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It's very interesting for me to read lots of these post about the "the decline of speedway" and to be honest I learn from them - so thank you. Martin and I are quite an open book where our speedway is concerned and I have to say that whether you agree with me or not, speedway on the Isle of Wight is in anything but decline, its thriving. Our crowds, while yes relatively small, are 6 - 8 fold the last promotions when it ran, and our meeting on meeting, like for like up with the exception of a couple of meetings when we had to run on a Tuesday increasing. Our crowd integration is increasing, our profile growing (the fact we are even discussed on here says something about that), Sponsorship continues to grow - but as any club we always welcome more, we do lots of shows and the feedback is tremendous, we monitor feedback from the fans all the time and we are proud to share it. Why talk down something which is clearly working. The demographic of our fan base has totally changed in the 3 years we have been at the helm.. we have more families at the stadium now, we have lots of youngsters and our senior fans love it. They know that speedway is changing, and it has to become a show and every promoter should continually try to improve their show week on week. We have an SDL team and the majority of fans stay to watch both meetings when we cannot integrate them into the main event. Our speedway school consistently sells out and we need to do more of them both on the mainland and on the Island. Would we like another 1000 on the gate, you bet... but how do I make them come to our stadium to watch speedway or for more sponsors to get involved?? It's by positive word of mouth, by positive reflection of the events we put on, its by staging weekly speedway without fail, it's by providing fan interaction, a clean stadium, value, being welcomed, being seen, promoting, self belief, trust in your product, thinking outside the box, looking to tomorrow not just today, allowing people to be part of it... but most of all it's by providing a fun packed family night out that people are proud and pleased to invite their friends to as opposed to feel odd because they watch a sport called speedway which no one knows of. The choice of speedway's future isn't only down to promoters, the BSPA, the SCB or ACU... it's down to us all, and while I welcome lively debate and feedback is always welcome we must look at the bigger picture of "passive aggression" - it's a phrase I came across in my working life where the strength of talking something down or negatively destroying something good becomes to strong to change - so it never changes. Speedway is very close to this now. All I can honestly tell you is that we are so proud of what we deliver, we are not afraid to hear something which is not how it should be, we are mindful of the spiralling costs which comes from many different angles, we are mindful of our investment of money, time, our families, but most of all, we absolutely love our show, we believe totally in our product, our team, our approach, we want to develop riders but also have to put on a professional show. It is the only way clubs like us can attract sponsors, fans, tourists, riders and for our families to allow us to continue what we do. 3 referees this year have grabbed me after to say “that’s the best speedway meeting I have been to all year…..” in my view not because the racing is any different of course because of the energy of the night, the feel good factor, the positivity, the well….its a bloody great show, that’s why. I will apologise in advance for the typo's and spelling errors, if you come to the Island do come and say hello to me, I am always in yellow and blue. Finally, your club needs positive and constructive feedback…..saying its crap or not like it used to be – may get it off your chest but will not help deliver change or progress in my view. Keep it wound on and see you trackside and if you want to try speedway book in with My First Skid.

Having had my preference for Isle of Wight speedway raised, I can give a few reasons why that is. The other teams named are merely examples, as others do exactly the same thing. 1 Edinburgh charge full price for a rain off programme with an insert. That's a rip off. At Isle of Wight, they are free with a request that the cost is replaced by a go on the raffle or a contribution to the tyre fund. 2 A child's entry at Poole is either £4 or £7, depending on their age. At Isle of Wight, they are free. 3 Sheffield charge £15 (I think that amount is correct) for a go on the centre green. At Isle of Wight its (you guessed it) free, and that applies to home and away supporters. On Thursday, a group of Mildenhall fans watched heat 1 from the middle. 4 I once criticised the state of Stoke's track and got 15 minutes of aggressive abuse in response. I did the same about Isle of Wight, got an apology, a reasoned explanation and a hope that I would come back. 5 Belle Vue charge £7 for a burger and chips. By all accounts, they are 'horrible' (or words to that effect, I have never had one myself). At Isle of Wight on Thursday, I had a plate of home made sausage casserole and a lump of bread for £3.50. It was that good I over-indulged in second helpings. 6 King's Lynn refuse to allow food in and indeed threaten to search people to prevent it. On Thursday, a large family brought in an equally large hamper, sat on the grass on the first bend and watched the racing having a picnic including wine. 7 I stand to be corrected here, but I have never seen Eastbourne undertake any promotional activities. Isle of Wight attend about a dozen shows a year during the season with their tent, bikes and other speedway paraphernalia. 8 At most meetings, promoter Barry Bishop works the crowd, talking, explaining but above all listening. Belle Vue's Adrian Smith does this but aside from one instance years ago by Peter Toogood I have never seen anyone else do the same. 9 At Birmingham, a lengthy interval is just that so you stand around getting cold and bored. Isle of Wight have running and bike races for the youngsters, interviews and rider autograph and picture sessions. 10 We have all stood around when a rider has been injured and there has been a delay. Isle of Wight, last season, organised activities for the youngsters until the racing recommenced. Never seen that anywhere else. 11 At the Mildenhall - Isle of Wight meeting last season, the start was delayed on a red hot day. Riders then took out bottles of cold water to those stuck outside. Fantastic idea, but it didn't come from Mildenhall. 12 Finally, there's the amazing story of Ann Barrett- the speedway fan who couldn't get to the track because of her disability but went into her garden to listen to the bikes. The promotion heard about it, and now she gets a taxi to the stadium reach week and a sponsor has supplied a season ticket. That's just fantastic. All of that added up - and I am sure I can think of more given time - is impressive and accounts for the opinions that people have of what has been achieved on the Island.

The final at Wembley of the 1973 Daily Mirror International Speedway Tournament is my ultimate favorite Speedway meeting of all-time ! http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/tourdmit73.htm How I wish we could have a proper Speedway World Cup Tournament along these lines every four years ! This Meeting has all that I love about the sport. After 19 days of a round-robin tournament with twenty-one meetings held at tracks all over the country with the world's top seven international teams, followed by two semi-finals, the top two of England and Sweden met for the Grand Finale of this wonderful tournment at the greatest of all speedway venues, Wembley, with a fantastic crowd in attendance. Even the tv coverage of this event is better than most of today's often drawn out live coverage, there are no boring breaks between the races, no restarts and warnings for riders moving at the tapes, it is action all the way in a condensed form that keeps everyone's attention high. The introduction of the Swedish and English team riders is beautifully shown before the racing commences. There is no track grading shown and no need for mostly boring interviews with the riders, to fill any gaps between the heats. Commentators Lanning and Briggs make this TV show even more enjoyable to watch. The sound of the old-style speedway bikes (plus the unmistakable smell of the burnt Castrol X oil), engines roaring majestically deep, instead of today's unpleasantly shrill sound, and the 13-heat format (remember: Happiness is 40-38!), and the main event to be followed by a full second half's racing which offered some variety for the spectators. This is all so damned good, I wonder why oh why they ever gave it up for what we have come to today. Poor fools we all are, to have let our once proud Sport go to pieces! Today's speedway promoters and TV producers could learn a lot from how they did it back in 1973 !

The amount of rain we have had here this last week, we were lucky to even get the meeting on, track not the best but as said on Comets Facebook it was under water yesterday morning , so credit where it’s due. Witches a bit disappointing, thought Covatti would have been better he looked quite classy on telly for Somerset, Heeps their best rider. Fab result for our guys, Nicola and Ty sealing the meeting in heat 13 leaving witches to get two 5-1’s in last two heats. Another step closer to the playoffs . Well done boys

Congratulations to Robert Lambert podium finish last night in the SEC

Why? Because you love to have a dig, cos you dislike the club so much, cos you want the club to finish, cos you think you can do a better job than the current management, cos you have nothing better to do, what is it?

Surely there will be people taking money for the second meeting so if I pay 27 pounds couldn't I get 9 pounds back after the first meeting?

The same as what he scores. No doubles. I was at the meeting with my Gems team and throughly enjoyed the racing, but sadly in front of a poor crowd. Tricky first corner with ridges causing some problems. Schlein was holding his right knee with a wad of cotton wool and was in some distress. County ambulance was cancelled and Rory was put into the medical room and that freed up the ambulance to allow the last 2 heats to be concluded. At 9.20, immediately after heat 15 the NJL riders were wheeled out, and succeeded in getting all 6 races in by 9.55pm and beating the deadline by 5 minutes. Thanks to all for their hospitality and the cooperation of all, and especially Tony Jackson, for helping to speed things up so that the fans and riders got their full fill of meetings/rides. Tidy second half with the Gems winning 21-15 with some good battles.

If any team deserves to be there, yours definitely does.

Exactly! And there are people who choose not too. And that’s fair enough. Each to their own but I just wish they would stop bleating on about it as if anybody cares. Wednesday could still be 2 very good speedway meetings and 6 points. Could also be a train wreck but such is life. Such is speedway.

It's funny Trees,but we hadn't heard Haza for while until there is something a little bit negative to be heard about the club.Now we can't get rid of him

Firstly I must say it was nice to meet jenga and scarramanga. Pretty close meeting score wise nearly all the way through, until the last couple of races. Worky have a very solid team and look to have a rider in every race that could win the race. Was hoping ipswich would get a point at least, but finally missed out on that at the end. I know I have knocked Cameron Heeps plenty of times this season, but last night he really was fantastic, he looked fast and smooth all evening, when a few others struggled a bit. Also thought coty was excellent, maybe helped by the Danny King race suit. A few awkward looking falls for Rory mark and quest Worral. Rory crash looked particularly nasty as it looked like maybe he got his foot in a rut? All in all Worky deserved their win. And i must repeat Cameron Heeps was fantastic, that's the real rider we know he can be and is. Funny moment of the night, the mascot not being able to put what looked like an American football between the rugby post after a fair few attempts, only for what looked like one of the start a start line girl do in one attempt.

i think the glasgow followers have decreased quite a lot. not many travel, now that their season has about finished . the honeymoon period is over . last night we were lucky to get the meeting to the finish as the weather was very threatening . but the marras threatened the weather even more . 3 points towards the holy grail . lets hope the team , the supporters and the management get to the finish line . it was nice to see a forum user from down soooth @ workington . . stood with us and a very ,very nice chap , welcome anytime marra . any rider who took falls/knocks , i hope they recover quickly . inc Rory ! on a . final note , drew kemp looks an outstanding prospect . his wee battle with kyle has done them both good . he was very near to the 3rd man for points and ippo need to keep hold of him and not let the Glasgow magnet draw drew north of the border .

A brilliant ethos and I sincerely hope it continues forever. If I look back there are many Promotors who started their careers with such admirable qualities but allowed the red mist of win at all costs to cloud their judgement over the years. Poole were great at it, so were Peterborough under Rick and Julie, Len Silver always valued his customers until they consistently battered him on social media, Scunthorpe was a fabulous day out when it was in the lower tier (racing is still good) but aspirations of success and elevation bring cost challenges just to keep up with the Jones's and soon enough the viability is threatened and the focus moves from your type of ethos to win, win, win or I've got to stop bleeding out of the rse and cut costs. Please don't get drawn into that swamp, the newts will all turn into alligators come the AGM and you'll need more than your old survival suit!

Whilst many others have found other things to do after getting peed off with what happened in/to the sport and now go bowling, pass the light summer evenings in their gardens or allotments, play walking football, do any amount of things they found happen whilst they've been attending speedway meetings all around the world in the past. Not all older people who quit watching speedway are ready to sit and vegetate at home!

You would make a good promoter. Ever thought that if the VFM was improved that crowds would increase? its not rocket science - make it a consistently enjoyable value for money evening of speedway and not continually diluting the product (and raising prices) and I am sure that those who no longer go (including myself) will look to return!

Call it bleating moaning being negative and to the other extreme those who wear blinkers and see no wrong call whatever you want but everyone has a right to an opinion including the ones that have walked away - and yes I’m so hopeful of things improving to a point I want to attend again but so far I chose to keep my hard earned cash in my pocket- how can anyone defend a 7team league and struggle to fit fixtures in to a point that we have to run double headers against the same bloody team on the same night how can any one defend that ? To me that total miss management weeks with no racing in the best summer weather for years and now it’s come to this .

Not a bad performance. Add in Robert Lambert and we would have been a lot closer to second. Considering "the sport is dying" and the number of nails in the coffin, there is actually a decent future for the country at national level, if we can continue to give them support, guidance and leadership. Runners-up at senior level, third at U21 level and a possible world individual champion. We've had worse seasons!

Dream season and ‘Teterow’ is part of someone’s dream!!!As well as Terenzano....I am almost speechless lol

Protasiewicz certainly couldn't be faulted in heat 5. Superb ride.

Absolutely brilliant and that is what a team World Cup should be. Seven riders and a knock out tournament. No messing about at the start and a passionate crowd. I remember going to the round at Hackney and it was Russia but for the life of me I cannot remember the opponents but the stadium was packed. Oh happy days and if only they would give the same format a try today.

Went to the New Zealand v Australia meeting at Plough Lane.Bit of a thrashing for the Aussies(Crump was out for the season and Airey wasn't really the rider of old) with a few Plough Lane experts in the line-up.Sadly now Ivan and Ronnie are no longer with us and neither is the stadium.NZ will never see their likes again and neither will London

Oh the same no doubles, thank you. Please can you pass that on to the Sheffield management as they made a right balls of the scoring when they were there last time (so I'm told) losing by 6 points and convinced it was only 3 and thought they were in with a chance of winning so put everybody at risk in the blind slop and persisting rain just 'cos they don't know the rules and couldn't add up!

Don't you just love a good conspiracy theory.

There are those that like to stick the knife in at every opportunity.

Stadia UK are pure Bovine excrement. IMHO they have no intention of building a new stadium. They pulled a flanker over Swindon council, when they got them to amend the building restrictions, allowing them to build houses before the stadium was built. Once that happened, game over.

I forgot one. Barry Bishop engages with us on here and treats us as potential paying customers and speedway fans. Aside from Jayne Moss, he's the only one.

Yes, I too have been giving my honest forthright opinion for the last three years because I too DO care. I care very much about KLS. I have been a supporter since the first time the track opened to the public and every year since. When seeing the management being irresponsible and in denial of issues being there own fault I'm going to pipe up too! Like it or not - other posters and the KLS management.

Yes and if you don’t suck up to them on social media and say what they want to hear your blocked straight away - what awful way to treat paying customers- basically your allowed an opinion as long as it’s the same as the clubs .

The year before when the Aces were top virtually all season, they had to cram in (I think), 6 matches in just over two weeks... Some of those crowds were the lowest gates of the year, with several of them massively down on the regular crowd that year.... Getting 2000 and 3200 for the two play offs didn't cover the loss of revenue of those meetings I would suggest, or at best it broke even... If no play offs had existed then I would say that all six meetings would have run in front of healthy crowds as 'The Title' was up for grabs and every meeting meant something towards the ultimate prize.. (With the night the Champions getting the Trophy being the biggest crowd of the Season by far!) There are clear Pros and Cons to the play offs, but poor fixture planning certainly does the Sport zero favours, as instead of the Season reaching a much anticipated crescendo, it decends into farce with riders missing left, right and centre as clubs share them in Guestfests, to fit in lots of meetings before cut off time... Sadly that nonsense doesn't help bring any great kudos to winning any League, Play offs or not.... And, for me, that has a far higher negative impact to crowds than the system used to produce the 'Champions'...

Seems that Jack Thomas was kept at home by the family due to the fact that his grandfather was about to pass away. So he didn't "just not turn up". Must have been a huge shock to Chris Hunt who was already without Hurry.

Maybe jenga will know lol............??????

If play offs are a 'gimmick' its one that both rugby codes now use as their method of deciding title winners and even access to English football's highest division is partly decided by it. Clearly, speedway isn't alone in believing that this is the method that is most beneficial to the sport as a whole.

August 18, absolutely ridiculous state of affairs.

Great to see tonight the Supporters Club make a donation to the club. Makes total sense that the two parties pull together. The Supporters Club have a lot of members who are daft for the club. Can only be good for the future.

Too right Danny, the club has a good feel about it, I truly believe the riders are giving 100% for the cause, what more can we ask, at the end of the day it’s about our team and us supporters, we chose to go watch the team or we don’t, we accept what’s going down or we don’t, we have two chances ..... I choose GO

Poole didn't agree it did they? Didn't they just go ahead and do it regardless? its no good anyway as the riders would have to ride for their inferior 2nd league teams because of the tail wagging the dog rules wise. Bit of over reacting negativity wise though. guest wise etc this season all round has been much better. Its a good time to be a lynn fan. Im enjoying speedway more than i have in many years. Come onto the forum and its full of bs. Don't go! Simple! Lots of people clearly are enjoying it because they keep turning up each week and I'm pretty sure your not missed if you don't! I really don't get the over self importance? Its a rubbish situation but lets make the most we can out of it. At least we know in advance so we can make our choices on attending with that in mind.

Totally agree if some people put as much effort in to supporting there team on track, as they do moaning on here the atmosphere maybe a lot better in the stadiums.

Remember Oxford's successful glory years (1985, 86 & 89) when they were involved not only in the championship but Knock -Out Cup, League Cup, Gold Cup & Midland Cup Finals during the last month/six weeks of the season. Only the weather beat 'The Cheetahs' to a clean sweep in 1986 but what halcyon days with all to play for as the season reached a climax...no damp squib but meaningful matches which attracted great, enthusiastic, crowds with plenty of atmosphere at all venues they rode at. Ironic that three teams involved in those cup finals three no longer exist...Oxford, Coventry and Cradley Heath (only Ipswich survive)

Australia vs Poland at Cowley when the stadium was jammed pack! Zenon Plech's crash that was captured by Mike Patrick and 'soon to be' World Champion Jerzy Szczakiel's only outing as far as the first bend when he got trapped under the kick board and an unlikely Polish hero in Jan Mucha...great memories of a great event during speedway's last 'Golden Era'!

I would like to attend the first meeting v Wolves then leave before the second one starts. Does anyone know if I can do so and only pay 18 pounds?

That must explain why the Ipswich v Glasgow meeting is now on September 13th. With both teams strong play-off contenders the cut-off must have been moved.

Speedway isn't typical of normal sports. The group matches serve the purpose of practice for majority of teams to fine tune their sides and drop off form riders and bring in stronger ones. Poole did this. It makes a mockery of a sport set up to build a bond between riders and fans when a side can look totally different within weeks of the new season. It is short term thinking. Do other sports see teams gradually kick out the weaker members so they can bring in stronger players before the big occasion of the Play off? The team ethnicity has vanished. That was what attracted fans to watch. Riders appear for so many teams now that it's hard to keep up. It's not about building sides for the future anymore. Six months of the league season is speedway's future. Then we all start again. As you keep harping on about 4th V 5th, what do you think is the impact on teams who have no chance of making the POs in 7th and 8th? Will there fans stop attending and they'll close because they are meaningless matches? Or will the follow my oap way of thinking and just enjoy the sport the way we used to, when it was more about hope than it was winning?

Completely agree, stop the petty arguments and work together for the betterment of Berwick speedway.

Seeing as you are really aware of the money side of things, why now in the years of Play-Off speedway is the sport in the most worrying state it's ever been? There is something keeping the fans away. One forum poster mentioned taking 50% off entrance money, which is not going to happen, but speedway must have suffered a similar reduction in crowd numbers the last 25 years, all in the time PO speedway has mostly been in force. We have had live speedway since 1999, POs since 2002, and yet look at the state of the sport. I am still uncertain that PO speedway is better for a speedway season. It keeps up interest, but at the same time it's sort of begging to the few fans that are still left that their collective attention spans won't be questioned. You keep having a dig at old fans. So, come on Mr Marketing Man, where are the Play-Offs winning the new fans? As the old fans become disillusioned and no longer attend and drift away with each month, there's enough space on the terraces for everyone. If you like the X-Factor type of gimmick shows, the Play-Offs are your bag. Just not for me. And, by the way, Rye House went bust only weeks ago.. and there's more to come.

Few if any of today’s Aussie riders have either the class or the refinement or the skill of some of their former compatriots. Jason Crump, Shane Parker, Billy Sanders, Jason Lyons, Craig Boyce, Ryan Sullivan etc. would give it a go and get on with the job most of the time. The current crop believe they are better then they really are which is a shame but no one can stand a whinging Aussie rider. Many of the current riding fraternity cannot entertain the public let alone stand up and be counted when asked to talk to joe public to justify a decision. Who in their right mind would want to run a club where the tail is wagging the dog. At least at NL level few seem to have the fear factor that is all to evident by those with supposedly more experience.

Harris not necessarily lying, Lawson might well have said he would have ridden, although he might not have wanted to. Agree riders are now more reluctant to ride in adverse conditions, but imo this is because today's machines are faster than before and are more difficult to control on less than perfect track surfaces.

CLEARLY his hand has been forced, so the least we can do is support him and our club and team??

Fixtures were agreed pre season then bspa and Mr Godfrey said Workington and others could not run agreed fixtures, where have you been over the last few months when this has been discussed ?

Who exactly are the 40,00 who attend Cardiff? Probably only around half that figure regularly attend normal speedway in a week so that leaves a sizeable chunk who apparently only support this one meeting. Factor in also that not everyone of the regular speedway crowd will visit Cardiff and the mystery 'one meeting only attendees' crowd is even bigger. Just puzzled, that's all! Despite what doom merchants say it is clear that the Cardiff crowds have held firm over 15 years with little sign (thankfully), of the bubble bursting in direct contrast to the dwindling domestic attendance. Cardiff truly is a dream event for a sport that is otherwise on it's knees. For as long as we have this glorious showpiece event, there will always be hope.