How do we move forward to attract crowds and Sponsors.

[Youhave2minutes]

FOR THE REFUSED ONLY

I have a sense of humour also unlike some. Well compiled by yourself refused sorry it took too much of your valuable  time. Get your eyes tested if you need to type that big of font. There has been no objections from the people I’ve had a laugh with so keep your snout out of it. When I said I tell the truth I mean about riders

31 minutes ago, Youhave2minutes said:

Thanks IainB for your support.

Edited Thursday at 09:41 PM by Youhave2minutes

[mikebv]

1 hour ago, Ben91 said:

The funny thing is we don’t have 14 Simon Lamberts. The career second division man has been killed off by the short sighted rule changes of the last decade. They’re the bumblebees of British speedway. Nobody really cared about them but their demise brings down the whole shebang. 

Correct ...

But...

Bringing over a plethora of Szymon Lambertski's, and Simon Lambertsen's, to take places UK lads could have taken, was obviously too good an opportunity to miss...🙁

[Youhave2minutes]

13 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Correct ...

But...

Bringing over a plethora of Szymon Lambertski's, and Simon Lambertsen's, to take places UK lads could have taken, was obviously too good an opportunity to miss...🙁

The whole country is virtually non British. I read where the birth rate here now is one in three born is British.

[Ben91]

7 hours ago, mikebv said:

Correct ...

But...

Bringing over a plethora of Szymon Lambertski's, and Simon Lambertsen's, to take places UK lads could have taken, was obviously too good an opportunity to miss...🙁

I think there’s a place for the bang average rider from abroad too in fairness. One who isn’t a world beater but competent and helps to make meetings competitive. Brexit probably made it harder to bring riders over who aren’t “elite” competitors though. 

Some of our issues stem from letting the existing, ageing rider pool hog team spots (doubling up) forcing less talented and/or up and coming riders out on one hand, then chasing big name riders who don’t really want to ride here with wads of cash we don’t have on the other. 

In any walk of life spending beyond your means is idiotic. Seems a lot of speedway fans think otherwise when it comes to who races for their team. 

[FAST GATER]

A wise promoter once said to me many years ago 40/38 and how you got there  was more important than a win even  , it's true you can forgive a home loss if the racing plus result are  close and  exciting IMO ! 

The last thing you want to see is countless numbers of 5/1's and four riders strung out with the last one parking up on the centre green with a lap to go .Whilst I don't want to see 1970's World of Sport wrestling ( fixed and badly  rehearsed) something in between maybe achievable .

There is nothing better than two riders side by side elbow to elbow entering the last bend and one winning by half a wheel, ,demanding skill trust with the result being in many respects irrelevant   .

As far as I know there are no great rewards for winning the leagues in this country , extra income for the play off's  but who cares who wins it's how they do it  IMO .

[ouch]

People say prospective fans don’t know the difference between Simon & Robert Lambert and more to the point don’t care. 

They also say it’s mad to run midweek and that meetings should be run at the weekends. 

The repetitive nature of the league is also off putting as you can play the opposition 3,4 or 5 times a season. Limiting visitors to just once a season will create greater demand. 

It’s beneficial to run a locally based team that people can identify with and the travel cost of flights isn’t an issue. 

Put the events on at stadiums that don’t “look like a bombsite” with comfortable padded seating that affords great views of the action. Do all this for £10-£15 instead of the £25 we currently charge with kids free and maybe we can get the sport back to where it should be - or maybe not. 

 

https://britishspeedway.co.uk/team/belle-vue-colts/

[Littleze]

13 hours ago, FAST GATER said:

A wise promoter once said to me many years ago 40/38 and how you got there  was more important than a win even  , it's true you can forgive a home loss if the racing plus result are  close and  exciting IMO ! 

The last thing you want to see is countless numbers of 5/1's and four riders strung out with the last one parking up on the centre green with a lap to go .Whilst I don't want to see 1970's World of Sport wrestling ( fixed and badly  rehearsed) something in between maybe achievable .

There is nothing better than two riders side by side elbow to elbow entering the last bend and one winning by half a wheel, ,demanding skill trust with the result being in many respects irrelevant   .

As far as I know there are no great rewards for winning the leagues in this country , extra income for the play off's  but who cares who wins it's how they do it  IMO .

What is something in between though? The whole “sport” is contrived, hence why it isn’t taken seriously. No points limit, reduce rider numbers in a team, relegation/promotion, squads, no guests.. so much to unpick. 

[truthsayer]

14 hours ago, Ben91 said:

I think there’s a place for the bang average rider from abroad too in fairness. One who isn’t a world beater but competent and helps to make meetings competitive. Brexit probably made it harder to bring riders over who aren’t “elite” competitors though. 

And this is largely the sport's problem, and in some way a problem the country faces.

 

A local journeyman in his late 20s is a lot cheaper than 'bang average rider from abroad' who needs to 'commute' and have a second structure in the UK (not to mention a wage to secure a visa and/or make it viable).

We've spent decades importing labour for instant gratification rather than investing in our future. Replace the word 'speedway rider' with 'plumber' and you have the same issue. 

The sport can't now afford these riders. If the idea is to continue as a professional team sport, then it needs cheaper personnel and this is the problem as these personnel don't exist.

[mikebv]

1 hour ago, ouch said:

People say prospective fans don’t know the difference between Simon & Robert Lambert and more to the point don’t care. 

They also say it’s mad to run midweek and that meetings should be run at the weekends. 

The repetitive nature of the league is also off putting as you can play the opposition 3,4 or 5 times a season. Limiting visitors to just once a season will create greater demand. 

It’s beneficial to run a locally based team that people can identify with and the travel cost of flights isn’t an issue. 

Put the events on at stadiums that don’t “look like a bombsite” with comfortable padded seating that affords great views of the action. Do all this for £10-£15 instead of the £25 we currently charge with kids free and maybe we can get the sport back to where it should be - or maybe not. 

 

https://britishspeedway.co.uk/team/belle-vue-colts/

Watching the Colts is akin to me watching United's U19 Academy team...

And I wouldn't pay £15 to watch them...

If you could get in for £15 to watch the Aces, with kids in for free, then you may have half a chance...

Or maybe not...

Edited 13 hours ago by mikebv

[Hackett]

Having worked in advertising for a number of years in the bygone era of magazines and then the digital age - it is all about numbers. If a magazine - it was the circulation or in the case of the website  - page impressions or click throughs. 

If impressions or circulation faltered then it was about the quality of the audience (good for business to business magazines or websites }, demographic segmentation etc 

Speedway is an ageing demographic , the viewing numbers aren't high and the exposure is limited - thus any ad agency or brand manager is not going to spend amy budget on speedway. 

With no TV deal and no significant audience numbers , the sport will struggle to generate bluechip or new advertisers. The way forward would be to saturate the social media market - tik tok, iG and increase eyes ... publicise crashes , incidents like Wright vs Allen punch up to generate viewing figures. Sell your soul to influencers and let them film around meetings. Even get them om a speedway bike to generate views and build. 

A start would be to create an app like the Polish League with updates, live scores, interviews, video content and Fantasy League.

Currently sport documentaries are massive - think All or Nothing , Hard Knocks,  F1 and Netflix / Amazon with docs on NHL. NBA NFL, Football etc etc - Speedway is an exciting, adrenalin fuelled sport powered by pure alcohol - there is a story to tell - even to the uneducated. The process will be a slow burner but a speedway heat is 1 minute - it is the perfect timespan for social media - Just needs to be processed and promoted in the right way.     

For example - In a recent interview Jordan Pickford spoke about his love for MotoX - Immediately I would be thinking lets get him to a speedway meeting he loves motorbikes = Opportunity !! 

Unfortunately like a speedway AGM - rinse and repeat 

[SteveLyric2]

6 hours ago, Hackett said:

Having worked in advertising for a number of years in the bygone era of magazines and then the digital age - it is all about numbers. If a magazine - it was the circulation or in the case of the website  - page impressions or click throughs. 

If impressions or circulation faltered then it was about the quality of the audience (good for business to business magazines or websites }, demographic segmentation etc 

Speedway is an ageing demographic , the viewing numbers aren't high and the exposure is limited - thus any ad agency or brand manager is not going to spend amy budget on speedway. 

With no TV deal and no significant audience numbers , the sport will struggle to generate bluechip or new advertisers. The way forward would be to saturate the social media market - tik tok, iG and increase eyes ... publicise crashes , incidents like Wright vs Allen punch up to generate viewing figures. Sell your soul to influencers and let them film around meetings. Even get them om a speedway bike to generate views and build. 

A start would be to create an app like the Polish League with updates, live scores, interviews, video content and Fantasy League.

Currently sport documentaries are massive - think All or Nothing , Hard Knocks,  F1 and Netflix / Amazon with docs on NHL. NBA NFL, Football etc etc - Speedway is an exciting, adrenalin fuelled sport powered by pure alcohol - there is a story to tell - even to the uneducated. The process will be a slow burner but a speedway heat is 1 minute - it is the perfect timespan for social media - Just needs to be processed and promoted in the right way.     

For example - In a recent interview Jordan Pickford spoke about his love for MotoX - Immediately I would be thinking lets get him to a speedway meeting he loves motorbikes = Opportunity !! 

Unfortunately like a speedway AGM - rinse and repeat 

So maybe the Harry Redknapp thingy was just the start?!.......

[mikebv]

7 hours ago, Hackett said:

Having worked in advertising for a number of years in the bygone era of magazines and then the digital age - it is all about numbers. If a magazine - it was the circulation or in the case of the website  - page impressions or click throughs. 

If impressions or circulation faltered then it was about the quality of the audience (good for business to business magazines or websites }, demographic segmentation etc 

Speedway is an ageing demographic , the viewing numbers aren't high and the exposure is limited - thus any ad agency or brand manager is not going to spend amy budget on speedway. 

With no TV deal and no significant audience numbers , the sport will struggle to generate bluechip or new advertisers. The way forward would be to saturate the social media market - tik tok, iG and increase eyes ... publicise crashes , incidents like Wright vs Allen punch up to generate viewing figures. Sell your soul to influencers and let them film around meetings. Even get them om a speedway bike to generate views and build. 

A start would be to create an app like the Polish League with updates, live scores, interviews, video content and Fantasy League.

Currently sport documentaries are massive - think All or Nothing , Hard Knocks,  F1 and Netflix / Amazon with docs on NHL. NBA NFL, Football etc etc - Speedway is an exciting, adrenalin fuelled sport powered by pure alcohol - there is a story to tell - even to the uneducated. The process will be a slow burner but a speedway heat is 1 minute - it is the perfect timespan for social media - Just needs to be processed and promoted in the right way.     

For example - In a recent interview Jordan Pickford spoke about his love for MotoX - Immediately I would be thinking lets get him to a speedway meeting he loves motorbikes = Opportunity !! 

Unfortunately like a speedway AGM - rinse and repeat 

Excellenf Post....

The modern world...

And it doesn't have to cost much to get tremendous cut through if you use the modern digital platforms to regularly "bombard" those who get sent down the algorithmic "rabbit hole" to your "TV channel"...

Just. Target your market...

And saturate it with "content"...

Just 30,000 per week extra out of a population of 80m, plenty of whom living less than 45 mins from a track, would deliver triple digit percentage growth...

And, small numbers they may be, but, given the low starting base, in "real terms", these nunbers could transform the sport overnight...

But it needs to be coordinated, nationally...

Clubs giving stickers out from the foyer of a local supermarket is fine, but the whole sport needs to get itself recognised, as that will generate much larger, quicker results...

Promoters collectively spend literally a seven figure sum on riders each season...

Yet plenty of people living within a mile of some tracks won't even know the sport, never mind the track, exists...

Maybe cutting that rider outlay back by say 15% and, instead, giving this cash to an experienced, professional marketing and advertising agency, who use modern day techniques, and have evidence of success in this field, would deliver much bigger crowds than any GP rider appearing at any UK track would..? 

Plenty can (and already should), have been done, given the clear and obvious results have shown the folly of doing the same thing over and over again...

Staying insular in their own Speedway Bubble Echo Chamber won't help the sport grow, as has been proven, therefore, let's hope they are actively trying to bring in some quality people from outside the sport to drive their brand forward....

We take the p**s on here by saying each year that this is the most important AGM ever, ever, ever, etc, etc...

But this year, it genuinely is probably true..

Let's hope those in charge can deliver the sport in a way that allows it to achieve the undoubted potential of its "raw materials"...