mikebv

When teams do a 'freebie' the place is packed with many 'used to go/first timers' When teams do a £10 special, the crowds far exceed their usual attendance... And it doesnt seem to matter one iota whether 'big names' are there or not... I would suggest therefore it is the cost to get in that is the issue rather than who is actually there... Get the costs down to get facilitate the right price and maybe Speedway will grow? One thing is for sure. Teams would be far better spending 3k a week on advertising and marketing their product than on a No1 rider who brings approximately zero extra through the gate when he is there and loses approximately zero from the gate when he isn't...

There's definitely a blueprint there... Be a good 'starter for ten'....

I think what many people forget when trying to link the crowd levels with 'big names' is that, yes, having NP, Tai, Emil, Greg etc all visiting a track together occasionally will increase the usual attendance at that track. However, the increase will, in the main, be made up of existing Speedway fans. i.e. fans of the team whose track is staging the meeting, fans of other local clubs, and the odd few visitors from around the country to see the 'novelty' of the best riders riding over here.. The issue we have is the fact that no one EXTRA (i.e. from outside the sport) will be persuaded to attend because they simply don't know who these riders are, or often, that the sport exists in the first place. Their names are simply meaningless to anyone outside the sport's own insular fanbase. It is NEW fans that the sport needs not just a recycling of existing ones from track to track... It shouldnt be forgotten too that the big names of the sport have all ridden here over the past ten years but have attendances risen during this time? Put simply. No! The reality is attendances have actually dwindled with their participation... I would suggest that rather than a lack of a few top names being responsible for the sports current ills, the unfeasibly high admission fee for a tiny minority sport has had a far, far greater impact to attendances than a few top names not riding over here. Sort that by cutting it's cloth accordingly and maybe Speedway can 'start again' in this country. Perversely, the big positive that the sport has in this country is that it has virtually hit 'rock bottom' so anyone with the courage to make the needed radical decisions, and the vision and drive to move it forwards, can make a huge difference in a very short space of time. And after going back to 'year zero' and starting over, hopefully not make the same mistakes again....

Must admit that when I joined this forum I was going to use my full name... However, I thought about what would happen if, by the admittedly sixty million to one chance, any other members of the club I attend every Friday night stumbled upon here and saw I was a Speedway fan.. I would have had my membership of "Mrs Whiplash's Transvestite and Gimp Mask Club' annulled immediately I reckon... (If I hadn't already resigned to avoid any more embarrassment that is)!!!😀😁

No doubt the sport is in a state of flux.. Clear direction with a clear vision of where it wants to go and what it wants to be is what is needed more than anything, and is at the core of its issues... However, you cannot get to where you want to go if you have no idea of where it is you want to go in the first place! Decisons, it often appears, are made in retrospect to sort out issues caused by a previous ill conceived dictat. However the new decisions made often don't ever fix the root cause of the original issue thus creating another 'grey area' to get exploited by more savvy and financially supported teams.. Result? The sports' Promoters are often seen as Amateurish with decisons reached by their collective implementation often regarded as lacking in Integrity. (Not a great position to be in when you want people to part with circa £20 a week and give it to you). A lack of an independent arbiter also certainly doesn't help fans' perception of the BSPA members as an entity which is out to drive the sport forward as a collective. Rather it is often seen as being a bunch of people whose own self interest is the driving force of their decisions. For me, the sport needs that circa £20 admission fee price point not only reducing but 'slashing'. And every effort should be made to cut costs to levels that will facilitate that. I have info from an NL team as to some of the money/funded equipment being requested from riders this year who frankly I have never heard of but have done a couple of years at NL reserves/second string level and it is truly both amazing and laughable... Needless to say, they didn't get what they wanted but have turned up elsewhere so presume someone has granted them their fiscal wish...? They will though be only asking for 'silly money' as a. their costs often create the need for such unrealistic requests and b. someone eventually is willing to pay them what they want! Speedway needs to ask itself whether it can sustain these spiralling costs at its current and forecasted attendance levels and start to face the stark reality of where it really is. Paying out 3k a night to one rider on (at best) 'Vanarama League North' attendances is crackers, yet happens.... Cutting it's cloth accordingly will need fundamental changes which won't please all, riders, promoters or fans, however these decisons need to be taken for the greater good. Has anyone within the sport got the vision to deliver a stable and forward moving future? And if so. Has anyone within the sport also got the required leadership skills to deliver it? If so, Apply to the BSPA, Rugby....

I would imagine that a fair amount of 'horse trading' goes on prior to the AGM and maybe even during so Promoters get what they wanted from any rule changes.. Nothing wrong with that as quite normal in most areas of business to try and gain that competitive edge.. I would also imagine that Poole in particular would be in a quite advantageous position when negotiating, as their investment in riders over the past ten years or so has provided them with an envious asset base. With many teams, it has to be noted, only too happy to dip into their asset base, rather than have taken the financial risk themselves and buying these riders when they had the same opportunity.. Poole do have an advantage however it is, (in the main), because of shrewd investment, risk taking and having a clear business plan for success both on and off the track.. All done by someone with a clear vision of what he wants from running a professional sporting club and enough business savvy to seemingly quite often get what he wants from the AGM each year.. I hope the Aces can soon be in some of these 'advantageous positions' in both the near future and longer down the line...

Come on... The heat leader list? Any rider who has ridden here previously with a 6.5 or more average can be added to the list...? Poole sign Buzz on a 6.48 average (a smidge below 6.5) so not on the heat leader list meaning Poole can have three heat leader list riders and Buzz? Who set the 6.5 limit?? Exactly..... The promoters... Of which Poole have just one vote the same as everyone else... Bugger, that doesn't add up does it? Anyway, must be Poole's fault somewhere for something I would imagine.. Keep a close eye on 'em thats what I say..😁😊

No, No, No.... This is Speedway..... Conjecture and I'll informed rumour will fill the space that any official statement would negate...

Or at the very least have nothing more than (at the very best) a 'nodding acquaintance' when put up against professionally administered and led sports....

Who inspects the track to call it off? Presume done by someone with mystical powers? i.e. Someone who can visualise what the track will be like tomorrow evening based simply on the amount of forecast rainfall mm per hour in the area between now and then? Of course they would also need to factor in any wind speed, direction of the wind, and the temperature change it will/may bring dependant on the wind direction over the next 24 hours too. e.g. could it be a 'drying wind' from the South or a more low pressure sector moving in from the East which may maintain moisture in the surface? Understanding barometer readings, and being able to decipher what spider's webs are currently telling us, is also something that needs to be considered. Being able to factor in an imaginary amount of remedial track work that may/would have taken place and indeed how many fictitious tractors it would have took too cannot be easy so the person concerned must be truly gifted.. Speedway is very lucky to have someone as blessed as him (or her obviously) as they are clearly someone who can have a massively positive impact to the sport... If they are reading this.... I am off to OT this afternoon to watch us play Everton.. Any info on the Final score and first goal scorer would be nice... PM me....

British Elite League Speedway looks forward to a seven month race to the bottom.... Where "at least we're not as crap as them" will be considered as a favourable attainment level.... On a more positive note plenty of teams will be able to hold their 'End Of Season' parties in some potentially good weather in May so could do a nice 'Barbie'... Much better than those horrible, dark cold nights in late October/early November..

As was said at the time..... The plan was every team should have had three riders from the heat leader list.... When it became obvious that less than 20 riders on that list of 21 riders were interested in riding, then each team should have had a max of two. No team should have been allowed to add a third rider till the 'top two' from each team had been completed. (From the original 21 rider list and any rider coming in under 'extra qualification rules') Effectively they could have had a Tier 1 and Tier 2 heat leader grading similar to the way the EDR riders were put in place.. Don't bring in 'rider control' and then not use it to control the spread of riders... Typical Speedway planning.. Well meaning, but half arsed, ill thought out, and, as we can see once more, not fit for purpose...

Think you may be seeing a lot of BV and Poole this year... BV now (hopefully) the track is sorted will have track covers and the South coast climate is usually conducive to Poole getting matches on... Seems its a save money at all costs policy from Sky... Those Premier League Football costs need paying for and certainly don't come cheap.. Especially when loads of naughty people are on Kodi and not paying for it!!

Josh Auty Number One in May.....!

Course it was.... Never a true Yorkshireman!!!😁 Flag of convenience because he couldn't get in Lankys team!!!😀

Best of luck to England in the World T20 on Sunday.. Hoping that Eoin Morgan (Irish) can lift the trophy. He will I am sure need a good game from Ben Stokes (Kiwi) or should that be 'Ben Stoked'? As well as vital contributions from Jason Roy (South African) and Chris Jordan (Barbadian) Cannot wait to cheer on the lads to possibly the greatest victory against the odds since Andrew Strauss (South African) lifted the 'Ashes Urn' in 2005. With Kevin Petersen (South African) playing a major part in the success with his superb batting and Geraint Jones (Papua New Guinean) having a great series behind the wickets... With the recent five nations victory at Rugby led by great performances from Mako Vunipola (Kiwi) and Billy Vunipola (Australian). It could be a great few weeks for 'English' sport.. Let's hope Tai Woffinden (English) can win the World Title this year....

Will their be an inquiry into tonight's result?? All down to Belle Vue I believe...😄

Ha Ha, You spotted it......! The ironic thing is that Tai is giving up one (definately within his reach) individual medal potential to focus on 'The Big Prize'... I would suggest that with all due respect to the British Final, the winner (even if Tai won it) won't be on Breakfast TV, Talksport, 5live etc the way Tai was when he had became World Champion. So I would suggest no great impact to the sport over here whether he is there or not... I would also say that as Tai was coming 'through the ranks'in Aussie, he would have had more chance of team success nailing his colours to the Oz mast through residency application.. Instead he chose to throw his lot in with GB.... A GB team for whom he has been outstanding, and hopefully in front of a full house at Belle Vue later in the year will be outstanding again... Possibly being born here, and for the first few years of his life living here, and with both his parents being British, has gone some way in him wanting to ride for GB? Who would have thought?

Of course Tal chose to be British rather than Aussie because it was easier to get into the GB team.... Everyone know his natural talent would never have got him in the Aussie team as they are so good and even now after two world titles he would stuggle to get a place I am sure.... He also knew that staying in Oz at 15/16 years of age would have stagnated his growth similar to the way their youth system held back for example Adams, Crump, Holder and Ward who must all deeply regret remaining in Oz through their formative years as they only had World Titles, SWC victories and GP wins to show for riding for Aussie.. Lucky for him he came to Britain and the BSPA were able to take him under their wing and nurture him through their extensive, in depth youth training programme.. I am sure Tai thanks the lucky stars everyday that he got all that help and support from the BSPA yet he won't contest the National Championship....! I don't know, some people eh?.. Don't know their born, wouldn't have happened in my day, etc etc etc

Because they needed someone available quickly.... And when they asked him "when can you start?"... He replied " Straightawayyyyyy"!.... Buddum Tish.. I'll get me coat....

Agree, (only used Bomber as an example as he is held up by many as THE rider who gives his all for his country).. However that is maybe part of why the two riders have had the careers they have had? Tai is first and foremost out for himself and in an individual sport, nothing wrong with that at all.. Bomber always comes across as a 'great guy' who has time for everyone and seems to worry what fans think of him eg last week getting on the mike at BV. Again nothing wrong with that approach in any way.. But maybe that lack of cold eyed, clinical, almost ruthless focus has held him back? (Well, that and his gating obviously)! Anyhow, back to the "Tai is a disgrace" thread...

Let's play "Tai Bingo"... Print out and mark off these phrases as and when they appear over the next few pages.. "He's a disgrace", "He's letting the fans down", "He's not even British", "He's an Aussie", "I be if it was at Wolves he wouldn't have missed it", "He doesn't care about British Speedway", "First Belle Vue, then this, no wonder nobody goes to Speedway anymore", "He seems to think he is better than everyone else", "When there is no Speedway left in this country, maybe he will think what more he could have done to help it", "I hope this backfires and he fails in winning the World Title", "I bet he will want us to support him at the SWC, yet he couldn't support British Speedway", "They shouldn't let him ride in the SWC", "I for one won't be supporting him in the GP this year" "My five year old son is heartbroken as we had decided to go and watch Tai in the British Final", "He's a disgrace" (again), "He's an Aussie" (again ad infinitum), "He's not even British" (again etc etc etc).. Most bases covered there I would suspect... Oh hang on... "You never see a 'True Brit' like Bomber doing something like this", "He is not only disrespecting the British Title and it's previous proud winners but the Queen and all her subjects too"... There, now that ought to cover everything... I didn't fight in six World Wars for my King and Queen for this, Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells..

Looks like Sky were right... Be interesting when BV eventually get up and running how the track covers perform (when they eventually arrive).... If they prove a success in getting on those frustrating meetings where on the day the weather is fine but the damage is done to the track leading up to race day, then maybe Sky will start to insist all get them?...

Maybe Sky feel that they need to take the decision making process away from the clubs? Is it over 100k that I have seen quoted per match to set up their equipment? Many have been the comments on here suggesting that meetings only took place in poor conditions "because Sky was there"... Well they won't be the scapegoats anymore by the sounds of it... And given the usual adverse impact to attendances of a Sky meeting. Will the Promoters be secretly pleased if Sky duck out now and again?

Not sure if it happens.... However the way the sport allows riders to double up and then not use the EL average for team building, can only lead to speculation if in the PL a rider often gets beat by riders that he regularly beats in the EL.. Similar with riders who don't have an EL average because they dont have a PL average to convert, hence come in to the EL as 'second reserve' Savvy teams looking for a good tier 2 reserve next season could pay decent NL riders this year not to ride in the PL just in case they score 'too well' thus meaning they come in on the lowest possible average to the EL... A loophole that needs closing. Instead of being a breeding ground for GB talent the 'fast track' berths could end up with 'professional reserves' who will be able to negotiate good deals knowing the impact they can have on a match result..