George Dodds

as they do after every meeting

fear you're on a loser getting upset about levels of literacy and grammar with users of the BSF

Why do crowd levels matter? Surely what BT need is for speedway fans to take out subscriptions or for the sport to attract new advertisers. That is what makes them money and that is what they are interested in.

Agree with most of the above but not sure about the Bridger comment. His fall tonight was through trying too hard (Dany took advantage of the restart, indeed you could argue it was the turning point in the meeting) and whatever damage he did to himself/his bike left him off the pace for the last couple of rides. Personally I always kinda hope he misses the gate and has to charge from the back, it might leave him prone to the odd mishap but it's exciting to watch.

Appeal on facebook for volunteers on Saturday morning so they share your thinking! Due to the ever changing forecast we are looking for volunteers to help us cover the track in the morning. We plan to have all hands on deck between 8/8:30am but we are dictated to by the forecast. If things change we will keep you informed. Thanks in advance and feel free to share as many hands make light work of a job only our great club is currently undertaking anywhere in the speedway world! Free Teas and Coffees will be on hand for all helpers. ☕️ #banditsinnovation #spreadtheword

Thought he's made himself unavailable for GB. Has he changed his mind?

a common allegation but I I have pointed out on a number of occasions the taxman collects VAT on the basis of detailed verified returns rather than looking at the local newspaper (or internet forum). In history only football and to a lesser extent rugby have ever published crowd figures - I've never seen detailed attendances from cricket, ice hockey etc - surely you aren't suggesting are not all conning HMRC?

Just one more thing to note on Wasps - according to their own website despite averaging 16,000 people per match and their payout from the Rugby Football Union rising by £1.2 million they LOST £3.8million in season 2015/16 - having lost £2.4 million the previous season. While I'm not by any stretch of the imagination knocking their innovative marketing efforts it does suggest that the real reason for their "success" is owners with deep pockets.

I get the fact that Wasps are a success now. However, the same club with the same marketing strategy (and huge budget) playing in a sport which has a huge TV (satellite and terrestrial) and national newspaper presence has failed at Loftus Road and Hendon in London and at Wycombe (they were London Wasps until they moved to the Midlands) so it is not always a case of targeting a market - often it is being in the right place. Would, I wonder, they have been as successful if Coventry City were still in the Premiership? So maybe speedway clubs don't just need to market themselves better - they need to up sticks and move to a new city!!

yup

To be fair to the Berwick and Ipswich riders there was a very heavy shower just as the covers came off on Saturday and the track was very wet to start with but didn't hear mutterings about anyone not prepared to ride and there was some good racing from riders on both sides.

Yup the Indian Premier League and other T20 is played out in front of one man and a dog rather than crods of up to 100,000.

sorry but being based in the north east 17,000 seems poor compared to Newcastle, Sunderland or Middlesbrough, ok I'll qualify it - only football seems capable of pulling a decent crowd in Bradford Also I notice their average jumped 5,000 to the figure you quote in one season - the average over the previous five years was nearer 10,000 - what did they do?

Bradford closed a number of times because not enough people went to watch speedway at Odsal at a time when crowds were much higher. Bradford Bulls keep going bust because they don't get big enough crowds to pay the bills for a professional rugby club, Bradford City draw poor crowds. Perhaps Bradford isn't a big sports-loving city. So despite how good the racing used to be running htere is likely to be a financial disaster waiting to happen

Not that unusual as most of ITV sport is currently anchored by staff associated wit the BBC - Mark Pougatch, Jacqui Oatley spring to mind

Think Mr Lambert might be hoping to beat him to it - number six maybe!

Not sure how much the site would be worth for housing - there is already three big sites in the town with planning permission which aren't being developed because there isn't the money in it for the housebuilders. This is Berwick not London.

because he's exciting?

Why would Belle Vue pay his mechanic - surely that should come from the rider not the club.

Came across this. Anyone know what the footage is of ... or what the words say? http://eepurl.com/ceAEIP

looking at his average it would seem that Berwick isn't the only place dear old Rasmus finds passing impossible

would be very surprised if the culprits had bought them rather than, ahem, "acquired" them from somewhere

yup academy meeting in the bar on sat 3 (no meeting on track), Somerset on track on Monday 5

If you're asking me if the toughest sell is to persuade people that £15 for a couple of hours at the speedway is good value for money in a town where wages are low and disposable income tight then I would agree. Where I work they would expect a couple of hours solid drinking and a bag of chips (coz they're classy like) for the cost of 15 heats of speedway. Before you counter with football - well 90 minutes action against 22 minutes speaks for itself.

Really? Sure you're not just making some of this up and that both the things highlighted already happen? As for having no alternative sports to compete with - have you ever been at Berwick station when Newcastle United are at home and seen how many people leave town to watch their sport. Leaflets/posters are displayed in between 70 and 100 pubs and local businesses in the town. No-one is saying that there isn't more that can be done, to say nothing is happening is, to say the least, untrue.