Why my children don’t get speedway.

[Fortythirtyeight]

We all wonder what we can do to stop our sport disappearing but it just keeps on imploding from within, take this weekends NDL matches for an example.

Jake Mulford, a Redcar Bear rode at Redcar the previous week for Kings Lynn, his NDL side but last Saturday he rode at Redcar again this time for Buxton against the Tigers. Then the very next day he rode for Kings Lynn against Buxton at Buxton.

Same fixtures, Nathan Ablitt rode for the Tigers against Buxton but the following day rode for Buxton against Kings Lynn.

Steen Pijper rode in the same matches, for the Tigers against Buxton but then for Kings Lynn against Buxton.

Getting the picture ?

Add in a lad, Booth, number 8 for Tigers v Buxton then at Buxton for Kings Lynn.

Now try explain this to anyone you are trying to get to come to speedway matches with you….

I know there’s a shortage, I know it’s only NDL and I get the reasons why this happens but…..it isn’t helping attracting a new, younger crowd.

 

 

[Wardey]

I get where you are coming from.  But surely people go to Speedway to see racing, irrespective of who rides for who on which date

[mikebv]

2 minutes ago, Wardey said:

I get where you are coming from.  But surely people go to Speedway to see racing, irrespective of who rides for who on which date

They do, however, it is a team sport...

Which means there needs to be some emotional connection to "their team"..

Otherwise no point in keeping the team sport concept...

UK Speedway runs some kind of hybrid system which, sadly, doesn't do it any favours as it ends up as neither here nor there..

[RoundTheBoards]

31 minutes ago, Wardey said:

I get where you are coming from.  But surely people go to Speedway to see racing, irrespective of who rides for who on which date

You're largely right.

This saying that people don't go to speedway because they "don't like seeing the same riders every week" or "the Rider Replacement rule is too complicated" is utter nonsense.

That's not the reason new people don't come to Speedway.  It's  the reason who old people who've been going to Speedway for 50 years THINK that new people don't come to speedway.  They're wrong.

Look at Darts.  No one complains they're just seeing Luke Littler every week in different competitions.  They go for the atmosphere.  The razzmatazz.  Being able to shout and sing in a large crowd, creating an atmosphere.  The lights, the music.  They can't even see the darts go in the board, but they don't care.  They're wrapped up in the atmosphere.

Cricket - again, look at crowds for the 20/20 and 100 ball stuff.   They go for the atmosphere, the razmatazz, lasers, music.  Bands playing in between innings.  They don't stay away because Freddie Trueman was playing for Worcestershire last week and today he's playing for the Birmingham Broncos.   They don't stay away because they don't unfderstand Duckworth Lewis.

Speedway just hasn't moved with the times.  The sport is far more exciting than darts or cricket.  The one minute races are perfect for today's short attention span customers, but we're not providing the atmosphere and value for money around the basic sport.  We're not making it cool to go to speedway like it's cool to watch the darts or the short-form cricket.