Season Cancelled

[mikebv 10,243]

56 minutes ago, Joseq7 said:

Do we have any idea of a typical crowd that goes to the stocks?

Is it one man and his dog?

Is it (normally) equally or more popular than speedway? 

At quite a few venues the stox subsidise the speedway...

The old track at BV used to run around ten meetings a year and get around 3000 to 4000 a meeting..

I would suggest the Aces got quite a bit less than 30000 a season in their 20 matches..

[BWitcher 12,453]

8 hours ago, emilali said:

What a total troll. 

As expected you haven't got an answer. 

Just another posting to enflame with nothing to back it up.

 

[Hawk127 1,357]

8 hours ago, Joseq7 said:

Do we have any idea of a typical crowd that goes to the stocks?

Is it one man and his dog?

Is it (normally) equally or more popular than speedway? 

At Ipswich it is far moe popular than speedway. For the most popular meetings such as the speed weekend or the Bonfire Bonanza it is completely full. On one occasion that I went to the firework event you needed to get to the stadium at least two hours before to get a decent spot. Take a look on YouTube at some of the meetings at Foxhall. Other meetings such as the one in December the crowds are nowhere near as good

[OldHawk 72]

I may be doing the BSPA a massive disservice and there may be factors I am not aware of but I am wondering if they have simply sat back and waited for things to happen or if they have engaged actively with the sports and culture minister.

 

I say this because it has stunned me that speedway is not involved in the so call trial detailed below:

 

'The two-day county cricket match between Surrey and Middlesex, scheduled for July 26 and 27, will be the first event to feature crowds, followed by the delayed World Snooker Championship which begins in Sheffield on July 31 and the final day of Goodwood on August 1, when 5,000 spectators are set to attend.'

 

Given this, I cant see why speedway has not returned. As a shielder now for 4 months because of asthma, I have taken safety very seriously.

But down the road from me is Bluewater. A large indoor shopping centre which attracts thousands.

Of course they have the advantage of the E word...the 'Economy'

 

So why hasn't the BSPA been able to at least run a trial match?

 

I may be wrong but it worries me that the BSPA have just not done enough.

It seems to me that even a month of challenge matches in October as at pre war Belle Vue would be better than nothing.

[00000 1,279]

2 minutes ago, OldHawk said:

 

It seems to me that even a month of challenge matches in October as at pre war Belle Vue would be better than nothing.

 It is just the leagues that have been binned. Clubs have an option to run challenge matches in October, if crowds are allowed. 

[cityrebel 2,960]

1 minute ago, OldHawk said:

I may be doing the BSPA a massive disservice and there may be factors I am not aware of but I am wondering if they have simply sat back and waited for things to happen or if they have engaged actively with the sports and culture minister.

 

I say this because it has stunned me that speedway is not involved in the so call trial detailed below:

 

'The two-day county cricket match between Surrey and Middlesex, scheduled for July 26 and 27, will be the first event to feature crowds, followed by the delayed World Snooker Championship which begins in Sheffield on July 31 and the final day of Goodwood on August 1, when 5,000 spectators are set to attend.'

 

Given this, I cant see why speedway has not returned. As a shielder now for 4 months because of asthma, I have taken safety very seriously.

But down the road from me is Bluewater. A large indoor shopping centre which attracts thousands.

Of course they have the advantage of the E word...the 'Economy'

 

So why hasn't the BSPA been able to at least run a trial match?

 

I may be wrong but it worries me that the BSPA have just not done enough.

It seems to me that even a month of challenge matches in October as at pre war Belle Vue would be better than nothing.

Absolutely. I feel the powers that be sat back and waited for the government to make the decision for them. The stock car promotors have probably been lobbying non stop to get to the position they are now.

[OldHawk 72]

30 minutes ago, Richard Weston said:

 It is just the leagues that have been binned. Clubs have an option to run challenge matches in October, if crowds are allowed. 

Yes agreed but my track Kent has already stated no matches at all. I hope others don't follow suit but lets see.

I still wonder if the BSPA have done anything like enough. but who knows!

After posting this I wrote a strong mail to my MP. Of course that wont change anything but I try at least to understand the logic even if I dont agree with it.

[iris123 20,939]

Is there any evidence at all the the cars have done any lobbying ? Or have they got through a loophole because of the strange nature of the ‘sport’ ? 

[StevePark 2,780]

1 hour ago, OldHawk said:

I may be doing the BSPA a massive disservice and there may be factors I am not aware of but I am wondering if they have simply sat back and waited for things to happen or if they have engaged actively with the sports and culture minister.

 

I say this because it has stunned me that speedway is not involved in the so call trial detailed below:

 

'The two-day county cricket match between Surrey and Middlesex, scheduled for July 26 and 27, will be the first event to feature crowds, followed by the delayed World Snooker Championship which begins in Sheffield on July 31 and the final day of Goodwood on August 1, when 5,000 spectators are set to attend.'

 

Given this, I cant see why speedway has not returned. As a shielder now for 4 months because of asthma, I have taken safety very seriously.

But down the road from me is Bluewater. A large indoor shopping centre which attracts thousands.

Of course they have the advantage of the E word...the 'Economy'

 

So why hasn't the BSPA been able to at least run a trial match?

 

I may be wrong but it worries me that the BSPA have just not done enough.

It seems to me that even a month of challenge matches in October as at pre war Belle Vue would be better than nothing.

Maybe they asked, but were rejected?  

[iainb 4,962]

22 hours ago, Pinny said:

And I am no lover of Rory Scheiln, but I read somewhere that he is working as a delivery driver to bring in money.

I just hope you're not sat at home waiting for a delivery when it's raining 

22 hours ago, Fromafar said:

Let’s face it nobody can really work out the logic in all this,but Speedway without normal attendances was never going to be viable, the Glasgow Promotion worked that out long before the rest,which tells me something,they’re smarter.!!

To be fair, you're saying that with the benefit of hindsight, it could quite easily have gone the other way and they could have been sat there with the shutters down while all other clubs were playing to bumper summer crowds.

20 hours ago, MattK said:

I can only assume that speedway classes itself as an elite sport and therefore is following these guidelines:

Maybe it's not down to the sport to classify itself but the authorities class the sport and tell them what guidelines to work to?

[Fromafar 10,338]

6 hours ago, iainb said:

I just hope you're not sat at home waiting for a delivery when it's raining 

To be fair, you're saying that with the benefit of hindsight, it could quite easily have gone the other way and they could have been sat there with the shutters down while all other clubs were playing to bumper summer crowds.

Maybe it's not down to the sport to classify itself but the authorities class the sport and tell them what guidelines to work to?

Don’t think there was a lot of hindsight involved, when Glasgow pulled out and gave their reasons it sounded justified to me(possibly a few others).The pandemic was not yet at its peak and people were being told lockdown would last till at least end July beginning of August.There decision was justified IMO.Given the crowd situation that had been mentioned and the average age of speedway supporters.To be honest would you fancy  travelling and standing at aSpeedway Match in Oct/ Nov if they had got something set- up.

Edited July 23, 2020 by Fromafar

[cityrebel 2,960]

1 hour ago, iris123 said:

Is there any evidence at all the the cars have done any lobbying ? Or have they got through a loophole because of the strange nature of the ‘sport’ ? 

At the end of the day regardless of the sport, why is it safe to let people into stadiums to watch cars, but not bikes. The virus can't tell the two sports apart, or maybe it can!

[arthur cross 492]

1 hour ago, OldHawk said:

Yes agreed but my track Kent has already stated no matches at all. I hope others don't follow suit but lets see.

I still wonder if the BSPA have done anything like enough. but who knows!

After posting this I wrote a strong mail to my MP. Of course that wont change anything but I try at least to understand the logic even if I dont agree with it.

Kent's one of the seven speedway tracks (Birmingham, Newcastle, Poole, Sheffield, Swindon & Wolverhampton being the other six) who rent their tracks from greyhound landlords and at least some of that list of tracks have faced a very awkward situation (with Poole in a category of its own as its greyhounds haven't resumed behind closed doors for televised betting whereas the other six all have).

Where the dogs have resumed, it's for between 3-and-6-times a week all year long (unlike speedway's 7-month season), heavily covid-regulated for stadium staff or trainers/kennelhands and with each of those meetings worth far more in betting shop media rights than any single speedway rent or the food/drink profit the speedway generates.

But if any of those tracks go "open-door" for a speedway crowd and is then notified of a covid-positive spectator soon after doing so, it's just about guaranteed to be quarantined for a fortnight with the consequent loss of betting shop media rights.

Now put yourself in a greyhound landlord's position - would you gamble between 6-to-12 closed-door greyhound media fees on 1 smaller speedway rent/profit ? !!

In Kent's case that you refer to, it's the top end of the range - 6 dog meetings a week (mid-mornings-into-lunchtime all of Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu plus Friday/Sunday nights) so a 12-meeting cost of being quarantined.

 It's difficult (and understandable) for many speedway fans who only use their home track's stadium for speedway to grasp just how small a chunk of the overall stadium turnover their action provides in a shared greyhound/speedway situation but you'd do well to at least respect the overall situation even if you don't like it.

 

 

[Fromafar 10,338]

39 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

At the end of the day regardless of the sport, why is it safe to let people into stadiums to watch cars, but not bikes. The virus can't tell the two sports apart, or maybe it can!

I really think there is more to it than that don’t you.!

[OldHawk 72]

30 minutes ago, arthur cross said:

Kent's one of the seven speedway tracks (Birmingham, Newcastle, Poole, Sheffield, Swindon & Wolverhampton being the other six) who rent their tracks from greyhound landlords and at least some of that list of tracks have faced a very awkward situation (with Poole in a category of its own as its greyhounds haven't resumed behind closed doors for televised betting whereas the other six all have).

Where the dogs have resumed, it's for between 3-and-6-times a week all year long (unlike speedway's 7-month season), heavily covid-regulated for stadium staff or trainers/kennelhands and with each of those meetings worth far more in betting shop media rights than any single speedway rent or the food/drink profit the speedway generates.

But if any of those tracks go "open-door" for a speedway crowd and is then notified of a covid-positive spectator soon after doing so, it's just about guaranteed to be quarantined for a fortnight with the consequent loss of betting shop media rights.

Now put yourself in a greyhound landlord's position - would you gamble between 6-to-12 closed-door greyhound media fees on 1 smaller speedway rent/profit ? !!

In Kent's case that you refer to, it's the top end of the range - 6 dog meetings a week (mid-mornings-into-lunchtime all of Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu plus Friday/Sunday nights) so a 12-meeting cost of being quarantined.

 It's difficult (and understandable) for many speedway fans who only use their home track's stadium for speedway to grasp just how small a chunk of the overall stadium turnover their action provides in a shared greyhound/speedway situation but you'd do well to at least respect the overall situation even if you don't like it.

 

 

I thought Kent greyhounds and Speedway was both run by the same person, Cearns? But in any event my thought is to make sure even more people drift away from speedway than have already a match, any match, to retain interest would be a good idea regardless of the revenue of that one meeting.