RobMcCaffery

Back in 1985 when I worked for the BSPA the percentage was 10 per cent of any sponsorship revenue. The matter of a TV deal was academic then with ITV having the main rights and Screen Sport having the NL cable rights. I would imagine the 'finder's fee' would have been the same.

Thanks to Tai for making the 2013 season memorable for one positive reason. How he saw off the trap in heat 5 was amazing. What a way to win a title! Congratulations to the first former Rocket to win a world title. As a result of matters on the domestic section of the site I expect to be receiving a ban - eventually enough is enough on both sides - so I'll just take this final chance to thank those on the International section for providing warm and intelligent company through the season. It's best if I shut up for a while. I've sa\id what I needed to say. Tai, I had the highest respect for your father - wonderful to see you honour his memory in the finest way. Isn't it funny how much better the Grands Prix have been on Eurosport ;-) Rob (Here's to seeing British Speedway on BT too!)

Let's hope so. I've already seen one of that trio stain the sport twice over there this year.

Whether or not it's likely the fact is that needs at most six points to win the title, mathematically. I'm sure we all hope it's a lot less - I don't like the look of his second ride in heat 5, with messrs. Hampel, Miedzinski and Kasprzak on his inside.

It was their 'big night'. Others should remember their example and not look upon TV coverage as a nuisance but which at least brings in easy money.

As with any pay TV station, they want subscribers and viewers and whatever attracts them is what they'll show. The 'hard core' speedway fans are surely substantially outnumbered amongst their subscribers so to make speedway work they have to catch the eye of their other viewers. Now, the personality route is very effective, as any tabloid newspaper reader will know - it's all about 'personalities' and gossip about them. First though you have to get the public to know those names. In the case of speedway on TV it has to catch attention fast and hold it. Ideally it will be a great piece of racing, but back-up selling points are atmosphere, spectacle and names. Take NASCAR - not much actually going on, but set in massive stadia with massive crowds. It looks impressive - at first. Once you've got people interested you can then develop personalities. Sky's much-criticised presentation works to that end - it's a hard sell to catch attention. What's being said is "Hey, don't change channel, watch this, it's great, it's important - look at these personalities" - and also completes the big 'sell' by giving strong mentions to tracks around the country. It's not always pleasant listening for the already-committed but Sky aren't selling to them - they already have them. Where it a ll goes wrong is, quite simply when you have poor racing, no atmosphere and 'stars' that only the committed know about. AZt the very lowest depth you have the farce of Belle Vue vs Poole, farcical racing on an unfit track in an aborted meeting just to contrive a result. At the heart of it all is the racing. It is all about four guys (or girls if they're good enough) having a race that's good enough for people to want to watch - and that applies to speedway on whatever stage - televised or live at the stadium.

What is the point in offering 'big names' to the casual viewer/general public if they have no idea who those 'names' are? It's easily tested - just ask your non-speedway friends who Tai Woffinden, Chris Holder and Darcy Ward are - or maybe stetch it further with Emil Sayufutdinov or Nicki Pedersen. Unless you live in the Bournemouth area I very much doubt whether they will have heard of the 'Turbo Twins. There is a little more chance of Tai being known thanks to recent national publicity - my manager for example mentioned having heard an interview before Cardiff , saying 'he's an aussie isn't he?'. I quickly explained.... The biggest job with the general public I feel is persuading them that speedway isn't car racing and that it is a team sport where it's not just about the winner of the race. Attract the casual viewer with interesting racing, draw them into the team aspect, then after a while they'll learn those names. Saying 'Poole are in town with Chris Holder and Darcy Ward' is not going to impress anyone who isn't at least a casual fan. If I catch an unfamiliar sport such as hockey or gaelic games for example I will stick around to see what the action's like, then what the score is, maybe go on to check what the implications of the result are- the last thing at that stage is to know who the stars are.

The figures for SEC and SGP are simply not comparable when it comes to Eurosport for the basic and simple fact that SGP is only carried on BRITISH Eurosport since in other nations other broadcasters have the rights, whereas I believe SEC is carried on all versions of Eurosport. Do bear in mind that there are many versions of Eurosport internationally. I don't know if it's still the case but the Romanian/Hungarian service has shown live Premier League football. The figures quoted for SEC are almost certainly potential viewers, not actual. It's a pretty standard trick in broadcasting. One Sport aren't helping their cause by these ridiculous claims. There is another point. How many of those who have watched would bother again? This all seems like a straightforward attempt by One Sport and the PZM to eventually displace BSI and take over SGP. If they did achieve this I would suggest that their interest in the SEC would soon disappear. Sadly Eurosport are being used as pawns in this power struggle.

My personal feeling is that it would be a dream move for speedway to transfer to BT Sport, but only if it is prepared to adjust and give more value to the broadcaster than take the cash and let them in. BT need to diversify their service away from the basis of football and rugby and I believe any sport that can get in there would find it given very good treatment. Away from live action their studio-based programmes are excellent and to see that treatment given to our sport, even if tied-into Moto GP it would be a wonderful opportunity. Sadly speedway has a dismal record at seizing opportunities. The negative is a sense that the whole BT project might prove to be unsustainable; that cuts would sweep away these studio shows and like predecessors who have tackled Sky eventually throw in the towel. Apart from rugby viewing figures haven't been that impressive so far - generally in tens of thousands rather than hundreds. It all depends on how committed BT are to the long-term. This article can explain far better than I can: http://www.telegraph...s-all-over.html A notable line is the reference to offering a cheaper alternative to Sky. Sky's been able to name its price for years and is vulnerable to undercutting. BT Sport is free to its broadband users and included in Virgin's top tier. Of course if you're a Sky customer with Sky Sports it is an extra expense but if you just wanted speedway it would be cheaper to take out a BT Sports package than Sky Sports. If BT are genuinely interested and Sky aren't listening then the sport seems to have one choice but it must earn the right to a place, not take it for granted. Back in the 80s at Screen Sport I could see this complacency - it was all about easy money which is why I am so saddened that so little seems to have changed. We're in a serious situation which cynicism won't resolve. It is long past the point where speedway has to wake up and smell the coffee. If someone is still prepared to pour a cappuccino then grab it, but don't forget to look at the price. The sport can recover but only through fundamental reform.

Fantasy saviours? Who?

All fascinating stuff and thanks to those 'in the know' for letting us see more deeply into the situation. So, it looks like we can sum the situation up as.. "If you sort yourselves out, you have two possible outlets, just don't expect the kind of money you've been used to"?

Zielona Gora v Czectochowa in the Fair Play Cup is scheduled for Sunday 13th, apparently. It's being staged to compensate ticket holders from the abortive play-off final.

I see Zielona Gora are staging a 'Fair Play Cup' match on October 13th against Czestochowa which is free for ticket holders for the Play-Off Final. I hope they'll be sending the bill to Torun. Full story http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/387143/rafal-dobrucki-dla-sportowefaktypl-nic-nie-zrekompensuje-nam-braku-finalu As ever a page translator will be needed to convert from the Polish. Now that's the final (with a fit Emil) that I'd have loved to have seen. I'm sure a quick look at The Sopranos or The Godfather will give the idea.

I take it the Poles haven't applied for a two week delay until Tomasz might be fit then.....

Now you're talking!

On this unique occasion I agree with you on the point of budgeting, although without seeing the accounts it's impossible to be certain. If this is correct then they seem to have at least behaved correctly in one aspect of their business. On the other hand I doubt signing Hancock, Jonasson and Pawlicki was in the budget - just can be covered by the business without bankrupting itself. By the way, this particular discussion is about the future of the sport on TV, not how wonderful Poole are. There's a lot of speedway outside Dorset you know. I hear you were back at your old track at Swindon recently so you may still be aware of this. Fish elsewhere.

I'm sure they missed out on a great pay-day. Thanks yet again - it tells the story very well.

Funny, a spell at Iwade restored my faith in speedway too, seeing the families working so hard to allow their boys to chase their dreams. It reinforced my view that it's the racing that matters, not the names. As ever, highly relevant points Arthur and as a regular viewer of BT Sport I am not surprised at the 'back story'. Their tactic to take on Sky is clearly to compete on quality rather than quantity and often it is like watching an extension of BBC Sport., especially their studio discussion programmes, Any thoughts on my part for BT to take on speedway are based on hope rather than expectation and I agree that the sport would have terrible problems in coping with the discipline involved. Perhaps it's not a 2014 option but given time the sport could put itself in a state where it can take on that particular top-quality challenge......if it wants to. It must have the will to reform. If it can the rewards are still out there.

I do hope Miedzinski's calmed down after the Polish play-offs - not a pretty sight.

Very interesting, thank you. At its heart Speedway can bed an excellent TV sport. Unlike most other motor sport it takes place in a reasonably confined area and thus potentially uses an economical number of cameras. Under lights it is a true spectacle, assuming the lighting is good enough. Against this it does have the vulnerability to weather, but it's not the only televised sport with that risk. When the sport is good it's superb but it can easily fall to the other extreme. It needs a good racing surface, well-matched riders racing under a workable, understandable and ideally fair structure. Sadly the EL doesn't provide that currently, but it can, providing it takes the necessary steps. Teams must not be reliant on whether riders have nothing better to do. This does rule out riders with GP or extensive overseas commitments. There must be a good flow of sufficient meetings, the rules must be clear and there must be a common will to use the TV coverage for the common good of the sport. What happened at Belle Vue must never, ever happen again. Achieving a result at the expense or rider safety and spectator value for money is unacceptable and I'm not particularly bothered about apportioning the blame. It is possible to pull back from the brink but as ever, the first step in recovering from a problem is acknowledging that you have one. We saw some some excellent PL meetings this year, principally because the promotions and teams concerned worked hard to make them work. There were some good EL matches too, but precious few, unfortunately due to too many riders having more tempting offers elsewhere, or if they did turn up using secondary equipment and just using the meetings as paid practice sessions for their more important bookings elsewhere. Most EL matches were a compromise put on by promotions losing money heavily and just trying to find ways just to put the few meetings on that they could afford to. Of course this desperation's carried through into the TV experience and painful viewing it was. The question is, is the sport capable of making the necessary changes to keep its rightful place on TV (staged correctly speedway is a TV 'natural'), and can the remaining supporters accept those changes when they come? I do worry, given the constant moans of 'dilution' whenever the sport tries to find a way to live within its means. Do Ipswich fans think that their speedway has been 'diluted' by joining the PL?. If we do still have a chance to rescue a Sky deal or attract the very impressive BT, who may find another bike sport a useful addition to its coverage of Moto GP in 2014, then we have to seize it. If changes are needed, make them. Use TV to sell the sport, not show the world how damaged it's been of late. The GPs and Poland have fatally wounded the EL as we know it now with the European Championship a potential final twist of the knife. We need regular speedway, a damn sight more than 14 matches a season, full teams and good circuits for them to race on. It is possible, but there has to be a genuine will by promotions, riders and supporters to achieve it. It's time for a two division Premier League, one operating slightly above the current PL level and one at or slightly below the current level. British Speedway cannot keep kidding itself that everything will magically turn right if they just keep finding a way to duck and dodge season by season. In Britain we seem to be about to see a play-off final between two teams that have bought success but now can't pay the tab while in Poland this weekend we've seen just how damaging a 'win at all costs' mentality can be. What good is getting your way if the cost of the win is the sport itself? (EDIT - as a tailpiece to my ramblings, I do wonder if it might be a an idea to give the likes of Poole and Torun 'Wild Cards' into their respective play-offs then the rest of the leagues can get on with their seasons without their shenanigans while both cope with the fact that their seasons only begin to have meaning in September ;-) )

I'd be the first to point out that they buy programming rather than make it. These days though Sky, ITV and often even the BBC use outside OB crews hired-in for the purpose. The big question is who will be providing the OB facilities for the basketball? It suggests that BE will have to start hiring facilities like the other major sports broadcasters. We had the argument over empty stadia with Screen Sport thirty years ago. Some of the continuity announcers even went so far as to say "Over now to Rob in an empty stadium". It's hard when the main camera needs to sit above the majority of the crowd rather than facing. You don't get that many people at basketball matches either by the way, although a few hundred do look better in a small sports hall and it is a much cheaper OB job. I've been surprised that Sky's league coverage has lasted this long. Our coverage was on the cheap (VERY cheap) and I've been delighted to see the resources that Sky have put into the sport. Sometimes though I have wondered if, given the state of the Elite League for several years, it isn't the wisest thing to put it on too public a display. One lesson still doesn't seem to have been learnt - TV coverage is a shop window, not an easy subsidy for a financially-inefficient sport. PL clubs have been complimented for the efforts they've put in when covered - perhaps they weren't taking things for granted. I'm in no doubt of the costs involved in covering a full season's speedway and the unlikelihood of anyone seeing it worthwhile. My comments were just to point out that British Eurosport are changing policy. Wishful thinking, not expectation. I wonder what that exec would think of the Belle Vue Poole match if he were aware of the full circumstances? It was an insult to the viewers as well as those unfortunates who'd paid to get in. Time to rebuild, if we can. The sport usually limps on somehow and there's still plenty of people looking to open tracks, it seems. We rely on people being willing to bail the sport out. We've been lucky that SKY did it for so long. That money should have been used to build a foundation, not thrown away on bikes.

Rather than get into a lengthy debate with Paul, after all this thread was about Swedish Speedway, not either or us, recent events at Belle Vue and Zielona Gora just reinforce how much I enjoyed the 2013 Swedish Speedway season. Thank you all over there for giving a lead to the rest of world speedway. I am sure there are problems but we saw a well-fought season with some memorable racing. Thank you Sweden for the delightful entertainment this year.

There is no greater corrosive influence in sport than money. It is far too easy to buy things that should never be for sale.... Clearly Torun believe they are bigger than the sport. Now where have I seen that before? The sport has to prove they aren't although I do suspect they'll be there in the Extraliga next year - money talks. I had my suspicions about excessive 'influence' during the semis. In the first leg a Torun rider ended Sayfutdinov's season and wrecked the climax of the GPs with a disgracefully ruthless piece of riding and escaped punishment, with even Emil picking up the exclusion! In the second leg we then have the red card for Szombierski for heinously staying down on the wrong end of a 5-1. The inconsistency was clear, and it was far too easy to suspect that Torun were being 'favoured'. They could and should have used R/R. After all, Czestochowa had to battle on with it after falling foul of the money machine. As for Go Speed's TV service, I was a customer and unimpressed on Sunday but not with Go Speed who I am sure are as dismayed as the rest of us. It was a good service despite the lack of care by the Poles over the first meeting on Sunday and the subsequent disgrace. Nice stadium at Torun, shame about the stench. I'd rather support a sport on its uppers but honest...

Thanks for this Philip. It's a very troubled time for the sport. As one who paid for the Go-Speed streaming service I am very frustrated at the Polish situation where Torun's power and influence are similarly worrying. Miedzinski's riding in the play-offs was deplorable and the red card for Szombierski totally over the top. Both were huge factors in Torun's relative success. I'll just throw one point into the debate on potential broadcasters of domestic British Speedway. Until recently I would have totally dismissed British Eurosport from the list of possibles - as you said earlier they have traditionally bought or been given programming rather than gone out to make it. This is a product of their origins as the sports arm of Eurovision, (yes, it's not just a song contest) carrying programming made by state broadcasters that couldn't be sold on the open market. I've noticed a change recently. Taking on the GPs wasn't an enormous surprise since they fit the international nature of the channels. Lately though they've bought the UK rights to the Monday night NFL game which is a heck of a change in direction from international cycling, tennis and motorcycling. Now I've just read that Sky's coverage of the British Basketball League is switching to British Eurosport! I'm pretty sure this is the first time they've acquired a minority sport's domestic British league. Now I'm pretty sure that there are many behind the scenes reasons why Eurosport aren't a contender since I can't see anyone wanting the coverage unless the rights were very cheap, having seen this season's farce. The editorial search for 'winners' does suggest a lack of faith in the overall product. The BBL deal does show that things may be changing at British Eurosport. It was very noticeable how they improved their contribution to the GP coverage during the year, using Steve Day and Scott Nicholls instead of the original far from acceptable presenter who babbled his way through reviews of the heats during the gaps in the main BSI programme in the early programmes. Perhaps they realise that there is potential in the sport and it's worth investing in the coverage? Personally I would love to see BT get involved since they currently have a major gap in midweek live sport and will need something to plug the gap next summer when the football and rugby finish. They have a very intelligent, polished approach. Oh well, it would be nice to think that speedway could fit that....

The backbone of British League Division One was weekly Friday and Saturday night racing and that has been lost. Tracks rode 20-30 meeting seasons, not 14. Nobody can tell me that we have made progress from that position. Yes times change but that doesn't mean we simply let things fall apart in response. You wouldn't say "time's moved on, there's nothing we can do" to a sick person so why say it to a sick sport?