25 years next year 2022

[TotallyHonestJohn 3,078]

Watch this and the question is "Has the Sport really moved on"

Regards
THJ

[topaz325 1,855]

Danny Kelly any sport to be successful  needs aggressive marketing .

camping chair fans…

[mikebv 10,270]

1 hour ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

Watch this and the question is "Has the Sport really moved on"

Regards
THJ

A rudderless ship without a suitable Captain, John, for far, far, too many years..

Crying out for someone to properly lead it...

You only have to look at the threads for teams struggling to get a decent team together next year to see how ridiculous the whole operating model is..

The "collective" are desperate to keep as many clubs going as possible, (any Speedway must be seen as better than no Speedway),  yet they dont ensure as a "collective" that every team has a fair chance of being successful.

Yet they will use a supposed "team equality" mechanic which we all know to be far too subjective when it comes to previous riding numbers in the teams rode for, home track advantage of previous tracks, amount of meetings done, assessed averages depending on where you are from etc to be of any tangible accurate use..

Some teams next season in Division Two will, once again, have three heat leaders of a high level, (on a par with some in Div One given they will be the same riders), and other teams will end up with second strings having to take heat leader positions. The result?

Well, we know that dont we? The teams using second strings as heat leaders will struggle at home and be dreadful away. However all will come to the tapes "relatively equal" and no doubt every team will talk up their side. "Strength in depth, always have a good reserve, all can put two points on their averages", etc etc etc.. 

What the "collective" (still after all these years of doing the same thing year in, year out), fail to grasp, is that unless EVERY track can be competitive then you will never move the sport organically forward...

Getting visited by teams who are "cannon fodder" simply cannot be good for the host clubs business, yet they happily allow such things to happen...

With the ultimate irony being that a few will throw hundreds of thousands of pounds into their teams to try and win something with only marginally more kudos than winning a meat raffle at the local British Legion.

With the lack of kudos, financial rewards and publicity, all down to their very own operating model..

In short mate.  

No. The sport hasnt moved on..

(Over here)..

In fact you would have to say that it has regressed a long, long way..

Edited December 15, 2021 by mikebv

[ruffdiamond 6,115]

6 hours ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

Watch this and the question is "Has the Sport really moved on"

Regards
THJ

Has it a place to move on to? 

[Jaizer 2,863]

Shane was poetry on a bike. Absolute legend

[TotallyHonestJohn 3,078]

26 minutes ago, ruffdiamond said:

Has it a place to move on to? 

A suppose that's the crux of the question... answers on a postcard please... 

[Deano 1,318]

Thanks for sharing that. It reminded me of a programme Channel 4 did in the early nineties and it followed Gary Havelock and Martin Dugard and their families. It led up to a behind the scenes view of the GB world team cup final at Coventry that year. It basically told the same story, down to hardcore fans, dying sport etc etc. If TV did another one now I'm pretty sure it would tell the same story.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Deano

[mikebv 10,270]

7 hours ago, Deano said:

Thanks for sharing that. It reminded me of a programme Channel 4 did in the early nineties and it followed Gary Havelock and Martin Dugard and their families. It led up to a behind the scenes view of the GB world team cup final at Coventry that year. It basically told the same story, down to hardcore fans, dying sport etc etc. If TV did another one now I'm pretty sure it would tell the same story.

Millions of pounds given to the teams by Sky since then too...

Quite  an incredible "achievement" to deliver what we have today...

Edited December 16, 2021 by mikebv

[1 valve 558]

On 12/15/2021 at 2:42 PM, TotallyHonestJohn said:

Watch this and the question is "Has the Sport really moved on"

Regards
THJ

It did move on for a short while when the Sky money rolled in. But unfortunately the money rolled out of the sport via riders pay instead of some being retained and reinvested in it and thus ultimately it dropped back to what we have had for a number of years  

Depressingly, the same folk are leading the sport and by example they are unable to move away from continually doing what they have always done in the way they run the sport. 
Sadly with too many clubs & too few riders being available alongside insufficient vision by promoters  who refuse to seek & accept external help if it means giving up some (not all) of their control the future doesn’t bode well for any significant improvement on the current scenario. 

Edited December 18, 2021 by 1 valve

[mikebv 10,270]

1 hour ago, 1 valve said:

It did move on for a short while when the Sky money rolled in. But unfortunately the money rolled out of the sport via riders pay instead of some being retained and reinvested in it and thus ultimately it dropped back to what we have had for a number of years  

Depressingly, the same folk are leading the sport and by example they are unable to move away from continually doing what they have always done in the way they run the sport. 
Sadly with too many clubs & too few riders being available alongside insufficient vision by promoters  who refuse to seek & accept external help if it means giving up some (not all) of their control the future doesn’t bode well for any significant improvement on the current scenario. 

It did certainly feel as if there could be a "new dawn" during those first couple of Sky seasons...

I seem to remember a lot of TV meetings having some "entertainment plan" included to try and make an "event" out of the evening, with, on quite a few occasions I attended, a reduced entrance fee using the 'extra money' Sky gave them for showing the meeting from their track...

Then it all stopped and fell back into the usual stuff we still have today.. 

I hadn't seen that doc so was interested to hear Chris Louis' earnings from around that time, (almost six figures). So you can only wonder what the likes of Tony R were on then? 

And Danny Kelly's views on Speedway and where it could go to if marketed correctly were particularly interesting given his background.. 

£9 to get in at KL too, which is on par today when you add in inflation..

Of course post that doc, Sky subsequently put well over a million in a season for circa 20 years which sadly was the golden opportunity to leave a great legacy for the sport..

Probably the biggest mistake made ever was how the Sky money was used, and sadly, that lost opportunity to truly develop the sport to any where near its potential may never come again..

(In the UK)...

[Deano 1,318]

There are plenty of people in the U.K. with money to burn. You only have to look at the money thrown at Football for zero return. Once the powers that be reduce the outgoings to be lower than what comes in, the sport can look forward. Until then it’s going nowhere.

Edited December 18, 2021 by Deano

[stevehone 3,429]

On 12/15/2021 at 9:49 PM, TotallyHonestJohn said:

A suppose that's the crux of the question... answers on a postcard please... 

or back of a postage stamp

[jenga 2,998]

On 12/15/2021 at 2:42 PM, TotallyHonestJohn said:

Watch this and the question is "Has the Sport really moved on"

Regards
THJ

speedway has never moved on .

watched this today before i actually seen THJ,s  documentary  and the sport still seems to be run the same .

a good watch . the posts on here are correct in every way . clubs throwing cash @ riders and hoping the fans will pay for it . 

clubs only have theme selves to blame . 

hope it sinks in somewhere !

It,s a £10.00 sport all day long .

Edited December 18, 2021 by jenga

[GWC 495]

On 12/15/2021 at 4:15 PM, mikebv said:

Some teams next season in Division Two will, once again, have three heat leaders of a high level, (on a par with some in Div One given they will be the same riders), and other teams will end up with second strings having to take heat leader positions.

In that case you are advocating a form of ‘ rider control’ that will even out the riders over all teams?

That used to take place back in the day when promoters had the welfare of the sport in mind and supporters turned up whoever was riding.

Maybe is these desperate times a similar system needs to be reintroduced for the benefit of all teams - however money takes precedent now.

[ch958 2,395]

23 hours ago, Deano said:

There are plenty of people in the U.K. with money to burn. You only have to look at the money thrown at Football for zero return. Once the powers that be reduce the outgoings to be lower than what comes in, the sport can look forward. Until then it’s going nowhere.

that's the first hour of the first lesson on the first day of business school and yet its ignored by so called 'business men' running the game