Jump to content
British Speedway Forum

Recommended Posts

Speedway in this country must stop being dictated to by Poland.If it is to survive,the best race nights for family's are Friday and Saturday with Sunday early starts.  My team Belle Vue have never had Monday as a regular race night in all the years i have followed them.Just tell all riders to decide were they want to ride Poland or Britain so we can still have speedway there will be a watered down league standard because riders will have to be moved up into higher leagues to fill any gaps.But i would rather have that situation than no speedway.Three clubs have gone from last year how many more from this year,we cant let the current situation carry on or soon there wont be any clubs left.

  • Like 6
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, speedy bill said:

Speedway in this country must stop being dictated to by Poland.If it is to survive,the best race nights for family's are Friday and Saturday with Sunday early starts.  My team Belle Vue have never had Monday as a regular race night in all the years i have followed them.Just tell all riders to decide were they want to ride Poland or Britain so we can still have speedway there will be a watered down league standard because riders will have to be moved up into higher leagues to fill any gaps.But i would rather have that situation than no speedway.Three clubs have gone from last year how many more from this year,we cant let the current situation carry on or soon there wont be any clubs left.

This is the case for the Championship, they should all be fine! But the Premiership not so, King's Lynn are in the same boat, never ridden on a Monday but that's our race day this year.  There will be no clashes with Poland/Sweden/Denmark but we certainly haven't had any top guys coming back to race here, we have just lost another.  I don't think Buster would ever want speedway back on a Saturday night at Lynn because of all the stock car meetings so it's week day or not at all. Different for Belle Vue of course unless the pitch has Saturday matches? 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, MattK said:

Over the last decade the Elite League/Premiership has significantly weakened the product on offer and as a consequence crowds have dwindled. Therefore, the evidence suggests that a "watered down" league will only hasten the demise.

Three clubs have gone from last year. Of those three, Lakeside rode on Fridays and Workington rode on Saturdays. Therefore I am not sure weekend meetings are the panacea you think they are.

There is one main reason Lakeside and Workington closed and it's nothing at all to do with Friday and Saturday's.

The fact they had to ride so many Fixtures in October mostly against each other was a huge factor. The other factor ROB GODFREY - cancelled Lakeside Fixtures in summer as them riding on a Friday stopped him booking Guests for Scunthorpe and cancelled some Workington matches too. The success of those sides unfairly affected them. Had Godfrey not cancelled Lakeside matches at a few days notice they would have ridden fewer Fixtures at Rye House and not lost huge amounts on last few matches there. Also a fact they lost their Track to developers, that would have whatever day they race on.

We absolutely need ONE BIG LEAGUE of 14-16 Teams giving variety and whatever level that finds can and should be marketable until the Polish bubble inevitably bursts and Riders have to accept that "getting paid in UK" is better than not getting paid 5-10x more in Poland...".

Some sides are having a real go at PROMOTING the sport, others are living in denial and negativity.

 

  • Thanks 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
10 hours ago, speedy bill said:

Speedway in this country must stop being dictated to by Poland.If it is to survive,the best race nights for family's are Friday and Saturday with Sunday early starts.  My team Belle Vue have never had Monday as a regular race night in all the years i have followed them.Just tell all riders to decide were they want to ride Poland or Britain so we can still have speedway there will be a watered down league standard because riders will have to be moved up into higher leagues to fill any gaps.But i would rather have that situation than no speedway.Three clubs have gone from last year how many more from this year,we cant let the current situation carry on or soon there wont be any clubs left.

Good luck with that. Take away all the riders who currently ride in Poland and see what you are left with. And even better luck trying to spread the riders left around enough clubs to make a league.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 minutes ago, HGould said:

There is one main reason Lakeside and Workington closed and it's nothing at all to do with Friday and Saturday's.

The fact they had to ride so many Fixtures in October mostly against each other was a huge factor. The other factor ROB GODFREY - cancelled Lakeside Fixtures in summer as them riding on a Friday stopped him booking Guests for Scunthorpe and cancelled some Workington matches too. The success of those sides unfairly affected them. Had Godfrey not cancelled Lakeside matches at a few days notice they would have ridden fewer Fixtures at Rye House and not lost huge amounts on last few matches there. Also a fact they lost their Track to developers, that would have whatever day they race on.

We absolutely need ONE BIG LEAGUE of 14-16 Teams giving variety and whatever level that finds can and should be marketable until the Polish bubble inevitably bursts and Riders have to accept that "getting paid in UK" is better than not getting paid 5-10x more in Poland...".

Some sides are having a real go at PROMOTING the sport, others are living in denial and negativity.

 

This one big league of 14-16 teams, what do the other existing teams do?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It is numerous things, not just race nights, although I guess that keeps some fans at home. The Speedway Star pre-season edition with all the line-ups, for example, and there is not one single team that would encourage me to shell out £20 to enter a stadium. Reducing prices might help, but promoters are naturally worried about doing this, and so will increase them year upon year to make up for the missing fans and stand the risk of losing more fans who feel it not worth the price anymore. So they combat that by putting up prices again next year. As always, the best hope for speedway's future is for the old supporters to introduce the new ones. I had it done to me, and I introduced my young brother. But, when a new fan is hooked, you have to offer them a product that doesn't have their mates laughing at them.    

Edited by moxey63
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
20 hours ago, speedy bill said:

Speedway in this country must stop being dictated to by Poland.If it is to survive,the best race nights for family's are Friday and Saturday with Sunday early starts.  My team Belle Vue have never had Monday as a regular race night in all the years i have followed them.Just tell all riders to decide were they want to ride Poland or Britain so we can still have speedway there will be a watered down league standard because riders will have to be moved up into higher leagues to fill any gaps.But i would rather have that situation than no speedway.Three clubs have gone from last year how many more from this year,we cant let the current situation carry on or soon there wont be any clubs left.

So Belle Vue have never had Monday night as a regular race night in all the years you have followed them ...I trust you suffer from memory loss ? Belle Vue have had Monday night as there race night at the old stadium  from what I remember .

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
10 hours ago, MattK said:

Over the last decade the Elite League/Premiership has significantly weakened the product on offer and as a consequence crowds have dwindled. Therefore, the evidence suggests that a "watered down" league will only hasten the demise.

Three clubs have gone from last year. Of those three, Lakeside rode on Fridays and Workington rode on Saturdays. Therefore I am not sure weekend meetings are the panacea you think they are.

No nights will ever be right given the nonsense that pervades as its operating model..

If the day ever dawns when it sorts itself out, and can run itself as a team sport based on one rider having one team, and can cover absences from squads rather than sharing riders, then weekend has to be the desired times to open..

For Worky running so many meetings in such a short time was the disaster, rather than running on a Saturday, and Lakeside had to vacate the stadium..

There is a reason why Poland run at weekends. The crowds this weekend show it. If they ran on Monday and Thursday's this week the crowds would have been many thousand poorer (even though every superstar on the planet would have ridden)..

Lets be honest, hardly any riders now riding in Britain put 'bums on seats' so you might as well run at weekends to see if non superstars can generate big enough crowds.

Currently 'Superstars' don't bring the crowds in on a Monday, Wednesdays and Thursday's so got to be worth a try..

 

Edited by mikebv
  • Like 3

Share this post


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

No nights will ever be right given the nonsense that pervades as its operating model..

If the day ever dawns when it sorts itself out, and can run itself as a team sport based on one rider having one team, and can cover absences from squads rather than sharing riders, then weekend has to be the desired times to open..

For Worky running so many meetings in such a short time was the disaster, rather than running on a Saturday, and Lakeside had to vacate the stadium..

There is a reason why Poland run at weekends. The crowds this weekend show it. If they ran on Monday and Thursday's this week the crowds would have been many thousand poorer (even though every superstar on the planet would have ridden)..

Lets be honest, hardly any riders now riding in Britain put 'bums on seats' so you might as well run at weekends to see if non superstars can generate big enough crowds.

Currently 'Superstars' don't bring the crowds in on a Monday, Wednesdays and Thursday's so got to be worth a try..

 

As has already said teams who at weekends have done bad gone bust it's hardly made any difference ..it's already been done . Thou it's crystal clear that crowds drop when we make teams weaker people still somehow think it's the way to go ..unreal 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/6/2019 at 10:59 PM, speedy bill said:

Speedway in this country must stop being dictated to by Poland.If it is to survive,the best race nights for family's are Friday and Saturday with Sunday early starts.  My team Belle Vue have never had Monday as a regular race night in all the years i have followed them.Just tell all riders to decide were they want to ride Poland or Britain so we can still have speedway there will be a watered down league standard because riders will have to be moved up into higher leagues to fill any gaps.But i would rather have that situation than no speedway.Three clubs have gone from last year how many more from this year,we cant let the current situation carry on or soon there wont be any clubs left.

yes we have at the dog track !! monday's was race night !!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Monday was our race night in the latter years at the dog track but not by choice, simply because that was what we were offered by our landlord. Crowds were always poor on Monday's and it was why we changed to Friday as soon as we moved to the NSS and before the introduction of FRN's. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
19 hours ago, orion said:

As has already said teams who at weekends have done bad gone bust it's hardly made any difference ..it's already been done . Thou it's crystal clear that crowds drop when we make teams weaker people still somehow think it's the way to go ..unreal 

Leicester v Somersets crowd on a Saturday night would be worth a review I would suggest. .

Last year it would have had the then World Champ turn up on a Monday night..

This year it won't...

It will be interesting to see if having the World Champ there on a Monday brought in many more than 14 'lesser riders' will on a Saturday....

The Aces crowds didnt seem to have been adversely affected by having no Zagar last year, a then top eight GP rider...

 

Edited by mikebv
  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, mikebv said:

Leicester v Somersets crowd on a Saturday night would be worth a review I would suggest. .

Last year it would have had the then World Champ turn up on a Monday night..

This year it won't...

It will be interesting to see if having the World Champ there on a Monday brought in many more than 14 'lesser riders' will on a Saturday....

The Aces crowds didnt seem to have been adversely affected by having no Zagar last year, a then top eight GP rider...

 

I thought every Belle vue said the crowds were down .in fact there were pages about it 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 hours ago, Aces51 said:

Monday was our race night in the latter years at the dog track but not by choice, simply because that was what we were offered by our landlord. Crowds were always poor on Monday's and it was why we changed to Friday as soon as we moved to the NSS and before the introduction of FRN's. 

And yet at the fans forum Adrian Smith said that in the school holidays gates on Mondays were bigger than those on Fridays (I was surprised, too). 

I certainly prefer Thursday-Sunday with Mondays being a virtual non starter, and that's just due to work commitments. A late night at the start of the week has prevented me from becoming a Belle Vue season ticket holder (and I suspect I am not alone). It will be very interesting to see what Thursday night attendances are like at the NSS.

Workington were hit hard by the stupid and selfish decision to change their race night but their gates had been poor and they had been losing shed loads for years.  Even if they had been allowed to run on Fridays it would have made little difference to their financial situation at the end of the season. Buxton, too, couldn't make weekends pay, so its not necessarily a cure.

Having said that, moving from weekend racing destroyed Rye House. 

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