mikebv

Agree with the sentiments GRW, but unfortunately 'Beggers cannot be chooses'... You get to advertise yourself on TV and get paid for the privilege, even if its considered a meagre amount by those who feel they are worth more than that... British Speedway sadly now finds itself exactly where the last 20 years or so 'head in the sand' operating models and buisness plans have led it to be... This is a Sport don't forget that has to try and negotiate TV deals with an operating model not even ratified until an AGM! What sort of negotiation starting point is that with a potential client in business? What can you bring to the table when you basically have no details of what you can provide for your investors? Imagine dealing with British Speedway after being used to doing TV deals with the Premier League, Uefa, The RFU and the TCCB?. Amazed BT have offered so much.....😩

I think this post from PTA meant those who made the initial rule of only one rider over eight points cack themselves, hence they changed the rules for GP riders... Maybe they should invite Phil to the AGM next year to save time (and credibility)..😂😂

Interesting comments re marketing of the Sport (or lack of).... Each week next season three heat leaders from each team in the Prem will take around £4k to £5k per night in salaries.. 8 teams with 24 heat leaders means circa £40k in salaries paid out for one match each per week.. Three heat leaders who hardly anyone in the local conurbation would know even if all three rode naked down their street... Imagine if clubs collectively used some of that £40k a week to involve a successful national marketing company to drive people into the Stadiums up and down the country? Jason Doyle may not be there when people attracted by the marketing attend as maybe he is too expensive, but then again most attending won't know who Jason Doyle is anyway.... Big Names coming back will increase crowds? No chance... Swindon had THE WORLD CHAMP and still crowds were not great.. I might go once to the NSS to see Woffy as a novelty value but wouldn't bother the next time he came for the 'B' fixture, or indeed if he came again in the KO Cup, or even one of his probable Guest appearances, with the reason being I get to see him ride several times a year via t'internet, Premier and BT etc.. Lowering admission (as we see when tracks do it) is the only way to increase crowds significantly, the question then is how to keep them coming back... Bringing Big Names back can only increase admission costs, which as we know from year on year inflation busting increases doesn't increase crowds but has quite the opposite effect..

If nothing changes, and soon I would suggest, there will be less tracks for them to use that equipment on, less opportunities to earn money and therefore not much chance of breaking even... Something has to give.... For me, semi pro Speedway is the only way the Sport in this country can survive and prosper.. It's ironic that in the 'Halcyon days' of the sport in Britain, when crowds were at the biggest, the majority of riders were semi pro. Riders happy earning "more in one night riding Speedway than I do in a month in the factory"... Now when crowds are pretty dire at most tracks we have more full time pros than ever. Even at NL level!!? The equation simply doesn't work..

So Scott could guest last season in the Championship but cannot ride this season in the Championship? Ok.... That makes sense... Once again it is one of those needless 'let's add this on' rules that frustrate the Sport's followers and sees us looking at the sport in a negative way.... (And that never can be good for a business) Now, there may be a genuinely great reason why Scott cannot ride in the Championship with a converted Premiership average... However typically with the BSPA, you never get the rationale behind any ruling.... Start sharing the rationale for decisions made and maybe they would get a better hearing?

Rosco quoted in the Speedway Star... "We won the league, but had a hefty loss"... And yet teams are still built with seven riders? In most loss making businesses they cut the workforce to reduce payroll... In British Speedway they seem to want to keep the numbers up but save money by having have lesser quality... Difficult to achieve I would suspect when using a points limit as 'lesser riders' can all of a sudden have an average that increases their worth to the team, thus increasing their pay requests.... In years gone by how often did a 'four point superstar' get plucked from the various leagues around the world? These riders would invariably finish with a minimum six point plus average, and also invariably, would be paid well above 'reserve money' when riding at number six at the start of the season... Basic supply and demand rules apply... Have less places per team, thus more riders vying for those slots, and then you are in a much stronger position re how much you pay....

They could put flyers on car windscreens in and around the Midlands area, (under the windscreeen wipers so they dont blow away) with the Question "Would you go to Leicester to support Coventry's Speedway Team in the NL?" on them.... Have three boxes for the answer to the question.... First box is "Yes", Second box is "No" and the Third box is "Speedway?, is that still going? I used to go to Speedway, Bob Valentine was my favourite rider, I remember one night he... etc etc etc" They could also stick flyers to lamp posts like people do when they have lost a cat... Always try and avoid using any Social Media vote as a true representation though, unless of course it delivers the result you want to hear.... 😉😀

And every year it happens some of the fans of these clubs then think "That's a load of bollocks, dont think I will bother next year".... (Which in turn, is a net loss to the Sport)... Swindon will have built up a following towards the end of last season as they delivered success which would have included many who had 'drifted away' from the Sport or even maybe 'newbies' curiously attracted by following a winning local team.. This season they will not have the chance to see the 'real Swindon' defend it's title through no fault of their own... Therefore, I would be very surprised if Swindon are not very quickly back to 'regulars only'... Its ludicrous the way that you can build growth in your own business, driven by your implementation of a succesful operating model, and then have that operating model taken apart by your competitors for their own personal gain.. It also means that when the 'Champions' come to your track it is nothing of the sort, but simply a diluted version wearing the same colours... Beating 'The Champions' in any Sport should be an aspirational aim and them coming to town should help deliver one of the biggest crowds of the season, as you go with great anticipation to see your team pit itself against 'The Best'... Except in Speedway of course, which has a 'better idea'...

Great News.... It could though look to the untrained eye that we are still very much in 'reactive' mode rather than moving forward with a clear vision given the many differing views coming out from the AGM and the various comments from Promoters during the season. . ie Some think having the big names back will increase crowds, some want more guests, some don't think having only one eight point rider per team is the right thing to do, one wanted to change their race night and been refused permission, some have changed their race night with permission and one team has changed Leagues.... All things which would suggest they are not aware of any 'five year plan' to improve the Sport or where their Clubs fit within this 'Masterplan'...

A good many GP riders below 8pts... Woffy, Zagar, Both Pawlicki's, Holder, Kildemand, Lindback... Several Number One's in that list..,

And it also smacks of having no vision for the Sport and therefore, no mid or long term plan... (And therefore no Strong Leadership)... Stick up a five year plan for the Sport, set yearly goals and make everyone aware of what you are doing, why you are doing it, how you will deliver it, and the ultimate objective it will deliver... And stop trying to 'appease' everyone who will, by definition, have differing agendas... Build the plan collaboratively but make it clear when finalised all sign up to it or walk away if you dont agree... No Half Arsed "ahh but's", however well intentioned... The tail seems to wag the dog in British Speedway, but by keeping the weakest on almost permanent 'life support' it can never grow the Sport as it will be continually dumbing down instead of moving forward... A perfect example is this year's 42.5 average per team. Potentially a good move. But no need for the caveat of only one 8 pt+ rider. More appeasement... Simply, if you cannot afford to put out a team of Premiership quality using the 42.5 target,then don't ride in it... Then, if that means there are not enough teams available to make up a credible Premiership then don't run the League at that 42.5 strength and build the top League to a lower standard... But make that decision, stick with it, and don't bring in any appeasement adjustments, as in the long run you will be making them for anyone and everyone forever, and ultimately therefore, never moving forward..

For me, should have ran five man teams... Saving two salaries per team...... The top five average of Swindon should have been 'the benchmark' for the other seven teams.. Build every team to Swindon's top five.... No restrictions on riders averages apart from 'you cannot have a higher average than Swindons top five'... British Speedway's top league needs (affordable) quality of rider over quantity.... Riding in the top league should be aspirational not 'an extra earner' which for riders six and seven it often is.. Five riders per team meaning lots of replacement possibilities to cover injuries and loss of form rather than Guests? And credibilty to the League? Got to be better than the current 'never mind the the quality, feel the width'..

'RIDER CONTROL' was knocking about in the early Seventies when I first attended. . (A good job the Internet wasn't invented back then)😀 Bottom line is chopping and changing personnel year in year out does nothing to engage fan or rider loyalty, does nothing to engage long term sponsors who may want to associate themselves over a long period with 'star men' and does nothing to help the promotion or marketing of a team locally... Yet year on year on year teams make wholesale changes swapping riders just for the Sport to (at the very best) stand still...

And still no-one listens.... I can guarantee that my love of the sport (and subsequent thousands of pounds spent on it) would have been destroyed (and me lost to the sport) if PC and Chris Morton had ended up having to go elsewhere during my 'formative' watching years just because 'they were too good' or more to the point 'others are not good enough'.... Those two individuals put tangible extra bums on seats and if either had ever left, BV would have seen crowds impacted severely.. Fans affinity with 'their riders' should never be underestimated... Swindon this year should be 'the benchmark' for others to aspire to... Rather than a team that now has to jettison top talent (including possibly THE best rider in the World) who may (or may not) subsequently be picked up by other teams... A constant race to the bottom is British Speedway's aspiration with 'survival of the weakest' its overall aim... And as evolution shows, we know how that ends...

Maybe they don't want too many Friday night tracks as it would mean very few 'Guest' options for missing riders? Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Scunthorpe mean six out of eleven teams will be riding on a Friday.. Now the Premiership won't be riding on a Friday there would be a fair few options for Guests but if say eight out of the eleven teams rode on the same night then those options reduce accordingly.. And what night is Lakeside riding? Has a Friday slot been left for them?

And less 8 point men means that the 'stock' will rise for seven point men... In 42.5 points you can have 'quite a few' riders between seven and eight points.. And all will know their worth....

And won't next year either? Is that correct? If so, and they are in the bottom three next year, then expect "the top four" to win next year's vote on teams strengths..😁 A 'little bit farcical' sometimes isn't it the way the Sport is run?😕 Kenny Bjerre was great for us last year.... He did everything we asked of him. Him and Craig Cook now are vying for one spot in the Aces team.. Maybe both should have 'thrown' the odd race here and there to get themselves below an 8.00 average? Could have easily lost against many riders of slightly lower capability and we the fans wouldn't have bat an eyelid... They however didn't, as guess what? Trying to win Speedway races, meetings and trophies, meant something to them... If I was a rider on or around an 8 pt average two thirds of the way through next season, I may be getting the calculator out race by race to see how much I am allowed to score to keep me in a job the following year...!

Now that the Premiership will only now ride on Mondays and Wednesdays (and Thursdays)... Will there still be Premiership meetings on Good Friday? Or will it be Championship only? A BIG money spinner for some like BV... However I suppose if Championship teams have 'the rights to Fridays' it could end up with Guests galore again due to DU's...

It will be interesting as to how the team building goes.. Given the new/old Tac Sub rule could we see once again the 'cannon fodder/make weight/out of his depth' 2 pt Reserve which used to be the norm?.. 42.5 points would deliver you a 2pt reserve, a FIVE point Reserve and five SEVEN point riders... The 2pt man could be replaced in a ride not only by his considerably better reserve partner but also now the No1 on a Tac. The team could effectively attain more than his average by him scoring Nil in his three rides but his replacement (either the other reserve or the Tac) winning the race he was replaced in.. I would think that five point reserves given their value to the team, and five seven point riders won't come cheap though.. There could be some very strong, competitive teams, but maybe some very expensive ones too? Hope the plan goes well..

The Poles now appear to have a similar attitude to the GP's that some British Promoters had 20 or so year ago when GB was THE place to race.. ie "We are being dictated to by an external Company to Speedway who are using OUR riders to line their own pockets"... The British Promoters that thought this didnt see any irony in the fact they seemed to regard Hans Nielsen, Tommy Knudsen, Tony Rickardsson, Leigh Adams etc etc as "OUR" riders... No doubt nowadays Poland see Jason Doyle, Tai Woffinden, Emil Sayfutdinov, Nicki Pedersen, Greg Hancock etc etc as "OUR" riders in the same way.....? Bottom line is the GP brings great global exposure to the riders which delivers good sponsorship backing. As long as the fans keep turning out for the events then Poland, like GB before them, will just have to keep sulking, and sit and watch, from the outside..

You would hope Phil that fundamental changes have already been agreed pre any AGM,as unless there is some kind of 'vote of no confidence' in the Leadership team the AGM should really just ratify what has already been agreed at previous gatherings and the votes for these changes automatically placed... It would be a concern if they are only now debating the structure for the following season at an AGM. That would take a huge amount of time and emotive discussion... They don't help themselves with these 'tweets' updating 'the world' with what is in fact, zero news. Far better to keep all powder dry till the meeting has finished and inform everyone then... Looks far more Professional..

Often wondered why if Season Tickets are 'a must' why they don't knock out an 'Unlimited' one which gets you into ANY meeting anywhere in Britain.. Say £1k a season, including free programme at every track, watch two or three races from the centre green, pit pass etc etc.. Do more than 50 meetings a year (as many do) and you would be quids in... Speedway is unique in that so many visit just 'to watch the racing' with no attachment to any teams, with many in particular having no team to watch at all anymore, therefore a target market I would suggest.. It would also increase crowds (and therefore atmosphere) as 'neutrals' would swell the crowds given the more meetings they attend the better value their initial outlay.. Would 1000 or so fans across the Country take up this deal? Could call it the '1000 Club', make them feel 'special' etc.... If so, it would bring a Million quid into the Sport pre season, which could be divided up (NFL style) by all the teams to help with running costs.. Or even use it for prize money to make the competitions appear as if they are bona fide 'Proper Sports' competitions, which in turn may increase publicity and interest from a wider sport watching public...

The ever growing amount of meetings I miss each year due to 'Mickey Mouse' being involved means I pay for my day out in Cardiff and then some!!! How ironic, the BSPA helping to keep the SGP profitable..!

But how many thousands did they lose not being able to do 'Specials' throughout the year as by doing so their Season Ticket holders lose value...? Years ago I could understand doing a Season Ticket as there was a high take up and it generated significant pre season income.. Nowadays if a track does more than 300 I would be surprised so for me it actually restricts your Promotional capabilities for very little real tangible rewards. The Aces package in particular involving Colts meetings and free programmes is very good but only appeals to 'die hards' and not 'newbies' which the Sport so desperately needs and the irony is that these 'die hards' would invariably attend every week at full price as they are the most loyal fans... I think it would be far better to do 'Mini Season Tickets' whereby you purchase say the next five matches for the price of four... Often with it being a Summer sport, holidays kick in so Season Tickets are not value for money, and TV and the Weather can often change race nights at a moments notice meaning you cannot attend the rearranged fixture.. Buying say the next five matches at a reduced price would appeal not only to the 'die hards' but also to the 'floaters' (like me) I would suggest. As if I have already paid for something I would use it, unlike now whereby if a meeting suddenly becomes a bit 'Mickey Mouse' due to guest levels, or the weather looks a bit dodgy, I stay away.. We would also see which Promoters can actually innovate and actually Promote using 'normal' business practices to drive 'customers' through their doors...

No Hob Nobs.... Been pre booked to be the biscuit of choice at another Conference somewhere in Europe..... Chocolate Digestives have come in as a Guest... It's OK though as rules allow them to bring in a product with up to 5% more biscuits in its pack...