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Grachan

One Big League - Problem Solved

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The crowd numbers started to drop in the 1980's, long before the star riders departed. I am not saying that the drop in quality in more recent years has not had an effect, I can understand that some want to see the best, they were used to seeing the best and so now either pick and choose when to attend or, don't attend at all. However, I don't see it as the most important problem to solve. Get the basics right, rules, credibility, delays, entertainment etc., and make fans feel valued and you then have the opportunity for the sport to develop and grow to a stage where the top riders are again affordable.

Good facilities and producing tracks conducive to good racing will also help but again are not the answer on their own. I don't think there is a golden bullet, it's a mix of things that need to be put right but crowds were increasing at Belle Vue prior to being forced to race on Mondays and a return to a sensible race night will help to return to that trend. Many of the people who live in speedway catchment areas but don't know the sport exists locally, won't have a clue about the names of the top stars but find a way to get them to attend and it will be the quality of the speedway experience that will determine whether they attend again.

Edited by Aces51
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It has very little to do with format. Its the lack of publicity that has killed this sport. I remember, in the 90's I rediscovered the sport due to sitting in house near Powderhall, Edin, with the boys, hearing a noise, which I recognised & next week taking them. NOT because of any publicity, but because I recognised noise! During that time, even though Ed had been there for many tears, when talking to a good (all) friends all expressed surprised that "Speedway still existed"! In  other words NO PUBLICITY.

 

If you don't know you don't go....

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Some of the best times as a Speedway fan for me has been in the second tier of British Speedway.

I'm not all that bothered by "star names" as such but what I don't want to see is rider's expelled from British Speedway because some can't afford them. The door should always be open for them if they're prepared to accept the wages and promoters are willing to pay.

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2 hours ago, BWitcher said:

Utter nonsense.

For years and years the big teams have pandered to the small teams.. That is what hasn't worked. Constantly dumbing down to the lowest level in the league, losing both sets of clubs fans.

The 'smaller' teams used to get bumper crowds when the likes of Holder/Ward visited with Poole.. 

The league has been steadily weakened year after year... and crowds have fallen. 

As some riders are forced out, the next level of riders name their price and so you end up still paying out but for a lesser calibre of rider.

 

You pay what you want to pay, if everyone as a group got together to say No, it would be No,

but the "bigger" clubs will have to get the best, so they wont agree, well if they want speedway in this country to continue, they will have to act in the best interest of the group, not the individual, so goodbye to speedway

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37 minutes ago, Aces51 said:

The crowd numbers started to drop in the 1980's, long before the star riders departed.

everyone conveniently forgets this when they go on anout dilution of talent - its the overall product not necessarily big names

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7 hours ago, Grachan said:

Surely it would be good business for Berwick, Redcar and Scunthorpe to have teams like King's Lynn and Poole in town? Why is speedway so obsessed with getting teams exactly equal?

The teams would be built under the same points limits, or they could ride in the NL if they couldn't compete at CL level.

Speedway really needs the top division to be a decent size, even if it is set at current CL level.

If nobody will move up, what if the 7 PL teams say that they intend to drop down to the CL. What would happen then?

 

Please go back and look over some of the threads linked to those clubs after they lost at home in 2018 then you will understand why they don't want to get hammered at home. Regardless of the points limit many of the current PL clubs know just how to build a side to get the riders they want and Berwick, Redcar and Scunny will be the ones who get shafted by the experts who have been doing it to each other for years.

Edited by Whisperer
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24 minutes ago, The Third Man said:

You pay what you want to pay, if everyone as a group got together to say No, it would be No,

but the "bigger" clubs will have to get the best, so they wont agree, well if they want speedway in this country to continue, they will have to act in the best interest of the group, not the individual, so goodbye to speedway

So, that happens in all sports and they continue just fine.

Speedway continues down a path of trying to do it differently.. and it keeps failing.

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1 hour ago, Aces51 said:

The crowd numbers started to drop in the 1980's, long before the star riders departed. I am not saying that the drop in quality in more recent years has not had an effect, I can understand that some want to see the best, they were used to seeing the best and so now either pick and choose when to attend or, don't attend at all. However, I don't see it as the most important problem to solve. Get the basics right, rules, credibility, delays, entertainment etc., and make fans feel valued and you then have the opportunity for the sport to develop and grow to a stage where the top riders are again affordable.

Good facilities and producing tracks conducive to good racing will also help but again are not the answer on their own. I don't think there is a golden bullet, it's a mix of things that need to be put right but crowds were increasing at Belle Vue prior to being forced to race on Mondays and a return to a sensible race night will help to return to that trend. Many of the people who live in speedway catchment areas but don't know the sport exists locally, won't have a clue about the names of the top stars but find a way to get them to attend and it will be the quality of the speedway experience that will determine whether they attend again.

Agreed, but the simple premise of cutting the product and keeping the price the same for any business is doomed to failure.

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People do have a point re big names bringing in the crowds.We had at Kirky lane one of the worlds greatest riders in Jason Crump yet the crowds are still bigger at the NSS,and I for one and I think a lot of Belle vue fans would agree get as big a buzz from watching Dan Bewley ride as I did watching Jason Crump.

Get the product right first ie no doubleing up, slicker run meetings,run with your own one to seven bar injury,well thought out even fixture list, with time spent avoiding any overseas clashes etc.

Even if we loose the few bigger names we have left the league will produce its own stars in time eg in the championship Craig Cook is a big name rider in that league and I would think would put numbers on the gate.

Two of the best races I have seen this year have included Cook and Fricke against Jason Doyle and Jack Holder swaping places throughout the race.Up against Doyle these three riders would be considered to be lesser riders but they held there own and even beat Doyle so if a few of the bigger name riders are missing next year I do not think the standard of racing we have watched this year will drop in the slightest,and the likes of these three riders will become the leagues top riders.

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55 minutes ago, BWitcher said:

So, that happens in all sports and they continue just fine.

Speedway continues down a path of trying to do it differently.. and it keeps failing.

You can have the best footballers cricketers but not guaranteed to win anything.

Do the same in Speedway and you win everything so there is a big difference.

Promoters are very much aware of this and try and keep it balanced for everyone.(something US sports do)

 

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7 hours ago, PHILIPRISING said:

THERE are several meetings planned before AGM

...and some already held. 

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33 minutes ago, GWC said:

You can have the best footballers cricketers but not guaranteed to win anything.

Do the same in Speedway and you win everything so there is a big difference.

Promoters are very much aware of this and try and keep it balanced for everyone.(something US sports do)

 

but it doesn't work, the clubs with the money get the riders who are likely to up their averages, the ones with les money get the ones on the way down.

unless you are talking about rider control, therefore allocating riders to teams

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1 hour ago, GWC said:

You can have the best footballers cricketers but not guaranteed to win anything.

Do the same in Speedway and you win everything so there is a big difference.

Promoters are very much aware of this and try and keep it balanced for everyone.(something US sports do)

 

Really.. 

So you're telling me across the world of football the big teams who get the best players don't win. Nonsense.

US Sports don't really do it either, it's something of a myth. They still have the big teams with the money and those without.

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NO one is more frustrated with the state of British speedway than me but, frankly, the cards currently held by the BSPA are not great. Tracks like Poole, King's Lynn, Wolves, Somerset want to at the very least maintain their team strengths ... not dumb down to the level of some CL teams who understandably cannot afford to go in the opposite direction. 

That doesn't mean that British promoters cannot address many of the problems afflicting the sport here but sadly there isn't a one-fit solution.

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13 minutes ago, PHILIPRISING said:

NO one is more frustrated with the state of British speedway than me but, frankly, the cards currently held by the BSPA are not great. Tracks like Poole, King's Lynn, Wolves, Somerset want to at the very least maintain their team strengths ... not dumb down to the level of some CL teams who understandably cannot afford to go in the opposite direction. 

That doesn't mean that British promoters cannot address many of the problems afflicting the sport here but sadly there isn't a one-fit solution.

How about a handicap system, sign who you like but if a team has a 50 point average and their opponents have 40, the opponents get 10 points added to their final score?

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