mikebv

Hi LW.. A bit factual and a bit guesstimate, as you say, Omerta is the word to describe Speedway attendances.. Last year the average quoted by the CEO was circa 1400... This year it's visually and tangibly less than that due to FRN... DG said crowds were around 1800 on average the first year, up considerably from the old place.. But sadly not enough.. BH's brought in 2500 - 3000 according to DG at Kirky Lane and this year when I went the circa 1800 Grand stand was around 2/3rds full with around 500-600 ish in the south stand.. Not been much this year due to Mon and Wed race nights but looking at photos on FB, and listening to a mate of mine who goes, the Grandstand is approx 1/2 full each week with 300-400 in the South Stand.. Not bad for such a Mickey Mouse ran Sport to be fair.. Imagine how many would go if it could be ran like a proper Team Sport? On nights that the majority of the population of Manchester can actually get there.?

Where is SCB? E block... 37C...

Why was Tai wearing Union Jack Kevlars? Isn't he an Aussie?... I was lucky enough to see PC at his best... But have to say overall, gating and passing combined, this lad is the best Brit I have ever seen... Well done Tai....

Go on Kelvin!!!

Get in there!! Smarzlik made some daft decisions in the semi and final.. Gate four after a track grade? And never let your main rival have a gate inside you in a final... Strange..

Could BV use Vaculik given he rode for Leicester? Or is he too badly injured as well anyway?

The biggest priority for the Sport is a joined up collective marketing plan... Similar to the way the NFL and other USA team sports market themselves.. ie "The Sport is greater than any individual team"... Shared investment from all teams, delivers shared returns on all aspects of the Business Model... Of course to make this work, and be successful, then the Sport would need to attract enough National Media recognition to attract Sponsors and Fans.. Of course to get that it would then first and foremost need to have a credible Operating Model that doesn't open itself up to National ridicule by the increased scrutiny such National coverage would bring... And of course to do that it would need an independent figurehead who has no vested interest in any team whatsoever, so decisions made can never be held up as biased due to the individual making the decision also potentially benefitting from it, (as is the case now).. In a Sport that has clubs not bothering which random group of riders they send to away meetings time and time again, I would suggest that a collective will to work together for the common good is a million miles away... Now where did I leave that 'wallpaper paste table' and box of flyers, I am off to market my Speedway Team in the foyer of my local Tesco... It'll bring in thousands I tell yer, thousands!!

Crowd will be around 1800 - 2000 I would think.. Not bad considering the Aces get around I would suggest 1200 - 1400 on average.. And considering its live on TV too... And on a Monday... Crowds were around 1800 on average in the first year riding on a Friday and Saturday so getting that many three years later given the generic ongoing decline of the sport won't be too bad I reckon.. Bank Holidays at the old place used to get circa 2500, and at best at the NSS this year they were around 2000, so all in all a similar amount on Monday would be a reasonable return..

That both you and I could surmise that straight away probably says a lot about how this Sport is ran... Amazing how 'key' riders always seem to only miss away meetings too isn't it? It could look almost as if Promoters don't even support each other but only look after their own self interest..... Truly an operating model that seems to be delivering stunning results...

The crowds that Speedway gets are actually "quite good" in my opinion considering... a) The way it runs itself delivers nothing but 'Mickey Mouse' Competitions devoid of any credibility or kudos.. b) The Sport has zero national collective marketing meaning just a tiny, tiny proportion of the population know of its existence, and therefore by definition, the local club based practically on their doorstep... c) It's lack of an all round 'full night out' entertainment package to enhance just 15 mins of what can often be 'basic' action for a circa £20 admission cost that reflects more the payroll costs rather than what's actually on offer.. and d) The fact it is ran so many times around the Country on the worst nights of the week in which to attract its best attendances. Imagine the potential crowds if it could sort just those four things out? I would suggest triple digit growth in some places given the tiny low average crowd base so many would be coming from... Ironically, given how badly the Sport has been ran for the past 15 years or so, that abject performance actually now provides a huge opportunity for growth, especially given how much correcting those clearly obvious fundamental issues would benefit it.... When you've reached 'rock bottom', as in some places it appears to have, the only way is up, so what an opportunity now exists for growth! Have the Promoters got the vision or talent to see that huge opportunity and grab it though? I know my thoughts...

I've lost count of which 'five year plan' is currently running as there seems to have been so many over the past five years... One thing is for sure though. There is no doubt that this AGM will be the most important in the Sports history.. In fact. Very much the same as last years was.. And the one before that.... And indeed the one the year before that year etc etc etc ad infinitum.. Another thing for sure is that this year they need to come up with an operating model that has credibility, integrity, and is both cost effective and fit for purpose.. In fact. Very much like they needed to do last year.. And the one before that... And indeed the one the year before that year etc etc etc ad infinitum..

Then keep the shape of the track something like the NSS but just make it bigger to fit around the bigger pitch.. My point was more about any threat of damage to the surface should anyone put up complaints..

And that is the fundamental issue... Crowds for such a tiny Sport that considering that it has virtually zero marketing on any decent scale, are in most places 'OK'... The costs are the problem... All historical evidence suggests that crowds won't grow (and will decline further) hence costs need to come down.. Not likely to happen though..

Why is it disappointing though HT? Speedway is just a tiny minority Sport in the UK.. I think we as fans need to adjust our expectations of what crowd levels the sport should get.. The Sport is on a level (at best) with Ice Hockey in the UK and maybe even smaller than that considering they managed to get 7000 at the play off final at a neutral venue. (Speedway couldn't do that I am sure)... And the downward trend in crowd levels historically each year would suggest in five years or so a half full grandstand would be seen as a positive thing as circa 100 or so 'regulars' seem to drop off annually... Considering hardly anyone virtually on their doorstep could name who the club is and what it does, never mind name or recognise any of the riders who ride for them, the crowds are not that bad... (For Speedway)...

Spot on... If you spent two days in Piccadilly Gardens in City Centre Manchester and asked 500 random people a day 'who are the Belle Vue Aces?"... I would be amazed if out of one thousand men, women and children asked, 100 could give a correct answer... And possibly the more realistic answer is that no more than 50 out of the 1000 could.. In reality 1500 or so isn't too bad for such a poorly generically recognised Sport...

I think the obsession on here of 'what the crowd looks like' has had its day.. A very small minority sport gets crowds in keeping with its status in the national sporting grand scheme of things.. If the Aces get say 1500 it won't look anywhere near full but given the sports following and standing, it certainly is a reasonable crowd.... Probably not self financing but that is more down to the unrealistic, probably unsustainable, fixed costs that the sport has..

And the NSS shows that a great race track can be built around an artificial grass rugby and football pitch... With no impact to the surface of the centre green... So no one can use that as a reason for not allowing Speedway in any new stadium that lays a 3/4G pitch..

Very true Wofie, you make a good point... But on the plus side.... By going to Manchester (rather than Wolverhampton) at least the Lynn fans won't feel as if they have suddenly been transported back to the Seventies via a time machine when they see the locals and their surroundings...

Maybe been covered off. but I don't want to trawl through loads of comments.. Noticed that Sweden seem to have 'gate four' moved in from the fence.. I presume to keep the racing line down the home straight from effecting this gate... Seems to be a good idea... Why doesn't the U.K. do the same?

Sadly, another Mickey Mouse way of running the Sport which does it absolutely no favours.... That Riss has gone? Fine. This happens. If he had been injured he would be out anyway... However, it isn't right from a credibilty perspective that the Aces can then replace him on a 'horses for courses' basis.. In a 'proper sport' a team would need to replace their absent competitor by making a signing or replacing from their squad... As Speedway dosent use a squad system then the Aces should be made to sign a rider to represent them in all the remaining meetings. A rider on a same or lesser average... Why complicate things and render the competition a 'bit of a farce' by allowing the changing of teams on any given night depending on what track the next meeting is at..? Make a signing, and that's it...

Definitely in the Worlds Top Ten given he performs so consistently at the highest level... And has done so for a decent length of time.. Would bring something to the GP's no doubt..

I take it you are still referring to SCB specifically and not someone who just watches Speedway HR?

A glimmer of hope though never the less... At least one (and maybe more) can see that the current operating model isn't fit for purpose and must change... The very simple bottom line is this... The most important single thing the Sport needs is for the mainstream media to treat it as a bona fide sporting entity, worthy of the same column inches and air time they provide for those sports that are regarded as actually being ran with professionalism, integrity and credibility. Thus putting the Sport in the clear view of the many millions who currently seem completely oblivious to it and, at the same time, creating heroes and personalities for any curious observers to become acquainted with and possibly follow.. However..... Speedways current operating model in the UK will 100% ALWAYS prevent this from EVER happening. No news room of any degree of standing would bring to the masses a lead headline for example of "We'll show you later how Poole's Brady Kurtz tonight top scored for Belle Vue and helped them KO their Play Off rivals Swindon when he stepped in for The Aces No1 Craig Cook, who was elsewhere riding for Glasgow" It simply wouldn't be accepted.. Surely, given the huge lack of knowledge of the Sport out there, and the massive potential customer base to sell what is still a very marketable product, there must be an enormous opportunity for the Sport in the UK....? Should those who run it ever eventually wake up and work together to achieve it obviously...

Is this really a Promoter or someone off here? If they can see the 'bleedin' obvious' then why can't all the others? The ultimate irony of course is that the Competitions so many attempt to win by trying to put one over their rivals, are rendered absolutely worthless by their very actions of doing what they do... Rather than working together to build up Competitions to give them some kudos, they instead often work in splendid isolation, (or cliques), and find more and more imaganitive ways to discredit them... Couldn't make it up sometimes could you..?

But sadly team speedway is nothing of the sort in Britain anymore, hence I cannot see any successful future for it... TV coverage of Poland and Sweden only highlights even more the absurdity of what is constantly cobbled together over here, where septets are manufactured ad infintum from various other teams, and the coverage does the UK's version of 'Team Speedway' few favours.. There are those like yourself who are willing to 'collude' with Promoters to still see it as a bona fide 'team sport', and absolutely each to their own, however it is an every decreasing number who now see 'Team Speedway' in the UK as 'something real'.... Hopefully these people can stay around long enough to one day see it ran properly, and who knows, eventually see their loyalty and devotion rewarded... Whats not in dispute is that the raw material of the Sport is great.... It's just that the raw material isnt utilised well enough in Britain to ever give it a chance to be successful sadly..