Hot Shoe

It's easy to say that the admission prices are too high when it isn't you trying to balance the books. I'd say compared to many other sports 18 quid is about right. The problem with speedway is that the BSPA/SCB and promoters still have the 1950s attitude that they are doing the public a favour by staging the sport. When they understand that the public demands for entertainment are higher than decades ago then sport may move forward but the top tip is don't hold your breath.

It could have been worse. It could have been another farewell meeting that wasn't.

So probably nothing to do with the BSPA/SCB?

That's exactly what i thought.

But did he understand why football clubs get those 'favourable incentives'? Football clubs in England receive grants for stadium improvements most often from the Football Association which is the governing body for the sport in this country. They also can receive funding locally and through lottery grants and there is no reason why any speedway club couldn't apply for a grant either as long as they can show that they are contributing something to the local community through schemes for children, youth, disabled groups etc. Having been involved in a football club that received grants i can assure anyone that football clubs do not receive money for nothing. They have to prove that they are contributing something to the community through various initiatives and there is a long process involved in gaining any grant. People who think that money is just thrown at football clubs have no idea of the work actually involved i getting that money.

That's a bit of a red herring. Most grants given to football clubs for stadium improvements comes from Football Association grants and often the club has to own their own ground to receive the maximum grants . This would be like whoever runs speedway handing out grants to speedway clubs for stadium improvements. Also football clubs have to pay for crowd control and that's why they use stewards who are much cheaper than the police. Another point is that most subsidies that football clubs receive other than for ground improvements is because they are putting something back into the community by running after school course for kids etc and walking football for the over 60s and numerous other activities that help the local community and that's why every professional football club has a community officer and a team to put on these activities. Football is also a massive industry which pays £millions in taxes to the government each year unlike speedway.

I think the racing is excellent at the moment and at many meetings now good racing is more consistent than it was in the 60s, 70, 80s & 90s. I probably see more overtakes in an evening at Scunny now than i did in a month at Wimbledon in the 'good old days'.

It was promoted better and was in keeping with the times (i.e. the 1980s). Now people demand more like better facilities, better presentation etc. All successful sports have moved on while speedway has simply stood still.

I too was fortunate to watch speedway in the same period (and long before) as you and still go every week. The problem is that many supporters and promoters still think we are in the 1980s so the best advice i could ever email to the BSPA is that we are now in 2018. Unfortunately they would probably bin it and carry on with their 1980s view of how sport should be run.

I totally agree that speedway has changed but then so do we as humans. We don't all like now what we liked in the 90s. All sports lose fans for various reasons but speedways problem is that they haven't been replaced by new fans coming into the sport.

If speedway's decline is down to the 'new bikes' then it's amazing that the sport has continued for 25 years since the introduction of the 'new bikes'. I think you need to look a little deeper to understand why it has declined.

Time moves on and what got you hooked isn't necessarily going to appealed to kids today. To older fans old bikes are nostalgic but show a kid and old upright bike today and it wouldn't mean a thing to him. Once owners and promoters realise that the 1980s have gone forever then speedway can move forward.

Ten out of ten for observation but it's hardly on the level of professional football. Premier League football clubs have big superstores selling an enormous range of goods which is hardly comparable with a tatty old track shop.

Or like the new stadium maybe they will remain just a figment of someone's imagination.

Would that be the old or the 'new' Swindon stadium?

That's a good point. Years ago people went to speedway etc as simply a evenings entertainment. There was no pre-meeting entertainment and you had a cup of tea if you were lucky. Now everything has to be an event and people demand more than just watching the racing. Go to professional football or rugby now and you have a glossy souvenir programme, burger, chips and a drink and a visit to the club shop to get your replica shirt etc. Speedway promoters haven't moved with the times.

There are a couple of groups going around UK speedway tracks this season with old upright bikes and this is great for older fans who remember them but don't forget the uprights disappeared from league speedway around 25 years ago and younger and newer fans have no association with these bikes at all either in looks or smell. As for Castrol R yes it's smells great but is nasty stuff if you have to strip down an engine. I use Castrol A747 in a classic road racer i have and although it doesn't smell the same as Castrol R is pretty close and doesn't do the same damage to the motor.

.....and while the nation (well ok a couple of thousand) sits in front of their TVs and wearing black armbands for one last glimpse of their beloved speedway they will be told that due to the track conditions the meeting is now cancelled. The TV cameras will then zoom in on a BSPA official on the centre green playing the last post (completely out of tune of course) then the flag will be lowered and the death of speedway will be announced next morning in The Times.

The governing bodies and those who run and promote speedway have been the architects of their own downfall for years. They have treated the fans with contempt but because those fans love the sport so much they return week in week out however poorly they are treated. The problem is that those people won't be around forever and newer fans demand more and unfortunately those who run and promote the sport in this country can't or won't move with the times. After the fiasco last years 4TT at Peterborough and the so called 'farewell' at Swindon and the no show new stadium that was promised i won't go to either of these tracks now like may fans who are voting with their feet. Sadly speedway is finished as a professional sport in this country. I just wish that someone capable (BSPA/SCB and Promoters look away now) could arrange one last meeting so we could give it one last decent send off.

Sadly the BSPA don't understand that fans are actually customers. A fact that seems to be lost on many promoters too.

Let customers know what the situation is?

Yes the tickets (like at many Premier League clubs) are classed as A, B & C matches and i was pointing that you can watch Premier League football for a very reasonable price. By giving up in football i presume you mean top level football. If that is the case (you mention inflated salaries etc) and you have a problem with that then there is a lot other football available to watch and i can assure you that none of the players will be on inflated salaries.

Tickets for some West Ham United home matches for the 2018/19 season can be bought for £25 for adults and £12.50 for Under 16s, Under 21s & Over 65s. It's on the official WHU website if you want to check it.

Is that apart from PSG?

Plenty of 'average' men and women attend football matches so therefore it hasn't priced itself out of the reach of them. Kits are a ludicrous price but there is no obligation to buy them but just like overpriced phones, video games, gadgets etc plenty people want to buy them. As for chairmen/owners being greedy in their football involvement many do it at Premier League level simply because they want to show off their wealth. If they wanted to make money they could all make more away from football. The people who run football on the other hand seem to be the more greedy ones. I realise that most speedway supporters think about the Premier League when they mention 'football' but there is much more to football than the Premier League which can't be compared in any way with football outside of the PL bubble.Over the years i 've met some really genuine people who have had the game at heart and poured thousands of pounds into clubs to keep them afloat simply because they loved the club and the sport. Perhaps if speedway had people like that it wouldn't be in the decline it is now. There are good and bad in all sports and football and speedway are no exceptions. Football: It's not all bad ,you know!