International Test Matches

[Bavarian 767]

Team Great Britain has not contested a single Test Match this year. The last one was a 42-48 loss against the Rest of the World on July 9, 2022, in Glasgow.

Isn't it a shame that international team matches are so sadly neglected these days? 

[iainb 5,017]

15 minutes ago, Bavarian said:

Team Great Britain has not contested a single Test Match this year. The last one was a 42-48 loss against the Rest of the World on July 9, 2022, in Glasgow.

Isn't it a shame that international team matches are so sadly neglected these days? 

Yes, 100% It's an absolute scandal really. You have to question who the GB Speedway team is run for? The riders? The Sponsors? Certainly not the fans! Whenever GB have ridden in the UK they have attracted a decent crowd. It's all well and good subbing out the national team to a private company but we hardly ever get to see them in the UK, riders are generally representing GB most weekends throughout the year and all the fan gets to see is a Twitter post, usually giving more exposure to the sponsor than the actual results and scorers. They seem to be more interested in running lottery's than putting on Speedway matches.

When Team GB was first subbed out, I thought what a great idea, yes it has brought results at the top tier of the sport, but the younger riders results are pretty woeful. These 2nd and 3rd tier GB riders really need to be riding with their tier 1 colleagues in test matches to help bring them on internationally. It's doing no good them riding separately imo

That's the big question in UK, who is Speedway run for? And until the promoters answer "the fans" Speedway in the UK will probably continue to decline

Edited December 30, 2023 by iainb

[bigcatdiary 3,165]

10 minutes ago, iainb said:

Yes, 100% It's an absolute scandal really. You have to question who the GB Speedway team is run for? The riders? The Sponsors? Certainly not the fans! Whenever GB have ridden in the UK they have attracted a decent crowd. It's all well and good subbing out the national team to a private company but we hardly ever get to see them in the UK, riders are generally representing GB most weekends throughout the year and all the fan gets to see is a Twitter post, usually giving more exposure to the sponsor than the actual results and scorers. They seem to be more interested in running lottery's than putting on Speedway matches.

When Team GB was first subbed out, I thought what a great idea, yes it has brought results at the top tier of the sport, but the younger riders results are pretty woeful. These 2nd and 3rd tier GB riders really need to be riding with their tier 1 colleagues in test matches to help bring them on internationally. It's doing no good them riding separately imo

That's the big question in UK, who is Speedway run for? And until the promoters answer "the fans" Speedway in the UK will probably continue to decline

Since when has British Speedway ever been run for the fans.

[Bavarian 767]

Taking a look at the GB Speedway Team website I fin d all kinds of European news, Grand Prix, SEC, which I can find on any other websites as well. But there is nest to no information about the GB national speedway team, which this organisation / website is actually supposed to represent. 

Where is the squad list for team GB, or for the Young Lions junior teams? Past results of the British national team, fixtures, international caps of any rider, points stats, etc.? There is nothing !

https://gbspeedwayteam.com/news

 

[Bavarian 767]

During the winter month the Great Britain or England speedway team tours of Australia used to keep us interested in the sport.  

http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/ausveng4.htm

Reminiscing of those days, on YouTube I just found this short piece of footage of the introduction of the two teams prior to the first test match of 1987/88 Australia v England series at the Claremont Showground in Perth, W.A.  

Isn't it sad that such big events no longer feature in our sport? And isn't it time to do someting about it? 

[iainb 5,017]

1 hour ago, Bavarian said:

During the winter month the Great Britain or England speedway team tours of Australia used to keep us interested in the sport.  

http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/ausveng4.htm

Reminiscing of those days, on YouTube I just found this short piece of footage of the introduction of the two teams prior to the first test match of 1987/88 Australia v England series at the Claremont Showground in Perth, W.A.  

Isn't it sad that such big events no longer feature in our sport? And isn't it time to do someting about it? 

I've got some on my YouTube channel:

 

 

 

 

Enjoy 

[mikebv 10,277]

6 hours ago, iainb said:

Yes, 100% It's an absolute scandal really. You have to question who the GB Speedway team is run for? The riders? The Sponsors? Certainly not the fans! Whenever GB have ridden in the UK they have attracted a decent crowd. It's all well and good subbing out the national team to a private company but we hardly ever get to see them in the UK, riders are generally representing GB most weekends throughout the year and all the fan gets to see is a Twitter post, usually giving more exposure to the sponsor than the actual results and scorers. They seem to be more interested in running lottery's than putting on Speedway matches.

When Team GB was first subbed out, I thought what a great idea, yes it has brought results at the top tier of the sport, but the younger riders results are pretty woeful. These 2nd and 3rd tier GB riders really need to be riding with their tier 1 colleagues in test matches to help bring them on internationally. It's doing no good them riding separately imo

That's the big question in UK, who is Speedway run for? And until the promoters answer "the fans" Speedway in the UK will probably continue to decline

The clear and obvious answer, given the way UK Speedway is ran, is that it is for people who want to finance an expensive hobby...

Hence the rules get consistently "made up" to ensure this hobby can take place regularly...

No "independent body" would ever sanction a large amount of the regs and rules that get signed off by those who "self police"...

Test Matches would have a huge novelty factor nowadays given the fact they don't take place almost ever in the UK..

And with many top class Aussies over here, an Ashes series would stimulate interest in the sport I am 100% sure...

The only watch out would be that the promoters would allow Bomber to guest for the Aussies if GB didn't pick him...

Only in the first test though obviously...

He could ride for GB in the others...

Alongside Emil...

 

 

 

[enotian 562]

I'd imagine that your problem is, as ever, an economic one.

League match pay rates are across a range of rider standards as defined by the points limit.

I imagine the expectation of a Test Match is always the best seven riders from each country.  Now that probably isn't seven number 1 heat leaders nowadays but you'd still expect the pay rates to be higher than a league contest.

The crux is would a test match attract more through the gate to cover the increased costs?

Or would points limited (or graded) international teams be a more economically viable option? 

[iainb 5,017]

14 hours ago, enotian said:

I'd imagine that your problem is, as ever, an economic one.

League match pay rates are across a range of rider standards as defined by the points limit.

I imagine the expectation of a Test Match is always the best seven riders from each country.  Now that probably isn't seven number 1 heat leaders nowadays but you'd still expect the pay rates to be higher than a league contest.

The crux is would a test match attract more through the gate to cover the increased costs?

Or would points limited (or graded) international teams be a more economically viable option? 

But the whole operation has been subbed out, surely it's down to the company it has been subbed out to to stage some home test matches in conjunction with current promoters backed by their current sponsors. Maybe holding a test match series in this country would attract some new sponsors?

I don't know but are there any targets set for the team GB operation? What happens if they don't meet those targets? There doesn't seem to be a threat of it being taken back in house. In fact I'm pretty sure BSPL were pretty happy to get rid of it, so they could (shortsightedly) concentrate on their own clubs. 

It was a great move when it was first subbed out and a great start, things seemed to have stagnated a bit off track though. Just look at the social media post in the run up to Christmas, a printed Christmas greeting and a picture of Robert Lambert with a list of the sponsors below... so what? Who cares? Scroll on by... Where's the engagement? Where's the video message from the England captain with a review of the year and looking forward on things to come, it's nearly 2024 and this should be the easiest thing in the world to produce and generate a few views for the sponsors!

Things really should be pushing forwards in terms of engagement with the fans,  home matches and merchandise etc

Edited December 31, 2023 by iainb

[mikebv 10,277]

On 12/31/2023 at 9:25 AM, iainb said:

But the whole operation has been subbed out, surely it's down to the company it has been subbed out to to stage some home test matches in conjunction with current promoters backed by their current sponsors. Maybe holding a test match series in this country would attract some new sponsors?

I don't know but are there any targets set for the team GB operation? What happens if they don't meet those targets? There doesn't seem to be a threat of it being taken back in house. In fact I'm pretty sure BSPL were pretty happy to get rid of it, so they could (shortsightedly) concentrate on their own clubs. 

It was a great move when it was first subbed out and a great start, things seemed to have stagnated a bit off track though. Just look at the social media post in the run up to Christmas, a printed Christmas greeting and a picture of Robert Lambert with a list of the sponsors below... so what? Who cares? Scroll on by... Where's the engagement? Where's the video message from the England captain with a review of the year and looking forward on things to come, it's nearly 2024 and this should be the easiest thing in the world to produce and generate a few views for the sponsors!

Things really should be pushing forwards in terms of engagement with the fans,  home matches and merchandise etc

When the sport was "very popular" it wasn't domestic speedway that stimulated the interest..

It was the very regular national success at both individual and team level, being beamed into millions of homes several Saturdays a season...

Domestic speedway then lived off the back of that publicity and interest, and, with no social media, its "Mickey Mouse"' rules, and ad hoc last minute rider changes, which existed even then, didnt impact crowd levels the way they do today. 

(eg. You would find out PC was riding in Germany in a LT meeting, or that a team had four guests and RR, after you had paid to get in, now you would know well in advance)..

Then the promoters started training up all the rest of the worlds riders, and reduced opportunities to UK riders, which had the inevitable conclusion that UK success on the international scene dwindled to virtually nothing...

And domestic crowds therefore naturally dwindled off the back of it...

As Italia 90 showed, and the England Rugby success in 2003, and the Ashes victory in 2005, international success stimulated each sports' domestic success by the interest it created in the sports' as a whole.. 

Maybe a test series against the Aussies might engage a few more to attend their local tracks..? (And, such is the relatively low crowd numbers, just a hundred more at most tracks would be a double digit growth)...

You would think a 2,000 crowd on a BHM, a GF, or a Saturday or Sunday would be possible at several tracks wouldn't you?

Max £25 a ticket and that's circa £50k..

Maybe a £25k prize money fund per test if that crowd size was possible? 

A "properly ran" speedway meeting/series ran with credibility and something worth winning, might also draw some sponsorship from others outside the sport too, rather than, as so often happens currently, much of the sponsorship coming from those who follow it, or benefit in some way, from being involved in the sport...

 

 

 

Edited January 1 by mikebv

[iris123 20,984]

4 hours ago, mikebv said:

When the sport was "very popular" it wasn't domestic speedway that stimulated the interest..

It was the very regular national success at both individual and team level, being beamed into millions of homes several Saturdays a season...

Domestic speedway then lived off the back of that publicity and interest, and, with no social media, its "Mickey Mouse"' rules, and ad hoc last minute rider changes, which existed even then, didnt impact crowd levels the way they do today. 

 

 

 

I am not so sure that is true.

I mean the sport boomed when the British League was formed in 1965.It was on the slide previously during the period Peter Craven was one of the top riders. It took until i think 1972 before England won the SWC. Although you could say the NZ and Aussie riders being called 'British' because of the strange way speedway worked then was success. But did the public sitting at home watching tv really buy into that. 

I thought actually by the time the nation, or well , it was England and not the UK or Britain, were successful the crowds were again on the decline 

Edited January 1 by iris123

[topsoil 2,498]

7 hours ago, mikebv said:

When the sport was "very popular" it wasn't domestic speedway that stimulated the interest..

It was the very regular national success at both individual and team level, being beamed into millions of homes several Saturdays a season...

Domestic speedway then lived off the back of that publicity and interest, and, with no social media, its "Mickey Mouse"' rules, and ad hoc last minute rider changes, which existed even then, didnt impact crowd levels the way they do today. 

(eg. You would find out PC was riding in Germany in a LT meeting, or that a team had four guests and RR, after you had paid to get in, now you would know well in advance)..

Then the promoters started training up all the rest of the worlds riders, and reduced opportunities to UK riders, which had the inevitable conclusion that UK success on the international scene dwindled to virtually nothing...

And domestic crowds therefore naturally dwindled off the back of it...

As Italia 90 showed, and the England Rugby success in 2003, and the Ashes victory in 2005, international success stimulated each sports' domestic success by the interest it created in the sports' as a whole.. 

Maybe a test series against the Aussies might engage a few more to attend their local tracks..? (And, such is the relatively low crowd numbers, just a hundred more at most tracks would be a double digit growth)...

You would think a 2,000 crowd on a BHM, a GF, or a Saturday or Sunday would be possible at several tracks wouldn't you?

Max £25 a ticket and that's circa £50k..

Maybe a £25k prize money fund per test if that crowd size was possible? 

A "properly ran" speedway meeting/series ran with credibility and something worth winning, might also draw some sponsorship from others outside the sport too, rather than, as so often happens currently, much of the sponsorship coming from those who follow it, or benefit in some way, from being involved in the sport...

 

 

 

Try getting riders to leave their Polish clubs for the weekend and getting all the other tracks in Britain to cancel their fixtures on a Bank Holiday. Good luck. 

[mikebv 10,277]

11 hours ago, topsoil said:

Try getting riders to leave their Polish clubs for the weekend and getting all the other tracks in Britain to cancel their fixtures on a Bank Holiday. Good luck. 

Maybe do a five meeting series BEFORE Poland opens up? Over a week...

Glasgow to Poole, calling at the NSS, Birmingham, and Ipswich.

Brum simply to get their season up and running with big publicity behind it which might get more punters in to watch their own output. And, being central, could get a decent amount of Wolves, Coventry, Cradley, Leicester and even Swindon fans. 

Glasgow and the NSS for the racing and Poole and Ippo for the crowds they can generate...

A major start to the season which gets momentum into it which can be then built on..

[iainb 5,017]

28 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Maybe do a five meeting series BEFORE Poland opens up? Over a week...

Glasgow to Poole, calling at the NSS, Birmingham, and Ipswich.

Brum simply to get their season up and running with big publicity behind it which might get more punters in to watch their own output. And, being central, could get a decent amount of Wolves, Coventry, Cradley, Leicester and even Swindon fans. 

Glasgow and the NSS for the racing and Poole and Ippo for the crowds they can generate...

A major start to the season which gets momentum into it which can be then built on..

Seasons in the past would often start with a touring team from Sweden or somewhere...

[mikebv 10,277]

1 hour ago, iainb said:

Seasons in the past would often start with a touring team from Sweden or somewhere...

Each season does seem to start with a "whimper" rather than a "fanfare" doesnt it...?

And then just seems to "amble on", in a disjointed fashion, to its conclusion in September...

I mean October...

Or possibly November..

Even the first TV meeting is usually a fair old while after the season has started which doesnt help any "launch"..

A five match Ashes series with £150k prize fund in total, split £90k/60k, whilst not "big money" in the grand scheme of sporting reward, should get some wider publicity surely? And kick start the UK version of the sport..

Traditional 6 man Test teams over 18 heats..

£10k each for the losers for five nights riding isnt too shabby either, and £15k each for the winners even better..

The PCMM each season shows that getting a decent line up can bring in a large crowd early doors, with usually over 2000 there, which, with sponsorship added to it, brings in around £50k I would think given the slightly higher than usual entrance fee..

A more structured national launch for the sport, with a well planned and executed national marketing strategy, surely would give the whole season a kick start and positive momentum..?