Coventry 2017

[Mr Snackette 190]

Mate, crowds of that nature for a premier/ elite club will never happen no matter who's in charge. Long gone have the days where even we get 5-6k per home meeting, and i remember that well, 5 deep on the bends All that was in the days when there was nothing else to do bar speedway.

So if a club got 3 k per meeting, they would be doing very well.

 

So why can someone drop in a franchise rugby team and make it such a success? When I first started watching speedway the thought that an English club rugby fixture would attract more people than a speedway meeting would be considered laughable. Now the rugby attracts more people in two home games than would probably go to Brandon over the whole season. It just shows the depth of the sport's decline.

[mrcts 252]

So why can someone drop in a franchise rugby team and make it such a success? When I first started watching speedway the thought that an English club rugby fixture would attract more people than a speedway meeting would be considered laughable. Now the rugby attracts more people in two home games than would probably go to Brandon over the whole season. It just shows the depth of the sport's decline.

Speedway is dying on it's arse, kids get bored and the old fogies are dying at an alarming rate.....not a good recipe for long term success!

[Starman2006 2,355]

Speedway is dying on it's arse, kids get bored and the old fogies are dying at an alarming rate.....not a good recipe for long term success!

Kids nowadays would rather be sat behind there Ipads that go to speedway.

[rocket007 101]

 

So why can someone drop in a franchise rugby team and make it such a success? When I first started watching speedway the thought that an English club rugby fixture would attract more people than a speedway meeting would be considered laughable. Now the rugby attracts more people in two home games than would probably go to Brandon over the whole season. It just shows the depth of the sport's decline.

Simple. Rugby has rules that are applied equally to all sides competing, with no favouritism or biasness or self-interest. Also, it is played in stadiums with decent viewing, catering and toilet facilities.

[SCB 0]

Speedway is dying on it's arse, kids get bored and the old fogies are dying at an alarming rate.....not a good recipe for long term success!

I keep saying it and keep getting told off by the oldies for it but a sport pandering to Ernie and Maud who have sat in the same folding chairs on the 3rd bend every week since 1962 is NOT going to grow. Just listen to the music, they don't dare play anything even moderately upbeat in case Maud complains about, "that incessant noise the young people call music". But it's nice that every year on their wedding anniversary they wish Maud and Ernie a nice day and then play Cliff Richards "Congratulations".

 

Meanwhile, the kids starman refers to are bored fecking senseless and refuse to come back next week. What happens when Ernie and Maud become just Maud as Ernie has died? And then when Maud dies? The kids who got bored listening to music aimed at Ernie and Maud have decided to go and watch the rugby in stead with their mates, too late to attract them then. And people wonder why crowds are dropping.

 

Long live Ernie and Maud because once they (and their mates) are dead so is speedway. Or maybe it'll be the making of speedway, once the sport is on it's knees, about to keel over maybe, just may be at that point they'll stop playing rubbish 60s music and wishing a happy golden wedding anniversary to half the crowd and focus on the kids who are the future (and the present frankly) of the sport!

 

And it's not just rubbish 60s music. It's rubbish 60s style presenters. How the hell does Peter York still have a job?

Edited January 24, 2017 by SCB

[Trees 2,814]

I have the answer ...... stage managing.

 

Hate the sound of it but if it works?

Edited January 24, 2017 by Trees

[SCB 0]

I have the answer ...... stage managing.

 

Hate the sound of it but if it works?

IT hasn't got to be totally stage managed but when two riders have a fight rather than fining them £250, give them a £250 bonus! It's brilliant a bit of hand bags, a bit of wagging fingers and the odd fist flying. It gets the crowd excited. But Maud and Ernie tut and say, "That wouldn't happen in my day" before sipping form their flask of tea with a that still has its 1981 World Final sticker on it to remind them it was for that very trip they bought the flask. Later that night they'll travel home bemoaning the lack of characters and saying how todays wimps would know what hit them if Jack Millen was still around - despite the fact in their day riders would never have fought in front of the crowd, tut!

[Trees 2,814]

IT hasn't got to be totally stage managed but when two riders have a fight rather than fining them £250, give them a £250 bonus! It's brilliant a bit of hand bags, a bit of wagging fingers and the odd fist flying. It gets the crowd excited. But Maud and Ernie tut and say, "That wouldn't happen in my day" before sipping form their flask of tea with a that still has its 1981 World Final sticker on it to remind them it was for that very trip they bought the flask. Later that night they'll travel home bemoaning the lack of characters and saying how todays wimps would know what hit them if Jack Millen was still around - despite the fact in their day riders would never have fought in front of the crowd, tut!

I'm thinking stage manage the racing .... if there is no way of improving the racing then stage manage it.

[NickRushbrook 202]

I keep saying it and keep getting told off by the oldies for it but a sport pandering to Ernie and Maud who have sat in the same folding chairs on the 3rd bend every week since 1962 is NOT going to grow. Just listen to the music, they don't dare play anything even moderately upbeat in case Maud complains about, "that incessant noise the young people call music". But it's nice that every year on their wedding anniversary they wish Maud and Ernie a nice day and then play Cliff Richards "Congratulations".

 

Meanwhile, the kids starman refers to are bored fecking senseless and refuse to come back next week. What happens when Ernie and Maud become just Maud as Ernie has died? And then when Maud dies? The kids who got bored listening to music aimed at Ernie and Maud have decided to go and watch the rugby in stead with their mates, too late to attract them then. And people wonder why crowds are dropping.

 

Long live Ernie and Maud because once they (and their mates) are dead so is speedway. Or maybe it'll be the making of speedway, once the sport is on it's knees, about to keel over maybe, just may be at that point they'll stop playing rubbish 60s music and wishing a happy golden wedding anniversary to half the crowd and focus on the kids who are the future (and the present frankly) of the sport!

 

And it's not just rubbish 60s music. It's rubbish 60s style presenters. How the hell does Peter York still have a job?

In total agreement with you here.

 

My club (Lakeside), with the foresight of Stuart Douglas completely revamped the presentation when he came in and it was well received.

 

Up until the last couple of seasons, our crowds were on the up and I believe that this change of the guard assisted that.

[SCB 0]

I'm thinking stage manage the racing .... if there is no way of improving the racing then stage manage it.

The racing is fine. It's IMO, better than it was in the 70s and 80s when you watch some of the better racing of that era on youtube, it's better than most motor sport you'll see today. I honestly don't think there is a single issue with the core product of 4 riders doing 4 laps. The fact Poland can get a crowd and the GPs are popular enough suggests the sport itself is just fine. It's all the extra stuff around it.

 

In work we often comment that one issue and people won't notice, 2 and people won't notice it but get to 10 or 15 and while people may not be able to tell you the individual issue they'll know they're watching a poor TV show. Speedway is the same, it doesn't have 1 major issue, the sport has many smaller issue. All this "rebuild" the sport and change the heat format and things like that are crap. It's the presentation, it's the stadiums, it's the time hanging around, it's the being treated like rubbish by promoters for daring to ask questions.

[hrhbig 69]

Just wondered if anyone noticed that although it does say "can be amended" the Poole sites fixture list does not contain any matches with Leicester or Coventry .

[kingbee 510]

IT hasn't got to be totally stage managed but when two riders have a fight rather than fining them £250, give them a £250 bonus! It's brilliant a bit of hand bags, a bit of wagging fingers and the odd fist flying. It gets the crowd excited. But Maud and Ernie tut and say, "That wouldn't happen in my day" before sipping form their flask of tea with a that still has its 1981 World Final sticker on it to remind them it was for that very trip they bought the flask. Later that night they'll travel home bemoaning the lack of characters and saying how todays wimps would know what hit them if Jack Millen was still around - despite the fact in their day riders would never have fought in front of the crowd, tut!

I think you've got that wrong somewhere as in the sixties through to the late eighties there were always fights on the track the crowd loved them .Hang on you wasn't born then was you so how do you know Edited January 24, 2017 by kingbee

[SCB 0]

In total agreement with you here.

 

My club (Lakeside), with the foresight of Stuart Douglas completely revamped the presentation when he came in and it was well received.

 

Up until the last couple of seasons, our crowds were on the up and I believe that this change of the guard assisted that.

The difference at Lakeside when Stuart took over was, IMO remarkable. I used to hate trips to Lakeside and questioned my sanity every time. But Stuart made it "nice", things were made a lot better. Still plenty of room for improvement but compared to what it was before he took over, it was night and day

I think you've got that wrong somewhere as in the sixties through to the late eighties there were always fights on the track the crowd loved them .Hang you wasn't born then was you so how do you know

I've got it wrong? It's old people telling us "that wouldn't have happened in the past" then days later telling us about all the bad guys that used to ride in the past. When it suits them everyone was perfect yet when it suits everyone is dull these days. Can't have it both ways. I'll blame their dementia.

[Trees 2,814]

The racing is fine. It's IMO, better than it was in the 70s and 80s when you watch some of the better racing of that era on youtube, it's better than most motor sport you'll see today. I honestly don't think there is a single issue with the core product of 4 riders doing 4 laps. The fact Poland can get a crowd and the GPs are popular enough suggests the sport itself is just fine. It's all the extra stuff around it.

 

In work we often comment that one issue and people won't notice, 2 and people won't notice it but get to 10 or 15 and while people may not be able to tell you the individual issue they'll know they're watching a poor TV show. Speedway is the same, it doesn't have 1 major issue, the sport has many smaller issue. All this "rebuild" the sport and change the heat format and things like that are crap. It's the presentation, it's the stadiums, it's the time hanging around, it's the being treated like rubbish by promoters for daring to ask questions.

I think you're wrong, it wouldn't matter what music, what banter, what stadium, IF every race was excitedly anticipated by everyone in the stadium. Great speedway is the best but we don't see enough of it.

 

I appreciate what the guys are doing out there making it look so easy with their bodies and lives on the line but it's not enough for the future, the crowds are testament to that .....

[heathen chemistry 660]

and there u have the answer speedway needs to move with the times use the internet .. live speedway ... or apps or use it as a promotional tool...