Sir Sidney 292 Posted August 29, 2023 10 hours ago, topsoil said: Amateur riders, grasstrack bikes on shale, upright bikes? That's bound to develop the next generation of riders. You clearly haven't taken a close enough look at what the IOW do. Most of the meetings feature traditional speedway with riders at National League / Championships standard. All of the meetings include junior racing, brining through kids who will be the next generation They put so much effort into everything they do. If all other clubs had the same ethos as Martin and Barry instill on the IOW then British Speedway would be in a far better place Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
noaksey 345 Posted August 29, 2023 1 hour ago, maneacat said: It was a fantastic meeting too - that’s where the TV cameras should have been! Cup matches aren't televised Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bellevueace 913 Posted August 29, 2023 12 hours ago, tellboy said: It's not to my liking,but i don't want to see any club disappear. Agree no real speedway fan wants to see any club disappear, at this rate those few clubs that are secure will have no one to race againt if this current trend continues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bellevueace 913 Posted August 29, 2023 12 hours ago, Hawk127 said: It is if you are trying to run some sort of league. No Wolves and I doubt whether the league can continue in its current format. Why should any team jeopardise it’s very existence by moving up to join and expensive operating model racing on nights that do not suit the the local business model. In my view it is a shame that another team bites the dust and league racing at the top level is questionable and I wonder how many fans of the sport would turn out for open meetings if you had no league racing. Be careful what you wish for. After 55 years following speedway if we had no league speedway i would walk away from it. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tellboy 3,662 Posted August 29, 2023 2 minutes ago, bellevueace said: After 55 years following speedway if we had no league speedway i would walk away from it. Me too.League racing is what it's all about. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeneralMelchett 482 Posted August 29, 2023 9 minutes ago, tellboy said: Me too.League racing is what it's all about. same for me - accept others points but for me league racing is where it is, I have never really been a fan of individual meetings. On another note whilst the score was a bit one sided there was some good racing / overtaking last night, heat 10 probably the best heat for some time. In my view Wolves (hopefully temporary) and Monmore will be a sad loss. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,293 Posted August 29, 2023 2 hours ago, tellboy said: Me too.League racing is what it's all about. You are 100% right... And all the problems are down to it.... When something you run becomes beyond parody then you have a major problem.. When extracting the urine out of something is sctually less funny that the actual decisions you are taking the pee out of, then you might as well close the operation down... As there usually isn't any way back in the business world for that kind of organisation.. The "good news" is that we have two less tracks going forward so the "rider shortage" should improve... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bellevueace 913 Posted August 29, 2023 The league format isnt the problem, that is down to the powers that be that implement the rules, for me the rot set in when the old school promoters who actually knew how to promote disappeared. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skidder1 7,637 Posted August 29, 2023 45 minutes ago, mikebv said: You are 100% right... And all the problems are down to it.... When something you run becomes beyond parody then you have a major problem.. When extracting the urine out of something is sctually less funny that the actual decisions you are taking the pee out of, then you might as well close the operation down... As there usually isn't any way back in the business world for that kind of organisation.. The "good news" is that we have two less tracks going forward so the "rider shortage" should improve... Only two?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,293 Posted August 29, 2023 7 minutes ago, Skidder1 said: Only two?? Peterborough and Wolves.... Any more for next year? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,293 Posted August 29, 2023 19 minutes ago, bellevueace said: The league format isnt the problem, that is down to the powers that be that implement the rules, for me the rot set in when the old school promoters who actually knew how to promote disappeared. Agree, when it became a "plaything" for most of them, rather than a bona fide stand alone business, it started to become ran that way... The rot also set in though when they tried to keep running the sport the way they always did, after the internet had come along... Instant news nowadays.. You used to find out the biggest name wasn't going to be there after you had paid to get in... You used to find out that you were going to watch a guestfest when the announcer read out the teams.. You used to find out that the weather was poor when you got there rather than hours in front, or en route so you can turn around... And then moaned to a few people around you. Now, all its failings are there for all to see well in advance, and shared around thousands, not tens..... Hence many decide not to bother, depending on the circumstances.... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IronScorpion 1,407 Posted August 29, 2023 17 hours ago, Dnorthstar1970 said: So no wolves next year ,speedway in the uk is dying slowly and the idiots running it haven’t got a clue We know speedway in the UK is struggling but so are some clubs abroad in Sweden & Poland with non payment of riders. Rules & Regulations(SCB) are not enforced & open to interpretation. The BSP Ltd & other promoters have not helped themselves with self interest. But look at the main Issues of Landlords(ARC) charging unaffordable rent, land prices where housing development takes place & the general changing of interests(phones, social media, tiktok , influencers). Money is being used elsewhere. Look at your own towns & cities. How many schools have closed down & amalgamated with others to be one, parks even industrial areas now being sold on for "affordable housing"? What about the number of boarded up houses on estates that could have a bit of money spent on them by the councils & re-used. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,293 Posted August 29, 2023 4 minutes ago, IronScorpion said: We know speedway in the UK is struggling but so are some clubs abroad in Sweden & Poland with non payment of riders. Rules & Regulations(SCB) are not enforced & open to interpretation. The BSP Ltd & other promoters have not helped themselves with self interest. But look at the main Issues of Landlords(ARC) charging unaffordable rent, land prices where housing development takes place & the general changing of interests(phones, social media, tiktok , influencers). Money is being used elsewhere. Look at your own towns & cities. How many schools have closed down & amalgamated with others to be one, parks even industrial areas now being sold on for "affordable housing"? What about the number of boarded up houses on estates that could have a bit of money spent on them by the councils & re-used. 100%.... So to keep doing the same thing year on year that is consistently failing each season, and expect a different result, is unfathomable.... Evolution is always needed for any entity to survive... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tinker 203 Posted August 29, 2023 3 hours ago, bellevueace said: After 55 years following speedway if we had no league speedway i would walk away from it. Agree entirely. Apart from the GP's, never really been a fan of individual events. All about league racing for me and always will be. Just wish we could go back to the halcyon days of say Halifax riding at Cradley with all the rivalry and large crowds etc. Needs to be more a sense of belonging to a team for both riders and supporters and as MikeBV regularly points out, greater financial rewards for winning the league and a proper trophy to go with it. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
truthsayer 234 Posted August 29, 2023 32 minutes ago, IronScorpion said: We know speedway in the UK is struggling but so are some clubs abroad in Sweden & Poland with non payment of riders. Rules & Regulations(SCB) are not enforced & open to interpretation. The BSP Ltd & other promoters have not helped themselves with self interest. But look at the main Issues of Landlords(ARC) charging unaffordable rent, land prices where housing development takes place & the general changing of interests(phones, social media, tiktok , influencers). Money is being used elsewhere. Look at your own towns & cities. How many schools have closed down & amalgamated with others to be one, parks even industrial areas now being sold on for "affordable housing"? What about the number of boarded up houses on estates that could have a bit of money spent on them by the councils & re-used. I don't really get your point. Are you saying that the demise of speedway is inevitable or are you saying speedway has to diversify and move with the times? Speedway's biggest problem is that it has failed to move with the times. It got a TV deal and thought it was enough to just televise the product it had, when other sports modernised and adapted for the new, television based, audience. Every TV deal becomes worse and worse. It'll be on SportyStuff TV next! People don't want to stand on a dilapidated terrace, shouting 2,4,6,8 every 10 minutes, anymore. We've become more sophisticated as consumers and speedway's just an outdated spectator sport. GPs have tried to push the needle by promoting it as a Monster Energy extreme sport, but the reality between that and the average British spectator is a mile away. British speedway failed to adapt and it is coming home to roost now. Not enough spectators, not enough competitors and not enough venues. The business model that worked in the 1960s doesn't work now and never will again. The only chance to survive is to build from the ground up as a participant sport, with a vision to become a TV-friendly spectacle, but reheating the old team speedway format as the only show in town is a one way path to oblivion. If that means losing the octogenarian audience, so be it. There won't be speedway in five years anyway. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
