Kent Kings (Help)

[heathen52 384]

I think this deserves it's own Topic;

Club Statement about the GoFundMe.  https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-royals-survive

I would like to ease your minds about the GoFundMe that was started this week.

The history behind the request is this. I am the main sponsor of the club. Last august, as some of you may remember, I had to have heart surgery because of a disease called Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy.  At the time, I also owned Iwade Garage, who you will recall as being the teams title sponsors in 2021 and 2022. Due to staffing problems, and then combined with my cardiac issue, it was necessary to give back the lease on the garage as the time being spent in the workshop drew me away from my actual job - Consulting Chief Security Officer.  

In December my mum Ros, who many of you will have seen on the gate with her dog Grace, went into hospital, where she had open heart surgery.  After complications she finally came home in June, but the visiting and staying on top of the medics who didn't listen, it meant I was further diverted from my day job. 

We came into the 2023 season without a named title sponsor - because this year its fallen to me personally.

Normally, a home match sets you up financially for the away leg, but we have two away trips coming up, and the abandonment of the Oxford match at home, and the subsequent home match taking a lesser gate as fans used their re-entry, means that the clubs bank account was severely depleted. The need to purchase the tyres for the remainder of the season added to the financial woes. My priority is always to ensure that our riders are paid promptly - for without them, we do not have a club.

As I haven't been working as much in the last 8 months, then my reserves were also depleted. Although I am back consulting, it takes time for clients to settle their invoices. 

The support that those who have contributed to the GoFundMe has given the club is heartfelt, and I thank each and everyone of you for that support. I am also greatful to every paying fan who comes to our home matches, and I ask you to get behind the club and come along to as many meetings as you can, and give the riders the support to urge them on to win. 

We have six matches left, and the fight isnt over for the Royals. However, I need to do what my cardiac consultant tells me, I need to ease up a bit, I will need at some point in the future more surgery, hence my words in the programme recently. Its not just me that puts hours into running things, my whole family helps. Many of you know my mum from the main gate, who as I said has been very ill recently and still has a long road to full health, Andrea who helps on the gate and helps massively behind the scenes too, and my son Drew from the sweet stall. Drew is planning to head off to University in September, and Andrea has another operation coming up at the end of this month. I have kept The Royals going for two years post Uncle Len but we are unable to commit as much time going forward. Therefore if anyone is interested in coming on board  then please do speak to me. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-royals-survive

Edited August 6, 2023 by heathen52

[Hawk127 1,359]

The family seem to have gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the club going and gone to hell and back with their health and really do deserve support for the valiant efforts. Just a shame about the threats earlier on from the BSPL or whoever over the staging of Nora meetings and obviously with the intention of making the raceway a viable proposition. I really hope the BSPL are proud of themselves.  You have to ask  though why people like this go out of the way to keep the sport going when being kicked in the teeth by the governing body. Just shows that deep down some people really do care about the sport even if the bullies in charge prefer management by fear. Good luck with the fund raising and hopefully the club will be around for many years to come.

[Ray Stadia 1,071]

6 hours ago, heathen52 said:

I think this deserves it's own Topic;

Club Statement about the GoFundMe.  https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-royals-survive

I would like to ease your minds about the GoFundMe that was started this week.

The history behind the request is this. I am the main sponsor of the club. Last august, as some of you may remember, I had to have heart surgery because of a disease called Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy.  At the time, I also owned Iwade Garage, who you will recall as being the teams title sponsors in 2021 and 2022. Due to staffing problems, and then combined with my cardiac issue, it was necessary to give back the lease on the garage as the time being spent in the workshop drew me away from my actual job - Consulting Chief Security Officer.  

In December my mum Ros, who many of you will have seen on the gate with her dog Grace, went into hospital, where she had open heart surgery.  After complications she finally came home in June, but the visiting and staying on top of the medics who didn't listen, it meant I was further diverted from my day job. 

We came into the 2023 season without a named title sponsor - because this year its fallen to me personally.

Normally, a home match sets you up financially for the away leg, but we have two away trips coming up, and the abandonment of the Oxford match at home, and the subsequent home match taking a lesser gate as fans used their re-entry, means that the clubs bank account was severely depleted. The need to purchase the tyres for the remainder of the season added to the financial woes. My priority is always to ensure that our riders are paid promptly - for without them, we do not have a club.

As I haven't been working as much in the last 8 months, then my reserves were also depleted. Although I am back consulting, it takes time for clients to settle their invoices. 

The support that those who have contributed to the GoFundMe has given the club is heartfelt, and I thank each and everyone of you for that support. I am also greatful to every paying fan who comes to our home matches, and I ask you to get behind the club and come along to as many meetings as you can, and give the riders the support to urge them on to win. 

We have six matches left, and the fight isnt over for the Royals. However, I need to do what my cardiac consultant tells me, I need to ease up a bit, I will need at some point in the future more surgery, hence my words in the programme recently. Its not just me that puts hours into running things, my whole family helps. Many of you know my mum from the main gate, who as I said has been very ill recently and still has a long road to full health, Andrea who helps on the gate and helps massively behind the scenes too, and my son Drew from the sweet stall. Drew is planning to head off to University in September, and Andrea has another operation coming up at the end of this month. I have kept The Royals going for two years post Uncle Len but we are unable to commit as much time going forward. Therefore if anyone is interested in coming on board  then please do speak to me. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-royals-survive

I think this is a perfect example of how the current speedway model isn't working. This is a club which is in the 3rd, in other words, an amateur stepping stone division. Why should the riders expect payment and have their tyres bought for them. What other motorcycle dirt sport pays the riders to ride! It's a crazy way to operate speedway, certainly in the 3rd division. I feel so sorry for this poor chap and his family. Reminds me of the situation the Newport promoter found himself in and was working day and night to keep the club going! Tim (I forget his surname).  

[Sings4Speedway 3,247]

5 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

I think this is a perfect example of how the current speedway model isn't working. This is a club which is in the 3rd, in other words, an amateur stepping stone division. Why should the riders expect payment and have their tyres bought for them. What other motorcycle dirt sport pays the riders to ride! It's a crazy way to operate speedway, certainly in the 3rd division. I feel so sorry for this poor chap and his family. Reminds me of the situation the Newport promoter found himself in and was working day and night to keep the club going! Tim (I forget his surname).  

Whilst your points are legitimate which other sports insists that the competitors appear all over the country at a designated date time?. Very few NL riders are making money and tyre costs are vast (£50 a piece). To track a speedway bike for a meeting costs upwards of £150 (accounting for all wear and tear etc).

You can generate a strong amateur scene of unpaid speedway but you cannot dictate which riders will be there on certain dates, it will be more a case of see who arrives on the day.

[iainb 5,018]

15 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

Tim (I forget his surname).  

Stone?

[Ray Stadia 1,071]

31 minutes ago, iainb said:

Stone?

Yes! That's the chap! It was quite tragic the way Newport went. 

[Hawk127 1,359]

1 hour ago, Ray Stadia said:

Yes! That's the chap! It was quite tragic the way Newport went. 

Totally agree but the way Kent has been treated by the authorities beggars belief.

No doubt Vatcher has had an hand in the way Kent have been bullied and the rest of the governing body should hang their heads in shame but in the cold light of day they probably could not care less. They allowed the IOW to drift away and yet the IOW seem to be doing reasonably well because they understand the business model that works for them but you look at the sports governing body and they seem to despise those who want/need to do something different. Fixed race nights do not work given the rate of the current outstanding fixtures and need to extend the cut off date, you no longer have the flexibility in the running of 5he sport.

Whatever happened to the days of open licence tracks?  Where are the current day promoters who did what it said on the tin (Len Silver, Dave Lanning, Johnnie Hoskins, Charles Ochiltree, etc.) who entertained the punters and engaged with the supporters to create an atmosphere that made the rivalry an art. 

Under today’s regime you have the power brokers whose mantra is do as we say. If I had a track the only game in town would be Nora with invitational meets with  top riders invited on the assurance of top quality sponsorship. Maybe easier said than done but I am sure if you plan an event with the best in town riding and exposure through the most popular media channels targeting the widest audience, sponsors would be interested. Sponsors are not interested in league meetings simply because you do not have the top riders competing against each other and they have become boring because of the contrived rules and regulations.

Teams like Kent need encouragement and support, not penalising. BSPL think on.

[Pinny 2,536]

14 hours ago, Ray Stadia said:

Yes! That's the chap! It was quite tragic the way Newport went. 

I was not a huge fan of Tim Stone by any means but looking back now , it was tragic how he ended up and what he was doing to keep the club alive and it would probably still be about today if he was still alive, albeit probably in the bottom tier with small crowds. 
 

He was his own worst enemy though and had the world at his feet in the late 90s with probably the biggest crowds in British Speedway at a time when the top league had the best riders in the world week in week out. By the end, he was fielding sub standard teams each season and the crowds were down to a couple of hundred. 
 

One thing that cannot be argued is he put his life and soul into the club. 

[topaz325 1,859]

Visited Sittingbourne yesterday for the Worky  meeting and whilst the stadium is not the best to say the least the effort  and enthusiasm of the promotion , staff and fans is evident.

The Leagues and stricture is only as strong  as its weakest link, the evidence is clear for all to see in the way that so many clubs are in trouble of closure .

Some big decisions to be made this winter if not earlier in the way the three or indeed maybe two the Leagues are made up.

Very nice of the promoter to come over and chat to the Comets fans .

Edited August 7, 2023 by topaz325

[heathen52 384]

The BSPL has a saying for the smaller amateur like teams, and it is "Do as we say not do as we do" but you only have to look at the state the the Sport has got itself into after being led by the BSPL, BSPL Speedway has got itself into a position where it is no longer viable in it's present form yet the BSPL continue to resist change in the areas where it is most needed, the promoters at Kent have gone above and beyond what is needed to keep the Sport alive in the South East yet the BSPL seem to have offered no help in there hour of need, in fact earlier on in the year they seem to have done the exact opposite and allegedly gave them a suspended fine if I remember correctly, the BSPL is in fact not fit for purpose.