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I dip in on this forum from time to time… there are some interesting and knowledgeable people on here, but they’re in the minority. 
 

It’s easy to see why most riders avoid this place like the plague and why despite two decades of TV coverage the sport still can’t find a league sponsor. 
 

 

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15 hours ago, chunky said:

I don't... Then again, it's a little difficult when I live 4000 miles away.

However, if I could, I certainly would. When I was making regular trips back to the UK, I was taking in as much speedway as I could. Even though I haven't been in a few years (I haven't been back in a few years), I still follow the sport. I watch it live whenever I can, and I spend a lot of time watching stuff on YouTube.

Despite having a lengthy career in another sport, speedway always was - and still is - my favourite sport. While I was still in the UK, I would drive all over the country to take in meetings.

No, speedway is not what it was - nothing is - and particularly in the UK, we have ALWAYS had a tendency to shoot ourselves in the foot. Having said that, a lot of our major problems aren't actually speedway-related. Not owning our own stadia has obviously been an issue, and unfortunately, what was very much a city-centre sport (visible to everyone) has now been forced out into into the sticks. Plus (and we have discussed this on here before), speedway is no longer "cool".

I have always been a very tolerant person (idiots excepted), and can overlook the niggling things that apparently seem to drive fans away, like tac doubles, helmet colours, kevlars, gardening etc. I still view it as four blokes racing, and just because it isn't always fantastic (it never was ALWAYS fantastic, a fact borne out by watching YouTube vids), it is still worth it.

Great post Chunky we have not always agreed on stuff but this post is spot on.

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5 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

Great post Chunky we have not always agreed on stuff but this post is spot on.

Got to agree....spot on.

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5 minutes ago, Moranboys said:

Got to agree....spot on.

Being a Saddo Moranboys been watching alot of Kelly/Shawn recently on my old DVDs and you tube.Great stuff both legends and there relationship as brothers was terrific like having a best mate.Just watched a Swindon v Sheffield encounter 1983 ( Shawn fell in one race can’t remember him falling much? great riders both of em.

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6 minutes ago, Jonny the spud said:

I dip in on this forum from time to time… there are some interesting and knowledgeable people on here, but they’re in the minority. 
 

It’s easy to see why most riders avoid this place like the plague and why despite two decades of TV coverage the sport still can’t find a league sponsor. 
 

 

Must be so frustrating for the riders to have what they do so well, so undermined by the infrastructure that exists...

Unless of course they are happy to ride as much as possible for all and sundry and earn the money it brings?

As for sponsorship?

When I stated watching football my local team was owned by a scrap metal merchant and a car salesman..

The team I follow, (even then regarded as the biggest in the world) was owned by a butcher who had several shops in the Manchester area..

Advertising hoardings around the pitches were of local businesses with a few national ones thrown in..

Then clubs started to bring in CEO's, and Marketing people, and the top league broke away with its own CEO who wasn't affiliated to any team, but whose sole role was to bring revenue into the game by negotiating TV contracts and to bring in huge blue chip companies as sponsors...

In short, Football brought in independent "white collar" experts in sports administration and marketing, who got paid by the success they brought in, which was measured in £'s...

With many other sports doing exactly the same and moving forward hugely as a result...

Speedway still uses well meaning "blue collar" owners to try and attract and negotiate with potential sponsors...

However, to be fair, selling the sport with its current operating model, and ageing demographic of what is a very small fanbase, would be a huge challenge for even the best of marketeers..

I think there is a clear reason why Poland would never dream of running the sport like their UK counterparts do and that is simply if they did, the TV coverage would diminish, the major company sponsors would disappear and the fans, brought up on following a "proper team sport" and the tribalism that comes with it, would disappear too...

A shame that what can be a tremendously entertaining spectacle is allowed to be undermined by its very own operating model....

 

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9 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

Being a Saddo Moranboys been watching alot of Kelly/Shawn recently on my old DVDs and you tube.Great stuff both legends and there relationship as brothers was terrific like having a best mate.Just watched a Swindon v Sheffield encounter 1983 ( Shawn fell in one race can’t remember him falling much? great riders both of em.

Thanks,yes,in their prime they were excellent to watch,I followed Shawn pretty much all over the place,he was amazing to watch over here,stick him on any track first time and he pretty much did the buisiness

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13 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

Being a Saddo Moranboys been watching alot of Kelly/Shawn recently on my old DVDs and you tube.Great stuff both legends and there relationship as brothers was terrific like having a best mate.Just watched a Swindon v Sheffield encounter 1983 ( Shawn fell in one race can’t remember him falling much? great riders both of em.

Also Swindon have had some cracking riders over the years,hope that you are back next season.

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3 minutes ago, Moranboys said:

Also Swindon have had some cracking riders over the years,hope that you are back next season.

I hope so to , cannot see it to be honest fingers crossed though.

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2 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

I hope so to , cannot see it to be honest fingers crossed though.

I really hope so,don't want to lose yet another track.its been such a difficult year for all the promotions,Somerset being a prime example,loved my visits there,had some memorable stayovers and the grand Prix weekend was legendary,sadly no more,and now with other tracks under threat,there's not a lot of optimism.it will be a travesty if we lose any more venues.

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but there is a way forward even if teams include so called lesser riders. Looking at the scores in the first season of the BL for every Boocock and Briggs there were loads of second strings and reserves who never climbed any further and they weren't slung out of the team at the drop of a hat. 

http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2014/03/british-league-averages-1965.html

look towards the bottom of the list, loads of riders below 3.00 riding quite a few fixtures for their teams.

Also see how many teams used only 1 guest all season.

Guess the pointless 'bust a gut' to win everything wasn't there

Edited by ch958
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25 minutes ago, ch958 said:

but there is a way forward even if teams include so called lesser riders. Looking at the scores in the first season of the BL for every Boocock and Briggs there were loads of second strings and reserves who never climbed any further and they weren't slung out of the team at the drop of a hat. 

http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2014/03/british-league-averages-1965.html

look towards the bottom of the list, loads of riders below 3.00 riding quite a few fixtures for their teams.

Also see how many teams used only 1 guest all season.

Guess the pointless 'bust a gut' to win everything wasn't there

Whilst I agree with your content , you have to bare in mind modern society’s change in attitudes. In yesteryear, when riders stayed at clubs for quite a while, they got a following, a fan club and a bit of loyalty all round . That’s not the modern way. Mediocre teams get mediocre crowds, poor teams get poor crowds. You should remember the Havelock senior days at Redcar , poor team , poor crowd, club only kept afloat by generous pensioners. Whilst it may look like ‘ win at all costs ‘ it’s more, be seen to try to be successful or go under !

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2 minutes ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Whilst I agree with your content , you have to bare in mind modern society’s change in attitudes. In yesteryear, when riders stayed at clubs for quite a while, they got a following, a fan club and a bit of loyalty all round . That’s not the modern way. Mediocre teams get mediocre crowds, poor teams get poor crowds. You should remember the Havelock senior days at Redcar , poor team , poor crowd, club only kept afloat by generous pensioners. Whilst it may look like ‘ win at all costs ‘ it’s more, be seen to try to be successful or go under !

But it is the modern way on the whole, there are loads of riders who have remained at a club for a few years!  

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2 hours ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Whilst I agree with your content , you have to bare in mind modern society’s change in attitudes. In yesteryear, when riders stayed at clubs for quite a while, they got a following, a fan club and a bit of loyalty all round . That’s not the modern way. Mediocre teams get mediocre crowds, poor teams get poor crowds. You should remember the Havelock senior days at Redcar , poor team , poor crowd, club only kept afloat by generous pensioners. Whilst it may look like ‘ win at all costs ‘ it’s more, be seen to try to be successful or go under !

i agree there has been a change in attitude, I can't argue. I think Havelock's reign was also to do with a crap track prep and animosity towards him personally as he i sa prickly customer - ask TWK. Cradley were whipping boys for years but the track survived

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4 hours ago, Trees said:

But it is the modern way on the whole, there are loads of riders who have remained at a club for a few years!  

I await your detailed list, shall we put a cut off on it if riders who have been at the same club for 4 seasons or more ?

Edited by Fortythirtyeight

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33 minutes ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

I await your detailed list, shall we put a cut off on it if riders who have been at the same club for 4 seasons or more ?

Danny King has done a lot more then 4 seasons for Ipswich, after that it's a struggle, Rory Schlien might be on his 4th year at Wolves.

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