mikebv

Is James a rising star as well?

The difference is of course that for many of the clubs you mention, who pushed up wages, who gave contracts to NL 'lifers', and worked under a sustainable operating model and business plan whilst in the third tier... Are now no longer in it... Instead they are reaping in the higher divisions what they themselves heavily contributed to sowing whilst in the NL. A neck made of pure brass some people...

The reality is that the standalone clubs were invariably running Speedway at the level that is both affordable for customers and delivered VFM, whilst also being profitable for them... How very dare they.... That's not the way to run a business.... Well not in UK Speedway anyway...

li think its an accurate description, but the reason for the team strengths is, for me, so more teams can afford to run a team, and at the same time 'reset' what the NDL actually is... Hence the 'standalone' teams are almost an endangered species given their operating model is/was almost at a tangent to what the BSPL wants the NDL to be..

Will any tell the panel that they SAVED money last year?

I think the plan could be to get to 'Championship' level for the top league of say 12 teams, then maybe a 12 team league of slightly better than the current NL, made up of stand alone clubs and 'Colts' teams from some of those in the top league.. Let's be honest we are nearly there now with none of the riders who are competing being truly 'Elite', with only a very few able to even get considered to have the opportunity to compete at the highest levels in Poland or Sweden. If each team next year in the top league had two Rising Stars, with the 'best 24' in the top league, and 24 pretty much newcomers in the 2nd tier, I am sure it could put many clubs on a more financially even footing.. Fixed race nights would still allow plenty to double up so lots of meetings for those lads who have only a slim chance of getting fixed up in either Sweden or Polands top division.. The NL operating model has proven itself as a success when it comes to giving clubs who may have gone out of business by staying in the 2nd tier, (or already had) a chance to become profitable and has provided plenty of decent, value for money entertainment.. Maybe some within the BSPL have noticed that and seen an opportunity? A league that would sit between the current NL and the Championship standard wise might just be where the second tier can thrive and be a true 'stepping stone' to the top league.. Some do talk of a lowering of standards driving punters away, however when the worlds best rode here, double digit % drops in annual crowd levels were not unusual, so, I would suggest, those who still attend now are 'bomb proof' as far as following the sport goes, so a couple of years of 'reset" where every club can be secure of coming back to the tapes the next year, might not be a bad idea.. There is a world out there who would know hardly any of those who ride at GP level, never mind UK standard, so, using the Eurosport coverage, "names" and reputations could be built by those who appear in front of the cameras each week.. We who follow the sport may know they are not "top level" but the vast majority of those watching at home wont.. And they are the ones that need their interest pricking..

It will just mean more doubling up surely? Maybe a weaker top league to incorporate Swindon back and (possibly) entice up one of the Championship teams.. Where now we have, in the main, heat leaders doubling up, you will probably have more second strings doing the same.. The Championship teams will still have their riders but more will double up..

Been obvious for a long, long time hasnt it? Letting employees dictate to their employer when they will attend, and when they wont because of working elsewhere, so the owner becomes restricted as to when they can open for business, isnt on any of the many successful business plans I have seen used I must be honest.. Maybe opening when your customers want you to do so, just might improve things ever so slightly?

See your point, however.. I look at my local team, Belle Vue, and their crowds can swing from well over 2000 (and even 3000), on a Bank Holiday, down to circa 1000 to 1200 on a 'normal night'.. A pattern pretty much mirrored around probably every club.. Therefore, there are still more than enough fans out there, it's just that not enough of them attend enough times per season to truly make a positive year on year difference to the sports' coffers.. Getting these people who by definition of their sporadic attending know what Speedway is, and are quite happy to attend two or three times a year, to increase their visits even by just five to ten times more is, for me, the key to success.. They are alive, and well, and sat at home knowing that 'the Speedway is on', but haven't been sufficiently enticed to leave that armchair..

Poor racing in front of a huge crowd will deliver far more atmosphere and wanting to attend again, than great racing in front of a poor one would.. I think the overall standard of racing nowadays is easily on a par, (if not better when you watch the SEC, SON and GP's) with any eras racing I have watched... Put simply, watching Peter Collins and Ivan Mauger race in the 70's in front of "one man and his dog" would have left the sport struggling back then just as much as it is today.. Those massive crowds elevated enormously what these two superstars, (and others), delivered..

100% agree.. The cost to compete and the cost to spectate is the absolute biggest hurdle standing in the way of the sport growing.. Promoters will want riders to have the 'best kit' so riders will ask for the money that let's them buy the 'best kit'.. The Promoters will then have to pass this expense on to the public if not enough sponsors are forthcoming... The triple irony being that winning any domestic Speedway team title has been rendered pretty worthless by its operating model, and the 'best kit' is often actually needed by the rider himself to pursue his own global ambitions, with these ambitions then restricting the club's fixture planning to a narrow window of nights that are available.. Growing your fanbase significantly at circa £18 a ticket isnt going to be an easy sell I would think, yet those ever spiraling costs wont allow for any much needed reduction in price to get the "goneaways' in particular back interested again.. And for me, getting those that 'used to go' to attend again, has to be easier than attracting a newbie to regularly take up the sport.. Its currently a fair old race to the bottom between promoters and riders unless some better plan can be unleashed..

The bottom line is regardless of any 'fee' to Terry Russell, there was a lot of money put into the respective coffers of the clubs.... Wasn't it £100k per team in the top league and then a fair few thousand per match to the hosting club for the matches covered? And the contract covered a good many years... I would suggest that even if Terry Russell had waived any fee (with no reason to do so by the way), we would still be where we are today and that the 'extra money' it would have produced, would have still been spent the same way as all the rest.. With the same amount of "nothing" to show for it today...

Each to their own I presume... Like all prices set, the customer will determine just how much £24 is regarded as VFM.... If enough pay to at least cover costs, or even make money, then the price set is the right one... Will teams just charge on these nights for one meeting only I wonder? (If they can do so logistically)... No disrespect but I would imagine a fair few wouldn't always be interested in staying behind to watch the NL lads so may actually get put off attending if it was £24 'all or nothing, take it or leave it'... Any away Championship team fans for example may want to get back home as soon as the main meeting finishes...

It was mentioned in the SS by Jason Pipe that those who were making a living from riding NL would have to change that mindset.. You can only therefore think that part of the strategy of having so many 'novices' per team is simply done to keep the costs within what the clubs can afford to run their NL teams.. And £20 for 30 heats of Speedway is very good value for money I would say.. My only concern is if the whole 30 heats don't get completed, 'too regularly', would the fans then start to lose faith in the product..?

I am sure a good many had tried to get "Speedway on the telly", and failed, before Russell managed it... A 'finders'' or 'brokers' fee would be a usual thing to then get paid... There was still a "hell of a lot of money" 'that went to the clubs over a good many years... A shame that money didn't get used well to further enhance the sport in the UK..

They could run a joint Premiership/Championship Pairs event at the same time... Half the rider's kevlars in their Premiership team's colours and the other half in their Championship teams colours... Would pull a huge crowd as every team in the country will be involved... It might be awkward to work out a scoring system given each pair of riders will have a different 'other' team but I am sure Speedway would come up with a perfectly sensible solution... Held at Scunthorpe obviously.... But not on a Friday just in case guests are needed....

Didn't Speedway have some link to several MP's a few years ago? Are they still there?

What about... "The League of Scotland"...? Meet each other home and away 16 times, so 32 matches.. (Similar to the way Scotland runs its football)... Add two Play Off Semi's and a Play Off Final and that's 35. Throw in a "Scottish Cup", (semis and Final), and you get 38 fixtures. Similar to the boat race down here, the same two teams will qualify each year for the final... And to be fair, a two team top league in Scotland will only be 4 less that the top league in England...

To give it some credibility and attainment value you would like to think this would be the plan wouldn't you? WIth maybe a league winners shield for the No1 team? I would think though that the No1 team would want a play off final to draw a crowd so the top four may be the outcome..

Good to see Adam Ellis riding over here... No overnight sensation like some, but instead is a rider that has made steady incremental improvements... With still a fair bit to come I reckon..

Innit...

I seem to remember Hyde Rd having a turnstile that clicked but never registered... Similar to a great many sporting venues at the time when it was pay at the gate... Is it a crime to over inflate your attendances? Especially nowadays when so much is paid by card, tracks could easily show how much they take if the IR get involved, but still put out the odd 'mistake' when it comes to attendances.. If you read "3000 fans at the NSS for the Aces v Wolves match" if may get some of the many "sheep like people" to follow the week after.. Nothing wrong with a nice bit of 'economic with the truth' hype...

Thought the Tamil Tigers got a fair following....

As everyone knows a 'poor team' is generally regarded as "overall bad for business" as they get beat at home and dont then generally attract a crowd away from home so all clubs then suffer.. One reason Plymouth have been allowed in I would think is that they have one of the all time greats of the sport in their team in Jason Crump and another ex 'World level' rider in Bjarne Pederson basically doing a "farewell tour"... Add in a couple of exciting potential new talents from the USA and France and you will certainly have something to 'sell' each week for both the home and away promotions.. And 12 months later, when established and with more time to plan, they can then start to build on what will hopefully have been a good year.. They seem a progressive promoting team down there so that alone can only be an asset to the sport...

To be announced during the budget tomorrow.. Will Speedway be included in this one? Cricket, Horse Racing and Tennis mentioned on the BBC website as three sports that will..