ouch Posted April 29 Report Share Posted April 29 10 hours ago, mikebv said: 24 years ago... You had Sky Sports coverage, usually a match per week, and around a million quid put into the league a season by them.. Meaning Sky Sports News showed highlights on top of the live action, which was often on SS1.... The largest Sports Channel on the planet even sponsored the league via their Skybet arm... You also had (apart from Mr T Gollob), the worlds best 20 or so riders riding over here... Riding on nights that clubs could engage their largest crowds. which meant Wednesday racing, Friday racing, and Saturday racing in the Elite League... A very different offering than what we have today... So if we get all the above back it will create meaning in meetings? Televised speedway ran along side the sports biggest demise in decades. I’m not saying it’s the reason for it but neither will it be the saviour to have it back. Coming from you, the comment about top stars is confusing given your repeated suggestion that they don’t matter. With regards racenights between then and now, for every Wednesday, Friday or Saturday club there were and are Monday & Thursday clubs. Touting Wednesday as a speedway night again is at odds with your previous thinking where weekends are the goal. As with a lot of stuff on here when suggesting ideas to take the sport forward we get confusion and contradiction when drilling down to the fine detail. “First out of the gate always wins” was the common complaint from folk when speedway was mentioned. As a sport we have leaned into this rather than rail against it making the sport tedious & boring and we have continually charged more for people to “enjoy” it. I’ve more than halved my attendance of the sport due to this but that’s better than most how have reduced theirs by 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted April 29 Report Share Posted April 29 (edited) 1 hour ago, ouch said: So if we get all the above back it will create meaning in meetings? Televised speedway ran along side the sports biggest demise in decades. I’m not saying it’s the reason for it but neither will it be the saviour to have it back. Coming from you, the comment about top stars is confusing given your repeated suggestion that they don’t matter. With regards racenights between then and now, for every Wednesday, Friday or Saturday club there were and are Monday & Thursday clubs. Touting Wednesday as a speedway night again is at odds with your previous thinking where weekends are the goal. As with a lot of stuff on here when suggesting ideas to take the sport forward we get confusion and contradiction when drilling down to the fine detail. “First out of the gate always wins” was the common complaint from folk when speedway was mentioned. As a sport we have leaned into this rather than rail against it making the sport tedious & boring and we have continually charged more for people to “enjoy” it. I’ve more than halved my attendance of the sport due to this but that’s better than most how have reduced theirs by 100%. The top stars do bring in crowds, if the infrastructure around them generates interest. Hence I have paid nearly three hundred quid for two nights of Speedway at the NSS in June.. However, they also need to be (at least) cost neutral, which when Sky gave the sport circa one million a season, they were. (They took most of the money)... Nowadays, with lower crowds, and no TV money, I would question whether having them in the league over here is cost effective, particularly when hardly any marketing budget is then available.. As for the nights to race on, running on Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri and Sat was ideal for those top tier tracks whose long held traditional night wasn't just a weekend... Poole is an example in the UK whose race night is paramount to their business plan, regardless of the infrastructure around which league they are in.... And Plymouth are an example of moving to a weekend and seeing fantastic growth... That flexibility of "my best night to open" looks like it is key to the sports future.. The racing today is, for me, as good as it ever was. I can look back with those rose tinted glasses and remember my all time hero, Peter Collins, 50 years ago, winning every race, on the line, after passing all three opponents around the outside, at Hyde Rd... The reality of course was "PC" won around seven races in ten by half a straight or more, given he was that good, and often rode against two point average make weights... The difference being that there was well over 10,000 other people in the stadium with me, making noise, with, at least, 500 or so from the opposition... 50,000 at a Cardiff GP was a fantastic event to be at, the racing however wasnt ever much above OK.. Somehow the UK version of Speedway needs to generate crowds, (with plenty of away fans), to generate atmosphere. Which then generates engagement and repeat visits.. That would be a game changer and a whole new future... Edited April 29 by mikebv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulnolan Posted April 29 Report Share Posted April 29 Feels odd to be chipping in here before my club has even raced a meeting but it strikes me that, leaving aside the quality of the racing, regularity is one of the key things to attract and keep a crowd. Let's take Northampton as an example. The beginning of April to the end of September is 6 full months. Let's say they want 12 home meetings, as this season. It would make all the sense in the world to divide the league into 3 Monday tracks and 3 Thursday tracks. If Northampton is a Thursday track, they should run the first and third Thursday of every month. That leaves the second and fourth Thursdays for away at the 2 other Thursday tracks - let's say Ipswich and Sheffield - and rain-offs, with Mondays free to go away to the 3 other tracks. That way the local fans know exactly when there will be speedway at Brafield, and the casuals will know it's the first and third Thursday of the month. The season can extend into October for play-offs if needed, and begin in March for pre-season action if desired. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE DEAN MACHINE Posted Friday at 08:05 PM Report Share Posted Friday at 08:05 PM This is basically the angle that British speedway needs to adopt, getting the message over that the general social aspect of speedway on both sides of the fence is an asset to society and not pander to the few inconvenienced few Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enotian Posted Friday at 09:26 PM Report Share Posted Friday at 09:26 PM 52 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said: This is basically the angle that British speedway needs to adopt, getting the message over that the general social aspect of speedway on both sides of the fence is an asset to society and not pander to the few inconvenienced few How is it an asset to society atm though? It get's a few pensioners out for a couple of hours every week or so? Or it allows semi wealthy businessmen to avoid some tax? Of course you're completely correct it absolutely should be but it isn't, How does it become an asset to society? Well how about trying to reduce some of societies woes? There's lots of anti social behaviour involving youths and motorised bikes and/scooters. Why not work with the authorities to give these kids an opportunity to channel their need for speed and danger? You'd probably attract grant funding towards equipment and training costs. Sounds like wokery and to be fair some of these kids just need to be disciplined but maybe just maybe some of these kids just need an opportunity. Teach them bike maintenance, transferable skills, The GB Newsers will scream rewarding bad behaviour and/or training them to be more of a menace etc but if speedway gets some social benefits it makes it so much more difficult to be removed. Hey you might even end up unearthing some talent or at least some future supporters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teromaafan Posted Friday at 09:57 PM Report Share Posted Friday at 09:57 PM 28 minutes ago, enotian said: How is it an asset to society atm though? It get's a few pensioners out for a couple of hours every week or so? Or it allows semi wealthy businessmen to avoid some tax? Of course you're completely correct it absolutely should be but it isn't, How does it become an asset to society? Well how about trying to reduce some of societies woes? There's lots of anti social behaviour involving youths and motorised bikes and/scooters. Why not work with the authorities to give these kids an opportunity to channel their need for speed and danger? You'd probably attract grant funding towards equipment and training costs. Sounds like wokery and to be fair some of these kids just need to be disciplined but maybe just maybe some of these kids just need an opportunity. Teach them bike maintenance, transferable skills, The GB Newsers will scream rewarding bad behaviour and/or training them to be more of a menace etc but if speedway gets some social benefits it makes it so much more difficult to be removed. Hey you might even end up unearthing some talent or at least some future supporters. Perhaps the next Jason Garrity is out there just waiting for an opportunity? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted Saturday at 07:28 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 07:28 AM 9 hours ago, Teromaafan said: Perhaps the next Jason Garrity is out there just waiting for an opportunity? ... or Jesper B Jensen (Monberg) 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enotian Posted Saturday at 10:49 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 10:49 AM 11 hours ago, Teromaafan said: Perhaps the next Jason Garrity is out there just waiting for an opportunity? I deliberately made no reference to him in my post knowing someone would. Inevitably if you engage with people from troubled backgrounds or with mental health issues you'll be witness to unacceptable behaviour as none of these types of programme are 100% successful. Wouldn't it be nice if someone like Garrity (there are others who have also been troubled) could give something back to the sport and society by trying to help some kids who are on the wrong path? I dare say it would be good for him/them, good for the sport, good for the kids, good for society. Or you can just be like GB News and catastrophise the negative. Live in fear or live in hope. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted Saturday at 11:04 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 11:04 AM (edited) 15 minutes ago, enotian said: I deliberately made no reference to him in my post knowing someone would. Inevitably if you engage with people from troubled backgrounds or with mental health issues you'll be witness to unacceptable behaviour as none of these types of programme are 100% successful. Wouldn't it be nice if someone like Garrity (there are others who have also been troubled) could give something back to the sport and society by trying to help some kids who are on the wrong path? I dare say it would be good for him/them, good for the sport, good for the kids, good for society. Or you can just be like GB News and catastrophise the negative. Live in fear or live in hope. Some of those "Ballied Up" lads can really shift on those e-bikes... Especially when I see them with a white Toyota behind them, flashing some blue lights and blaring out some noise... Watched one kid pull a full locker, left turn, and disappear down a passsge, all in a split second at speed... Get him to the NSS!!!! Edited Saturday at 11:05 AM by mikebv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE DEAN MACHINE Posted Saturday at 11:18 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 11:18 AM (edited) 13 hours ago, Teromaafan said: Perhaps the next Jason Garrity is out there just waiting for an opportunity? A good example of the system working was Derick Snedden, criminal in his youth taken to Linlithgow track by the police to see if they could rehabilitate him,went on to have a fairly long career in speedway Edited Saturday at 11:19 AM by THE DEAN MACHINE 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE DEAN MACHINE Posted Saturday at 11:30 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 11:30 AM Sandwell council with government money is planning a new wheels type project like they had at Birmingham wheels which was sucessful in getting kids of the streets for 40years until corporate money got it’s way, anyway they want a motox track and other wheels facility’s along with maybe workshops to learn kids the basics of the bikes/cars or whatever they ride/drive, anyway speedway was not mentioned in the initial plans but now speedway has had some meetings with Sandwell and they are keen to get it involved, what is encouraging is the government and the council finally seem to understand things like wheels project are needed and are keen to see it go ahead, fingers crossed. Just like to add that the governing body of speedway are not involved in any way because quite frankly they are useless 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted Saturday at 12:05 PM Report Share Posted Saturday at 12:05 PM 32 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said: Sandwell council with government money is planning a new wheels type project like they had at Birmingham wheels which was sucessful in getting kids of the streets for 40years until corporate money got it’s way, anyway they want a motox track and other wheels facility’s along with maybe workshops to learn kids the basics of the bikes/cars or whatever they ride/drive, anyway speedway was not mentioned in the initial plans but now speedway has had some meetings with Sandwell and they are keen to get it involved, what is encouraging is the government and the council finally seem to understand things like wheels project are needed and are keen to see it go ahead, fingers crossed. Just like to add that the governing body of speedway are not involved in any way because quite frankly they are useless It's because they need to spend, collectively, seven figures on riders.... No money left .. A Hobby can be expensive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE DEAN MACHINE Posted Saturday at 12:15 PM Report Share Posted Saturday at 12:15 PM 4 minutes ago, mikebv said: It's because they need to spend, collectively, seven figures on riders.... No money left .. A Hobby can be expensive... Advice and support costs nothing but as cradley showed when they contacted the governing body when asked questions by their planners, not only were there no answers but they were nigh on impossible to get hold of to which the planners who deal with all sorts of governing body’s from various sports were quite taken back and also what is the problem with sport England and speedway ? I understand they prefer participation sports but they will not touch speedway with a barge pole 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted Saturday at 12:27 PM Report Share Posted Saturday at 12:27 PM 10 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said: Advice and support costs nothing but as cradley showed when they contacted the governing body when asked questions by their planners, not only were there no answers but they were nigh on impossible to get hold of to which the planners who deal with all sorts of governing body’s from various sports were quite taken back and also what is the problem with sport England and speedway ? I understand they prefer participation sports but they will not touch speedway with a barge pole Imagine being from a major company dealing with fhem? Or a mainstream TV channel? People used to dealing with progressive professionals.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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