Fortythirtyeight Posted Monday at 11:22 AM Report Share Posted Monday at 11:22 AM 15 hours ago, Marky_Mark said: I’m not sure why people are so impatient? The league starts next April so does it really matter if the AGM is in November, December, January, February? If the wait means the return/reopening of a couple of tracks and a television deal then it’s worth the wait? If that also allows Plymouth some more time to get their air fence fund complete so they can run then that’s another good thing. Surely we all want as many tracks as possible running next season? As riders and clubs need to know the structure of UK speedway, points limit , number in a side, how many fixtures etc so they can make their own decisions on who to sign , who to sign for etc , then it is VERY IMPORTANT to those involved within the sport. Foreign clubs are already announcing riders signed for 2027 why does the UK always have to be last ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted Monday at 12:30 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 12:30 PM 16 hours ago, Marky_Mark said: I’m not sure why people are so impatient? The league starts next April so does it really matter if the AGM is in November, December, January, February? If the wait means the return/reopening of a couple of tracks and a television deal then it’s worth the wait? If that also allows Plymouth some more time to get their air fence fund complete so they can run then that’s another good thing. Surely we all want as many tracks as possible running next season? No, we don't want as many tracks as possible next season, if it means delay in planning fixtures, meaning fans can't plan accordingly,, riders don't wait and sign elsewhere (even more important given the new restrictions), and the inevitable "cobbled together" septet is destined, before a wheel is turned, to finish miles adrift at the bottom of the league.. Far better to run with what they have, consolidate, and, should a team, or teams, want to come back then they can spend a season doing open meetings to gauge viability... A professional business has control, vision and a several year growth plan using best case/worst case parameter scenarios, and builds their future operating model and business plans accordingly on the forecasted positions... What a professional business doesn't do is reach the end of their financial year, and, only then start to build next year's plan, or, unless it is "Donald Ducked" fundamentally change it... It certainly wouldn't stretch any meagre resource pool it currently has further by bringing more complexity into its operations.. Run next year as planned, and build in future growth accordingly as and when it enhances the product.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky_Mark Posted Monday at 04:46 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 04:46 PM 4 hours ago, mikebv said: No, we don't want as many tracks as possible next season, if it means delay in planning fixtures, meaning fans can't plan accordingly,, riders don't wait and sign elsewhere (even more important given the new restrictions), and the inevitable "cobbled together" septet is destined, before a wheel is turned, to finish miles adrift at the bottom of the league.. Far better to run with what they have, consolidate, and, should a team, or teams, want to come back then they can spend a season doing open meetings to gauge viability... A professional business has control, vision and a several year growth plan using best case/worst case parameter scenarios, and builds their future operating model and business plans accordingly on the forecasted positions... What a professional business doesn't do is reach the end of their financial year, and, only then start to build next year's plan, or, unless it is "Donald Ducked" fundamentally change it... It certainly wouldn't stretch any meagre resource pool it currently has further by bringing more complexity into its operations.. Run next year as planned, and build in future growth accordingly as and when it enhances the product.. So we’ll shut Plymouth down then and not have a television deal putting other clubs in financial jeopardy. Classic case of “As long as my team is alright” Eventually you’ll have nobody to ride against 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted Monday at 05:34 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 05:34 PM (edited) 1 hour ago, Marky_Mark said: So we’ll shut Plymouth down then and not have a television deal putting other clubs in financial jeopardy. Classic case of “As long as my team is alright” Eventually you’ll have nobody to ride against Not at all... You don't grow any business by opening other units when you don't have the infrastructure in place to ensure the ones you currently have can keep going profitably .. UK Speedway has to share riders now with the number of teams they have, who will therefore ride for any new ones?.. Certainly not enough of them of the required level for another top league team to compete adequately... You actually damage your brand by spreading yourself "too thin" which then results in every one of your businesses starting to suffer, even the current successful ones you have, as your "weakest links" start to drag the business down.. UK Speedway needs to consolidate and sort out it's issues, then build on what it currently has... With a clear plan for gradual growth for the next few years .. It doesn't mean new tracks cannot come on board, but it must be planned properly to ensure it improves UK Speedway and not be, yet another, knee jerk reaction on a whim, which leaves fans saying .. "It can't be like this again next year"... (Again, and again, and again and etc etc etc).. Edited Monday at 06:19 PM by mikebv 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk127 Posted Monday at 06:57 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 06:57 PM 1 hour ago, Marky_Mark said: So we’ll shut Plymouth down then and not have a television deal putting other clubs in financial jeopardy. Classic case of “As long as my team is alright” Eventually you’ll have nobody to ride against I do not think that is the case but what should the sport in this country actually consider is a more open approach. Years back tracks survived by either participating in the league or long before regular league racing being the transfer of the Rockets from Rayleigh, Rye House held an open licence and a number of meetings took place and if I recall correctly the Ace of Herts was one of those individual meetings. I don’t think that is the case. The sport needs an open minded approach as was the case years back and an example is Rye House before the Rockets moved from Rayleigh in 1974. Before that Rye use to operate on a open licence and I believe one of the main open meetings was the Ace of Hearts, happy to be corrected on this point. Going forward what is required is a reality check. If some tracks could offer open meetings but not team racing and if others want to participate at a level which is a notch down from what we have now but is designed to be competitive and a stepping stone for riders so be it but until clubs encourage growth from the grass roots upwards the sport is continually chasing its tail for a stream of talent to break through into a potential professional league which in reality is only the top league. The sport in this country can only afford to provide a full time income at the top level where because of the top names they can attract a certain level of sponsor but below that reliance is on local sponsors or run by offsetting losses against the main operating business of the promoter (not speedway related so it is a hobby) to fund rider contracts but this is a precarious route when you look at the financial situation businesses across the UK find themselves in with increased costs from NI to business rates(where applicable) energy costs, medical cover, fuel costs etc. What right minded sole would enter the speedway arena where you have a cartel running the sport, lack of training for young talent and rules that are set to stop all riders breaking into the sport. It didn’t happen years back and you now have Nora because of the intransigence of a few who in charge for some reason have the attitude it is my way or no way. How many riders have been lost to the sport because the rider points average has impeded a riders progress and promoters ignore development of the sport in favour win the league at all cost and manipulate the rules to achieve success. Every existing track in the UK (running now or dormant) should automatically be granted a licence to run meetings. The level they want to operate should be declared by each track operator at the end of October and the league racing participants as opposed to open licences be declared in the first week of November and then the leagues can be determined from which the following seasons planned programme can be agreed. Of course that depends on a number of other factors but for now you have disarray with riders looking to plan for next season but the UK is dragging it’s heals which is the same as usual year on year because forward planning does not feature in the operating model. No rider in their right mind is going to hang around on the basis of a promise. The UK authorities need to up the ante and consider the mean of the word ‘professional’ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neila Posted Monday at 07:13 PM Author Report Share Posted Monday at 07:13 PM 2 hours ago, Marky_Mark said: So we’ll shut Plymouth down then and not have a television deal putting other clubs in financial jeopardy. Classic case of “As long as my team is alright” Eventually you’ll have nobody to ride against If a TV deal is on the cards, it won't be worth anything like in the past, TV channels these days want to fill the schedules as cheap as possible, then hope advertising will pay to help the TV company out 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky_Mark Posted Monday at 07:53 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 07:53 PM 39 minutes ago, Neila said: If a TV deal is on the cards, it won't be worth anything like in the past, TV channels these days want to fill the schedules as cheap as possible, then hope advertising will pay to help the TV company out Then why are the other premiership teams happy to fork out to bring other teams to the tapes to get the TV deal over the line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neila Posted Monday at 09:05 PM Author Report Share Posted Monday at 09:05 PM 1 hour ago, Marky_Mark said: Then why are the other premiership teams happy to fork out to bring other teams to the tapes to get the TV deal over the line? Probably so they can ask the club sponsors for more money due to TV exposure, and maybe try and bring a bigger name title sponsorship to the table. It won't be for the TV money 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted Monday at 09:09 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 09:09 PM 2 minutes ago, Neila said: Probably so they can ask the club sponsors for more money due to TV exposure, and maybe try and bring a bigger name title sponsorship to the table. It won't be for the TV money If it's ITV4 they will certainly be hoping the potential extra "eyeballs" generate more income via sponsorship, and maybe more clicks of the turnstiles due to free access to the sport increasing its profile... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son of Shaleman Posted yesterday at 06:24 PM Report Share Posted yesterday at 06:24 PM Could be miles off but I sense a severely weakened Championship (Poole win). It will be somewhere between this year’s Championship and NDL. It will be weak enough to cut costs and maybe allow clubs like Eastbourne to try their luck. After all, a close race is exciting at whatever level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko Posted 11 hours ago Report Share Posted 11 hours ago Don’t try and run before you can walk! Sort out the product first then worry about trying to get TV deals. Put the current product out on mainstream TV and all you will do is confirm the publics perception that first out of the start always wins and if you go you get covered in dust. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted 11 hours ago Report Share Posted 11 hours ago 15 minutes ago, marko said: Don’t try and run before you can walk! Sort out the product first then worry about trying to get TV deals. Put the current product out on mainstream TV and all you will do is confirm the publics perception that first out of the start always wins and if you go you get covered in dust. That's why a highlights package would be the best course of action.. Using BSN and the clubs own streams.. ITV could pay them to use their footage which keeps their own production costs minimal... And those having their footage used get credited on screen so hopefully pick up more business... All the best races of the week cherry picked with studio discussion around that weeks racing with a preview of the following week.. Short, sharp coverage, with the odd "live" meeting at play off time.. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topaz325 Posted 9 hours ago Report Share Posted 9 hours ago For what its worth.............try and get the basics right first, good track preparation, good promotion of the sport through social media , treat the fans as customers not a burden (yes there always the ones who want everything for free), run a tight ship, run on nights which attract the best attendance for your club, start times to be start times. Try and make it economically viable for fans if possible with offers on season tickets etc. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted 8 hours ago Report Share Posted 8 hours ago 49 minutes ago, topaz325 said: For what its worth.............try and get the basics right first, good track preparation, good promotion of the sport through social media , treat the fans as customers not a burden (yes there always the ones who want everything for free), run a tight ship, run on nights which attract the best attendance for your club, start times to be start times. Try and make it economically viable for fans if possible with offers on season tickets etc. Run it like a bona fide business then?.... And not an "anything will do" hobby?... It will never catch on... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveLyric2 Posted 6 hours ago Report Share Posted 6 hours ago 3 hours ago, topaz325 said: For what its worth.............try and get the basics right first, good track preparation, good promotion of the sport through social media , treat the fans as customers not a burden (yes there always the ones who want everything for free), run a tight ship, run on nights which attract the best attendance for your club, start times to be start times. Try and make it economically viable for fans if possible with offers on season tickets etc. 3 hours ago, topaz325 said: For what its worth.............try and get the basics right first, good track preparation, good promotion of the sport through social media , treat the fans as customers not a burden (yes there always the ones who want everything for free), run a tight ship, run on nights which attract the best attendance for your club, start times to be start times. Try and make it economically viable for fans if possible with offers on season tickets etc. Just for clarification - where do you believe this is NOT happening now? Eg. Which clubs etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topaz325 Posted 5 hours ago Report Share Posted 5 hours ago 18 minutes ago, SteveLyric2 said: Just for clarification - where do you believe this is NOT happening now? Eg. Which clubs etc? Some clubs get elements right but not all of them for example in the Star this week Plymouth noticed a downturn in attendance when their Facebook page went down which just shows the power of social media in these times ( nothing against Plymouth it was out of their control) It’s a matter of getting all clubs on the same page. Some relatives of mine went to Redcar recently where the crowd were waiting around on a cold night (accident apart) after a 7:30 start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS50 Posted 1 hour ago Report Share Posted 1 hour ago 7 hours ago, topaz325 said: For what its worth.............try and get the basics right first, good track preparation, good promotion of the sport through social media , treat the fans as customers not a burden (yes there always the ones who want everything for free), run a tight ship, run on nights which attract the best attendance for your club, start times to be start times. Try and make it economically viable for fans if possible with offers on season tickets etc. 4 hours ago, SteveLyric2 said: Just for clarification - where do you believe this is NOT happening now? Eg. Which clubs etc? Went to Buxton late May. Suppose to start 3pm. Ambulance was late so start delayed, but they could have done rider introductions prior to ambulance arriving, and started a little earlier. Roasting hot day, could have watered track more prior to start. At around 5.15, after only 12 races completed, announced an interval. This late should have been getting on with it (should not have even taken this long to get to this point). Myself and several others left at this point. A few left earlier. I have not been back, although I previously intended to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk127 Posted 59 minutes ago Report Share Posted 59 minutes ago 16 minutes ago, RS50 said: Went to Buxton late May. Suppose to start 3pm. Ambulance was late so start delayed, but they could have done rider introductions prior to ambulance arriving, and started a little earlier. Roasting hot day, could have watered track more prior to start. At around 5.15, after only 12 races completed, announced an interval. This late should have been getting on with it (should not have even taken this long to get to this point). Myself and several others left at this point. A few left earlier. I have not been back, although I previously intended to do so. I think that sums up the difference between managing a team/running a club and presenting a meeting. I would say that the majority of those owning/running clubs have not got a clue when it comes to presentation and it comes across as Mickey Mouse. Speedway well presented can be second to none but in the hands of hopeless idiots who even fail to acknowledge the punters standing on the terraces and continually take them for granted sums up why the new punters who are around give speedway a wide birth, no value for money, piss poor presentation and cloth cap attitude that runs through the heart of the speedway promoters. Well hey chaps, it ain’t working and former as well as potential followers are lost/not going to fill the terraces because you guys in charge really do not know how to sell the product let alone promote it. And you wonder why speedway in this country is not on the entertainment radar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.