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greyhoundp

Speedway Promotion or Lack of it.

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Interesting how opinions can be at polar opposites on this forum. Some on here see the racing as better than ever while on the Premiership   forum below Peterborough and Kings Lynn fans are moaning about Busters tracks and describing the fare offered on live TV in the Premiership as 'invariably dire ' with the exception of the NSS. 

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22 minutes ago, chunky said:

Sad, isn't it? Made for some good Bank Holiday action!

Steve

...and then upto London White City, Hackney and Wimbledon!

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Even we missed the good times when you could make a few Bank Holiday meetings without leaving London. Think some riders did make 3 meetings, fans could probably make more if they didn't watch all the heats 

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Many years ago when my speedway interests were far more active than these days, offhand when because of a Bank Holiday and it was possible to see at least two meetings that day I cannot recollect ever doing so.

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My parents and I used to have a great day on some Bank Holiday Mondays. 11am Rayleigh Speedway followed by 2.30pm Rayleigh Stock Cars or PRI Bangers and then the dash back to Wimbledon for the 7.45pm Speedway. Progress is a total myth.

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Promotion is difficult given the options available and what works for some locally may not work for others. What it needs is a national advertising campaign which simply says which tracks are running a meeting on which night. For example a national radio station says “speedway coming to a track near you and tonight you have live racing at  xxxxxx” Say no more and less than 20 seconds. Cost vary depending on the station but if the sport as in the BSPA rather than a club promoted, the cost could be split across all clubs. It does not take much to send out the message but as it stands no one is working as a ‘whole,’ it is a case of each looking after number one. Speedway is number one and promoters need to take this on board and start working together. All the promoters need to do is consider the options.

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1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

...and then upto London White City, Hackney and Wimbledon!

I didn't usually go to London tracks on a holiday!  I did Hackney once, I think after Lynn and Ippo.  Oxford was a usual morning stop, and I also did one when I headed north to Cradley and Wolves afterwards.  Another time, I went from Milton Keynes to Canterbury.  I just loved the variety...

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30 minutes ago, gustix said:

Many years ago when my speedway interests were far more active than these days, offhand when because of a Bank Holiday and it was possible to see at least two meetings that day I cannot recollect ever doing so.

I did 3 meetings once or twice, but I remember it was a slight cheat in a way, as two meetings were at the same complex at Esbjerg. But two completely separate tracks a hundred yards apart, then off to Holsted later

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3 minutes ago, Hawk127 said:

Promotion is difficult given the options available and what works for some locally may not work for others. What it needs is a national advertising campaign which simply says which tracks are running a meeting on which night. For example a national radio station says “speedway coming to a track near you and tonight you have live racing at  xxxxxx” Say no more and less than 20 seconds. Cost vary depending on the station but if the sport as in the BSPA rather than a club promoted, the cost could be split across all clubs. It does not take much to send out the message but as it stands no one is working as a ‘whole,’ it is a case of each looking after number one. Speedway is number one and promoters need to take this on board and start working together. All the promoters need to do is consider the options.

In the late 80's, all the southern NL teams promoted ad a whole.  Not only was there a full page ad in Speedway Star, but they all gave discounts to ticket season holders at the other southern tracks.  Okay, it wasn;'t a HUGE saving, but it was certainly enough to encourage me to take in some meetings I may not have otherwise.  I am sure there were plenty of others too.  There really is a value to working together...

Steve

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3 minutes ago, iris123 said:

I did 3 meetings once or twice, but I remember it was a slight cheat in a way, as two meetings were at the same complex at Esbjerg. But two completely separate tracks a hundred yards apart, then off to Holsted later

Pity they didn't have all the Belle Vues running at the same time; you could have done three like that!

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I have tried doing research on the Wigan Speedway team. I have found it very hard to get any from local places. All via the internet which my daughter got(i am not with it technology wise). Older people i have asked did not have a clue. Some said, Oh it might have been at Seven sisters. Wrong. They had a stadium that shows loads watching. And the one point that i love, they were called Warriors. Which means they beat the Rugby League team to that name. I suspect it as always been a minority Sport. It should not be. It is impossible for there to be a completely boring meeting. Stick to what i have always thought- Enough is not being done by MOST Clubs.

Edited by craigACE

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1 hour ago, iwright71 said:

Interesting how opinions can be at polar opposites on this forum. Some on here see the racing as better than ever while on the Premiership   forum below Peterborough and Kings Lynn fans are moaning about Busters tracks and describing the fare offered on live TV in the Premiership as 'invariably dire ' with the exception of the NSS. 

Nobody is saying that there aren't crap tracks and crap meetings.  Thing is, there ALWAYS were; it's nothing new!

The problem is that so many people live in the past, and even though they THINK things were better in the "good ol' days", it wasn't always what we think it to be.  The overall package was far better in the old days (certainly as far as British speedway is concerned), but that wasn't a result of the actual racing.  I have a lot of old meetings and other footage, and although I still love watching it, I look at it, and realise (generally) that the racing was often very poor.

Yes, the sport is very different from the sport I was raised on, but again, while it certainly doesn't feel the same, it doesn't mean that the racing is worse.

Steve

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3 minutes ago, craigACE said:

I have tried doing research on the Wigan Speedway team. I have found it very hard to get any from local places. All via the internet which my daughter got(i am not with it technology wise). Older people i have asked did not have a clue. Some said, Oh it might have been at Seven sisters. Wrong. They had a stadium that shows loads watching. And the one point that i love, they were called Warriors. Which means they beat the Rugby League team to that name. I suspect it as always been a minority Sport. It should not be. It is impossible for there to be a completely boring meeting. Stick to what i have always thought- Enough is not being done by MOST Clubs.

Just in case you didn't discover it, there were actually 2 tracks in Wigan:

Wigan Warriors at Poolstock Stadium, 1947 & 1960 and Wigan Panthers at Woodhouse Lane in 1952.

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2 minutes ago, Sotonian said:

Just in case you didn't discover it, there were actually 2 tracks in Wigan:

Wigan Warriors at Poolstock Stadium, 1947 & 1960 and Wigan Panthers at Woodhouse Lane in 1952.

Yeah. I have seen the complete results. What was the reason for them closing down ?. That is what i have never found out.

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6 hours ago, craigACE said:

I have tried doing research on the Wigan Speedway team. I have found it very hard to get any from local places. All via the internet which my daughter got(i am not with it technology wise). Older people i have asked did not have a clue. Some said, Oh it might have been at Seven sisters. Wrong. They had a stadium that shows loads watching. And the one point that i love, they were called Warriors. Which means they beat the Rugby League team to that name. I suspect it as always been a minority Sport. It should not be. It is impossible for there to be a completely boring meeting. Stick to what i have always thought- Enough is not being done by MOST Clubs.

That is slightly unfair, particularly in regard to a team like Wigan.  Speedway never caught on there, and there were only a few odd seasons, so it is not surprising that it remains largely unknown in the area.  Having said that, you are correct in saying that enough is not being done by MOST clubs.  Sad thing is, that was always the case...

Edited by chunky
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