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What a difference in stadiums

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7 minutes ago, geoff58 said:

yawn yawn boring statement obviously you don't !! keep dreaming  i will await more of your pointless posts :t: i await you polish style speedway staduim with great interest !!  i won't hold my breath :rofl: 

I’m all for the pointless posts, this forum is getting very bitter lately 

Edited by THE DEAN MACHINE
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For me the biggest ever extreme in speedway stadiums/venues happened in 1954. Then I saw for the first time the California-in-England track at Wokingham. It was just a few days after I saw my first speedway meeting at Wembley. 

California - all credit - was little more than a dirt track in a field. Wembley was the worldwide famed Empire Stadium.

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Imagine trying to run a speedway team out of Wembley now. The promotion would be bankrupt before the end of the pre-meeting parade. 

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I respect Dean’s opinion but I would pay to watch speedway at Belle Vue whether it was Toruń mark two or a track in a field. As it is the NSS is a pretty good stadium anyway and I have always found the view and atmosphere excellent on either straight. 

British speedway has had little to enthuse about in recent years but the NSS really is. One of the best tracks in the world without a doubt. 

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36 minutes ago, Bagpuss said:

I respect Dean’s opinion but I would pay to watch speedway at Belle Vue...

...so would I - if it was the dear old Hyde Road!!!!!

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On 11/30/2020 at 2:18 PM, uk_martin said:

And the some "top level" football clubs like Coventry City have to pay rent to Rugby Union clubs like Wasps.

CCFC actually play at the Trillion Trophy Stadium, or St Andrews to give it it's former name. 

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On 11/30/2020 at 7:56 AM, JohnHyam said:

Yesterday (Sunday) I followed with some interest the TV coverage of the football. What especially impressed me was the appearance and standard of the stadiums - even those of the lower level clubs.

I think even the 6th tier of English football - i.e. National League North/South - gets better average attendances than anything in British speedway. There's even some teams down in the 8th tier that have attendances that speedway would die for. 

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16 hours ago, JohnHyam said:

Wembley was the worldwide famed Empire Stadium.

Which was a bit of dump to be honest - even after various attempts to upgrade it with modern facilities. No doubt that's why it got demolished and replaced with a much better, albeit less iconic stadium. 

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42 minutes ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

Which was a bit of dump to be honest - even after various attempts to upgrade it with modern facilities. No doubt that's why it got demolished and replaced with a much better, albeit less iconic stadium. 

WE actually agree on something. Used to attend most soccer matches at Wembley (internationals, etc) in World Soccer days and it was a dump. But it did have an aura. The two dressing rooms had huge baths rather than showers... more like a swimming pool. Practice for speedway World Finals were always held on a Thursday. Media were allowed in and we used to stage a mock soccer game for a few minutes to say "we played at Wembley." 

Actually did the same at Ullevi in Gothenburg one year. Happy days ...

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2 minutes ago, PHILIPRISING said:

WE actually agree on something. Used to attend most soccer matches at Wembley (internationals, etc) in World Soccer days and it was a dump. But it did have an aura. The two dressing rooms had huge baths rather than showers... more like a swimming pool. Practice for speedway World Finals were always held on a Thursday. Media were allowed in and we used to stage a mock soccer game for a few minutes to say "we played at Wembley." 

Actually did the same at Ullevi in Gothenburg one year. Happy days ...

I did the official Wembley Tour a couple of years before it was developed. Very interseting and full of history and iconic moments but was looking very depressed all the same.

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26 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

I did the official Wembley Tour a couple of years before it was developed. Very interseting and full of history and iconic moments but was looking very depressed all the same.

I actually think the new Wembley is fantastic - properly designed and well appointed with the football spectator in mind. Almost the best stadium I've visited, with the exception of the Dallas Cowboys one.

What is/was a bit rubbish, was they obviously ran out of money for the surrounding infrastructure when they re-developed the stadium.

Whilst in fairness the old Wembley was hardly situated in the most salubrious area - surrounded as it was by old warehouses and a concrete plant - they largely left it as a building site along with the crummy old concrete walkway which no longer makes any sense. Whilst I admittedly haven't visited since 2017, it was then only just starting to have been developed into something approaching a respectable complex.  

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49 minutes ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

I actually think the new Wembley is fantastic - properly designed and well appointed with the football spectator in mind. Almost the best stadium I've visited, with the exception of the Dallas Cowboys one.

What is/was a bit rubbish, was they obviously ran out of money for the surrounding infrastructure when they re-developed the stadium.

Whilst in fairness the old Wembley was hardly situated in the most salubrious area - surrounded as it was by old warehouses and a concrete plant - they largely left it as a building site along with the crummy old concrete walkway which no longer makes any sense. Whilst I admittedly haven't visited since 2017, it was then only just starting to have been developed into something approaching a respectable complex.  

ARSENAL'S Emirates is very impressive. Hopefully will get to Tottenham's new home next year.

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1 hour ago, PHILIPRISING said:

ARSENAL'S Emirates is very impressive. Hopefully will get to Tottenham's new home next year.

I’ve only attended the Emirates as an away fan but it left me underwhelmed. The place was devoid of atmosphere, although that could be down to the home fans I guess. 

I went to one of the test events at the new Spurs ground and it’s easily the best of the “arena” style football grounds that are popping up now. The fan experience from variety of hospitality options available in the concourse to the atmosphere and views of the pitch were very impressive. 

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In the time many years ago (late 1950s) when I regularly visited speedway meetings, three tracks that stand out in mind from that era are Southampton, Sheffield and dear old (Hyde Road) Belle Vue.

These venues had promoters who knew out to promote, excellent 'personality' riders and were in stadiums it was a pleasure to visit. How in now modern times things have changed IMO to a complete reversal of that period.

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14 hours ago, OGT said:

CCFC actually play at the Trillion Trophy Stadium, or St Andrews to give it it's former name. 

I'll take your word for it that that might be the case. I know that was the case last season but I'm sure I'd read that they were talking about moving back to the Ricoh again. 

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