2026 Premiership is Go! - At least 5 teams

[1 valve]

15 hours ago, mikebv said:

But there has though been a huge amount of money spent over the past two decades of decline..

The largest issue has been how it has been spent..

In fact, every season, around a couple of million will be spent on all the riders who, with all due respect, wouldn't be recognised even if they rode their bikes stark naked through their local town centres.. 

There should have been, and still needs to be, a significant marketing and advertising budget to bring the sport into the vision and awareness of a populace with almost zero knowledge of the sport..

If that means "lesser riders" used to free up this money for a couple or three years, then so be it, as these riders will resonate initially as equally as the "top stars" to anyone that a national strong marketing campaign attracts...

With competitive meetings that have relevance and resonance being the objective above who actually is riding in them..

It certainly isn't a lack of money spent that has held the sport back over the past good many years...

 

It depends on what constitutes "huge" over decades. sure the sum over 20 years looks big but when viewed as an annual spend its not huge by any stretch of the imagination.
Its not clear if you mean a couple of million spent on riders each year is the figure per team or in total but at an an average of around 150k per club per year (low) or 280k per rider (high). If it is the former and being on the low side even a figure double that, is not remotely big. 
By and large todays promoters spend what income they generate from gate receipts, sponsorship and media deals and cover small losses (200k is small) as their interpretation an an investment. sure it keeps the sport going which we should be thankful for, but in no way does it create the prospects for growth.
What's lacking is additional working capital (cash) investment by the promoters in significant marketing & PR (so folk do know who the riders are), and the improvement of the  meeting experience which (besides a few exceptions) is woeful with sub standard presentation.
The reason its not done is for two linked reasons. 1, The promoters don't know what great promotion (marketing & PR) is and 2, They don't have the money and so rely on keen and willing volunteers to help out rather than being able to invest in engaging full time professional PR, marketing & sponsorship agencies.
Also, worth considering that there is a need to promote at the national level (BSPL) and at the local level (individual promoters) in a coordinated and cohesive manner at a much greater level than is currently undertaken.  

Edited Thursday at 10:36 AM by 1 valve

[mikebv]

3 minutes ago, 1 valve said:

It depends on what constitutes "huge" over decades. sure the sum over 20 years looks big but when viewed as an annual spend its not huge by any stretch of the imagination.
Its not clear if you mean a couple of million spent on riders each year is the figure per team or in total but at an an average of around 150k per club per year (low) or 280k per rider (high). If it is the former and being on the low side even a figure double that, is not remotely big. 
By and large todays promoters spend what income they generate from gate receipts, sponsorship and media deals and cover small losses (200k is small) as their interpretation an an investment. sure it keeps the sport going which we should be thankful for, but in know way does it create the prospects for growth.
What's lacking is additional working capital (cash) investment by the promoters in significant marketing & PR (so folk do know who the riders are), and the improvement of the  meeting experience which (besides a few exceptions) is woeful with sub standard presentation.
The reason its not done is for two linked reasons. 1, The promoters don't know what great promotion (marketing & PR) is and 2, They don't have the money and so rely on keen and willing volunteers to help out rather than being able to invest in engaging full time professional PR, marketing & sponsorship agencies.
Also, worth considering that there is a need to promote at the national level (BSPL) and at the local level (individual promoters) in a coordinated and cohesive manner at a much greater level than is currently undertaken.  

100%....

But. All glaringly obvious...

Yet zero has been done to act upon it...

Instead of marketing nationally I remember seeing one club set up a decorator's table with club memorabilia on it, in the foyer of a local supermarket...

In the Speedway Star this week there is an excellent article with Mark Lemon who mentions wanting to bring others with "broader skill sets" into the sport..

Let's hope, marketing is one of those skills..

The bottom line is hardly any riders will increase crowds by their appearances, (as has been proved since "The Stars" came back a few years ago), so to keep forking out hundreds of thousands in paying them, instead of redistributing this cash into marketing (which "may" grow the sport), is not a great business plan...

You can develop the greatest product ever to have existed in the world, using nothing but the very best ingredients, but you won't make any money if no one has heard of you, or your product ..

 

[ouch]

19 minutes ago, mikebv said:

100%....

But. All glaringly obvious...

Yet zero has been done to act upon it...

Instead of marketing nationally I remember seeing one club set up a decorator's table with club memorabilia on it, in the foyer of a local supermarket...

In the Speedway Star this week there is an excellent article with Mark Lemon who mentions wanting to bring others with "broader skill sets" into the sport..

Let's hope, marketing is one of those skills..

The bottom line is hardly any riders will increase crowds by their appearances, (as has been proved since "The Stars" came back a few years ago), so to keep forking out hundreds of thousands in paying them, instead of redistributing this cash into marketing (which "may" grow the sport), is not a great business plan...

You can develop the greatest product ever to have existed in the world, using nothing but the very best ingredients, but you won't make any money if no one has heard of you, or your product ..

 

Top stars bring people in it’s just the slow death of the sport that makes it seem that they don’t. Remove them and you’ll see a further jump in the drop in attendance. One very vocal critic of the current state of the sport said he’d turn up if his favourite top star was in attendance, no matter how repetitive his appearances. 

What has been the feedback from your 50 family & friends about attending regularly? 

[1 valve]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

100%....

But. All glaringly obvious...

Yet zero has been done to act upon it...

Instead of marketing nationally I remember seeing one club set up a decorator's table with club memorabilia on it, in the foyer of a local supermarket...

In the Speedway Star this week there is an excellent article with Mark Lemon who mentions wanting to bring others with "broader skill sets" into the sport..

Let's hope, marketing is one of those skills..

The bottom line is hardly any riders will increase crowds by their appearances, (as has been proved since "The Stars" came back a few years ago), so to keep forking out hundreds of thousands in paying them, instead of redistributing this cash into marketing (which "may" grow the sport), is not a great business plan...

You can develop the greatest product ever to have existed in the world, using nothing but the very best ingredients, but you won't make any money if no one has heard of you, or your product ..

 

Your final point makes good sense. However, UK speedway is far from being a great product, it does not use the best ingredients, such as riders, stadiums and universal matchday experience. 
If things were done correctly promoters would invest (not divert from current costs)) significant amounts of money on local marketing & PR utilising the appropriate professional agencies whilst the BSPL did likewise on a national basis. 
Unfortunately, the majority of the promoters do not have access to the levels of cash or acumen necessary and so sadly they should not be running the sport at the professional level in the UK. 
For those folk who currently sit both inside and outside the BSPL with both cash and knowledge of what to do with it to grow UK speedway they will not be doing so whilst the BSPL functions in the significantly less than cohesive manner it currently does - it just does not make good business sense to do so, biding their time does. 

 

[Hawk127]

Interesting article in this weeks Star written by Lukasz Chrzanowski on how the world’s richest speedway league is slowly killing the sport and highlights how Britain, Germany and Sweden are struggling and economically outgunned when in Poland a reserve is paid more than heat leaders in other countries.
Whatever happens the sport in the UK needs to go its own way and offer the public what it can realistically afford and if that means starting again and building talent from within so be it. The top riders find it easier to move equipment around mainland Europe and mechanics can travel by road to most places so why add to the cost by racing in the UK and given the extra expenses riders financial demands will only go one way, the question would be how long can the sport over here meet those costs.

[GeneralMelchett]

19 minutes ago, Hawk127 said:

Interesting article in this weeks Star written by Lukasz Chrzanowski on how the world’s richest speedway league is slowly killing the sport and highlights how Britain, Germany and Sweden are struggling and economically outgunned when in Poland a reserve is paid more than heat leaders in other countries.
Whatever happens the sport in the UK needs to go its own way and offer the public what it can realistically afford and if that means starting again and building talent from within so be it. The top riders find it easier to move equipment around mainland Europe and mechanics can travel by road to most places so why add to the cost by racing in the UK and given the extra expenses riders financial demands will only go one way, the question would be how long can the sport over here meet those costs.

In a copy of the star a few weeks ago there was also an interview with Jake Allen and he alluded to riders not being paid and it seemd he wasn't talking about the UK either he as going tofiscus on riding UK and championship only - not quite the vertabim quote but it was something like 'whats the point of riding being promised the earth and not being paid' - he talked of rider sbeing owed fair substantial sums

Seems that TV money generally just goes straight to the riders and the big elite survive and the others struggle - its the same for so many sports!

 

[Fromafar]

34 minutes ago, Hawk127 said:

Interesting article in this weeks Star written by Lukasz Chrzanowski on how the world’s richest speedway league is slowly killing the sport and highlights how Britain, Germany and Sweden are struggling and economically outgunned when in Poland a reserve is paid more than heat leaders in other countries.
Whatever happens the sport in the UK needs to go its own way and offer the public what it can realistically afford and if that means starting again and building talent from within so be it. The top riders find it easier to move equipment around mainland Europe and mechanics can travel by road to most places so why add to the cost by racing in the UK and given the extra expenses riders financial demands will only go one way, the question would be how long can the sport over here meet those costs.

Nothing will change if they continue to let riders dictate the pay rates.

[Hamish McRaker]

16 hours ago, IainB said:

I can imagine dreamboat Phil would be well up for it 😂

Could've featured Tolley with his Top Hat strategically placed. Bound to send sales soaring among a certain demographic

[topaz325]

What about rider costs, tuning, etc, surely this must be addressed to look at the vicious circle of the pursuit of speed which affects wages and drains clubs finances ?

[mikebv]

6 hours ago, Hamish McRaker said:

Could've featured Tolley with his Top Hat strategically placed. Bound to send sales soaring among a certain demographic

Especially if was doing a "jazz hands" wave to the camera...

[Fromafar]

16 hours ago, topaz325 said:

What about rider costs, tuning, etc, surely this must be addressed to look at the vicious circle of the pursuit of speed which affects wages and drains clubs finances ?

Pursuit of Speed is not the main factor on speedway bike.IMO

Its about set up,large numbers of riders waste money paying tuners for something they can’t ride too it’s potential.

[YeOldPitGate]

12 hours ago, mikebv said:

Especially if was doing a "jazz hands" wave to the camera...

Whilst handing out wads of tenners to bang average riders.

[Fromafar]

25 minutes ago, YeOldPitGate said:

Whilst handing out wads of tenners to bang average riders.

That’s the  big problem in the sport.Riders demanding an Annual Salary for 6 months work.Wage demands are out of control.It is a Sport and not a career.

[SPEEDY69]

1 hour ago, Fromafar said:

Pursuit of Speed is not the main factor on speedway bike.IMO

Its about set up,large numbers of riders waste money paying tuners for something they can’t ride too it’s potential.

100% agree on this and it's about following others.  Someone will get a new tuner or designer part and win a couple of races and then the sheep follow.  There are so many examples of this: tall seats, magura-type levers, expensive clutch plates, front forks, tubeless tyres, ignitions and then engine parts or short stroke engines which someone says gives an additional 1 hp which they then have to deal with as the bike 'spins up' on the track.  Then there's rider things like dangling the right leg ("it worked for Zmarzlik so that must be why he's multi world champion") rather than sitting further back or getting a longer seat, dropping the clutch repeatedly on the start line (which makes absolutely no difference to their start) and lots of others.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

In other more important speedway news, up the man cave where many speedway subjects get discussed but not solved we have got some new teabags and not just the 5000 for 50p catering ones we have previously had, oh no we have Yorkshire tea ones, I personally are beside myself with excitement at this news, this can only enhance the topics debated, which today are wolves, cradley and rider being stabbed in the back by former mechanic (not literally) and any other gossip we have 

[Glen]

I was watching an episode of ‘World at war’ and up popped Lord Shawcross - he spoke about how the allies were going to deal with Germany at the end of the war.

I guess his historic involvement as an independent arbitrator in bringing together the National and Provincial leagues to form the British league in 1965 must have been like a walk in the park! 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

4 minutes ago, Glen said:

I was watching an episode of ‘World at war’ and up popped Lord Shawcross - he spoke about how the allies were going to deal with Germany at the end of the war.

I guess his historic involvement as an independent arbitrator in bringing together the National and Provincial leagues to form the British league in 1965 must have been like a walk in the park! 

It was probably easier to negotiate with Germany than the current bspl 

[SPEEDY69]

2 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

In other more important speedway news, up the man cave where many speedway subjects get discussed but not solved we have got some new teabags and not just the 5000 for 50p catering ones we have previously had, oh no we have Yorkshire tea ones, I personally are beside myself with excitement at this news, this can only enhance the topics debated, which today are wolves, cradley and rider being stabbed in the back by former mechanic (not literally) and any other gossip we have 

They're good but you can't go wrong with Tetley I find, the bonus being they can be had with less coin.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

It’s hard to go to the riders and say we need to cut your income, inflation impacts them as well, we’re going to be a lot smarter as promoters😂I haven’t gone to the riders and said this is how it’s going to be because we have lost a media contract, a rider still needs to earn a living. The words at the very top table of speedways think tank. Translated means it’s ok riders the paying public will foot the shortfall. Absolutely clueless from mike melon 

[mikebv]

2 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

It’s hard to go to the riders and say we need to cut your income, inflation impacts them as well, we’re going to be a lot smarter as promoters😂I haven’t gone to the riders and said this is how it’s going to be because we have lost a media contract, a rider still needs to earn a living. The words at the very top table of speedways think tank. Translated means it’s ok riders the paying public will foot the shortfall. Absolutely clueless from mike melon 

And if they cannot double up they may retire...

Of course they will....

How did the sport continue for probably 90 years of its 100 without D/Uing being so prevelant, why didn't riders with "only" one team to ride for, retire for the first 90 years of the sport? 

It is quoted that one "big" league couldn't happen as there simply isn't enough riders, yet, there is also a stated desire to bring back those tracks that have been lost over the past decade, and also to open up new ones...

Hello!!!

I think I have spotted a flaw in the cunning plan!!!....