Ipswich V Kings Lynn May 1st

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv 10,706]

We've got super Ritchie Hawkins

He knows exactly what we need

Doyley out in front

Beating every c..t

Witches gonna win the f...£ing league

[StarBoy 165]

No Klindt on Thursday either as he has a rearranged Polish meeting.

[False dawn 2,298]

33 minutes ago, JackPells said:

No Klindt on Thursday either as he has a rearranged Polish meeting.

Now that the Poles have started using Thursdays as one of their nights on several occasions this season already, they won't mind what nights we run on with our one big league next season?

[tellboy 3,662]

59 minutes ago, JackPells said:

No Klindt on Thursday either as he has a rearranged Polish meeting.

It's becoming a bit of a joke already.The Poles taking the piss as expected.

K.Howarth in for Pickering on Monday.

[mikebv 10,292]

Basically in this country, before Poland starts, you get a couple of weeks where two teams have 14 riders on show belonging to them...

When Poland starts, then forget it.. 

It cannot be too far from round 80% of meetings running with guests from April onwards...

You simply cannot sell a sport like that to major sponsors, nor expect punters to follow it and take it seriously... 

[Bagpuss 10,784]

51 minutes ago, tellboy said:

It's becoming a bit of a joke already.The Poles taking the piss as expected.

K.Howarth in for Pickering on Monday.

We signed up to it unfortunately.

[Skidder1 7,637]

7 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Basically in this country, before Poland starts, you get a couple of weeks where two teams have 14 riders on show belonging to them...

When Poland starts, then forget it.. 

It cannot be too far from round 80% of meetings running with guests from April onwards...

You simply cannot sell a sport like that to major sponsors, nor expect punters to follow it and take it seriously... 

....and yet attendances are reportedly up at several tracks!

[Baldyman 6,243]

But up from when? As they certainly ain't up from 10 years ago or 20 or 30.  Prob up from the covid years when people stayed home 

[Bagpuss 10,784]

24 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

....and yet attendances are reportedly up at several tracks!

That's great and we all hope it lasts but let's see what the trend is over the whole season. Early season optimism will evaporate for many teams and as @mikebv says once guests really kick in it will make it difficult for many to take it seriously and keep going. Guests certainly put me off going, my team are likely to have two this Thursday and that takes the shine off for me personally. I wish I could switch off the part of me that cares about the integrity of British speedway and just go and watch my team and the racing regardless but I can't. I want my clubs seven riders to race for my team and not somewhere else, or be worrying about them getting injured racing in the Championship. Doubling up and guests have got ridiculously out of hand and the sport is in a mess, it needs a complete overhaul from top to bottom and fresh governance who can run it properly and rebuild it into something that patrons and sponsors can take seriously. We need lots of clubs to be well supported and financially sound, not just a few.

 

[mikebv 10,292]

41 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

....and yet attendances are reportedly up at several tracks!

I was taught a very salient point approx 25 years ago when I got to run my own store, and excitedly told my boss after 12 months that since I had been there, sales had risen by 8%...

"Aye lad, but an 8% increase in f*#k all, is still f*#k all"......

A wise man indeed..

With Emil and Dan riding, (and Nicki for 5 seconds), you would think crowds would have to be up, or heaven help us...

One due to the huge novelty value, and two down to the low like for like starting points for crowds at so many tracks..

I can guarantee that as the novelty value wears off, and riders start to continually miss meetings due to FIM and Polish meetings on Mondays and Thursdays, then crowds will start to drop off..

Just like crowds historically have done down the years, as "the stars" became so frequently "elsewhere" on nights that UK Speedway were happy to still run meetings on without them...

Instead, replacing them with inferior riders from their competitors, which ultimately led to a mass exodus of punters...

Noticable how the FIM and Poland have now taken over Mondays and Thursday's. 

The nights that were, (and Monday still is), priority race nights for the UK, however now, for both nights, they get considered secondary...

 

[Skidder1 7,637]

2 hours ago, mikebv said:

I was taught a very salient point approx 25 years ago when I got to run my own store, and excitedly told my boss after 12 months that since I had been there, sales had risen by 8%...

"Aye lad, but an 8% increase in f*#k all, is still f*#k all"......

A wise man indeed..

With Emil and Dan riding, (and Nicki for 5 seconds), you would think crowds would have to be up, or heaven help us...

One due to the huge novelty value, and two down to the low like for like starting points for crowds at so many tracks..

I can guarantee that as the novelty value wears off, and riders start to continually miss meetings due to FIM and Polish meetings on Mondays and Thursdays, then crowds will start to drop off..

Just like crowds historically have done down the years, as "the stars" became so frequently "elsewhere" on nights that UK Speedway were happy to still run meetings on without them...

Instead, replacing them with inferior riders from their competitors, which ultimately led to a mass exodus of punters...

Noticable how the FIM and Poland have now taken over Mondays and Thursday's. 

The nights that were, (and Monday still is), priority race nights for the UK, however now, for both nights, they get considered secondary...

 

I do realise this is a Premiership thread but as far as attendances being up I was referring to the Championship as well, where there aren't any of the so-called stars but clubs seem to be getting it more right than wrong.

[tellboy 3,662]

4 hours ago, Bagpuss said:

We signed up to it unfortunately.

I know we did,but did any of us expect it to be utilised so much so early in the season.I didn't myself.

[szkocjasid 3,044]

3 hours ago, Bagpuss said:

That's great and we all hope it lasts but let's see what the trend is over the whole season. Early season optimism will evaporate for many teams and as @mikebv says once guests really kick in it will make it difficult for many to take it seriously and keep going. Guests certainly put me off going, my team are likely to have two this Thursday and that takes the shine off for me personally. I wish I could switch off the part of me that cares about the integrity of British speedway and just go and watch my team and the racing regardless but I can't. I want my clubs seven riders to race for my team and not somewhere else, or be worrying about them getting injured racing in the Championship. Doubling up and guests have got ridiculously out of hand and the sport is in a mess, it needs a complete overhaul from top to bottom and fresh governance who can run it properly and rebuild it into something that patrons and sponsors can take seriously. We need lots of clubs to be well supported and financially sound, not just a few.

But would you be willing to pay double the admission fee so these riders can afford to give up one of their teams?

[Baldyman 6,243]

So is it 2pm start tomorrow? 

[BluTiger 21,701]

50 minutes ago, Baldyman said:

So is it 2pm start tomorrow? 

It's 2.30...

https://twitter.com/ipswichspeedway/status/1652705342436831234?s=20

Edited April 30, 2023 by BluPanther