mikebv

Then don't run the top division at such a level... A five, or even a six team league doesn't look good if you are trying to sell the sport to sponsors, TV, and fans.. Whether reality or not, the top league in any sport is seen as almost defining it... Something to aspire to get into... Something that delivers decent financial rewards.. Something that gains the maximum publicity for the sport.. Instead, we could end up with a five team league that more resembles an "Invitational Tournament", rather than a bona fide "National Competition"... 14 teams collectively actually do make the sport look like it is "National", and not almost irrelevant, and does, geographically, cover a large part of the country... Finding a way to get them into one league further down the line, (before more tracks are lost), has to be the way forwards.. You would hope that the next 12 months are, in the background, spent putting together that one league structure and the sport then relaunches itself in 2027 with a new operating model, a collective marketing plan, and a financially sound business plan that keeps all teams profitable... There have been far too many years of "let's, once again, make do and mend", so they should make this the last one, running with whatever they can come up with... And use the next 12 months to work out a strong plan which will deliver progress and growth from 2027 onwards...

Both businesses were talked positively about by their respective sellers, and rightly so... However, how successful they would have been without the TV money, and possible sponsor values they got based on having the TV deal, may be something that anyone potentially purchasing could be asking.... Sheffield have lost Tru Plant sponsorship and Ipswich must have taken in a very healthy six figure sum in the final which has no guarantee of being repeated this coming season... And, you have to say, a five team league doesn't look too inspiring to go and regularly watch does it?.. So maybe not a "perfect time" to be selling a Speedway team, which could stretch out negotiations given so many variables from last season.. Mark Lemon was quite relaxed around maybe not having a TV deal in his interview with the Speedway Star a few weeks ago, "people will have to attend the tracks to watch the sport" were his thoughts... Which is true, but... Selling a five team league to these people won't be easy...

And the legacy of it is clear to see... What you could get away with in the 70's doesn't pass the sniff test in a 24/7 digital media age... The fact they, in over 50 years, havent managed to find a way to not use guests, (like other countries running exactly the same sport have), pretty much speaks volumes...

The Aces should have Charitable Trust advantages...

He wasn't well... He could barely film himself doing his daily 10km runs...

Indeed... And less teams to beat to reach the play offs... A win/win.... Until, of course, it isn't...

A few years ago, somewhere in the UK, when they had ten teams down from eleven the previous year... "Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better".. Then, the next year when they had nine, down from ten.. "Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better"... Then, the next year when they had eight, down from nine.. "Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better".. Then the next year when they had seven, down from eight... "Great, one less team this year, I could maybe get some of their riders and make my team better".. Then the next year when they had five, down two, from seven.. "This is absolutely ridiculous, we cannot run the sport like this, something should be done about all these tracks closing, there isn't enough teams for my team to race against now. Some of the second tier teams need to come up to my league. Some promoters are so selfish, and just look after themselves, they should all be like me, a proper team player"...

If it ain't broken...

It was ever thus.... If ever a body of people needed saving from themselves it was UK Speedway... With no one to independently stand back, and objectively scrutinise how the optics of the decisions taken will look, and land, to their customer base, we have had decades of completely wrong decisions being made time after time... UK rider development should have been the No1 on their "to do" list, to ensure more supply than demand of riders, but instead we had foreign journeymen coming over and replacing each other using an ever spinning revolving door.. There are far too many self inflicted, and avoidable, issues to unpick now to ever sort the sport out without a huge influx of cash from somewhere I would think...

They have just joined "Your Party".....

Just been listening to Talksport and 'Arry was on (for a change!).... Very disappointing... He spent his whole time on there discussing Spurs and Thomas Frank, with the end of his conversation mentioning the sad passing of Billy Bonds.... I thought he may have at least mentioned his thoughts on how the Berwick team were shaping up, or maybe what he felt about Peterborough potentially coming back, but running at Oxford, or even his views on whether opening a track at Northampton would be good for Speedway.. Nothing... Just Football.... Maybe his life long love for the sport has ended?

Monkey Tennis!!!!!! Edit... Actually, that might work.. Do it during the interval and the tractor grading breaks... At some tracks they would get a whole five sets in!!!!

I think the Speedway Star has actually improved its output in the past 12 months or so... Given the internet makes many stories "old news" for a once a week magazine, they have increased features and interviews with not just riders and promoters but others within the sport... It also often brings detail to what gets said on here, eg a rider riding for a certain team, they will have the reasons behind the move. . Well worth £3.60 a week for a hard copy. .

Yes it is.. Form an orderly queue... Hope that golf cart is running....

The promoters have created "full time pros" with the constant doubling up and fundamental need for guesting... And those who do it the most are the ones who are more towards the end of their careers rather than the start... No idea how they will fill team spots in a few years time, and if those closed tracks ever come back then what will they do?

100%... However... "I want you to spend around £10k on two very good bikes, maintain them using an expensive tuner, and be available at all times as we will have a fixture list but it will change constantly, and you will be needed to guest at a moments notice"... And. If you do that, I will pay you tens of thousands, and we could win something that actually gets us to meet the local mayor of our local town!"...

Again, it goes back to a lack of vision, strategy and direction... Other sports have used the TV money well by ensuring they elected a person to work with them in driving their sport forward... Someone give autonomy by the clubs, to ensure that agreed exacting standards are maintained by the clubs, no "self policing", or "taking your bat and ball home" if you don't get your own way, and no deciding what league is best for me to run in.. But that someone is held to account also to ensure they deliver a sport moving forwards... They should have been "building a brand", using experts in that field, and using marketing experts to attract new interest from Joe Public and businesses, and using experts in event management to deliver a "match day experience" that encourages repeat visits, and targets families... Instead they did.... ?????

It has zero identity, nor brand... It is neither a sport, nor sports entertainment.. The promoters of yesteryear knew some pantomime villains got crowds engaged.. The racing was often just part of the package.. UK Speedway was always a bit made up and contrived, but often had thousands in attendance so the spectacle seemed to have some resonsnce, and relevance... Now its hundreds that watch in three quarter empty stadia, without the same atmosphere, and even more contrived than it used to be..

Speedway, sadly, doesn't often own the land that ultimately can leverage any debt... Debt is actually good if you can make more money using someone else's, and then pay them back... Living off sponsors money, and only renting your track, with assets that only cover tractors, air fences, and starting gates etc etc, is pretty much, ultimately, built on sand...

The sport, sadly, is riddled with ex riders iin positions that just being an ex speedway rider doesn't qualify you for... From Commentators, to CEO's, to Promoters, to Marketing... All require a specific skill set, based on successful experience in that particular field... UK Speedway keeps everything "n house", insular, and "that will do" as a measure of success...

Riding under a flag of convenience for most.... When you can guest for someone else and the points you score ultimately can prevent your own team reaching the play offs, I am not sure how any rider becomes emotionally attached to any team.. I remember Troy Bachelor guesting for Poole in a TV covered match, probably a decade or so ago, quite late on in the season, when they were possibly going to miss out on the play offs... He top scored and was given "Rider of the Night" by Kelvin, as Poole won to keep their play off hopes alive... A few weeks later he was back at Poole riding for his own team in the Play Off semi, and Poole knocked them out!!!! Riders, Fans, Promoters... None can really take it too seriously can they?

Goes back to an independent body Iain... The sport is desperate for a vision, and strategic journey to deliver that vision... Sadly, too many have no thoughts as to the overall growth of the sport, as, basically, they have no interest in growing it... It is just an "affordable" hobby for many.... And, no disrespect to them either, as they are never going to get rich off any financial reward for winning any UK Speedway title.. Three leagues exist, where many have no interest in winning, given the costs of doing so could mean they close down... Not a great starting point is it?.. Too many promoters have far too many different individual agendas, needs and wants, to ever make the sport (in the UK) successful...

Hope it goes well... There must still be many people from that neck of the woods who still would return to support the team such was their local following... Bigger crowds than Wolves at Monmore wasn't it? Which suggests a huge potential.. Loved my visits to Cradley, especially the pork sandwiches!! Watched one of the best races in the thousands I have seen at Dudley Wood.. Jason Lyons led Billy Hamill for two and three quarter laps and Billy went under him on bend four, lap three.. Jason chased him and repassed him, bend two on the outside, on the last lap.. Not many races see a "repass" when a top rider is in front, without him making a mistake.. A cracking race track (even if the second turn had a bit of adverse camber), and always a very big crowd... Best Wishes...

A "perfect scenario", I 100% agree.. However, some promoters pay for their lifestyle, and pension, off what they make from running a Speedway Team, (and fair play to them).... (And you can do that, just as well, in the 2nd tier, so why "move up"?).... Some promoters are quite happy to just be Speedway Promoters, running in front of any number of fans, as long as any losses are within budget... The bottom line is the operating model is now ran for the riders to earn money which justifies a significant outlay... Winning any of the competitions has very limited reward, either financially or publicity wise.. So why would I tender to, ultimately, increase my costs, if my business was sustainable, or even, very profitable..?

Of course.. However .. Being profitable down to having great sponsorship doesn't help when developers move in... Having thousands in attendance every week does make a difference when you want to influence a local authority and, possibly even more importantly, having the local councillors of those thousands, having to listen to them and support their views... Or they get voted out..