Fromafar 10,226 Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) Sad day for Diamonds fans,but think we will find that there are a few Teams “ living on the edge”,in the present climate. Edited August 30, 2021 by Fromafar 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tosh1218 579 Posted August 30, 2021 A couple of things ,sad that Grant and Tattum are giving there promoters licence in .But why do fans blame Rob Godfrey instantly yes he promotes at Scunthorpe but surely the number of people paying through the turnstiles is the main problem here , also I don’t think Rob Grant had done his homework on Newcastle as he inherited a lot of debt from previous owners etc.Dave Tattum has promoted elsewhere and knows speedway inside out so why between them did they put such an unattractive side which was well below the points limit is beyond me . Newcastle is a town and club steeped in Speedway tradition from when the great Ivan Mauger rode for the and the Owen brothers . So to me the problem is the Diamonds only form of income was through the gate and sponsors as they didn’t own the stadium and payed a rental to the owners and could not gain any other income unlike other clubs who get bar takings and food outlets etc , This is directly the problem that modern day speedway faces ,as well I for certain Dont know what riders earn per point so have Newcastle payed riders over the odds to these riders with points money and expenses?. One last point in there first season running a junior side was a massive mistake and won’t have brought no income in what so ever . Let’s hope someone comes in and saves the Diamonds 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Normski 1,299 Posted August 30, 2021 27 minutes ago, Tosh1218 said: A couple of things ,sad that Grant and Tattum are giving there promoters licence in .But why do fans blame Rob Godfrey instantly yes he promotes at Scunthorpe but surely the number of people paying through the turnstiles is the main problem here , also I don’t think Rob Grant had done his homework on Newcastle as he inherited a lot of debt from previous owners etc.Dave Tattum has promoted elsewhere and knows speedway inside out so why between them did they put such an unattractive side which was well below the points limit is beyond me . Newcastle is a town and club steeped in Speedway tradition from when the great Ivan Mauger rode for the and the Owen brothers . So to me the problem is the Diamonds only form of income was through the gate and sponsors as they didn’t own the stadium and payed a rental to the owners and could not gain any other income unlike other clubs who get bar takings and food outlets etc , This is directly the problem that modern day speedway faces ,as well I for certain Dont know what riders earn per point so have Newcastle payed riders over the odds to these riders with points money and expenses?. One last point in there first season running a junior side was a massive mistake and won’t have brought no income in what so ever . Let’s hope someone comes in and saves the Diamonds When i was at Newcastle v Berwick a few weeks ago burgers and stuff was provided by Grantys own food wagon 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neila 1,087 Posted August 30, 2021 Sad news for the fans of the diamonds, but unfortunately due to the mess left behind by you know who, to be uncovered by Rob and the taxman, this was on the cards. I doubt Newcastle will be the last to say such things, I wonder when the people who run British speedway will wake up to try and save the sport before it implodes on itself. Was an article in today's belle Vue program saying things must change with how speedway is ran !! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevePark 2,740 Posted August 30, 2021 36 minutes ago, Neila said: Sad news for the fans of the diamonds, but unfortunately due to the mess left behind by you know who, to be uncovered by Rob and the taxman, this was on the cards. I doubt Newcastle will be the last to say such things, I wonder when the people who run British speedway will wake up to try and save the sport before it implodes on itself. Was an article in today's belle Vue program saying things must change with how speedway is ran !! The problem is how long have we being saying this for? The "powers that be" haven't listened before, so why change now? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robinh88 571 Posted August 30, 2021 6 minutes ago, StevePark said: The problem is how long have we being saying this for? The "powers that be" haven't listened before, so why change now? Decades! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
geoff100 1,406 Posted August 31, 2021 Its all down to "costs" riders have to play their part, do they need 4 crash helmets, do they need to pay someone to fuel a bike and change a back wheel , a hair dryer to cool a clutch? All the things riders didnt have in the glory days it has to go back to being a decent paying hobby not a full time job.have said many times the only people making money are the stadium owners and engine tuners! 13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ch958 2,387 Posted August 31, 2021 10 hours ago, topsoil said: Would you like to expand on this? Curious. its rubbish really 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phillwhitewasmad 1,483 Posted August 31, 2021 1 hour ago, geoff100 said: Its all down to "costs" riders have to play their part, do they need 4 crash helmets, do they need to pay someone to fuel a bike and change a back wheel , a hair dryer to cool a clutch? All the things riders didnt have in the glory days it has to go back to being a decent paying hobby not a full time job.have said many times the only people making money are the stadium owners and engine tuners! I'm with you on helmets but in fairness lots of riders are not paying for mechanics the work is done on lots of occasions by friends, family or junior riders looking for experience. The pits become an intense place during a meeting and riders are busy passing on info to others changing helmet covers and cleaning goggles between heats especially in today's climate were fans like meetings pushed on time is limited. Clutch coolers are needed as the potential to burn it out if running to hot is very high. Surely £100 for a cooler that lasts years is better than burning up a full set of clutch plates and alloys which cost over £200 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 4,863 Posted August 31, 2021 10 hours ago, Tosh1218 said: One last point in there first season running a junior side was a massive mistake and won’t have brought no income in what so ever . Let’s hope someone comes in and saves the Diamonds With the benefit of hindsight, and I don't know the timing of events etc. but surely the massive mistake, if there was one, was running a Championship side. Because as soon as the taxman came calling NDL may have been the only way to go. 2 hours ago, geoff100 said: Its all down to "costs" riders have to play their part, do they need 4 crash helmets, do they need to pay someone to fuel a bike and change a back wheel , a hair dryer to cool a clutch? All the things riders didnt have in the glory days it has to go back to being a decent paying hobby not a full time job.have said many times the only people making money are the stadium owners and engine tuners! They're going to need a basic minimum standard of kit, but I assume most send their kit off to engine tuners for servicing etc. This money goes straight out of the sport for zero benefit. Riders at Championship level especially and probably Premiership level do not need super tuned engines. If they want tuned engines for their own individual endeavours or clubs in other countries that's something they should be paying for not British clubs and punters. I've said it elsewhere, I've never gone to a Speedway match to watch a rider ride a new highly tuned engine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
montie 1,273 Posted August 31, 2021 13 hours ago, Dandelion said: Sounds like we've been well and truly f#cked over by Godfrey and his croneys AGAIN... He won't be happy until it's Scorpions vs Stags every week... Maybe he thinks the whole country will ascend on Scunthorpe to watch the only speedway still in operation. How about we all boycott his club!! See how he likes being f#cked about how? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KIRKYLANE 534 Posted August 31, 2021 Good luck in finding new promoters for 2022. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tinker 201 Posted August 31, 2021 13 hours ago, Dandelion said: Sounds like we've been well and truly f#cked over by Godfrey and his croneys AGAIN... He won't be happy until it's Scorpions vs Stags every week... Maybe he thinks the whole country will ascend on Scunthorpe to watch the only speedway still in operation. How about we all boycott his club!! See how he likes being f#cked about Rather silly comment to make unless you have any information to back it up? There's probably only so much that the people in charge can do if a club suffers serious financial losses. They certainly won't have masses of cash to throw at the problem. The sport in this country does need a total overhaul though to give it any chance of surviving the next decade and beyond. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
singy13 372 Posted August 31, 2021 19 hours ago, TotallyHonestJohn said: Well the parties over and we're calling it a day after 92 years... RIP Newcastle Diamonds... big thanks to the hard core of fans who have followed the Diamonds through thick and thin... Regards THJ It's sad news for sure when a promoter decides to walk away, I've suffered it twice with my team. But I've highlighted your opening sentence THJ because is it really gonna be the final nail after 92 years?...(I hope not.. ). The facts are those 92 years were not actually 100% active for Newcastle Speedway...there has been at least 4 periods of non speedway action at Brough Park.. when other promoters packed in..With therefore something like 20 seasons of no speedway racing for Newcastle's fans during your long history...92 years yes - but 72 years of racing realistically. Ok speedway is perhaps in a worse position nationally regarding fan bases today than when Diamonds were halted in the past....but the phoenix culture is nothing new at Brough and so why not be something on the future horizons again ?.... Hopefully, yet again, you geordie fans can rally round and keep the party going for many more years...practice makes perfect. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevePark 2,740 Posted August 31, 2021 10 minutes ago, singy13 said: It's sad news for sure when a promoter decides to walk away, I've suffered it twice with my team. But I've highlighted your opening sentence THJ because is it really gonna be the final nail after 92 years?...(I hope not.. ). The facts are those 92 years were not actually 100% active for Newcastle Speedway...there has been at least 4 periods of non speedway action at Brough Park.. when other promoters packed in..With therefore something like 20 seasons of no speedway racing for Newcastle's fans during your long history...92 years yes - but 72 years of racing realistically. Ok speedway is perhaps in a worse position nationally regarding fan bases today than when Diamonds were halted in the past....but the phoenix culture is nothing new at Brough and so why not be something on the future horizons again ?.... Hopefully, yet again, you geordie fans can rally round and keep the party going for many more years...practice makes perfect. If it does close again, this time it could well be for good, as Planning Permission is highly unlikely to be be granted, which is why we are all hoping for someone to come along and save the club. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites