Another Saturday night

[orion 7,610]

On ‎5‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 9:13 AM, Midland Red said:

Nail right on head!  Mondays and Thursdays are not 'night out' days, so why run Speedway on those nights?

Run meetings on Saturday which IS a 'night out' day - or on Friday!

The teams that run on Saturdays have hardly been getting big crowds . it's pretty clear that people these days do only other  things on a Saturday night .  I would go to watch Swindon on a Thursday but would not go  on a Saturday .and there plenty who feel the same .

Yet again it's just old speedway fans wanting  to go back in time . that time has past 

[steve roberts 9,242]

7 hours ago, chunky said:

Hey, it wasn't meant as a criticism; as I said, you are 100% correct.

Even though I can't go now, if I was still over there, I would. Even if I was just visiting, I would still try to get to different tracks.

As you say, speedway isn't "cool" anymore, and even if the entertainment was better, and the facilities better, I'm not convinced that it would make a huge difference. Yes, that is very sad, but the saddest part is that I really don't know why, or what the answers are...

Steve

It's Malcolm Simmons' fault, apparently, posted on another thread (which is a bizarre statement to make to say the very least) although the reasons I believe lie much deeper and Martin Rogers' gives a very candid and constructive view/opinion in the latest edition of 'Backtrack' as regards to why speedway in this country has declined over the years.

Edited May 29, 2019 by steve roberts

[cityrebel 2,960]

10 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

It's Malcolm Simmons' fault, apparently, made on another thread which is a bizarre statement  to make to say the very least!

It's the promoters fault that the sport is on its knees. They failed to invest when times were good and have failed to promote when times are bad. They are not capable of selling their product to the british public. Tinkering with the rules every year isn't going to bring the fans back. There is no solution that isn't going to cost money. A top PR man or a national advertising campaign would cost a fortune, with no guarantees of success. Preparing a decent track and putting on a slicker show would be a start, but most seem incapable of acheiving this essential task. With the Poles now bullying the FIM into submission, speedway in this country will fall further behind the pecking order, if that's possible.

[iris123 20,918]

34 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

It's Malcolm Simmons' fault, apparently, posted on another thread (which is a bizarre statement to make to say the very least) although the reasons I believe lie much deeper and Martin Rogers' gives a very candid and constructive view/opinion in the latest edition of 'Backtrack' as regards to why speedway in this country has declined over the years.

Over reaction yet again. Nobody said it was his fault. He played a big part in the scandal that hit the newspapers back in the 80s. Even Phil Rising has stated the media didn't really want to touch speedway after that as a genuine sport.

[steve roberts 9,242]

1 hour ago, iris123 said:

Over reaction yet again. Nobody said it was his fault. He played a big part in the scandal that hit the newspapers back in the 80s. Even Phil Rising has stated the media didn't really want to touch speedway after that as a genuine sport.

Yes I agree that it was an over reaction that Simmo was greatly to blame and one of "Biggest Reasons" for the demise of speedway in this country. The  so-called 'Scandal' was obviously one factor but as Martin Rogers' quoted crowds were not immediately affected during that period and it was an accumulation of events that has proved destructive over time. Personally I believe that the demise of "World of Sport" on ITV started the decline as speedway was no longer shown on mainstream TV although regional networks and the BBC dipped in and out over the next few years.

I do recall a two page feature of the all-conquering "Cheetahs" team of 1986 (including Wiggy) appearing in a mainstream newspaper but generally speedway within the media was already declining (and it was never that good even during the 'glory years') and some would argue that was due to the emergence and later domination of the Danes and the fall of England's dominance during the seventies that proved a factor.

It's a complex issue and one in which there is not one specific reason for the sport's decline but where there are many which have been well documented over the years and no doubt will continue to do so.

Edited May 29, 2019 by steve roberts

[waytogo28 2,054]

13 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

Preparing a decent track and putting on a slicker show would be a start, but most seem incapable of acheiving this essential task.

The BSPA have proved time and time again that they are incapable or unwilling to improve the product that people pay to see. Poor racing surfaces, not unexpected at a new track like Swindon but inexcusable at a long established track like Poole. What happened to track inspectors and do referees have no role in deciding if track conditions are safe or not? As for improving the show - laughable attempts at for example stopping gardening and tactical delays decided by team managers which extend the grading and tractor racing joys. Oddly suddenly great racing returned to the Peterborough track with hardly any between races grading. Hmmm. The leadership of the BSPA pay lip service ( if that ) to their customers and any business that does that will go extinct. As for the televised matches, this season they show the by now usual scene of a handful of elderly fans in an almost empty stadium and very boring follow the leader racing ( sorry motorcycle riding )in 80% of the heats. What a way to attract new customers!

[Midland Red 2,383]

6 hours ago, orion said:

Yet again it's just old speedway fans wanting  to go back in time . that time has past 

Problem is - very few, if any, of the "modern initiatives" seem to have succeeded (most have failed), therefore those that recall better times often feel that a return to what worked then would be worth a try

Edited May 29, 2019 by Midland Red

[George Dodds 310]

On 5/25/2019 at 9:13 PM, Midland Red said:

No, of course I hadn't forgotten

Just feel the best of British Speedway should be raced on spectator-friendly nights, ie Friday and Saturday

Monday nights continue to appear so very spectator-unfriendly

Good to see the programme for Bank Holiday Monday, but that's standard fare

Obviously those that know best consider it better for clubs to be forced to move away from their normal nights

No wonder attendances continue to fall

 

Only Saturday night isn't the most spectator friendly any more.

For those who watch speedway there is live GP on ten of those Saturdays. Two more are taken up by the Speedway of Nations.

Two weeks ago the BBC screened the FA Cup Final, this weekend pubs will be full of people watching the Champions League final, the Cricket World Cup will have live games on a Saturday, Wimbledon tennis.

While I support a Saturday night  club it faces all these alternatives and it is affecting crowds. We're not the only game in town on a summer Saturday any more.

[Grachan 7,314]

On ‎5‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 6:57 PM, steve roberts said:

Yes I remember attending Oxford on the Friday, Swindon or Coventry on Saturday and Mondays a visit to Reading (Bank Holidays Home & Away)...great days!

I used to do Oxford, Swindon & Reading regularly too. The funny thing is, if it was the same now I wouldn't be able to afford it, which maybe says something about admission costs.

[steve roberts 9,242]

Just now, Grachan said:

I used to do Oxford, Swindon & Reading regularly too. The funny thing is, if it was the same now I wouldn't be able to afford it, which maybe says something about admission costs.

We even used to pop down to Arlington on a Sunday occasionally. During the seventies it was White City on the Wednesday, Oxford Thursdays and Saturdays a visit to Swindon. Certainly couldn't entertain that regime now what with admissions and petrol costs.

[Grachan 7,314]

1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

Yes I agree that it was an over reaction that Simmo was greatly to blame and one of "Biggest Reasons" for the demise of speedway in this country. The  so-called 'Scandal' was obviously one factor but as Martin Rogers' quoted crowds were not immediately affected during that period and it was an accumulation of events that has proved destructive over time. Personally I believe that the demise of "World of Sport" on ITV started the decline as speedway was no longer shown on mainstream TV although regional networks and the BBC dipped in and out over the next few years.

I do recall a two page feature of the all-conquering "Cheetahs" team of 1986 (including Wiggy) appearing in a mainstream newspaper but generally speedway within the media was already declining (and it was never that good even during the 'glory years') and some would argue that was due to the emergence and later domination of the Danes and the fall of England's dominance during the seventies that proved a factor.

It's a complex issue and one in which there is not one specific reason for the sport's decline but where there are many which have been well documented over the years and no doubt will continue to do so.

There was quite a long period when there was no speedway on television at all. I remember a campaign going in Speedway Star to get it shown. To see Hans Nielsen win the World Final in Poland I had to buy a video of it.

The coverage we get now on BT (and on Sky previously) is excellent, but it is also very specialised. People aren't going to just put the tv on and stumble across some speedway these days.

 

[racers and royals 8,711]

2 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

We even used to pop down to Arlington on a Sunday occasionally. During the seventies it was White City on the Wednesday, Oxford Thursdays and Saturdays a visit to Swindon. Certainly couldn't entertain that regime now what with admissions and petrol costs.

Not from York anyway 

[steve roberts 9,242]

5 minutes ago, Grachan said:

There was quite a long period when there was no speedway on television at all. I remember a campaign going in Speedway Star to get it shown. To see Hans Nielsen win the World Final in Poland I had to buy a video of it.

The coverage we get now on BT (and on Sky previously) is excellent, but it is also very specialised. People aren't going to just put the tv on and stumble across some speedway these days.

 

Central TV (and Anglia TV apparently) used to be pretty good during the eighties showing domestic meetings around the Midlands but nationally it was pretty dire although when cable TV came on board we were fortunate where I lived to be able to watch highlights of National League meetings and later Internationals and British League.

Edited May 29, 2019 by steve roberts

[iris123 20,918]

2 hours ago, steve roberts said:

Yes I agree that it was an over reaction that Simmo was greatly to blame and one of "Biggest Reasons" for the demise of speedway in this country. The  so-called 'Scandal' was obviously one factor 

As I said Mr Rising, who is more of a media expert than either you, me or even Martin Rogers dare I say puts that scandal up there as the main reason the media interest dropped off. And in general unless you are Stock Cars, media interest plays a major factor in the success or failure of a sport. Ask any decent sports promoter or retail boss

Darts and Snooker flourished at a time speedway was failing. Cycling for instance had a lot of problems because of their scandal. It isn’t just down to immediate falls in attendances, but lack of sponsorship etc from large companies or medium and speedway is left with local hairdressers and builders

Edited May 29, 2019 by iris123

[orion 7,610]

7 hours ago, Midland Red said:

Problem is - very few, if any, of the "modern initiatives" seem to have succeeded (most have failed), therefore those that recall better times often feel that a return to what worked then would be worth a try

But those have still  been in place. teams, have still been racing on sat and sun  and crowds have still been going down with clubs closeing .People used to play local football at a weekend but now it's nearly dead as there is far more things to do.In the 70' s what could do on a Sunday bar go the church .Times have moved on .

Edited May 29, 2019 by orion