Riders.

[ColinMills 1,728]

quite true trees, so for me, im happy watching good quality in Sweden on my tv set, rather than pay for this

sub standard over here......the product has gone downhill way too much.......when I book a holiday, I go for

best value for money.. would I go on a Fred Olsen cruise for 3 nights, when I could go Royal Caribbean for 6 nights?

Speedway is no different, and speedway fans have been "expected" to attend, whatever we are served up.

well, clearly, judging by current attendances, we are not given value for money..

[stevebrum 6,827]

No, we can't afford spectators like you (I refuse to use the term supporter) who want to take the sport to its doom just so they can say "I only watch the best names".

 

The rest of us want good racing......

 

I wonder if it's cheaper to just supply people like you with air flights to Poland rather than fly the riders in. Then we can get along with a sane sport. - and a far more readable forum.

 

So in you're eyes it's 'spectators' like me that you would be happy to just walk away from the sport to stop the top boys coming??

Spectators like me who provide weekly updates for the updates site you mean as well??

I guess I'm not really even a true Wolves SUPPORTER neither am I??

Probably the most ludicrous post I have read all year, and that includes the forum trolls.

You are right , the forum can do without ludicrous posts like yours.

[June01 270]

The rest of us want good racing......

 

True. I have to admit my interest in the leagues has waned over the years, and whilst I do still follow the sport I only tend to have the televised meetings on in the background.

 

I switched on the play off final without much expectation, but for the first time in I don't know how long, I watched the first leg, from start to finish, without being distracted by other things. More than that, I was actually looking forward to the second leg, and made a point of watching. Craig Cook's determination and interaction with the crowd left me hoping that Belle Vue would win, but even I was pleased for Poole in the end.

 

What made the difference for me was that each and every one of the riders put 100% in to those meetings, which made for some great racing. If we could get that spirit and sense of excitement for every league meeting I'm sure crowds would start rising again, and there would be less complaints about the cost, regardless of who the riders are in the line ups.

Edited October 16, 2015 by June01

[Midland Red 2,383]

Interest in league racing has waned! Why, I wonder?

 

Back in TGOD, we turned up at Brandon every Saturday night - except 1st one of the month - to watch the speedway

Some Wednesday's as well

It didn't matter whether it was league, Midland League, WCQR, Midland Riders Championship QR, East Midlands Bowl, occasional challenge match fixture filler, Brandonapolis, etc etc - we attended for each and all - the racing was the thing, together with the comradeship of fellow fans and the riders too

Teams only lacked a rider through injury - real ones, too! - not because they were riding somewhere else in Europe, or in another UK league

Looking back, with one bike strapped on to the back of the car, the riders were virtually all semi-pro's - even Little Boy Blue - yet were provided with a full calendar of racing throughout the week throughout the UK

Perhaps we really should look back for answers on how to go forward

Edited October 16, 2015 by Midland Red

[Trees 2,814]

True. I have to admit my interest in the leagues has waned over the years, and whilst I do still follow the sport I only tend to have the televised meetings on in the background.

I switched on the play off final without much expectation, but for the first time in I don't know how long, I watched the first leg, from start to finish, without being distracted by other things. More than that, I was actually looking forward to the second leg, and made a point of watching. Craig Cook's determination and interaction with the crowd left me hoping that Belle Vue would win, but even I was pleased for Poole in the end.

What made the difference for me was that each and every one of the riders put 100% in to those meetings, which made for some great racing. If we could get that spirit and sense of excitement for every league meeting I'm sure crowds would start rising again, and there would be less complaints about the cost, regardless of who the riders are in the line ups.

Most riders give their racing all at every meeting but what the fans want is that little extra of crowd interaction, it's not too much to ask is it? Fans are there supporting the riders and club, sometimes I wonder if they get that .......

[ABS 231]

why do some fans think speedway fans should watch speedway, whatever is put in front of us?? back in "98...yes years ago, I was paying roughly £10 to watch (for example witches/cov), gollob/Louis/rickardsson verses Hamill/hancock.......now,for MORE money,

doubling up rubbish added on top, half size crowds to back then, and yet people think we should all hold hands and continue backing a doomed sport!!

when/if the sport is ever saved,you can then expect my £18 through the turnstiles

I go and watch Belle Vue every week that I'm in the country, but I can understand those who have either given up completely, or just pick & choose their meetings. What we have had in the E.L., is a yearly dilution of the quality of product on offer, coupled with an increase in price. Throw in an economic recession and you have a template for falling crowds. For me, it's a value for money issue and for 15-20 minutes of actual on-track action, speedway is pretty poor value.

 

I do not begrudge the riders one penny of what they earn, but something has to be done to bring the operating costs down. A lot of money is shelled out by riders on tuners, who IMHO, don't not put much, if anything back in the sport. This money inevitably filters down to the Promoters and in turn to the punter. What is happening at the moment with new machinery and a new philosophy to that machinery should interest everybody, as potentially this could reduce riders outgoings.

 

I would love to see the trend of reducing averages for team building reversed. Let's try and improve the standard and who knows, crowds may even increase. Speedway needs to be promoted properly. I'm 20 miles from Belle Vue and can assure you that in a town of around 250,000 people, not many have even heard of the sport, let alone Belle Vue. It's grand history within the sport is a total irrelevance on the street.

 

I don't pretend to have the answers, but as the saying goes, one has to speculate to accumulate. It's about time the BSPA did some serious speculation, if the sport is to carry on as a professional sport.

[customhouseregular 1,651]

Interest in league racing has waned! Why, I wonder?

 

Back in TGOD, we turned up at Brandon every Saturday night - except 1st one of the month - to watch the speedway

Some Wednesday's as well

It didn't matter whether it was league, Midland League, WCQR, Midland Riders Championship QR, East Midlands Bowl, occasional challenge match fixture filler, Brandonapolis, etc etc - we attended for each and all - the racing was the thing, together with the comradeship of fellow fans and the riders too

Teams only lacked a rider through injury - real ones, too! - not because they were riding somewhere else in Europe, or in another UK league

Looking back, with one bike strapped on to the back of the car, the riders were virtually all semi-pro's - even Little Boy Blue - yet were provided with a full calendar of racing throughout the week throughout the UK

Perhaps we really should look back for answers on how to go forward

I have been saying for months the answers are in the past. You avoid past mistakes and repeat past successes. If things worked before and the current system is failing we need to rewind the clock. But...whenever I suggest such a move i am called a dinosaur or a fossil or an old fart.

[ColinMills 1,728]

good post abs...going to speedway WAS exciting, following not only my team (at the time) but also other teams.

brit finals at Brandon was fantastic occasions, id not watch a modern day brit final, but that's individual choice.

speedway WAS like it now is in Sweden...if it doesn't get back that way,i wont return, my choice...watching a doubling up system is mickey mouse, imo.....mix n match teams not for me. its a shame, cos like many ex fans on here, we DO still like this sport, but

stepping back from it, looking in, it really does seem amateur at this present time

[ABS 231]

good post abs...going to speedway WAS exciting, following not only my team (at the time) but also other teams.

brit finals at Brandon was fantastic occasions, id not watch a modern day brit final, but that's individual choice.

speedway WAS like it now is in Sweden...if it doesn't get back that way,i wont return, my choice...watching a doubling up system is mickey mouse, imo.....mix n match teams not for me. its a shame, cos like many ex fans on here, we DO still like this sport, but

stepping back from it, looking in, it really does seem amateur at this present time

And the one word here which is key is choice. I'm not going to slag people off for not going to speedway nowadays, it's their choice. But the powers that be, the BSPA and individual promoters have to look why people are not choosing to spend their hard-earned at the gates. Do they honestly believe, for example, that the mickey-mouse, it's a knockout golden double rule attracts even one punter to the sport? Balance that against the number of supporters it hacks off, myself included and get rid fast.

 

I was delighted to see AJ back in the E.L. this season. Wouldn't it have been great to have also seen Tai, Nikki P, Emil, etc, riding here? It's not as though they haven't done it before. Would clubs have generated enough interest to have made it a viable financial proposition - well I don't know, but was there any research done into this? I doubt it. Instead they'll take the simple way out, numbers are down can't afford to pay the top riders, therefore reduce the points limit, increase the gate price and hey presto, there you have it - problem solved. Except it isn't - all you're doing is building yourself a bigger problem downstream, which is where we find ourselves today.

 

Go and find a Tier One sponsor - yeh and what exactly are you going to sell to them? If you have the cream of the crop racing here, you might just have a chance, but a mixture of Doubling up riders, Fast Track reserves, guests and rider replacement, not a prayer. So just carrying on reducing standards - it's the easy way out every time.

[Ben91 1,743]

No, we can't afford spectators like you (I refuse to use the term supporter) who want to take the sport to its doom just so they can say "I only watch the best names".

 

The rest of us want good racing......

 

I wonder if it's cheaper to just supply people like you with air flights to Poland rather than fly the riders in. Then we can get along with a sane sport. - and a far more readable forum.

 

Good racing is important yes but people want to see the best. Why do Premier League football teams get better crowds than Conference League football teams when there are good matches in both leagues? Because the top stars are in the Premier League. Now with Speedway in Britain it's a little different but the better riders who do ride here ride in the EL however there are better riders in the world, why shouldn't we aspire to having them race in our top division?

 

Top riders and good racing shouldn't be an either or scenario, stick four of the best riders in the world together on one track, a good track mind, and they will have a good race. Stick four equally skilled NL riders on the same track and they will also probably have a good race, albeit at a slower pace.

 

The issue is disparity of talent on track half the time, why are there strung out races? Because there are differing abilities in each race and lets not kid ourselves and say that is just an issue in Britain, there will be strung out heats in Polish and Swedish meetings too.

 

Why should we pay through the nose for second rate Speedway though? This is half the problem, there's too much of an 'any speedway is better than no speedway, take what you're given' attitude in the sport now. We don't want to see tracks close down but fans need to be treated with the respect they deserve and be given the best product available at the cheapest price possible for teams to viably run.

 

PS: The forum is far more readable when it's used to debate properly and not just to stick the knife into people who don't agree with your viewpoint.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Ben91

[Trees 2,814]

Just bear in mind that people generally have more enthusiasm for anything when they are young ;-) whatever the rules :-)

[ColinMills 1,728]

very true, but aim the sport at BOTH young and old....youngsters see todays product, they not coming through the gate...oldies see todays product, they not coming through the gate??....look at how we DID come through the gate

[BWitcher 12,453]

No, we can't afford spectators like you (I refuse to use the term supporter) who want to take the sport to its doom just so they can say "I only watch the best names".

 

The rest of us want good racing......

 

I wonder if it's cheaper to just supply people like you with air flights to Poland rather than fly the riders in. Then we can get along with a sane sport. - and a far more readable forum.

 

So some of you keep saying, except you have absolutely NO evidence to back this up.

 

In fact evidence points that it has little bearing whatsoever.

[ColinMills 1,728]

if you walk past your local dog and duck pub, and see Phil Dickinson verses Tom Bloggs darts match, you wouldn't be bothered.

if you see Phil Taylor verses James Wade? hello?...got a feeling you may just pop in.....good racing could happen every night every week, but big names only, will attract big turnouts....hence 16 lapper, olympique, pride of the east, star of Anglia, todays line ups are tripe (no offence to riders) but ONLY big names will put bums on seats

Edited October 16, 2015 by ColinMills

[customhouseregular 1,651]

very true, but aim the sport at BOTH young and old....youngsters see todays product, they not coming through the gate...oldies see todays product, they not coming through the gate??....look at how we DID come through the gate

As I keep saying...Learn from past success.