and long may the two prosper together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jenga 2,998 Posted June 22, 2019 6 hours ago, 4thbender said: This is a massively unfair indictment of the stadium owners, who have been very enthusiastic landlords and given successive promoters every encouragement. Where else in speedway can you find facilities like the ones enjoyed by Sheffield? The stadium management have invested heavily over several decades, providing the Panorama Room, executive boxes, the restaurant and shortly to incorporate a swish banqueting suite. All this is far superior to what is provided in any other speedway venue, including the National Speedway Stadium at Belle Vue. Promoters have always been at pains to point out that they have the best landlord in the business, and there is no evidence whatsoever that we have "greedy landlords that don't care about the sport" as you suggest. Owlerton Stadium and Sheffield Speedway go together like fish and chips and long may the two prosper together. nice stadium @ sheffield , but speedway was brought up on old open ground. its a poor mans enjoyment and will always be that . what better way to spend an evening out watching speedway . the noise, the smell and the banter of the crowd buzzing in yer lugs . give me wide ope spaces , a chip/burger butty and a warm pint any day ! fans who are behind glass and sitting down eating fancy food dont do it for me . i like to watch speedway in the open air , go home happy and then have a shower to get rid of all the shale from my hair (.bit thin now tho) too many showers ... posh stadiums cost shot loads of cash to operate and will suck the life out of speedway as we know it ... . ask belle vue and another posh club who cant make ends meet . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Charlieboy 412 Posted June 22, 2019 People seem to forget that sheffield speedway have to compete with 2 major football teams,as well as the ice hockey ,rugby,basketball,netball ,concerts at the arena and numerous other activities in Sheffield.Families only have a certain amount of money for leisure.Scunthorpe ,Kings lynn and Poole for example should attract better support in their areas as they have less competition for people's cash.Plus the main fact is speedway is dying on its backside.The gap in fixtures doesn't help.If the fixtures were home and away twice with more regular meetings people would keep in the habit but like I've said in Sheffield there is plenty more to do.I think if the sport is still running in 5 years I will be surprised . 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moranboys 411 Posted June 22, 2019 51 minutes ago, jenga said: nice stadium @ sheffield , but speedway was brought up on old open ground. its a poor mans enjoyment and will always be that . what better way to spend an evening out watching speedway . the noise, the smell and the banter of the crowd buzzing in yer lugs . give me wide ope spaces , a chip/burger butty and a warm pint any day ! fans who are behind glass and sitting down eating fancy food dont do it for me . i like to watch speedway in the open air , go home happy and then have a shower to get rid of all the shale from my hair (.bit thin now tho) too many showers ... posh stadiums cost shot loads of cash to operate and will suck the life out of speedway as we know it ... . ask belle vue and another posh club who cant make ends meet . totally agree, people don't particularly want posh restaurants, executive boxes and banqueting suites unless you've got plenty of cash.look at sunny.small bar and food facilities.open terracing.no sheffield but one hell of a terrific racetrack.i for one don't want to be in a goldfish bowl watching the racing, i want to be outside for the noise, smell etc.you may as well be watching it on the t.v if not.and i also agree with charlieboy,s comments that in a sport that is dying on its arse,the gap in fixtures is ridiculous.try explaining to a young kid that they cannot go for another 2 to 3 weeks because of the lack of fixtures.unfortunately times have changed and if the kids aren't doing other activities then they are stuck behind a screen of some description.the sport will almost definitely be running in another 5 years but not in this country. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GAH 409 Posted June 22, 2019 perhaps chapman will buy it ? and move into premiership and back to a thursday night ??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jenga 2,998 Posted June 22, 2019 1 hour ago, geoff58 said: perhaps chapman will buy it ? and move into premiership and back to a thursday night ??? i doubt it . his bubble will burst before long ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4thbender 382 Posted June 23, 2019 Here's another one you should try explaining to a young kid... Broc Nicol scores 5 points for his team (Sheffield) on Friday night against Scunthorpe; on Saturday night he goes out FOR Scunthorpe and scores 15 against Eastbourne. How can anyone take this sport seriously? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruffdiamond 6,115 Posted June 23, 2019 8 minutes ago, 4thbender said: Here's another one you should try explaining to a young kid... Broc Nicol scores 5 points for his team (Sheffield) on Friday night against Scunthorpe; on Saturday night he goes out FOR Scunthorpe and scores 15 against Eastbourne. How can anyone take this sport seriously? Just put it on 'twit-face',,, and it'll be sorted Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scunny1 436 Posted June 23, 2019 On 6/22/2019 at 6:47 PM, Charlieboy said: People seem to forget that sheffield speedway have to compete with 2 major football teams,as well as the ice hockey ,rugby,basketball,netball ,concerts at the arena and numerous other activities in Sheffield.Families only have a certain amount of money for leisure.Scunthorpe ,Kings lynn and Poole for example should attract better support in their areas as they have less competition for people's cash.Plus the main fact is speedway is dying on its backside.The gap in fixtures doesn't help.If the fixtures were home and away twice with more regular meetings people would keep in the habit but like I've said in Sheffield there is plenty more to do.I think if the sport is still running in 5 years I will be surprised . Sheffield has nearly 8 times the population of Scunthorpe and plenty of satellite towns nearby. Scunthorpe is much more rural ,with a population much reliant on the major steel employer- whose perilous state many families worry about. Agree about the fixture list and the weather gaps are also making it a very disjointed season for us all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Charlieboy 412 Posted June 23, 2019 Yes I appreciate population size and nearby towns etc but we've probably 8 times the unemployment too.My point was people have limited resources for leisure.A lot of people will follow a winning team no matter what sport it is,while some are just die hard fans of any one sport ,speedway fans for example. What effect has Scunthorpe United getting relegated had on support..? I bet the crowds were well down.Where as in Sheffield the 2 football teams have 50,000 plus fans between them for home games ,when the steelers are winning 7000-10000 fans etc.Not sure what the rugby ,netball ,basketball etc get but the more sports teams you have in one area people have more choice where to spend their money.Scunthorpe has a relegated football team and a speedway team with a good race track.I don't know how much rob Godfrey has promoted the speedway but if he had done as much as our promotors have he would surely have bigger crowds.I would guess that your biggest crowd is when we visit so if we close down then you lose your biggest crowd.Lets hope we don't close down so we can continue our on track rivalry. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4thbender 382 Posted June 24, 2019 On 6/22/2019 at 6:46 PM, jenga said: nice stadium @ sheffield , but speedway was brought up on old open ground. its a poor mans enjoyment and will always be that . what better way to spend an evening out watching speedway . the noise, the smell and the banter of the crowd buzzing in yer lugs . give me wide ope spaces , a chip/burger butty and a warm pint any day ! fans who are behind glass and sitting down eating fancy food dont do it for me . i like to watch speedway in the open air , go home happy and then have a shower to get rid of all the shale from my hair (.bit thin now tho) too many showers ... posh stadiums cost shot loads of cash to operate and will suck the life out of speedway as we know it ... . ask belle vue and another posh club who cant make ends meet . Beer and fags in a muddy field might satisfy a Neanderthal like Jenga, but 21st century shale fans like the option of a civilised G & T in warm and friendly surroundings before we enjoy our Guinee Fowl Blanquette, served of course with a pinch of thyme and a few alliums and hazelnuts. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tigerblade 221 Posted June 24, 2019 1 hour ago, 4thbender said: Beer and fags in a muddy field might satisfy a Neanderthal like Jenga, but 21st century shale fans like the option of a civilised G & T in warm and friendly surroundings before we enjoy our Guinee Fowl Blanquette, served of course with a pinch of thyme and a few alliums and hazelnuts. You ought to see the stuff you can have if you book a party for the dogs... they only allow us speedway peasants to have the Carvery On a more serious note, people harp on about good racing before a good stadium, but nowadays people need to be enticed in by half decent surroundings, in order to see the racing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jenga 2,998 Posted June 24, 2019 yer prob correct , but super stadiums come @ a price some cannot afford . even the promoters and landlords ........... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moranboys 411 Posted June 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Tigerblade said: You ought to see the stuff you can have if you book a party for the dogs... they only allow us speedway peasants to have the Carvery On a more serious note, people harp on about good racing before a good stadium, but nowadays people need to be enticed in by half decent surroundings, in order to see the racing. i remember my first visit to the old scunthorpe track at ashby ville.no posh carvery,no bar so no posh drinks, no terracing.just grass to stand on, they did invest a little later with,if i can recall, and somebody correct me if i am wrongs sawn in half double decker bus as a stand.the pits were just corrugated sheet metal on a frame and the ref was put in some sort of a shed, no turnstiles just someone taking money at a table(re buxton)but the racing there always seemed good too.if you are a true speedway supporter then basically that is all you need.think there might have been refreshments van as well.happy days 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
