mikebv

A one league regionally based could work Steve if you race twice against your own region home and away and once against the teams from the other region. This would mean your nearest teams in the other region will still get a visit from you and vice versa.. Top two in each region play off against each other to decide who represents the region in the Grand Final. Run a National KO Cup, a Best Pairs and a Fours.. Maybe also a regional individual Championship where top eight from both go into a National Riders Championship? More local (ish) derbies cannot be a bad thing and you could always run a season or two with six man teams until more riders become available.. Something has to change though without a doubt.. If Poole were seriously considering to drop down it would only take Belle Vue to consider doing the same and 100% the PL would collapse.. Long overdue the Aces dropping down for me given the northern base of the Championship and they could race Friday's and Saturdays.. The reality is that crowds are now so low at most clubs just 200-300 more a night would genuinely make a huge difference to most places, and let's face it, the sport isn't going to gain any credible operating model overnight allowing it to be taken seriously by thousands, so might as well all run on nights they can get their best crowds. Crowd increases which generally will made up of those who either used to go or attend sporadically now but would attend more often if ran on nights they can traditionally get there...

I remember one night a few years ago when Martin Vaculik and Vaclav Milik raced against each other in the SEC... In just four laps we had. . Millichich.. Millichik Vaculich And Vacilik... And of course we have the 'How many variations of Kasper Woryna's surname can we muster?' Competition.. !!! Love listening to Sam.. Priceless...

You can see why some may fans simply "give up" can't you? We now have Kyle Bickley possibly missing the NL KO Cup Final as it's been arranged on the same night as a GB International match.. And the Championship Final will no doubt have a guest farce written into its contract somewhere along the line.. Lets be honest, if the supposed prestigious, showpiece events are treated (by those who run them), with such a lack of respect, why then should the fan base bother with them and attend? Sometimes you do actually feel that some one is possibly conducting a top level governmental experiment in the background, trying at every corner to undermine it with the most ridiculous decision making imaginable to see how far it can be stretched before breaking.. Or maybe it's a bunch of rabid environmentalists involved who just want the sport closed down on noise pollution grounds or because of the global air miles pollution footprint so many riders infest on the world? Or powerful property investers who want all tracks becoming housing estates? My own personal belief (and only rational conclusion I can make given what constantly goes on), is that "Dr Evil" from Austin Powers is actually in overall charge, has brainwashed everyone within UK Speedway, and is sat in his lair making up the most far fetched scenarios his warped mind could conceive, laughing hysterically and manically to himself as they all get endorsed and used by everyone involved within the sport who are trapped under his mind spells.. "When should we run the Championship Grand Final Dr Evil" "On the same night as the NLRC"!... "But that will mean riders needing to be in two places at the same time, and some will have to miss the final, making the meeting completely devalued. Many people will simply decide not to go and watch it".... "I know"!!! "Bwa ha" "Bwa ha, ha ha" "Bwa, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha" etc etc etc.. It does shoot itself in the foot so many times, year in year out, with self created issues that it has to be more than just coincidence surely? With the biggest frustration being for the fans of course, just how good it all could be if it was just organised well...

And I bet several promoters will still scratch their heads wondering why large professionally ran companies don't fall over themselves to sponsor it...

They work in several places as you allude to... Therefore the 'skill' is there... All it needs now is the collective 'will' to make it happen... Even if just for TV meetings which provide the 'window' for the sport for so many to see in.. Far, far too often you read about meetings getting called off due to issues not actually on the day of racing but before. With the race day itself absolutely fine.. Covers would give TV a far more favourable impression of the sport as they wouldn't keep shelling out to pay for cameras, equipment etc for no reason, and also give fans confidence to attend on those 50/50 'on or not' nights whereby currently so many decide not to bother.. Getting information out to a pre positioned list of volunteers has never been so easy as it is today with this wonderful tool called the Internet... Therefore someone involved in the clubs, with even the most basic organisational skills, could I am sure deliver covers being put down and lifted... If the clubs really wanted to do it..

Good call... It would need to be a fair few quid though to go across a lot more teams.. One thing is for sure for me, Matt Ford is no mug and will make the right decision for his business..

The year my team had in 1975 in the 2nd Division was certainly an early eye opener for this wide eyed 8 yr old lad... Certainly learned a lot of life skills watching them when my Uncle took me to the away matches in particular.... I presumed the whole country were United fans as every town and city we went to was completely taken over by thousands of reds and many an away game became effectively a home one such was the imbalance of home fans to away.. ... I think a few still haven't recovered... As you allude to. Your team is your team regardless of where they ply their trade..

It's been mentioned that there is a new TV deal, with money on the table.. (?) If that is the case you could only presume it's not considerable if a Premiership promotion (a very successful one), is not ruling out dropping down and sharing in its 'bounty'?

It will be the same next year I would think... And the same the year after that. . And the one after that. . And the etc etc etc.. Incredible really isn't it?

Quite possibly but no other sport feels the need to do it do they? For me, maybe go the other way and massively market the hell out of the event locally and make the night an advert for your club and the sport.. If there is TV money then reduce the admission costs and deliver a full nights entertainment. . So many people "used to go" and are still very interested in the sport but now just watch on TV. Therefore do something that makes them sit up and think "Now that might be worth another visit".. I always think Speedway clubs would benefit massively by having a mindset of treating every match like its their last meeting ever. ie if it was, how they would market it, how they would promote it, etc etc Sadly, maybe one day it will be their last meeting ever if they don't start promoting themselves better when the TV cameras come to town..?

Not surprisng really.. Most riders earn their money from their home meetings, hence usually join tracks they have had success on... For the fans it is all about entertainment, for a good many riders it is all about earning money.. (Not a criticism by the way, the jobs a dangerous one so they should seek to get as much reward as they can). For Speedway as a whole now, I do believe it's a false economy having massive home track advantage as the Leagues are simply so devoid of kudos (and financial reward), that winning 'at all costs" is a complete waste of time and money.. Putting on a full night of off track entertainment, allied to a fantastic night of racing on a well prepared track, should be the No1 priority and aim for all tracks if they want to prosper... Not 'doctoring' tracks to win something that not too many followers of the sport actually care about...

Must confess it's all a bit confusing,, Some fans wouldnt want to see their team in the Championship as they believe that the standard of racing wont be as good as the Premiership... Even though they have spent last season (and many before), watching Championship riders riding at their track every meeting, often for their own teams... In fact the majority of Premiership riders they will watch are also Championship riders.. I presume it's the same logic that has some saying that young novice British riders should be given plenty of opportunities to ride, but, at the same time, saying that they wouldn't pay to watch that standard of rider.. So in summary, (if I have it right)... Some people will quite happily watch Championship riders riding in the Premiership for their own teams, (and willingly pay Premiership prices to do so), but are not prepared to watch the very same Championship riders riding in the Championship for their own teams, (at a lower admission cost than they currently pay)..? Boris should really ask some of these people to sort out Brexit, the EU wouldnt stand a chance..

A dead cat bounce Steve.. Happens every time a world class rider returns.. A few weeks after the novelty has worn off we are back to the same crowd levels ( but with a huge earner now to pay).. Fixed nights meant superstars would come back and we wouldn't need guests to replace them anymore as the nights were fixed and fixtures were in stone.. What happened to that? Did they not get the memo? Or was the stark financial reality of bringing them back more the issue?

But crowds plummeted whilst top riders rode over here so how does that work? Woffy rode as World Champ for a season at Wolves but I didnt see any 'full house' signs going up at Monmore or indeed anywhere else.. Woffy,, Emil, Majic, Doyle, Ward, Holder, NKI, Nicki P, Zagar, Lindback, Lindgren and Hancock have all rode over here in the timeline when thousands of punters decided to stop going.. Maybe due to the annual inflation busting price increases to pay for them? Or maybe due to the ever changing fixture list to accommodate their own agendas? Or maybe down to when these guys had a meeting clash due to their full calendar (as so in demand), you ended up with a plethora of guests to replace them, thus rendering meetings with minimal credibility and fans feeling short changed? It's £18 to watch second, third, fourth and fifth level riders now.. How much would be charged to watch the top guys? They don't come cheap and are there enough sponsors willing to cough up what will need to be a whole leagues worth of superstars, as if each team doesn't have one then those without will struggle.. Thousands have deserted the domestic product over the past ten years or so.. Having Global superstars in front of them each week didn't prevent this exodus.. NB As an aside, the best meeting I saw this year was the Colts v Kent. All for a tenner for me and free for my 16 year old lad. I would actually defy any world class riders to have delivered better such was the quality of racing and entertainment on offer. Hence we went back six more times this season.

The names could be changed to protect the guilty... I mean the innocent...

of course. .. Over 60000 of us glory hunters there in Nov 1974 when we played Sunderland at OT in the 2nd Division.. My first game.. All from London, Singapore, Japan and Ireland, USA and Norway... If Citeh have one third of the citys football fans they are doing very well and will have improved their standing considerably since they started winning things.. Up to seven years or so ago there were more Liverpool shirts sold in Mcr than City's... Bless them...

1.1 billion of us fans now worldwide (allegedly), so there must be some even in such a far away place as Wuckintun...

I am sure many a Polish League manager, and team riders, have been filmed having a good laugh when getting beaten... And I am sure their fans would have keenly joined in with such hilarity... Or maybe not?

Well if you disagree, it's a good start. ..

Understand your points 100%... Given the number of riders needed, my own personal choice would be (temporarily), five man teams to deliver the highest standard attainable and also mean the talent pool is then stretched across as many tracks as possible. . I just think the time has come to be radical and almost 'start again'.. With three main reasons for this. . 1. The crowd level Speedway gets now is pretty much down to die hards only, and most of them have proved, particularly over the past five to ten years, that they will attend the sport whatever is put out in front of them... 2. There are literally tens of thousands of ex fans on the tracks' doorsteps around the country, who no longer attend regularly because they either became disillusioned with what was being presented to them, or the cost to attend frequently became prohibitive, or not seen as Value For Money. An admission cost that was wishfully based on paying rider salaries far in excess of what the crowd level could sustain, rather than reflecting what was on offer. Therefore a lesser standard should be reflected in lower admission costs.. And 3. There are literally millions of people who live within say an hour of tracks around the country who have zero idea of who any of the riders are, GP down to NL standard, so won't have any pre conceived ideas of the actual standard disparity, so would attend (if you could get them engaged), with a completely open mind.. Therefore surely it's about time to be radical and try something very different? Put out a heat structure that doesn't mean top riders race against NL riders, but instead delivers every heat where four riders of commensurate ability race against each other.. Heroes can be delivered at any level, meaning fans can develop an affinity towards them regardless of their standing in the 'world order' and more 'local derbies' against teams several clubs haven't raced against for several years (or maybe even ever?) can only stimulate interest surely? Interest that may lay dormant in many of the thousands who live in close proximity to the tracks and possibly spur them on to attend again? Speedway seems to try all sorts to generate 'new fans', when just getting half those who used to attend regularly, who have either left the sport completely, or now just visit infrequently, would make a huge difference to its success.. Maybe doing 'something different' whilst reducing costs, would see some of them return and kick start some momentum? One thing is for sure, doing the 'same old, same old' as has happened for so long, (and all crowd level evidence shows), definitely wont..

One league, but geographical, might be the boost the sport needs? Similar to American Football, you ride against those within your own conference twice home and away and once against teams from the other... Probably will need six or even five man teams and be ran at 'Championship Lite' level with maybe some form of rider control to ensure an even spread of the better riders, but could be worth it.. Eg 1. Prem HL 2. Champ HL/Prem 2nd String 3. Champ 2nd String/Prem Reserve 4. Champ Reserve/NL Heat Leader 5. NL Second String 6. NL Reserve Maybe grade these riders but have an overall mean team average to prevent teams getting the best rider in each grade through paying more? As said before, BV visiting Redcar, Berwick, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Sheffield, Scunthorpe and Newcastle can only be good for those clubs, and BV would also I am sure reap the benefits (even if just the once for novelty value) of a fair few away fans visiting the NSS.. Maybe Buxton and Stoke could pool resources and make a comeback at this level at Hi Edge given the local derbies? Poole would do the same as the Aces I am sure for the likes of for example, Plymouth, Somerset, Eastbourne and the IOW in the Southern part of the Country.. Play offs could then be ran within each conference before the winners of each go head to head in the Grand Final.. Market the sport as a fresh start, with a truly national competition, and see if more variety of clubs to visit/be visited by, would give it some positive fan growth momentum to be built on..

Think there is a natural change in the mentality of the Aussies who now ride in Poland every week from those who don't. . When they came over the UK was their 'bread and butter' and the only ticket in town for them to earn enough to stay being a pro rider.. Now, for several, Poland will be their priority given the potential earnings out there, even in the lower divisions.. And do well there, and the top league may come knocking moving you into the mega bucks league... Fair play to Doyle who still seems to treat the UK with the same focus as he does all his racing...

Because they want to give themselves every opportunity of guesting every week?

I've thought for quite a few seasons that the Aces should have 'dropped down'... Many of the Championship teams are northern based and many of the Aces riders over the past good few years have rode in the Championship anyway so it's not like there's any 'superstar' that will be missed that currently brings a crowd in.. Could have rode Fridays or Saturdays too... None of the league titles carry any real kudos anyway so you might as well ride in the one that gets you the most financial return.. More variety of teams visiting and, I would assume, lower rider costs.. I would think they would get 1400 or so every weekend no problem considering the good crowds they get at NL. With circa 1800-2000 at BH's.. And BV, with their history and standing in the sport, would be a crowd puller for the home teams they visit too meaning more fans visiting tracks.. Which can never be a bad thing..

To be fair. You get plenty of garbage matches in all sports.. I just think that we as fans want to be entertained possibly too much and are sometimes unrealistic.. Lots of Speedway fans are not that focused on their teams, but the sport itself, given the nonsense that goes on, and that might be why we often feel a bit deflated by what gets delivered.. Lots of Swindon fans will I am sure be content with the win and lots of Wolves fans will be disappointed with the defeat. And plenty of both will be disappointed with what they watched regardless of result.. It does though ultimately go back to running the showpiece events when the summer has ended. Keep doing this, (like will happen ad infinitum), and the defence of the poor racing and reduced crowds due to weather threat, becomes very weak, as basically it's (yet another), self inflicted wound..