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Phil83

Newcastle now closed !!!

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Heard at the end of last season that the diamonds just about broke even for the season, but this was due to crowd funding, 2 possible last ever meetings and a couple of attractive double headers, plus substantial burger sales, but this year a very poor team meaning very few people coming through the gates, and the current financial state everyone is coming under not  unexpected news today 

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Like everyone else on this thread, I’m saddened by the demise of the Diamonds but wouldn’t shed many tears for the owner. Whilst at the start of the season he was seen as the hero who saved the club and promised to take them forward, it became apparent early doors that this would be one almighty struggle. It has been said that a team that can at least compete at home and provide entertainment was fundamental to attracting the necessary numbers through the gate. Averages don’t always tell you everything but it was clear that the team assembled comfortably below the initial team building limit, was always going to struggle. Perhaps finances dictated the quality of riders that could be attracted. If that’s the case, from a business perspective, what was the revenue strategy unless lucrative sponsorship could be attracted? If you cannot or are not prepared to push the boat out with the best advert for the product you are trying to sell (an attractive team) you are doomed to fail. Why does it have to get to the donating/begging bowl stage? If Mr Grant is happy with the ‘it least he had a go’ crowd and doesn’t mind being out of pocket he may sleep easier tonight.

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22 hours ago, Aceslider said:

In fairness to Rob Grant, he had to deal with more critical problems in his short stewardship than most businessmen do in a lifetime.

If it wasn't for the VAT bombshell which emerged fairly early doors followed shortly by the devastation and massive uncertainty which COVID caused it might have been a completely different story.

Call me naive but he came in with a good heart, lots of ideas and the first team he put together looked full of promise but sadly never got the opportunity to ride.

Now we've got no speedway at Brough and only beneficiaries will be Berwick and Redcar (and maybe Workington in the not too distant future) for the diehards who need their weekly speedway fix.

 

Agree to a certain extent, but he alienated a lot of people who had worked really hard for very little reward from the previous promotion. When he looks at what he could have done better, he might agree with me. on the other hand, he might stay stubborn, & believe I am wrong,

22 hours ago, Aceslider said:

 

 

Edited by proud panther
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What about the likes of Dave tinning who has put up his hard earned cash you would suspect and a couple of main team sponsors where has all of their funds gone and the reputed 50k investment at the start of the season…..where has that gone 

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4 hours ago, HGould said:

If 6 PL Clubs get the lions share of the TV money - which they do - and the rest feed off scraps of the TV money - which they do, then it's not rocket science to calculate that if the TV was equally shared that a number of the PL clubs would not be self sufficient.

The real issue goes back 20 years, when the TV money was at least 10 x more than it is now and was wasted by all concerned at the time and wasn't invested long term in te Sport. People keep going on about a Darts / Snooker Hearn type revolution, that financial revolution happened all those years ago via Sky, it could and should have made Speedway a TOP 5 sport in terms of profile, it was used, abused and lost and Speedway now is struggling to be in the top 50 Sports in the UK.

A participation of around 100, a dwindling and aging fan base and a set up that makes anyone used to professional sport think it's some kind of joke.

The current Management Committee are as much victims of their predecessors pre 1990 as they are victims of their own inadequacies. 

Have to agree and the turbo twins at Poole were paid handsomely during the early days of sky tv 

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18 minutes ago, robbieblackadder fan club said:

What about the likes of Dave tinning who has put up his hard earned cash you would suspect and a couple of main team sponsors where has all of their funds gone and the reputed 50k investment at the start of the season…..where has that gone 

I’m not 100% sure but I believe that Dave Tinning became a promoter to help with the workload ect and has not added any financial input other than his normal sponsorship.

I may be wrong here but I am such a fan of Dave that I would hate to give the wrong position in terms of any investment he has made. 

If only Dave had more influence in how the club was run then we probably wouldn’t have been in the position we find ourselves today.

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A fantastic move from Redcar to offer Newcastle fans a last chance to support their side this season on Friday.

Any Newcastle fans out there please support this meeting as Redcar are taking a huge financial hit by putting on this meeting. 

Let’s get behind the Diamonds for one last time this season and show the club does have a long term future.

Edited by Viper
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13 hours ago, Jaizer said:

No, you and Etonian bleet on about the set up, too many heat leaders in one team etc etc then jump on this as evidence to your claim.

Ive done no such thing (although admit to the prior bleeting my opinion and prediction). This is my only post on this thread. I take no pleasure in the demise of the Diamonds.  I've spent too too long on the terraces at Brough not to be saddened by this.  I've no interest in a post mortem or claiming some childish I told you so. You'd do well not to accuse me of something without sufficient evidence.

My opinion is clear based on my previous posts but I've no intention of claiming some sort of victory in these sad circumstances.  Truth is there are no winners here. 

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6 hours ago, mikebv said:

When the UK launched fixed race nights their two nights were Monday and Thursday...

And also Wednesday!!!!:D

To accommodate Poole..

Maybe they should have Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as their two race nights to accommodate Poole and Glasgow? 

If the night they run is the most important determinant in delivering their best crowds then work around the riders availability to deliver it...

Actually it was Monday & Wednesday, with Swindon to race on some Thursdays

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13 hours ago, Trees said:

Surely speedway has always been in a precarious position as clubs have never been set in stone, they have always come and gone. 

Let's hope Newcastle can be saved!

Trees I get that you're passionate about your speedway, but when are you going to take your rose tinted specs off?s

Whenever someone points out a major issue with the sport or something major happens to further show the extremely poor condition of the sport in this country you always comeback with something along the lines of its always been like that.

It hasn't though the sport is now down to having fewer than 100 riders in this country, less than 20000 spectators weekly & no major income from outside. Added to this no strategies to improve the product or entice new comers.

You have riders who want to be full-time professionals earning enough money to support themselves from their racing all from a sport who's total home attendances which are less in number than the average away attendance in league one football.

Newcastle closing is not only sad for the Newcastle supporters it's also another major blow to speedway in this country.

Until people within the sport wake-up & smell the coffee & decide to do something the sport in on a downward spiral towards being no more in the UK.

 

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11 hours ago, Justgotmecpc said:

Plenty help offered in different ways of raising funds to help the club & even the coaches I have ran in the past raised decent money for the club ! I was asked to join the club supporters thing this year which I said yeah & I'll run the travel & when I advertised it on the forum for ( lewi Kerr's testimonial meeting) as some fans don't have Facebook etc I was asked to take it down which I said it's how I've always done it & had a good crowd on the buses but I was told we don't want to do it this way so I thought well that's me out already before I got the chance to run them... Sad day today but we knew it was coming 

TBF tho, wasn't the Lewi Kerr testimonial on our P+P day?

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Anyone asked Jamie Courtney if he fancies saving the club ?, he's one of only a few business men in speedway that has the family passion for speedway and puts his money where his mouth is . Obviously his father rode for the diamonds so this might interest Jamie further?

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1 hour ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

Trees I get that you're passionate about your speedway, but when are you going to take your rose tinted specs off?s

Whenever someone points out a major issue with the sport or something major happens to further show the extremely poor condition of the sport in this country you always comeback with something along the lines of its always been like that.

It hasn't though the sport is now down to having fewer than 100 riders in this country, less than 20000 spectators weekly & no major income from outside. Added to this no strategies to improve the product or entice new comers.

You have riders who want to be full-time professionals earning enough money to support themselves from their racing all from a sport who's total home attendances which are less in number than the average away attendance in league one football.

Newcastle closing is not only sad for the Newcastle supporters it's also another major blow to speedway in this country.

Until people within the sport wake-up & smell the coffee & decide to do something the sport in on a downward spiral towards being no more in the UK.

 

Isn't the old saying "give the customers what they want and they'll keep coming back"?

Sadly for the last few decades BSPA and SCB seem to have 8gnored 6heir paying customers' requirement and, with the exception of a handful of  Promorions,have diluted what we lived as speedway to individual business interests that if the moans we hear are genuine, run at a loss season after season.

It may be too late to smell the coffee for some and before long we won't be able to smell Castrol R either

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10 hours ago, proud panther said:

 

Just for the record your quote posted 10 hours ago as I write this includes your own comments which are not distinguished from those made in my original post. Would be obliged if you would edit as I do not wish your remarks to be attributed to me. TIA

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46 minutes ago, Aceslider said:

Just for the record your quote posted 10 hours ago as I write this includes your own comments which are not distinguished from those made in my original post. Would be obliged if you would edit as I do not wish your remarks to be attributed to me. TIA

Edited, not sure how my original message ended up attached to your post, sorry.

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