mikebv

Yes they will... It is next Wednesday...

Cannot just have a wet T shirt comp for ladies anymore... In fact, you may need around 18 different categories...

Now that is a professional at work.... Always see an opportunity... Never openly criticise your punters... A "growth mindset" can aptly describe those of a similar disposition... Be positively constructive in any criticism you give, accept all feedvack as useful, take calculated risks, make mistakes, learn from them... Imagine if all promoters had such a mindset?

Have you seen the size of some of those old blokes who go to Speedway? They can keep their overcoats on for me...

The Spurs of Speedway.... To paraphrase Fergie's pre match teamtalk... "Lads, its Glasgow"

Tide in? Or is it out when the track is poor? Can't quite remember...

That would mean to pay for the away leg of their home match as well, they would need to find around £24k from that home meeting... If that is the case, and that is "average" for teams in Div 1 they would be better putting up say £25k per meeting in prize money.. £15k to the winners, £10k to the losers.. The sport spends a huge amount on salaries but never uses this money to sell itself.. £25k a night, even £20k, (£12k and £8k) would deliver a massive amount of prize money over a season. A massive amount over a season that you could market your sport off the back of it.. Advertise the sport as having "X million" prize money.. They pay out fortunes and nobody outside the sport knows about it.. The costs will be the same the message to the wider public, very, very different... Agree to divvy up the money as they do now No1 the most, No7 the least... Set %'s...

The No1's over the last couple of decades havent usually missed the home matches... Strangely, no clashes with any overseas or FIM commitments.. On the other hand... Away matches have quite often been a bit of different story.....

Probably tried but Mark Lemon didn't want any of them riding for such a close play off rival..

I think the big plus the IOW have in their favour is that they domt pretend to be something they are not... They provide riders with a chance to race and earn... But they dont make out that what they do has some bigger, wider, relevance, kudos, and meaning other than putting on authentic entertainment (varied), for their punters... Speedway in the UK has built itself into some contrived, cobbled together 'plastic' version of a pro team sport, rather than actually being a bona fide one in the real sense of the phrase.. A very, very difficult starting proposition from which to grow themselves into a successful business I would think... If you dont run any team sport that engenders that, fundamentally, so important emotional buy in, then you will really struggle to get cut through.. A fantastic raw product to sell.. Just so poorly packaged and sold..

I have attend BV four times this year.. First meeting v Sheffield, PCMM, and the visits of Emil and Artem... Not sure how many other meetings there has been, but just by me not purchasing any tickets for them, it should have triggered the club to make contact and at least inform me of what is taking place in the near future... My email is known to them when I buy the tickets,, so they will know when I have attended, and when I havent... Two meetings missed and that should be pounced on, eg 10% off the next etc.. I have also never received any "feedback request" as to the experience of attending, which is a very basic mechanic in the entertainment industry.. When you are fighting for every customer through the door, then seek feedback from regulars, but, more importantly, seek feedback from those who attend less regularly... Much easier to get these people to visit more often than get newbiies to attend because they actually purchase your product and know who you are!! I remember reading on another thread someone saying that if the person who was complaining had an issue with the promoter of their team then they should go and speak with them... A typical arse about face way symptomatic of what pervades.. The owners of the tracks should actively seek feedback, they should also review closely all social media pertaining to their club and sport as this provides unsolicited feedback which is "gold" for any business wanting to improve.. The sport seems to do nothing along the lines of putting together a "think tank" to find out how best to progress it, instead they meet up within their own echo chamber, which usually seems to result in very much of the "same old, same old", which clearly isn't fit for purpose.. So much could be done as a collective.. But so little seems to be...

Free ticket giveaways on their own are not worth doing... Free ticket giveaways, to a targeted market, with communication details, and an ongoing dialogue, can work.. One offs don't work.. Maybe getting them to come four or five times would? As has been said, these people are not attending now, so you are not losing out... Modern technology can give you a database of all your customers (with most tracks sadly not needing too many GB's or Bandwidth to collate this info).. Imagine having names, addresses, emails, mobile numbers, birthdays, kids birthdays etc of your customers, so you can keep in constant communication.? Imagine knowing who attends, when they attend, and how often, so you can make them offers and provide loyalty discounts on admission and merchandise? Then imagine how much more succesfult your business would be knowing all this information... BSN constantly contact me with what they are offering... I never get an email from Belle Vue... Literally several million quid will be spent as a collective this season by all the teams in the leagues... Much of which given to riders seldom local people will have ever heard of... With hardly a jot spent on collective targeted marketing to these very same potential customers... And ultimately all done to acheive?

Given the level of rider often used, ie 2nd and 3rd Div in Poland.. Friday's are the one "weekend" night that doesnt have any clashes given only the top league ride on Friday's in Poland.. Arranging meetings on Sat/Sun would be even more of a logistical nightmare...

The tipping point has long since passed... What we have now is a made up, contrived operating model trying to masquerade as a team sport.. And that is the best they can come up with, (not a criticism as without them there wouldnt be Speedway)... It has to be, as by no stretch of the imagination would you want, or design, to run the sport in the current way, if you were starting it tomorrow.. Too many fundamental flaws in their "cunning plan", and too much self interest, with no independent arbiter to be the gatekeeper of integrity and credibility, delivers exactly what we now have.. That won't change.. The sport, over here, is just in existence to allow riders to earn as much as they can, as many times a week as they can, and for promoters to have a "plaything" that allows them to feel that they are in some way playing a major role in a "professional sport" which has some relevance.. And, to allow the feeling that it somehow all matters, fans then have to collude with them, and suspend reality each time they attend.. It wont matter how many riders per team we have, or how the leagues are constructed, or what nights they race on... It will still all ultimately end up as "let's make it all up as we go along" as no one will ever be "in charge" to stop it, and save the sport from itself... Just go along, enjoy the racing, and, if so inclined, join in and pretend it means something... The sport wont ever "reset", and it wont ever allow outside guidance and administration.. As, if it wanted to, it would have done so many, many years ago given the obvious flaws in its operating model.. Plenty of decent racing to be had around the country each week, so pick and choose which meetings to attend over a season, and enjoy them for what they are, and dont get too hung up on any results... Treat it similar to something like WWE and class it as "sports entertainment" and you can still have an excellent, value for money, night out depending on the level of racing and promotional skill set of those in charge on the night.. An almost annual dwindling amount of tracks and fanbase can only end one way sadly, so make the most of it, and, hopefully, your local track will keep going for a good few years yet..

Great to see Artem has got better and managed to make it...

One more go TB?

I liked it when it was in black and white... And had Bjorn Knuttson on the front.... An excellent publication that does much to make the UK version of Speedway look professional..

Thw only sport I can think off that those most in need of development can get replaced even though they are doing better than the level they were brought in at...

Oh the irony.. A plethora of guests available on a Friday night for Scunthorpe to use.... And not using any...

When I have been to Birmingham, it was noticeable how large a percentage of the crowd "wore the club shop".. Not large crowds in total, granted.. But it does suggest that a losing team could impact attendances quite a bit % wise if those fans in particular became disillusioned.... Many tracks have a fair % of fans who can just go along to watch the racing which can help them during a poor run of performances, as they turn up anyway.. It was also noticeable the age demographic of those in attendance proudly wearing their yellow and red, and, sadly, there will be other reasons as to their less regular visits too I would think as the years have gone by and continue to do so.. Certainly the "oldest" crowd I have seen at Speedway... Although a few will run them close.... It does certainly seem like it has been a "hard sell" for all Birmingham Promoters after the "honeymoon period" ended after a few years of their return.. You cannot knock those currently in charge for their efforts though can you?

Especially when so many at the tracks will say "the track is really slick"... What exactly is it they are grading for lap after lap, after lap? Within two laps into the first race after the grading, the inside is as bare as it was when the race before finished...

Attending meetings just "for the racing" definitely delivers for me too.. The only downside is that any team sport desperately needs their followers to believe in the teams from an emotional angle.. Which hopefully then encourages plenty of repeat visits, rather than the "occasional ones" that you and I (and countless others "generic fans"), currently do.. The actual racing is as good as anything i have seen in over 50 years of following it.. If they could ever add credibility to the quality of racing then they could be on to a winner.. Hopefully one day, it may sink in, and they give it a go...

The six figures in two years is obviously a lot of money, but... Say it was £120k...? Over say 30 home meetings in that time that is £4k a match.. At twenty quid to get in, and pay the VAT, that is only around 250 fans a week from "break even"... I would say most tracks have (at least and probably many more), than 250 fans who no longer attend regularly due to its operating model.. But these fans turn up "now and again" if a particular rider is in town, or the mood fits on any particular night (eg decent weather, not been for a while etc).. Many of the official, and unofficial, social media club sites have well over 3000 followers of the respective clubs... And, as the play offs show, 3000 crowds can be delivered... So, the potential is definitely there for the sport.. New fans coming in is fine.. But. Getting those who are still fans of the sport, but dont have enough emotional attachment to their team, due to how the sport is ran, is the real opportunity... Eg 2.75M live within 45 mins of the NSS in Grt. Manchester.. Surely even the most basic marketing could get an extra 500 there each week..? You don't even need the same 500 from week to week, just another 500.. Promoters must be putting in huge amounts individually, and all to deliver "what?" in all honesty.. Imagine all putting in the same figures to collectively market the sport together? With no promotion or relegation, and the quite ridiculous operating model, the sport needs to ensure the entertainment keeps fans interested.. If "Fortunes are spent" then spend them on promoting the sport before the night, during it, and after the event... A really honest interview in the SS with Alex Brady, who seems one of those positive, modern thinkers that the sport so desperately needs... Let's hope he can come back into it soon...

Would be interesting to see if the Aces or Ipswich signed him... Bet it would get reassessed to a seven very sharpish... "Based on his performances in the meetings he did compete in, we feel that we need to put him on the average that he should have been allocated with in the first place.."

If he doesnt complete enough meetings and keeps his 5 average you can bet he will get plenty of offers...