ruckerroo 792 Posted November 12, 2018 Don't keep paying over the odds to riders , it effects every team when you do that and pushes then nearer the mire as well 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Normski 1,316 Posted November 12, 2018 12 minutes ago, jenga said: it could be that there are a few more clubs hiding their financial problems from others , inc the bspa etc . clubs like my own are struggling to get to the tapes in 2019 . lakeside .newcastle and a few more may not enter the league . its time to shove ALL the big lads up a league and not allow them back . time ti stick together , promoter wise and not sign any big names . what do you want to do . sign a big name and see your team go down the pan while the big names milks the lower leagues ? thses are our clubs . we cant support them any more than what we are already doing. so big names must not be signed . i would rather see a team like workington built last season than see 1 man milk it and still be in a job the following year , while we are stuck with Saturday night tv . so come on promoters . stop signing the likes of nicholls,cook morris and co and give British speedway a chance . its your choice . use it or lose it . sorry for hijacking the thread , but it seems to be the correct thread to put it on .J long live the tiggers and the cornets ! And the Bandits, Redcar everyone else whose future is not the best at the moment Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
poolebolton 464 Posted November 12, 2018 Paying riders too much money!!! Heard Cook was near 2K a meeting with points! Insane money for the championship. 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevePark 2,781 Posted November 12, 2018 Just now, poolebolton said: Paying riders too much money!!! Heard Cook was near 2K a meeting with points! Insane money for the championship. Insane money for any league. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kermitfrog 10 Posted November 12, 2018 One of the things that have really caused a complete downfall in attendence of meetings must be the lack, and big break in fixtures. How are you meant to keep fans coming back over and over, if there is say a three or four week break in fixtures. People find other things to do. Hopefully someone can come up with a masterplan to save this brilliant sport. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halifaxtiger 5,318 Posted November 12, 2018 43 minutes ago, ruckerroo said: Don't keep paying over the odds to riders , it effects every team when you do that and pushes then nearer the mire as well I think you are absolutely right and this simply has to be addressed. The pay rates that I have heard Glasgow were offering were unbelievable, and I got that from several sources. Its all very well to bleat about huge losses but when part of that is down to unsustainable wages responsibility lies significantly with the promotion themselves - they are the ones who are just ignoring the income they have when they consider their expenditure. Glasgow might be the worst example but there's no doubt in my mind that others are almost as bad. I have said several times in the past that aside from the very top boys speedway has never been a full time occupation - at whatever level - and the sooner we get back to that the better. I am sure there will be riders who really won't like it but they need to get a grasp on reality. 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Solidmango 188 Posted November 12, 2018 52 minutes ago, poolebolton said: Paying riders too much money!!! Heard Cook was near 2K a meeting with points! Insane money for the championship. £100 per point isn't far off what most of the top riders in the championship would be getting. A maximum on that basis would have earned him £1500 so not really insane money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IronScorpion 1,407 Posted November 12, 2018 It is not just the top riders in our league like Cook, Nicholls, Harris, Morris et al but other heat leaders & 2nd strings. Ex riders that move on get paid more per point & sponsorship then when offered the chance to guest for their old team are told these are the rates that we can afford, turn down the opportunity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halifaxtiger 5,318 Posted November 12, 2018 26 minutes ago, Solidmango said: £100 per point isn't far off what most of the top riders in the championship would be getting. A maximum on that basis would have earned him £1500 so not really insane money. I'd be surprised if 'most' top Championship riders are paid that amount. If they are, it doesn't take the genius of an Einstein to work out why speedway teams are in desperate financial straights. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Solidmango 188 Posted November 12, 2018 1 minute ago, Halifaxtiger said: I'd be surprised if 'most' top Championship riders are paid that amount. If they are, it doesn't take the genius of an Einstein to work out why speedway teams are in desperate financial straights. Reserves on c£50-60 pp and it increases thereafter through the team. With 20 league meetings and say 10 other meetings on top, with an average of 10 points, and ignoring heat 15/rr etc for simplicity, this would provide an income of c£30k for a someone on this sort of money. £100 per point may seem a lot on the face of it but when you factor in the expenses incurred by the riders - bikes, repairs, travelling etc then it's not a lot of money hence the need to double up. I know they will benefit from sponsorship to help offset costs but that can't be relied upon. The BSPA/SCB have a lot to sort out but at the end of the day they can't magically generate '000's of new supporters to bridge the gap between a clubs current income and expenses and I can't see rider wages reducing either. Unfortunately it is a bit of a catch 22 situation and I don't agree that the full blame can be laid at the door of the BSPA. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IronScorpion 1,407 Posted November 12, 2018 1 minute ago, Solidmango said: Reserves on c£50-60 pp and it increases thereafter through the team. With 20 league meetings and say 10 other meetings on top, with an average of 10 points, and ignoring heat 15/rr etc for simplicity, this would provide an income of c£30k for a someone on this sort of money. £100 per point may seem a lot on the face of it but when you factor in the expenses incurred by the riders - bikes, repairs, travelling etc then it's not a lot of money hence the need to double up. I know they will benefit from sponsorship to help offset costs but that can't be relied upon. The BSPA/SCB have a lot to sort out but at the end of the day they can't magically generate '000's of new supporters to bridge the gap between a clubs current income and expenses and I can't see rider wages reducing either. Unfortunately it is a bit of a catch 22 situation and I don't agree that the full blame can be laid at the door of the BSPA. The problems have been there for a lot of years now & just tweaking thinks here & there has not solved them. So let us not just blame the BSPA, the promoters, the race night package, the riders, the bikes but look at ourselves & the fans that have left the sport. Even the diehards are dwindling away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jenga 2,998 Posted November 12, 2018 championship clubs need to freeze the big earners out of their league and into the so called top league only to survive . gone are the days of jumping ship to another club because that club pays more .look around every town , city and see how many shops etc are closing because the cant afford to keep staff and the increases in certain set out debits out of their profits . get real and bite the bullet, shake a leg , man up , accept the facts and even strangle the budgie ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gazc 7,098 Posted November 12, 2018 In any business if you are running at a loss the first plan of action is look at your controllable costs. Normally rhe wages you pay is any business highest outlay, this is were you can bridge the gap normally under consultation. To run your business losing enourmous amounts but continue to pay over the odds continually is reckless and bad business practice in any venture. Speedway is no different. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halifaxtiger 5,318 Posted November 12, 2018 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Solidmango said: Reserves on c£50-60 pp and it increases thereafter through the team. With 20 league meetings and say 10 other meetings on top, with an average of 10 points, and ignoring heat 15/rr etc for simplicity, this would provide an income of c£30k for a someone on this sort of money. £100 per point may seem a lot on the face of it but when you factor in the expenses incurred by the riders - bikes, repairs, travelling etc then it's not a lot of money hence the need to double up. I know they will benefit from sponsorship to help offset costs but that can't be relied upon. The BSPA/SCB have a lot to sort out but at the end of the day they can't magically generate '000's of new supporters to bridge the gap between a clubs current income and expenses and I can't see rider wages reducing either. Unfortunately it is a bit of a catch 22 situation and I don't agree that the full blame can be laid at the door of the BSPA. The problem is that they treat speedway as a full time occupation and consequently they expect to be paid accordingly. Until recently, and with the exception of the top stars, it never has been. A few years ago, the then Somerset team manager Mick Bell criticised one of his riders for expecting to make a living from the sport. As a second string/reserve in the old British League (who won three winners medals) Bell said that when he was riding speedway was no more than 'a good paying hobby'. What we get from rider demands on the basis of full time occupation is pay of - to use your figures - £1,200 a week or so. For one rider, on gates of 6-700, that's absolutely unsustainable. Worse still we get the nightmare of uncontrolled doubling up which has undeniably been a disaster for the clubs. Dean Felton has repeatedly said that the 'tail is wagging the dog' ie its all about riders, their wishes, needs and demands. He's right. It means that one thing is absolutely certain : when decisions are made regarding the future of the sport and its ability to make ends meet, it cannot be the case that the matter of rider pay is not considered. As one of the major costs, it should be near the top of the list. Edited November 12, 2018 by Halifaxtiger 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
screm 8,057 Posted November 12, 2018 1 hour ago, Solidmango said: £100 per point isn't far off what most of the top riders in the championship would be getting. A maximum on that basis would have earned him £1500 so not really insane money. Apart from one possibly two riders I`d be amazed if any top Championship rider were on that kind of money. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites