Just had my morning spliffie and feeling real mellow and the world's in great shape. Feeling REALLY positive about the Northampton thing. I'm convinced it'll make a REAL difference and provide a big boost to the project being a huge success. So, everybody just do whatever you do to get positive, create loads of positive vibes, and together we can make a big difference and overcome all of the so damaging negativity.   PS I am not Donald J Trump

Over half a million have watched the fight between Wright and Allen last season.. If every club had its own YT programme they would have had a link to these 500k people, via the YT algorithm... A decent phone and a lap top to edit what you film...

Great Post.... In my ex world of business we often, store to store, region to region, shared "best practice" and all, as one, benefitted from ideas that invariably came from people who were innovative... With the more pragmatic who didn't possess such a skill set, (like me), building on these ideas to ensure profitability and legal compliance... Before we launched this "New Way Of Working" into the Operating Model of the business.. Glasgow and Poole, in particular, seem to be able to engage people to watch their teams, therefore why not, nationally, make what they do part of the "Operating Model"?.. There may be others who also do "good things" individually that could work for others, eg social media sites, selling yourself to sponsors etc, etc.. The on track action is, in the main, decent to watch, it is very much the off track leadership and marketing which hold it back... There isn't an excuse though when some can demonstrate how they do it well...  

I notice they have put a race from Scunthorpe up on the British Speedway YouTube channel from last Sunday. While that’s great to see, it appears to be the first post in four months. Just because the season had ended, it doesn't mean the content should stop; you don't grow a brand by going silent for a third of the year.

When it comes to social media exposure Northampton and the rest of the premier league could learn a lot from the Buxton promotion, even using catchy slogans like get your backside trackside and tales from the dales 

Following up on my post from yesterday, I think it’s important to clarify one thing: some people seem to confuse concern with criticism. My comments come from a point of genuine worry, not just for the situation at Northampton, but for UK Speedway as a whole. In Northampton's case, I can only assume the deal isn't fully over the line yet. As Karlito mentioned in his video, why wouldn't there be at least some social media activity? It’s free advertising, yet there’s a total vacuum. Speedway has been the backdrop of my life and my brother’s for over 40 years. We’ve had the highs and lows following Coventry, travelling the country together when we were younger. Mum and Dad taking us to Coventry away meetings in the 80’s are great memories. When the Bees weren't riding and we could drive, we’d be at Cradley or Stoke on a Saturday. Dad would take us to Long Eaton and Birmingham Wheels. When I moved to Woking for my first job after Uni, I was at Reading every Monday. Now living in Lincolnshire, I’m at Scunthorpe for every home meeting. This isn't just a hobby; it’s a lifetime commitment. My Dad is 80 this year and has been a regular since he was a boy. Now, he has nowhere to go. The sport hasn't even got a proper TV deal for him to watch — and yes, I know BSN exists, but it doesn't solve the visibility issue. If I were a promoter right now, I’d be turning to the one big asset every club has: its fans. I’d be appealing to the fans in the Speedway Star and the club programmes for help, because some of us might just have some good ideas on how to actually run a business and turn things around. Clubs seem to treat us as the enemy these days rather than engaging with us. I can think of one fan who runs a very successful business: Alex Brady. Yes, he’s been involved before, but I believe someone like that has incredible transferable skills. You only have to look at his company’s social media output to see that they know what they are doing. Both himself and his business partner, Jamie Minors, have gone from strength to strength from a cold start all those years ago. They are young people who know how to engage with a young audience as well. In my view, promoters and speedway managers should stick to building teams and using their contacts within the sport to do that. Yes, the promoter also puts his or her money in. But seek out people who actually know how to drum up paying customers. Not just wait for them to magically appear out of thin air. At Scunthorpe, I think they get a lot right. The price point is spot on, and the programme is a no-frills scorecard that does the job keeping cost down. Their biggest bonus is the track itself, which serves up terrific racing. They deserve bigger crowds. But the social media output and the website are poor. They could put some great races out on their social media as advertising from the EWR. I haven't been into the town centre, but I can’t imagine there is much around telling people the Speedway even exists, or in any out of town shopping areas. There is a big sign at the entrance to the car park....... It shouldn't just stop at Scunthorpe looking for fans, either. Lincoln isn't far away, and I’d be heading straight to Lincoln University and other UNI’s nearby as Lincoln isn’t the only one. I’d be seeking out the Media and Graphic Design courses and offering those students the chance to promote the club. Give them access to the social media channels and let them crack on. When I was at school, we were taught to keep a display book of our best work for interviews; this would give these students real-world results for their portfolios. I notice my own football team, Coventry City, have let Coventry Uni Graphic Design students handle some of their social media content and it looks superb. They also have a "City Unseen" video on YouTube—watch it, it’s brilliant. You could do the same at any Speedway club on a smaller scale. I’ve heard the "wait until May" argument for Northampton, but I try to imagine that logic in my own professional life. If my directors asked for an update on my latest £1.75m project and I told them I was just waiting until May to see what happens without telling anyone about it, I’d be out of a job. It’s not criticism; it’s concern for something that has been part of my life for four decades. If promoters stopped treating the fans like the enemy and tapped into the skill sets, we have, we might actually be able to help this sport thrive again.