Is anyone losing interest

[iainb 4,999]

13 hours ago, enotian said:

Just watched Zielona Gora v Czestochowa recorded on Freesports. 

Fantastic advert for the sport.  There appeared to be a great atmosphere in the stadium and the racing was top notch for the most part.  I don't think there was any R/R or guest riders but admitedly I did fast forward as there were long gaps between blocks of heats.  Maybe for TV but certainly too long even if the 15 minutes of action were mostly fantastic.

I'd definitely pay £25+ to see action of that standard and I imagine if someone new to speedway watched it I'm sure it would have caught their interest. Notwithstanding the length of time the meeting took.

Unfortunately this is the benchmark British speedway is up against and  it doesn't compare favourably. Even if you could attract the big names back plenty of tracks are just not conducive to modern racing and/or the stadiums are basic. I can only imagine if someone new to speedway had watched that match on Freesports and thought they'd fancy watching some live action in the UK they'd end up feeling disappointed.   

I know there is no magic wand to resolve this but I've said before, if you can't beat them join them.  Once people decide freedom is worth the risk again if you could enter Belle Vue into the Polish League there'd at least be some top level action supporters could access in this country. Maybe if it was successful in attracting visitors to Manchester other local authorities might be interested in having a similar facility? However fanciful that might seem right now.

Of course it would undermine the position of the Premiership being the top level of sport in the country but that might just temper expectation. Although I'm not sure what that would mean for the pricing.

My general point is that the sport needs to find away of being able to provide a product of comparible standard if there is any chance of attracting a new audience.

If you thought the gaps were long in the Polish match... try a Swedish one lol. On Premier Sports they even put other programmes on within the match to fill the gaps! Watching a Polish match, now that the crowds are back, is a but like watching a GP with the quality of rider, crowd size and atmosphere, although for me personally I have no vested interest in which team wins and watch very much as a neutral, where I tune into a GP wanting a British rider to win.

In this country, under normal circumstances, the GP is the flagship event and then going to a league match is very much an after the lord mayor's show affair. It's a bit like cricket in that respect comparing a test match to country cricket.

Edited July 3, 2021 by iainb

[waytogo28 2,054]

When do Freesports usaully show these matches? 

[enotian 562]

2 hours ago, waytogo28 said:

When do Freesports usaully show these matches? 

randomly and only some weeks.  I've a series link set up to catch them.

[enotian 562]

20 hours ago, Bavarian said:

Foreign clubs can not join the Ekstraliga.

A British Club may apply to join the Polish League, but has to start in Division Two, like a couple of German clubs did. But this level of competition is worse than what You already have in the SGB Premiership in Britain, perhaps not even as good as SGB Championship. No option for a club like Belle Vue.

 

currently but if it was financially beneficial (better TV deal or larger market for sponsors) I'm sure they'd consider the proposition.

alternatively propose something similar to the Swedish/Danish authorities.  Maybe add a German and/or Latvian club so the league is held at GP standard venues.

I just feel that the sport in this country could do with having a top tier product that British fans could access. 

The current strategy to improve the standard seems to be by developing British talent (which they're doing a great job at with limited resources) but even if the current batch reach world standard don't they just (justifiably) follow the Woffinden/Lambert path and concentrate on continental fixtures?

I don't think there is any future in a six team (5 promoter) top league without any world stars

[waytogo28 2,054]

14 hours ago, enotian said:

I don't think there is any future in a six team (5 promoter) top league without any world stars

It's just of the swirls as UK domestic speedway goes down the plughole.

[steve roberts 9,244]

14 hours ago, enotian said:

currently but if it was financially beneficial (better TV deal or larger market for sponsors) I'm sure they'd consider the proposition.

alternatively propose something similar to the Swedish/Danish authorities.  Maybe add a German and/or Latvian club so the league is held at GP standard venues.

I just feel that the sport in this country could do with having a top tier product that British fans could access. 

The current strategy to improve the standard seems to be by developing British talent (which they're doing a great job at with limited resources) but even if the current batch reach world standard don't they just (justifiably) follow the Woffinden/Lambert path and concentrate on continental fixtures?

I don't think there is any future in a six team (5 promoter) top league without any world stars

What a state speedway in this country has become what with two leagues back in the seventies compromising of 18 plus teams per league and all the world stars competing.

[marko 956]

Someone posted about losing interest yet still being involved, it’s so true, Arena finished 3 years ago and the current first division is something of a joke but I still love the sport, I get my fix from clips on YouTube both current and old.

Someone even posted the recent Witches vs Wolves meeting, is that Kevin Long still doing the MC on the centre green? Sounded like him, one of the better ones given my 30 plus years of following the sport.

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv 10,706]

2 hours ago, marko said:

Someone posted about losing interest yet still being involved, it’s so true, Arena finished 3 years ago and the current first division is something of a joke but I still love the sport, I get my fix from clips on YouTube both current and old.

Someone even posted the recent Witches vs Wolves meeting, is that Kevin Long still doing the MC on the centre green? Sounded like him, one of the better ones given my 30 plus years of following the sport.

Yes Kevin is still in situ and I agree he is one of the very best

[cityrebel 2,960]

Would the crowds return, if fewer meetings were staged with all the top riders competing. We were discussing this subject at Eastbourne this afternoon. 

[25yearfan 476]

You'd get few more in but not that many more cause I fear that the majority of lapsed fans who don't go can't be arsed with speedway full stop.

 

A prime example of this is Mildenhall speedway. They don't want to move up to the 2nd Division even though the crowds are on a par with many in that Division cause crowd levels wouldn't increase by hardly any yet the costs would go through the roof.

 

I'm afraid speedways a retro sport and when us 60+ age group, fans are gone their won't be many others left to make staging meetings worthwhile. In a way I feel blessed that I can still watch speedway in my retired years cause the few youngsters that attend meetings now I suspect won't have the same opportunity in their later years? - I hope I'm proven wrong!     

Edited July 4, 2021 by 25yearfan

[steve roberts 9,244]

8 hours ago, 25yearfan said:

You'd get few more in but not that many more cause I fear that the majority of lapsed fans who don't go can't be arsed with speedway full stop.

 

A prime example of this is Mildenhall speedway. They don't want to move up to the 2nd Division even though the crowds are on a par with many in that Division cause crowd levels wouldn't increase by hardly any yet the costs would go through the roof.

 

I'm afraid speedways a retro sport and when us 60+ age group, fans are gone their won't be many others left to make staging meetings worthwhile. In a way I feel blessed that I can still watch speedway in my retired years cause the few youngsters that attend meetings now I suspect won't have the same opportunity in their later years? - I hope I'm proven wrong!     

It's all very sad. speedway did, and still should, have all the ingredients of being a spectacular experience combining skill, dare devil riding, thrills and spills and yet struggles to grab the attention. However one of the most repetitive sports imaginable (tennis) enjoys blanket coverage on both BBC channels and media hype which says something about modern society and how easily it can be swayed into believing something is good. I would dare to suggest that other sports fall into that same category.

Speedway's failings I blame almost entirely on bad management skills and indecisiveness down the years (constant unnecessary rule changes for example) when the promoters should have been pulling together rather than appearing at odds and now they appear to be paying the ultimate choice.

[Hawk127 1,359]

11 hours ago, cityrebel said:

Would the crowds return, if fewer meetings were staged with all the top riders competing. We were discussing this subject at Eastbourne this afternoon. 

Few outside the current followers have ever heard of many of the top riders (except for Polish supporters perhaps) and the lapsed fans may well take the view that “we have seen it all before but it won’t last” . It might be too big a financial risk for many running tracks. It is sad but the U K version has to find its own level and rebuild at club level. Outside that you have some talented riders who will rise through the ranks but for now it would seem that the best option for the weekly fix in the U K is to plough our own furrow.

[KIRKYLANE 537]

I have been to Belle Vue each meeting this year. there are a lot of missing faces.... but not necessarily due to lack of interest......there are fans that are very wary at the moment and will pick back up once the restrictions are eased.

I expect crowds to pick up after July 19th......

[OveFundinFan 4,140]

1 hour ago, KIRKYLANE said:

I have been to Belle Vue each meeting this year. there are a lot of missing faces.... but not necessarily due to lack of interest......there are fans that are very wary at the moment and will pick back up once the restrictions are eased.

I expect crowds to pick up after July 19th......

Why do you think fans who were wary “at the moment”, presume during COVID restrictions, will be back when restrictions are eased.  Some are sure to have stayed away because they concerned about catching COVID, even with masks and social distancing, and the relaxing of restrictions are not going to take away their concerns. The government is saying it will be a time of personal responsibility. COVID doesn’t follow a government lift of restrictions, it’s with us for years “we have to learn to live with it”, that means some level of sensibility and personal responsibility.   What I hope is those that lack sensibility and personal responsibility will show due respect to those that will want to take precautions where necessary by leaving space and not abuse someone’s personal decision and space.

[KIRKYLANE 537]

I still think there is hesitancy which will diminish with time. Covid will still be around after the 19th… but is up to the public to remain vigilant.

with the number of double vaccined people getting to high levels the danger is being minimised as opposed to being removed