What about Northampton?

[gjcone44]

2 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

They set the whole show up pretending it’s real and film it, I had a stall right behind them at the classic off road show a few weeks back, they turn up on the Sunday for a couple of hours, set a fake stall out, pretend to buy/ haggle with someone for their own stuff film it and then pack up and leave, all done in a couple of hours 

🤣 thats how they present the news....🤣

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

2 minutes ago, gjcone44 said:

🤣 thats how they present the news....🤣

😂 do you remember drop the dead donkey 

[piston197]

1 hour ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

They set the whole show up pretending it’s real and film it, I had a stall right behind them at the classic off road show a few weeks back, a 2 day event,they turn up on the Sunday for a couple of hours, set a fake stall out, pretend to buy/ haggle with someone for their own stuff film it then film them buying a cup of tea and then pack up and leave, all done in a couple of hours, nothing new most tv is scripted and fake, they not inventing the wheel 

 Dean,It is a sign and tin can religion for some disciples of Mr Cole, you cannot persuade a "believer" that is no more real than TOWIE.

We are out there regularly selling/trading/auction bidding,all of the things that are purportedly done on the TV shows and know the difference between fake and real, we don't turn up at 10a.m. after our staff has set up the "stall", spend 2 hours signing autographs .taking selfies and selling the odd trinket, and then bu***r off, we do not visit established businesses like Andy Tiernan, Veralls, Yeomans etc. and pretend we are buying at a bargain price from collectors, nor pretend we made a profit on "sold" items which quite often in later shows can still be seen in the background of the shot weeks after !

It is reality TV, the true "nice little earner" is the fee that gets paid for the show by the TV companies .

Here is an actual Video taken by Euan Bentley ( excellent youtube channel) of what actually goes on at a HC stall, see any buying/selling, between filming from his own crew.

 

Edited yesterday at 03:37 PM by piston197

[TB1]

On 3/16/2026 at 12:23 PM, AFCB Wildcat said:

It's certainly a strange thing to say. I re read it a few times, but am still wondering what he means by that!

The other part of the article that struck me, was the explanation of why they were so desperate to invent the 6th team. In a 5 team league where the top team goes straight to the playoff final, riders may find it preferable to finish second or third in order to get 2 extra meetings. 

If that's the ethos of professional sportsmen that represent their teams, how can you expect fans to invest in it?

I know I'll be accused of being negative or moaning, but while I sincerely hope that Northampton and the season as a whole is a success, it does smack of desperation.

A lesson from history although a different sport. If you look at MK Dons they have never really hit the highs with their crowds. Although of course their move was deeply unpopular at the time their average crowd in league 2 is around 7 to 8k. Yes bigger in the championship of course. They took a freebie hit on a grand scale and got a 23k crowd against Harrogate. Does anyone know if at the time if the owners carried out any market research on their potential supporters or crowd? Because clearly it doesn't appear to have worked.

[adonis]

5 hours ago, gjcone44 said:

🤣 thats how they present the news....🤣

Hahaha 

[Hamish McRaker]

Woffinden not in the GP series now. Does this potentially create time for him to do UK, or is he already doing enough other leagues?

[Neila]

15 minutes ago, Hamish McRaker said:

Woffinden not in the GP series now. Does this potentially create time for him to do UK, or is he already doing enough other leagues?

Will be just counting the cash in the lower polish league 

[YeOldPitGate]

24 minutes ago, Hamish McRaker said:

Woffinden not in the GP series now. Does this potentially create time for him to do UK, or is he already doing enough other leagues?

Whats the reason not fit for start of the season ?

[tom]

On 3/16/2026 at 11:01 AM, Chadster said:

I think some of these things might be able to happen but not if every track tries to work in isolation. Are there people with expertise who could set things up centrally? It needn't be a promoter, but maybe fans with enthusiasm and interest who could establish a template for working with the police or with schools? I believe that a knowledgeable fan has given great help to campaigners at Coventry and Peterborough to help them navigate the planning process.

 

On 3/16/2026 at 11:55 AM, ouch said:

It would be good if there was a partnership within the sport with the necessary skills to handle the long term negotiations when planning, funding and building a multi million pound, purpose built speedway stadium. They would be gold dust currently and rightly cosseted by the sports hierarchy. 

I think both of these points are really strong, but flip me if I would know how to set it up. Maybe it should be pitched to Phil Morris directly? Part of the problem is that there's different sorts of very specific expertise required, legal/planning stuff is one type, setting up business partnerships is another, digging funding out of public bodies is another. As you both say, some kind of central team or even just a deposit of information and strategies that clubs could draw on would be ace.

 

Do you know whether the campaigners at Peterborough and Coventry are in touch? And the people trying to restart Cradley, and the various others? I mean I assume they will have at least waved at each other, but maybe there might be a way of banking the learning of every project so that even the ones that fail (ie most of them) still contribute something to the next?

 

This might mean a person having a job. It might be possible to part-fund this by setting it up as a PhD research project, for a clever and business-minded young[-at-heart] speedway fan. Or participant, or former participant.

 

Pop quiz! Has any speedway rider had a PhD? And which current rider is most likely to be able to do one? Just from the amount of stuff he's involved in, I can imagine Dr. Lemon.

 

I would also like to second or third everyone who's said speedway should target media colleges. It works for everyone involved in loads of ways. But also might be worth business schools, maybe even local history departments. Basically any way you can think up building a PhD out of speedway. I mean physics! Or engineering. And with all of these wacky ideas, the main, sneaky, round the back benefit is that you're introducing more people to speedway who will probably never have seen it before and really ought to love it because it's brilliant.

[arnieg]

4 hours ago, TB1 said:

A lesson from history although a different sport. If you look at MK Dons they have never really hit the highs with their crowds. Although of course their move was deeply unpopular at the time their average crowd in league 2 is around 7 to 8k. Yes bigger in the championship of course. They took a freebie hit on a grand scale and got a 23k crowd against Harrogate. Does anyone know if at the time if the owners carried out any market research on their potential supporters or crowd? Because clearly it doesn't appear to have worked.

Both Swedish and Danish teams do this. Typically the free meeting gets around double the usual crowd. Not sure that there is much evidence of increased crowds, but some teams do it every year so there  ust be some perceived benefit.

[M.D]

48 minutes ago, arnieg said:

Both Swedish and Danish teams do this. Typically the free meeting gets around double the usual crowd. Not sure that there is much evidence of increased crowds, but some teams do it every year so there  ust be some perceived benefit.

Lakeside did this one year, a freebie for the meeting on SKY against Poole.

The amount of cars trying to get into the stadium actually caused traffic issues on the M25!

[Neila]

51 minutes ago, M.D said:

Lakeside did this one year, a freebie for the meeting on SKY against Poole.

The amount of cars trying to get into the stadium actually caused traffic issues on the M25!

Allegedly a crowd of 6000 reported, but the following weeks back to usual levels

[Hamish McRaker]

12 hours ago, YeOldPitGate said:

Whats the reason not fit for start of the season ?

Says not ready yet for GP's level, not wanting to do too much, too soon. 

[YeOldPitGate]

59 minutes ago, Hamish McRaker said:

Says not ready yet for GP's level, not wanting to do too much, too soon. 

Sensible thinking to be honest , I personally wish he had retired as he's had some really bad knocks in recent seasons but only he can decide on that, if he's not looking to take to much on I wonder if he will just focus on Poland this year is he still riding in their top league ?

[mikebv]

10 hours ago, Neila said:

Allegedly a crowd of 6000 reported, but the following weeks back to usual levels

Surprise!!!!!!!!

One off gestures don't work...

A free meeting needs to be part of a larger enticement programme with gradual imcreases..

Eg next four meetings for a tenner each, next two for fifteen, next two twenty, then full price...

With constant communication and feedback sought during this period, from those who are using the discounted tickets....

"Build it and they will come" only works in movies...

The sport desperately needs people who can market and engage..

 

Edited 7 hours ago by mikebv

[Eagle77]

10 hours ago, Neila said:

Allegedly a crowd of 6000 reported, but the following weeks back to usual levels

Surely what this says is that the product was not attractive enough to entice any of the extras back...

 

[M.D]

19 minutes ago, Eagle77 said:

Surely what this says is that the product was not attractive enough to entice any of the extras back...

 

Or not for the admission price on offer..

[oleoleole]

14 hours ago, tom said:

 

I think both of these points are really strong, but flip me if I would know how to set it up. Maybe it should be pitched to Phil Morris directly? Part of the problem is that there's different sorts of very specific expertise required, legal/planning stuff is one type, setting up business partnerships is another, digging funding out of public bodies is another. As you both say, some kind of central team or even just a deposit of information and strategies that clubs could draw on would be ace.

 

Do you know whether the campaigners at Peterborough and Coventry are in touch? And the people trying to restart Cradley, and the various others? I mean I assume they will have at least waved at each other, but maybe there might be a way of banking the learning of every project so that even the ones that fail (ie most of them) still contribute something to the next?

 

This might mean a person having a job. It might be possible to part-fund this by setting it up as a PhD research project, for a clever and business-minded young[-at-heart] speedway fan. Or participant, or former participant.

 

Pop quiz! Has any speedway rider had a PhD? And which current rider is most likely to be able to do one? Just from the amount of stuff he's involved in, I can imagine Dr. Lemon.

 

I would also like to second or third everyone who's said speedway should target media colleges. It works for everyone involved in loads of ways. But also might be worth business schools, maybe even local history departments. Basically any way you can think up building a PhD out of speedway. I mean physics! Or engineering. And with all of these wacky ideas, the main, sneaky, round the back benefit is that you're introducing more people to speedway who will probably never have seen it before and really ought to love it because it's brilliant.

Apologies if this has been mentioned before but the University of Northampton have a large media centre. They have been Northampton Town’s sponsor for many years and work closely with the Club so there must be a possibility of a relationship there.

[IainB]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

A free meeting needs to be part of a larger enticement programme with gradual imcreases..

Eg next four meetings for a tenner each, next two for fifteen, next two twenty, then full price...

That's a whole season these days! 😂

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

Bet the people of Northampton are sick to death of all this advertising of a new sport coming to their town but as it was pointed out to me on here a couple of weeks back no point in advertising it until the deal is done to run speedway 🙄