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Rob Godfrey interview in Speedway Star

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23 minutes ago, barrybishop said:

Actually I clean the air fence every week  :):) and you know what i am like in the build up to the meeting.... I view it from your perspective in that I want it to be just right for when our fans and visiting fans eneter the stadium - from the moment you enter until you leave you are mine... and it is my duty to entertain you 

The thing is Barry, you have time for people and you remember a face. These two things are massively important when trying to engage with your public. I remember being greeted at the turnstiles on numerous occasions by the great Johnnie Hoskins on my frequent visits to Canterbury. He was a real speedway promoter in every sense of the word.

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6 hours ago, barrybishop said:

it is true to say that I do take time to read the forum and there is good reason for this... I, on behalf of our clubs, learn from it. I sense feeling in the written word, and I look for information and idea that can make our product better - I ask myself almost daily "How can I improve our show?" or "What makes speedway night the best it can be and how can I encourage our fans, volunteers, sponsors and riders as proud of the club as Martin and I are?" Small questions with many, many answers. So reading regularly allows me to understand what makes us as fans tick, how can I make our club stand out. So, once again I thank everyone for their contribution on the forum and as I always say... positivity sells, belief inspires, entertainment equals entry value and constructive interaction is as important as a pat on the back. Thank you See you trackside.

Absolutely bang on :approve:. To me, that's just a matter of  good business practice.

It says a lot about the way speedway fans are viewed that their opinions are largely ignored by those who should be most interested in them. 

6 hours ago, barrybishop said:

Actually I clean the air fence every week  :):) and you know what i am like in the build up to the meeting.... I view it from your perspective in that I want it to be just right for when our fans and visiting fans eneter the stadium - from the moment you enter until you leave you are mine... and it is my duty to entertain you 

If I remember rightly, at my last visit you had me cleaning it  :o:D

I think that's the thing with Isle of Wight - the supporter actually feels valued simply because he's treated as though he is valued. There's nowhere else that hits the same standard.

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On 2/26/2019 at 4:54 PM, Halifaxtiger said:

Absolutely bang on :approve:. To me, that's just a matter of  good business practice.

It says a lot about the way speedway fans are viewed that their opinions are largely ignored by those who should be most interested in them. 

If I remember rightly, at my last visit you had me cleaning it  :o:D

I think that's the thing with Isle of Wight - the supporter actually feels valued simply because he's treated as though he is valued. There's nowhere else that hits the same standard.

Supporter cleans fence...said supporter feels valued. Crikey, put IoW bosses in charge of UK speedway. 

Can't be a bigger tribute to the way they run speedway on the Island.

 

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I’ve just seen the first post, Rob looking after his club is enough for me. Independent body please!

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8 hours ago, Richard Weston said:

Supporter cleans fence...said supporter feels valued. Crikey, put IoW bosses in charge of UK speedway. 

Can't be a bigger tribute to the way they run speedway on the Island.

 

:rofl:

Is there just a little bit of jealousy in there ? :D:D

I wonder how many people would sooner have Barry Bishop and Martin Widman in charge of British Speedway than Buster Chapman and Rob Godfrey ? 

You have it the wrong way round. Cleaning the fence - after I had paid to go in - on a wet day and getting soaked and covered in mud was due to the good will already built up in previous visits (plus the fact that I was helping someone I count as a friend). 

Feeling valued at Isle of Wight is due to the way that the club treats its fans - or, more accurately, its paying customers.  No-one else comes close, and everyone else can learn from them.

I should point out that I have been to every track in the country in the last few seasons.  

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4 hours ago, Halifaxtiger said:

I wonder how many people would sooner have Barry Bishop and Martin Widman in charge of British Speedway than Buster Chapman and Rob Godfrey ? 

I would imagine anybody with an interest in keeping the sport alive.

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4 hours ago, Halifaxtiger said:

:rofl:

Is there just a little bit of jealousy in there ? :D:D

I wonder how many people would sooner have Barry Bishop and Martin Widman in charge of British Speedway than Buster Chapman and Rob Godfrey ? 

You have it the wrong way round. Cleaning the fence - after I had paid to go in - on a wet day and getting soaked and covered in mud was due to the good will already built up in previous visits (plus the fact that I was helping someone I count as a friend). 

Feeling valued at Isle of Wight is due to the way that the club treats its fans - or, more accurately, its paying customers.  No-one else comes close, and everyone else can learn from them.

I should point out that I have been to every track in the country in the last few seasons.  

That's brilliant and shows the IoW get it right.

Total admiration for Bishop/Widman and not even a tiny bit of jealousy...just regret that they don't have a bigger say in how UK speedway is run.

Will be coming to the Island to see the Warriors, especially now that Georgie Wood has joined Ben Morley there. Also will be interested to see how Chad goes as he had a few outings pre-meeting at Arlington last year. 

Good luck to the IoW this year...keep being the beacon you are.

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1 hour ago, Richard Weston said:

That's brilliant and shows the IoW get it right.

Total admiration for Bishop/Widman and not even a tiny bit of jealousy...just regret that they don't have a bigger say in how UK speedway is run.

Will be coming to the Island to see the Warriors, especially now that Georgie Wood has joined Ben Morley there. Also will be interested to see how Chad goes as he had a few outings pre-meeting at Arlington last year. 

Good luck to the IoW this year...keep being the beacon you are.

Barry Bishop might not have all the answers but his attitude is a breath of fresh air this guy has terrific man management skills.His interaction with the fans is top notch and he could do great things for British speedway.I posted once that i wanted to go the Isle of Wight at some stage this year and it was difficult for me to get a late train back to Swindon from Southampton.He got back to me straight away give me times and advice on what to do and even offered to let me watch a race from the middle of the track.I was absolutely flabbergasted on how helpful and genuine he is and i really hope the Isle of Wight go on and get stronger as a club I would love them to go in the Prem at some stage.

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There is no doubt there is a lot to admire about the Isle of Wight club and the way it is run, growing the fan base, giving novices a first taste of riding a bike, the entertainment they provide at a meeting being a few examples, but to say Barry Bishop should be in charge of British Speedway is a big leap. For instance, how would he deal with the problem of riders giving preference to the more lucrative leagues in Poland / Sweden, how would he deal with doubling up / down, fixed nights, all problems at the top end of the sport, which fans of the sport continually complain about, which he has no experience of. 

My thoughts is that he would end up as powerless as everybody else in that position.

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2 hours ago, topsoil said:

There is no doubt there is a lot to admire about the Isle of Wight club and the way it is run, growing the fan base, giving novices a first taste of riding a bike, the entertainment they provide at a meeting being a few examples, but to say Barry Bishop should be in charge of British Speedway is a big leap. For instance, how would he deal with the problem of riders giving preference to the more lucrative leagues in Poland / Sweden, how would he deal with doubling up / down, fixed nights, all problems at the top end of the sport, which fans of the sport continually complain about, which he has no experience of. 

My thoughts is that he would end up as powerless as everybody else in that position.

Correct..

The operating and business model they run is simply not fit for purpose..

Running any business where your employees dictate to you when you can open your doors due to their need to work for many other employers can never work..

And just to throw some salt onto that particular wound, your competitors can also decide when you can open your doors if they think your opening hours effect their own business..

Utterly crackers...

No one can sort that out....

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4 hours ago, topsoil said:

There is no doubt there is a lot to admire about the Isle of Wight club and the way it is run, growing the fan base, giving novices a first taste of riding a bike, the entertainment they provide at a meeting being a few examples, but to say Barry Bishop should be in charge of British Speedway is a big leap. For instance, how would he deal with the problem of riders giving preference to the more lucrative leagues in Poland / Sweden, how would he deal with doubling up / down, fixed nights, all problems at the top end of the sport, which fans of the sport continually complain about, which he has no experience of. 

My thoughts is that he would end up as powerless as everybody else in that position.

A big leap topsoil to replace who?....  now i would say Uk speedway is in the worst state ever in my lifetime..

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5 hours ago, topsoil said:

There is no doubt there is a lot to admire about the Isle of Wight club and the way it is run, growing the fan base, giving novices a first taste of riding a bike, the entertainment they provide at a meeting being a few examples, but to say Barry Bishop should be in charge of British Speedway is a big leap. For instance, how would he deal with the problem of riders giving preference to the more lucrative leagues in Poland / Sweden, how would he deal with doubling up / down, fixed nights, all problems at the top end of the sport, which fans of the sport continually complain about, which he has no experience of. 

My thoughts is that he would end up as powerless as everybody else in that position.

I think Both Barry and Martin have been around Speedway long enough to know how it works.

I'd agree that they would probably end up powerless if they tried to change anything that might upset the old guard though.

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1 hour ago, Sidney the robin said:

A big leap topsoil to replace who?....  now i would say Uk speedway is in the worst state ever in my lifetime..

A terminal state. I'd be suprised if all of the tracks that come to tapes survive the season. 

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On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 11:44 AM, Sidney the robin said:

Barry Bishop might not have all the answers but his attitude is a breath of fresh air this guy has terrific man management skills.His interaction with the fans is top notch and he could do great things for British speedway.I posted once that i wanted to go the Isle of Wight at some stage this year and it was difficult for me to get a late train back to Swindon from Southampton.He got back to me straight away give me times and advice on what to do and even offered to let me watch a race from the middle of the track.I was absolutely flabbergasted on how helpful and genuine he is and i really hope the Isle of Wight go on and get stronger as a club I would love them to go in the Prem at some stage.

A very good example of how Isle of Wight work and just how good their customer service is.  Its anything but the first time I have heard something of this nature.

'Absolutely flabberghasted' is just about how every speedway fan would feel, but that's a massive indictment of the way the sport is run and its attitude towards those who pay at the turnstiles every week. Simple truth is there is absolutely no reason why that standard of care could not be replicated across the sport. 

The only thing I would say is that from experience things are getting better.

 

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 12:05 PM, topsoil said:

There is no doubt there is a lot to admire about the Isle of Wight club and the way it is run, growing the fan base, giving novices a first taste of riding a bike, the entertainment they provide at a meeting being a few examples, but to say Barry Bishop should be in charge of British Speedway is a big leap. For instance, how would he deal with the problem of riders giving preference to the more lucrative leagues in Poland / Sweden, how would he deal with doubling up / down, fixed nights, all problems at the top end of the sport, which fans of the sport continually complain about, which he has no experience of. 

My thoughts is that he would end up as powerless as everybody else in that position.

Knowing Barry a bit, I think he could do it. I also think he'd sooner put his head in a pan of boiling chip fat. 

That's not because of the scale of the problem but because, sooner or later, of the utter lack of support he would get.   

Edited by Halifaxtiger
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On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 5:45 PM, Vince said:

I think Both Barry and Martin have been around Speedway long enough to know how it works.

 

That's the principal reason why they wouldn't take it on. 

Jonathan Chapman isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I thought he did an excellent job when he took over the Super 7 series. Word is he got booted out partly because of the jealousy his success in organising the sport's top domestic events created. 

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