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Speedway's future IMO

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3 hours ago, mikebv said:

You only have to look at Poland as to when the best time is to run Speedway..

They wouldn't dream of running at any time other than weekends..

Play offs get decent crowds over here but I would suggest it doesn't make up in any way shape or for how many don't attend during the season due to riding Monday to Thursday..

The other glaring issue is how very few teenagers go..

Meaning free admission to Kids with a paying adult simply doesn't maintain enough interest..

Letting 18 and unders in for free, if still a student, would at least possibly deliver some return when they become 19 and have to start paying..

It would also mean they could attend in groups which teenagers so love to do...

And not have to stand with Mum, Dad, Gran and Grandad..

And wouldn't be any financial loss really as they are not there now. But you may make some money at the bar and burger van!

 

Which in many cases won't be to the benefit of the speedway promotion!!!

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I myself am in favour of radical changes which i won't repeat here because i can't take the flak atm. It does look, however that another season of 'lets pretend nothing's wrong' is ahead of us with 2/3 teams being bribed to enter the top league stripping the less disastrous (i won't say successful) CL and NL of clubs. 

One thing i would say again is that people talk about dilution when big names don't ride here but actually the product is well presented good racing, not necessarily star names whose names ,lets be honest, mean f. all to the general public. 

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13 minutes ago, ch958 said:

I myself am in favour of radical changes which i won't repeat here because i can't take the flak atm. It does look, however that another season of 'lets pretend nothing's wrong' is ahead of us with 2/3 teams being bribed to enter the top league stripping the less disastrous (i won't say successful) CL and NL of clubs. 

One thing i would say again is that people talk about dilution when big names don't ride here but actually the product is well presented good racing, not necessarily star names whose names ,lets be honest, mean f. all to the general public. 

who are the 2/3 teams being bribed for next season?

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31 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

Which in many cases won't be to the benefit of the speedway promotion!!!

Yes for some, but not all...

And if nothing else more people there will at least look like the sport has a following worthy of the word..

As we always say, get a big crowd in and the whole experience changes from the entertainment perspective, which can only begin that virtuous positive circle of 'big crowds/great atmosphere/more repeat visits to sample the same..

You only have to look at the play off finals to see that..

Two pretty average meetings, however both being played out in front of good crowds meant those who were there would have a very different perspective on those meetings than if they had been completed in front of the usual Monday or Thursdsy night die hards..

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18 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

who are the 2/3 teams being bribed for next season?

no idea but they won't run with 6/7 teams will they? And its hardly a sensible business plan to move up is it?

 

 

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1 hour ago, ch958 said:

no idea but they won't run with 6/7 teams will they? And its hardly a sensible business plan to move up is it?

 

 

Why only 6? They ran with 7 this year

 

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10 hours ago, mikebv said:

Yes for some, but not all...

And if nothing else more people there will at least look like the sport has a following worthy of the word..

As we always say, get a big crowd in and the whole experience changes from the entertainment perspective, which can only begin that virtuous positive circle of 'big crowds/great atmosphere/more repeat visits to sample the same..

You only have to look at the play off finals to see that..

Two pretty average meetings, however both being played out in front of good crowds meant those who were there would have a very different perspective on those meetings than if they had been completed in front of the usual Monday or Thursdsy night die hards..

I agree that a big crowd will make the whole thing seem better but how many return to watch normal league meetings in the future? Those extra people are surely lapsed and armchair fans in the main who normally keep an eye on the results in the local paper or watch the meetings on TV. Doesn't seem to engage new fans in any numbers or keep people paying to come in the door. It's been the case for years that a club doing well in the league increases it's crowds significantly, also been the case that often enough the increase doesn't pay for a competitive team. Promoters are much maligned for a lack of ambition when they run cheaper teams but in truth they are often the clubs that survive year on year.

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31 minutes ago, Vince said:

I agree that a big crowd will make the whole thing seem better but how many return to watch normal league meetings in the future? Those extra people are surely lapsed and armchair fans in the main who normally keep an eye on the results in the local paper or watch the meetings on TV. Doesn't seem to engage new fans in any numbers or keep people paying to come in the door. It's been the case for years that a club doing well in the league increases it's crowds significantly, also been the case that often enough the increase doesn't pay for a competitive team. Promoters are much maligned for a lack of ambition when they run cheaper teams but in truth they are often the clubs that survive year on year.

But that's the issue Vince, the 'normal league meetings', dont deliver those less regular fans who know about the sport, therefore dont deliver big crowds, hence no atmosphere, hence no increase in crowds. A perfect vicious circle..

The 'play off qualifiers' don't seem to engage people regularly enough, and the play off themselves almost become then a 'loss reducer' for the season as 'lapsed fans' come back. .

However I bet at most tracks the increased attendance doesn't cover the overall short fall in attendance through the season to watch 'the qualifiers', by some distance...

You might as well give away free tickets to as many people of a certain demographic as you can...

I would suggest anyone 15 to 25 should just be targeted and offered free tickets as that is the glaring demographic missing from most Speedway meetings..

15 year olds now hunt in packs so 10 or so would attend together, and even though there has been free admission for 'kids' for a long time at some tracks, not many get to 16+, leave school, and pay to attend, therefore the system doesn't garner any return..

And hardly anyone under 25 is seen at Speedway these days. And plenty of them will have jobs and disposable income due to more of them now still living with parents, before the (inevitable for many), 'family and mortgage' kicks in around 27-30 years old, and that disposable income becomes an oh, so distant memory..

Target these demographics and, if between 19 to 25, offer one free ticket and maybe three more meetings at say a tenner to try and get them hooked?

Anyone 15 to 18, just throw free tickets at them..

They are not there now so no loss, and the more that attend (paying or not), the more atmosphere naturally gets created. Which may encourage more to attend more regularly in future.

And a virtuous circle begins..

And if nothing else, should you reach the play offs there would be a good few hundred more in the local area who, (by definition of attending for free during the season), now know about the team and sport and might therefore, go along to watch on those nights and pay full price?

 

 

Edited by mikebv
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2 hours ago, mikebv said:

But that's the issue Vince, the 'normal league meetings', dont deliver those less regular fans who know about the sport, therefore dont deliver big crowds, hence no atmosphere, hence no increase in crowds. A perfect vicious circle..

The 'play off qualifiers' don't seem to engage people regularly enough, and the play off themselves almost become then a 'loss reducer' for the season as 'lapsed fans' come back. .

However I bet at most tracks the increased attendance doesn't cover the overall short fall in attendance through the season to watch 'the qualifiers', by some distance...

You might as well give away free tickets to as many people of a certain demographic as you can...

I would suggest anyone 15 to 25 should just be targeted and offered free tickets as that is the glaring demographic missing from most Speedway meetings..

15 year olds now hunt in packs so 10 or so would attend together, and even though there has been free admission for 'kids' for a long time at some tracks, not many get to 16+, leave school, and pay to attend, therefore the system doesn't garner any return..

And hardly anyone under 25 is seen at Speedway these days. And plenty of them will have jobs and disposable income due to more of them now still living with parents, before the (inevitable for many), 'family and mortgage' kicks in around 27-30 years old, and that disposable income becomes an oh, so distant memory..

Target these demographics and, if between 19 to 25, offer one free ticket and maybe three more meetings at say a tenner to try and get them hooked?

Anyone 15 to 18, just throw free tickets at them..

They are not there now so no loss, and the more that attend (paying or not), the more atmosphere naturally gets created. Which may encourage more to attend more regularly in future.

And a virtuous circle begins..

And if nothing else, should you reach the play offs there would be a good few hundred more in the local area who, (by definition of attending for free during the season), now know about the team and sport and might therefore, go along to watch on those nights and pay full price?

 

 

Play-Off group matches are open to abuse. We all know teams have suffered mysterious engine failures early on to prove they need strengthening as their poor averages take a hit.

The Play-Off Finals may attract added interest, but I doubt that compensates for reduced crowds over the course of the season for matches that either team can afford to lose most of the time. I mean, who can take seriously chasing a top-four place in a table of seven sides. More teams make the Play-Off semis than fail.

Fans aren't daft. I have watched a team, which purposely tried not to win a match they could have finished top of the qualifying table by doing so. I think even winning the  aggregate bonus point, as it were back then, would have seen them finish table winners.

That one instance implies the qualifying matches are nothing more than padding out the season for seven months.

 

Edited by moxey63
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i see Burscough FC are building a new ground. You wonder how thats possible on 3 figure crowds. Wonder if anyone would ever think of saying 'leave room for a track round the outside - £1000 quid rent a week during the summer when there's no income'. Few miles outside of Liverpool - massive catchment area you wd think.

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27 minutes ago, ch958 said:

i see Burscough FC are building a new ground. You wonder how thats possible on 3 figure crowds.

It's possible because they're building the new ground on spare land at the side of their existing stadium, and selling their existing stadium for housing.

The small space they're building in, and the close proximity of houses would presumably rule Speedway out.

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4 hours ago, moxey63 said:

Play-Off group matches are open to abuse. We all know teams have suffered mysterious engine failures early on to prove they need strengthening as their poor averages take a hit.

The Play-Off Finals may attract added interest, but I doubt that compensates for reduced crowds over the course of the season for matches that either team can afford to lose most of the time. I mean, who can take seriously chasing a top-four place in a table of seven sides. More teams make the Play-Off semis than fail.

Fans aren't daft. I have watched a team, which purposely tried not to win a match they could have finished top of the qualifying table by doing so. I think even winning the  aggregate bonus point, as it were back then, would have seen them finish table winners.

That one instance implies the qualifying matches are nothing more than padding out the season for seven months.

 

Silly post .. fans wont watch a team anymore who's season is over by june without the play offs go for ..so the plays offs not only paid big in the final they also keep the crowds levels up during the season .. Old fans are daft if they have  not figured that out yet . it's been explained  over and over again when this kind of garbage is put on here

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14 minutes ago, orion said:

Silly post ..fanswont watch a team anymore who's season is over by june without the play offs go for ..so the plays offs not only paid big in the final they also keep the crowds levels up during the season .. Old fans are daft if they have  not figured that out yet .it's been explained  over and over again when this kind of garbage is put on here

A serious sport would not need the pretence of keeping a season alive. The league table matches are mugging you off, mate. I suppose it would be more believable if there was a serious effort to get relegation into speedway, then clubs wouldn't purposely drop points to fiddle their way into the last two weeks of the season.

Perhaps an idea to keep short-sighted cult followers happy with speedway is to have every team seeded to the Play-Offs. Cut out the middle man and turn it into the boat race. Persuade every remaining fan that their side has a chance to win the Final, and that every match until then is just a nice warm-up. In fact, allow bouncy castles to introduce new fans who like bouncy castles. They might wonder what the sound of motorbikes is and people with badges filling in scoresheets.

A lot of speedway fans since the Play-Offs were introduced, are merely the John Terry in Chelsea's Champions League win a few years back. They only turn up and wear the colours to be part of the glory.

 

Edited by moxey63
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43 minutes ago, orion said:

 fans wont watch a team anymore who's season is over by june without the play offs go for ..

Does no one go to watch the sport, to get their enjoyment from the spectacle which is speedway racing, anymore?

How attitudes have changed - it now seems it’s all about winning, rather than entertainment

What was the draw when crowds were big?  It was the sport, the thrills, the spills, even the smell, the characters - didn’t matter too much about the result, so long as the spectators got their money’s worth from watching the racing

It didn’t even matter too much who the opposition was - every week, there was the speedway racing to watch and enjoy, that was the be all and end all, cheer on your favourites, boo the other team, but marvel at the spectacle they provided

Where did it all go wrong?

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1 hour ago, ch958 said:

i see Burscough FC are building a new ground. You wonder how thats possible on 3 figure crowds. Wonder if anyone would ever think of saying 'leave room for a track round the outside - £1000 quid rent a week during the summer when there's no income'. Few miles outside of Liverpool - massive catchment area you wd think.

Why would any football club want a speedway track round their pitch? They make viewing terrible for spectators. As a kid, I watched Halifax Town and Halifax Dukes at The Shay. The viewing for football was very poor, because of the speedway track, whose presence also resulted in the narrowest pitch in the Football League. Early and late in the football season, a film of dust covered every surface. 

Edited by Piotr Pyszny

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