BSPA bid to beat Credit Crunch

emjay · BSPA bid to beat Credit Crunch

Well, I suppose it is a sign of progress that the BSPA recognise that things are going to be tight in the coming season and almost certainly in 2010 too. No thoughts yet from their meeting. So maybe we could give them some help here.
They could follow the advice of our esteemed leader. Simply mumble "We will do whatever it takes" Alas, those of us who remember the previous esteemed leader's mantra of "education, education, education" know the score well enough. Meaningless phrases.
Or they could follow the path taken by the late, and unlamented, British Rail. When they were losing passengers, they used to put the prices up beyond the rate of inflation. Commuting to London, I suffered the price rises for a while, then took to the road. BR did not care of course - another customer gone - so what.
Frankly, I do not think that there are many serious options that will work for speedway. Most things (like lower prices and publicity campaigns) cost money and it is clear that clubs do not have the money to speculate. Because that is what such things come down to -speculation with no guarantee that there will be a payoff.
Perhaps they will be looking at pay and expenses cuts for riders. Sounds harsh, but maybe better to ride for less than not to ride at all.
More sponsorship? Harsh times will almost certainly mean less sponsorship. If you run a firm that was sponsoring something or somebody and the going gets tough then that is one of the easiest ways of cutting costs.
Any ideas anyone?

parker · Re: BSPA bid to beat Credit Crunch

ray

now who's getting political ?! don't have to go that far back , the present will do , this makes the future unsure . the spanish lottery is called " el gordo " translated is " the fat one " . Sad

emjay

Come on guys - be serious. There are these poor promoters out there, with wives, children and overdrafts to support. You know you love them really.
I wonder if they have thought of approaching Lord Mandy- AKA the Prince of Darkness - and tapping him up for a loan. Surely Mr BD would have a strong case. He's got to bring the Russian all the way from the Steppes to Sussex.

parker

Kevin54

Eagle1971

It's not looking good..................

Argus says........Season could be cut in half unless Sky answer SOS
10:00am Friday 13th February 2009

By Brian Owen »

Eastbourne Eagles chief Bob Dugard has revealed how top-flight speedway clubs could cut their league fixture lists in half if they fail to improve their TV deal in the next few days.

Elite League tracks are ready to scrap the second half of the 2009 campaign if Sky Sports do not offer them a helping hand through the recession.

Clubs believe they can maximise gate revenue and minimise costs by only racing each other twice in the coming season, once at home and once away, rather than the usual four times.

Now promoters have asked Sky Sports, who screen league speedway live on Monday evenings, to allow them to stage TV meetings on their usual race nights, which is Saturday in Eastbourne’s case.

If that is not possible, promoters will call on Sky to compensate not only the clubs who have to move meetings to Mondays but also those tracks for whom Monday is the preferred race night and who therefore have to go up against live speedway on TV.

Sky bosses are considering their position but, if they cannot help, clubs are ready to take drastic action.

At the moment, each team races an A and B set of fixtures, the letter referring to whether it is the first or second time they have met at each track that season.

The contingency plan is to scrap the B fixtures in 2009.

That would mean just eight home league fixtures for each team, plus at least one Knockout Cup tie and, hopefully, play-off action for fans to enjoy next term.

As cup holders, Eastbourne will have an early-season home meeting in the Elite Shield, the equivalent of football’s Community Shield.

The Dean Barker Farewell, on March 15, and the EL Pairs, on August 8, will also take place at Arlington.

Eagles lost about £30,000 last season but other tracks fared worse.

Now Dugard has broken his silence on what has been going on in meetings behind the scenes recently and revealed to The Argus: “We have asked Sky to revisit our deal with them.

“It costs money to race on another night. At Eastbourne, it costs us at least £10,000 per meeting in lost gate revenue when we switch from Saturday to Monday for TV.

“Sky have gone away to think about our proposals but we need a quick decision.

“I’ve got 62 flights to arrange for riders and I want to do it soon to get more competitive fares.

“I’m also sitting on 12,000 flyers to send out through the Eastbourne Tourist Board so we need to know how the season will work.

“We are falling behind with our pre-season stuff.

“There is a meeting next Tuesday between promoters when this will all be settled.”

The BSPA have already released a full set of Elite League fixtures for 2009 which have been published in various quarters, including the popular Speedway Star magazine.

Dugard, however, has always been reluctant to give The Argus a fixture list when asked, warning it could change drastically.

He also advised us against printing the schedule put out by the BSPA. The furthest Eagles are going for now is a draft fixture list, which has been on the club’s own website for some time.

Dugard said: “There are five tracks that could not race a full season this year without further funds from Sky. If we don’t get the money we would probably just race the A fixtures and we would need to refund some season ticket money.

“The biggest fear is some tracks would start the season and not finish it.

“More people will come to meetings if there are fewer of them.

“I already think people are fed up with us racing teams twice at home and twice away in the league. You see the same riders too often.

“My personal preference for Eastbourne is to have the A fixtures only plus some other form of competition.

“If we had about 14 fixtures that could suit us and the riders because they have a crowded fixture list although it would make it very difficult for riders who only compete in Britain.”

Whatever happens, it appears unlikely Eagles will stage a meeting on the eve of the British Grand Prix.

They were listed by the BSPA to host Swindon on Friday, June 26, but Dugard is convinced there will be no racing at Eastbourne that night.

sussex bulldog

Story is on our front page.

Looks grim. Crying or Very sad

ray

so would there be a 50% reduction on the season tickets if season halved . would those who have already paid get a 50% refund ?
as for home matches on a friday these would be badly attended most likely .the travelling fans have already shown week-nights , after work , are not popular for reasons such as arriving in time with rush-hour traffic to contend with . Rolling Eyes

nug

Its sad to say but i cant see sky helping out, a deal was agreed and why will sky change it, sky dont really need speedway but speedway really needs sky at the moment and as for the friday nights racing ray it was only ment to be a one off meeting and bob has said no to this anyway.

ashfordeagle

As I've said before in previous subjects,

The Elite League and Premier League teams should have amalgamated and then split between a Northern League and a Southern League (playing each other once, 12 home and 12 away matches), with the two winners playing each other in a League Final.

This would have cut down on travelling costs and resulted in more local derbies for most teams.

Kevin54

I can see Bobs' resoning behind this, and presumably the other promoters concerned, but why has this all blown up now, 5 weeks before the start of the season?

Surely this should have been discussed at the end of last season and at the BSPA conference, with something thrashed out by Christmas.

Riders have got their schedules in place, the big boys won't suffer too much hardship if the season is "halved", but the second string and reserve riders, not earning big money, but depending on a full seasons racing to pay their way, may well do so.

If this backfires and the sport loses Skys' backing this may well be a mortal blow to the sport. As has been said, the sport needs Sky, they don't need the sport; they can go away and put their expertise into something else.

Eagle1971

sussex bulldog

I see where you are coming from but a change at this stage is most unfair on our signed riders.

It is a shame that this was not all hammered out last November and not left to the last minute.

parker

parker

By Bob Dugard»

“I’m also sitting on 12,000 flyers to send out through the Eastbourne Tourist Board so we need to know how the season will work.

[/quote] Why just Eastbourne! why not Hastings and Brighton Rolling Eyes

If I was Sky I'd tell these Promoters to get Stuffed and look for another sport or even look at the Polish League with top flight riders like Nicki P Hans Andersen, Jason Crump. What the Elite league promoters are after is more money for a greatly reduced product.

speedy dan boy

On the subject of Bob Dugard i thought riders planed their own travel,please dont tell me every british club pays for their flights on top of their wages.!! you might as well chuck food allowance in,taxi from airport,scooter ride from plane to passport control!!.If the riders want to earn as much as possible around the world surely they have to make their own flight arrangements.

Eagle1971

speedy dan boy

Cheers Eagle wonder what would happen if Denis got his return air fares to russia and back paid for by Bob,but then mid season he took a booking from his polish club to ride over the weekend after a eastbourne match.who would pay to get him to poland at short notice and would Bob loosse his money on denis return trip to russia that would never be used.The point(eventually!!) i am trying to make is do the club waste money in this way not just on air fares but riders other extras as well.

mmmmethanol

Some very good points on this thread.
I've always thought 9 teams is too few to run a creditable league.

There is one aspect of all this that might make BD's words more understandable - Since the contract with Sky was agreed, the recession has really bitten. Even in the last few weeks things look decidedly more gloomy.
Any further fall in attendance figures & the Elite League increasingly looks like being an unsustainable product.
Could be a case of renegotiate, restructure or it all going down the pan.

parker

Kevin54

So, possibly we have 8 "Dilute" league matches, the Craven Shield and, hopefully, 2 or 3 cup matches.

So, once the season ends by mid June, what are we all going to do?
Take up Stoolball?
Join the local Cricket team?

Suppose it is too late in the day to apply to join the Premier League?

parker

Kevin54

emjay

Whatever the outcome, I think the BSPA are to be applauded for trying to get a better deal out of SKY. Must admit that when I started this thread, I did not envisage the BSPA trying this on. Good luck to them - its surely worth a try. I wonder how much the clubs get out of the deal anyway. If, as Mr BD says, it costs ten grand to move a meeting date to Monday, and there are two such moves per season, then I would have thought you would need at least £25K and probably more. Do they get this? I suppose it is all shrouded in secrecy.

ray

as posted some time ago , sky paid £ 1 million , of which half was divided between the elite clubs . russell and gang have never divulged what happens to the other half , except russell himself was originally promised by the bspa at the time if he got Sky onboard he could name his own bonus . there were many posts over this at the time . for what period the £ 1m was for is unknow also but it was assumed for each season , how many seasons the Sky contract is for must be stated surely , the bspa obviously have all the details .so the " second- hand car salesman " is up there with the bankers . the wall of silence from the bspa has been deafening Sad

the two promoters who speak their mind , and are not on the bspa , they cause too many ripples , are bobby dugard and jon cook . Wink

i e-mailed the Speedway Star at the time hoping they would publish this under readers letters , or give me answers .nothing happened with either. Sad

parker

Regardless of who gets what and how much from Sky why don't the BSPA ditch Sky. They say they lose money on Televised race nights whether being Televised or their meeting competing against a televised meet. BD said it cost him 10k to change to a Monday so that would be a saving. Maybe with only GPS and SWC match on the screens people would get of their backsides and attend their local team. To be honest this scenario has been coming for along time continued tinkering with the rules with silly changes just to suit the TV audience. Promoters failing to grasp that although a sport its suppose to be an entertaining evening. Tracks in some cases doctored to suit the limitations of the home side. Promoters need to look first at themselves paying air fares for overseas riders,I thought self employed people paid their own expenses and that went against Tax. Lack of marketing both by a lot of teams, inflated admission charges £15 for under 15 minutes racing is hardly real value for money. Parking charges on top. The devaluing of the concessions when buying Season tickets all have a knock on effect and attendances reflect that.There is a total lack of promoting by our club, we are 1 month away from,the start of the new season, Our new formed Supporters club seems to want our subs but little substance of what that money will do and what you will get in return. We should be seeing the new shirts being advertised on these websites for sale now or will they only be available 3/4s of the way through the season as usual. BD should maybe take a chance and reduced the admission charges particularly in the present financial climate when his support is so widely based and what with travelling cost to add on maybe our attendances will drop further.

Kevin54

Excellent post, Parker, puts in a nutshell what has been said by many over the months in regard to the marketing, or dire lack of it, by our promoter.

Instead he seems set on putting all his energy into tilting at windmills, in this case trying to amend the terms of Skys' contract with the Elite League promoters on the eve of the start of the season.

They are stuck with each other whether they like it or not for this season; a contract is just that.

As for whether the sport needs Sky, I'm in two minds;

Yes, the sport has suffered from incessant tinkering to satisfy a television audience;
The play-offs and that vile T/S, joker are two particular items.
Yes, the hosting teams have suffered with a marked drop in attendance when the cameras are in town.
That surely should have been addressed by the promoter, reduce the entrance on that night to, say, £10.00; they may not have got 3000 FREELOADERS like we did against Lakeside last season, but they may have got 1200/1500 PAYING customers at a reduced rate!

But the sport does get wider coverage than it used to, the problem is that no-one in the BSPA has tapped into that audience and focussed on maximising the benefit that Sky should have created.
The impetus has been concentrated on the GPs', with the clubs left to pick up the crumbs.

Perhaps you are right, maybe the time has come for Sky and the Elite League to part company.
But not right now, and not in this manner.

Cutting the season in half will cause immense harm to the sport, potential hardship to a great many riders who do not ride for clubs abroad but who will have spent money on equipment in preparation for a full seasons riding here.
It will cause immense harm to any sponsors who will have paid for a full seasons coverage.
And as for the credibility, or what is left of it, of the sport?

Get this season under way, then, IF the recession has not culled the sport, the end of the season is the time to deal with this.

ray

as usual you are on the button parker . still a serious lack of professional promoting and advertising , this will continue to affect attendances and sponorship . but nobody can do everything well , and we still have our eagles . help is needed to try to overcome the two aforementioned weaknesses , no where near the standard of poole , coventry and lakeside . imitation is the highest form of flattery , there is always something to be learnt from others more successful on certain issues .
as for the supporters club , some good ideas and possibilities , but as parker posts , more meat is needed on the bone before we buy it . more details please , the season is nearly upon us .£ 10 won't break the bank , unlike the supporters who have already purchased their season tickets should the season be reduced by cancelling the "B" league fixtures . obviously if this is the case then surely there will have to be refunds . it seems the early bird does not catch the worm at this time .
as for the entry fee of £15 pound works out to £1 a minute of actual racing , good point , but this is what happens in speedway . it also works out at about £1 a heat on the actual match . now that is excellent value . have often heard fans saying one particular heat alone was worth the entry fee alone , and i have been one of them . only have to watch many other sports , including football , to realise the real excitement minute wise is far less than speedway .
finally [ phew ] if the league programme is reduced it would have some benefits . no clash with GPs as plenty of free saturdays . also certain other international events clashing could be largely avoided . maybe test matches could be considered , as long as they were cost effective .these have always attracted large crowds . whether televised live or only recordings shown later , income would surely be increased whatever . worth at least considering surely .

parker

Kevin I agree with you completely This is not the time to try to hold sky to ransom particularly when we have very few of the top riders in the Elite league goodness me even Scott Nicholls is given it a miss Wink

Why is it that Bob always seems to be the one that lets the cat out of the bag in this case threatening sky even before they have held talks. According to other forums there are 5 clubs in leading this assault on Sky probably the same that forced this lower average on us Rolling Eyes

We've never made the most out of sky Stadiums always appear in need of repair the use by some teams of Greyhound stadiums give the appearance of being empty.(I'm talking about the perception of the sport for the uneducated Tv audience) Maybe the BSPA should have look at how Darts have re invented themselves and the promotion that goes with that... Rugby league another sport Sky contracted another two teams joined again this season our league seems to be getting less over the years. I see Rays point about some heats being worth the money alone well maybe we should pay a £10 admission an then donate another £5 when we see a heat as he mentions. See how many would donate then some dont want to pay an addition £1 to have a seat Laughing

speedy dan boy

while im in my angry mode about missing out on Ricky Wells,i have to say how sad i am thet after writing a long letter to BD in Nov 08 offering to help with winter promotions and new ideas i had i didnt get a reply,So i asked David(cox) if he had a email address and he gave me Martin D EMAIL.Again i sent my letter via email offering to help in anyway i can throughout the winter months.Martin to his credit did get back to me and said he would talk to his Dad but ive heard nothing since.I wanted to help,i had a few others prepared to do the odd weekend promoting in Eastbourne and other areas but all to no avail.I wasnt going to post this but as im in my angry mode at present i thought what the hell,as i did try to get something going.

emjay

Thanks Ray for the info on the money SKy pays for the filming rights.
Let me get this straight. There is £1million pot. £500,000 goes into a bonus. And if not all of it, no one is prepared to say how much, and what happens to the rest of that half million.
And the remaining £500,000 gets divided between nine Elite clubs. So each club gets around £55,000. So if you have to move two meetings to accommodate SKY, you spend £20,000 (Mr BD's figures) to get £55,000. Hmm, not bad. You will not be surprised to learn that I have never been able to achieve a per annum return on investments anything approaching that magnitude.
In broad terms, have I got that right Ray?
So, taking Eastbourne as an example: Last year Mr BD lost about £30.000. If he had not had the SKY payment, he would have lost a further £35,000. Surely that would have meant the difference between operating and closing down. Taking that further - is EB any different in this regard from any other Elite club? Except perhaps Poole and Coventry, who are said to get better crowds.
So effectively it looks as if the SKY payments are keeping the Elite in existence.
This leads me to wonder about a few things, of which perhaps more later. Meantime, if I'm adrift with anything above I hope someone will correct me.

ray

in essence emjay that is what i am posting . there was quite a debate , with the info shown coming from various parties , including a source in the management . many of you must remember this , was about a year ago .
what i am not saying emjay is where the other £ 500,00 went or what russell got , i simply do not know . but some do and they keep this to themselves .
i was told the occassional premier matches televised were a seperate issue .
but we have to wonder why the bspa have not discussed the whole issue with us , and the speedway star suddenly went deaf , dumb , and blind . Sad

mmmmethanol

The BSPA is commited to a contract with Sky which has been tied in for a year or 2. The recession has hit since that contract was agreed & I think the BSPA realises attendances will drop & is looking at desperate measures.
However, as BD is the only one to comment on this, could the half season scenario be just his business plan alone......?
If things are looking desperate, could you blame promoters for trying, no matter how unlikely?

The leagues now need to be radically re-structured, as finances have changed since the winter AGM. This of course is impossible with 4 weeks to go before the new season!

I've always thought a league of less than 12 teams was a bit of a joke.

(SpeedyDanBoy - Totally agree. Gutted we've let Ricky Wells slip through our hands).

parker

Kevin54

Mmmethanol, fully take your point about the economic climate changing drastically since the contract with Sky, but BD announced that he had "budgeted" for a revised attendance figure of around 1000 customers, I believe.

So what has changed now?

As far as our club is concerned we have lost Nicholls and Richardson, presumably the top two earners from last year.

We will get a payment for Kennett, to be determined.
A fairly hefty lump sum coming in to the club.

Couple the savings from Nicholls and Richardson with the fee for Kennett, add in the fact we do not have an outright "superstar" in the squad earning top dollar, surely, as a club, we ought to be in a stronger position than most?

Even if the general situation has deteriorated since the AGM, the promoters can hardly say they were not aware of what was around the corner, most of them are, (supposedly), buisiness men.

Eagle1971

ray

only have to read the news kevin to see so many so called " business men" proven to be useless . same goes here . agree the kennet fee and reduction of costs by star riders no longer employed
will help the financial situation , but how will the other teams manage ? have seen what happened in russia , only three teams were left . agree also nine are not enough , so what are these obviously poor excuses for business men going to do now , and when are they going to awake from their hibernation period .
await Sky's response , but they are not fools like the people they are dealing with . they know they have the upper hand , so do we .
pathetic Sad

realise our team has been weakened , but that is because this would mean the eagles survived the season . others , such as oxford , didn't . what if same happens to teams this season, peterboro nearly went during last season Sad

glad i haven't bought a season ticket this year after sixteen years of doing so Idea

emjay

I think every team is weaker this year, and I quite like the look of EB's line up. I have never been a fan of Nicholls, Richardson or Kennett. I think we now might have a team of triers who might give us good racing. If that is so, then crowds just might increase. Last year the big three didn't exactly pull in the crowds. For sure, none of them will improve, and I do not think we will miss them one little bit.

ray

good post emjay , i agree totally . looking forward to some exciting racing .it is a real eagles type team , we will hopefully be leaping from our seats [ if we have them ] cheering and acting like excited schoolchildren , the buzz would go round arlington as it has so often .
think attendances would grow then , and if we don't bother to see the same visitors so often . even as a season ticket holder i would not go to see opponents i had seen so often already , and of couse we need our home matches on saturday evenings .
remember some years ago when all one league and most other teams visited once , never missed those Very Happy

so less matches as only eight other teams " A" fixtures only , well i would be there every time . Cool

parker

ray

the bspa telling " porkies " oh what a suprise , no -- they got it wrong --- could that really happen ?! other promoters moanong and whinging ---- well i never , parker Rolling Eyes

. nothing new there then . so where do you get this news parker , we mere mortals have been told nothing from those who reckon they know best , so please do tell and explain , we all want to know Idea

sussex bulldog

Think you will find it is all being discussed at the link below

http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=46593

parker

ray

we all know about what is on the sites , i was referring to the talks that have been going on since november , which you say are amicable , and the meeting now with Sky --- that bit , ok ? Rolling Eyes

sussex bulldog

From the thread that I posted the link

CVS has said in the express and star about cutting the fixture, "it's not feasible. From a Wolverhampton perspective it would never happen. Since the AGM we have been in a series of meetings with Sky. We hav been negotiating for a new contract. Sky regard it as a very very good product, they are very amiable in the discussions. Tomorrow there is an offer on the table. Although we are looking to amend the contact we are also talking about lengthening it so there's a positive side there aswell."

He wouldn't comment on dugard, but it does look like he's saying that scrapping the B fixures is not going to happen and I would think he would probably be in the know with his subject. It seems to me they'd more likely put admissions up, as he also mentions that the promoters are worried about the effect of the recession and how riders wages effect admission.

MrB

parker

emjay

If, as CvS says, discussions with SKY are amicable then I am totally baffled by Mr BD's outburst. Sure it gets him a few lines in the local rag but it makes him look as if he has no idea what is going on. Not good for the image!

ray

thank you david , that was the sort of thing i was asking about , things that were not on the bspa or eagles websites already .well then why not read my posts correctly parker before making your response ?! Idea

so now the promoters are flapping , in ever decreasing circles . the cold weather has obviously kept them hibernating in their dens . these are professionals ?! Sad

MrB you have summed it up rather well . they are far from elite . at least BD and Cook have still got a pulse and a brain . ok , bobby went off the deep end , nuthin' new about that .face it we are liter ally the poor relations to some tracks , but this has already been posted, and why .so we have to cut our cloth accordingly . great if there was a new international , or even national sponsor , crowds flocked in , but help is needed if these things are ever going to be
even attempted .
nuff moaning , lets look forward to the good things , floppy and deano back , davey back , and four young men who will do there best to make us leap into the air and cheer our beloved eagles Very Happy

parker

emjay

Dont know how much credence one can give to posters on that site. With certain exceptions, they seem to be nutters or anoraks

Kevin54

sussex bulldog

sussex bulldog

The full season fixture list has now been released on the other side.

I guess it is business as normal. Cool

There is an article in the Argus which is on our front page which is attributed to Dave Norris.

http://www.whereeaglesdaretofly.com

The server for whereeaglesdaretofly.co.uk is not working at present.

parker

emjay

MrB

Here's a thought. Brighton were in a cup semi final this week up at Luton, ok not the most glamerous of matches but Brighton took nearly 1500 fans on a week night. Nows heres the thing, the cost for coach travel and a match ticket..... 12 quid all in Exclamation

And our promoters think its a good idea to increase charges for 'extras' like a seat Twisted Evil

parker

parker

Kevin54

Well, now you've got to pay to sit in the grandstand, the next proposal has got to be coin-operated doors to the public conveniences Exclamation

Spend a penny to spend a penny Wink

ray

no kevin , you have to spend a £ . intresting to see what wiles we concoct to evade this .diabolical nerve cheek though as we were told the car park fee was to pay for improved toilets , which has never happened .if we use the grandstand ones will we be charged the £ entry ?! if so we shall have either be devious--- or constipated Laughing

emjay

I see the latest gem on the BSPA website is that Lakeside are holding prices until mid season. For heaven's sake its enough to make strong men weep. Here we are with an already overpriced product performing in ramshackle stadia and these loons are talking as if they are doing their supporters a favour. How about £10 guys - take a leaf out of the books of people who know how to combat hard times - the Tescos and Asdas of this world, for instance. Ten quid is about all a night in a speedway stadium is worth. Why not try subsidising entry fees with some of that large share of the SKY payment that no one seems to know much about. Or should I not mention such things.

parker

ray

any ideas about where he can dip his brushes , parker , my friend?! Razz

the turps won't help after that Shocked

so emjay , remind me about the improvements that have taken place Cool

rather reminds me of road tax and now green taxes , same sort of non-allocation Exclamation

whether thread to the left or right , we get screwed . Mad

MD

MrB

MD

Kevin54

Interesting to see that there is nothing on the BSPA web site regarding this meeting with Sky, it is as if all of this never occurred Exclamation

Also no pronouncement from BD; he obviously only "leaks" to the local rag when it suits him, the fantasy buyer for Kennet being one example.

So, what really DID occur Question

Did they wrest some form of concession from Sky Question

Did they realise they would have to back down once they realised the potential ramifications if they carried out their foolhardy threat Question

We probably will never know; after all the BSPA and promoters in general just treat their supporters like mushrooms; keep them in the dark and feed them the proverbial when it suits them.

Heed your words Bob, "Think of the fans"; you lot certainly were'nt last week Exclamation

Eagle1971

Argus says...........Eagles in Kennett U-turn
10:14pm Friday 20th February 2009

By Brian Owen »

Eastbourne Eagles want to keep hold of one of their top young assets, even though he will not ride for them this year.

Team GB speedway star Edward Kennett has been named by rivals Coventry Bees in their 2009 line-up after asking for a move from Arlington.

The rider’s transfer fee is due to be decided at arbitration on April 7.

However Eastbourne have now revealed they are willing to loan the 22-year-old Hailsham based racer to Coventry for a season.

Boss Bob Dugard had initially refused to lend Kennett to another club.

However he now fears the current mood for belt-tightening in speedway, as the sport battles the recession, will lead to a tribunal deciding Kennett can go at a modest price.

Dugard said: “I’ve been passed a message that Edward is quite willing to go on loan.”

Meanwhile Elite League clubs have decided not to shorten the 2009 season after securing a revised television deal with Sky Sports.

mmmmethanol

Difficult to take anything that's said from certain quarters seriously...........

Kevin54

ray

yep , so who's the pratt now Shocked

Aussie2

As BD still holds EK's contract, can he be forced to sell him. If it is true that Eddie has agreed to go out on loan, then so be it. Perhaps a certain Mr. Pratt will be stamping his feet and jumping up and down in annoyance. Mad

I think he was hoping to get Eddie at a deflated price, in fact something for nothing. Exclamation

To be honest I am getting sick and tired of all the shenanigans. I will be glad when the season starts. Rolling Eyes

mmmmethanol

There's another article in the Argus with BD stating a deal has been done with Sky & A & B fixtures go ahead.

Mick Bratley, the Peterborough promoter says there is no deal & the reports are rubbish.

Another example of BD's alleged comments seemingly not quite adding up.
In future I'll take his comments with a large pinch of salt.

ray

pass the crisps Confused

Kevin54

parker

ray

the phrase " headless chickens " seems to be apt . how totally unprofessional they are , in so many ways . our sport has been run by these failures , no wonder our sport is failing too . all this long before the credit crunch was ever heard of . we cannot even trust their word , let alone their actions , or lack of them . the fish rots from the head is so applicable here . no wonder one - time fans no longer bother to attend . but some of us , and i am one of them , simply love their speedway and their team . but definately no season ticket anymore , will not pay £ to go into grandstand , and like others already make up my own race-card . have thought about not using car-park . it is a matter of principle even more than money . Idea

parker

ray

thanks paul . no season ticket this year as have already posted . Cool

speedy

Due to personal reasons and other commitments we are not buying season tickets this year.
But we want to pay for our seats in the grandstand that we have had for about over 12 years, have sent 2 e-mail to the official site asking that if we pay for our seats do we still have to pay the extra £ 1 to get into the grand stand, think I have been waiting about 6 weeks for a reply now, so sent a second e-mail still being ignored.
Is there any one out there interested in people like us that have supported the Eagles for more years than I care to remember?
Its people like us that are the backbone of the Eagles support, and quite frankly if the official site are unable or cannot be bothered to reply to a simple e-mail, it make us wonder if we should bother with speedway this year at all.

parker

emjay

On that basis, Parker, about the only sane person in the country must be Mr BD. Exclamation

parker

ray

so parker on sunday you posted that those not buying season tickets would not have to pay the £ entry into the grandstand , why have you changed that now ? Confused

but , and this is new also , instead of paying £ if £ 10 is paid in advance then admission is given for the season . so half price , about ? what has been changed to your meeting on sunday ? i may go for the £ 10 , but the whole thing seems to be a muddle . no suprise there then .too much for clarification from club to give ? Sad

watta bunch of wallies

MrB

ray

trevor seems to have told those present at the meeting on sunday two different things , and they have refused to inform us when fans have asked them . so is it that they cannot make up their tiny minds or one of the options is a lie . Sad

yes i will join those who refuse to pay ,some season ticket holders from previous seasons will not be so this season it appears . with this treatment the number will likely increase . bar takings will go down as fans will no longer visit the grandstand , as posted , the number sitting in there will be even less than last season . so parker has trevor got it wrong or have you ?think we will assume the former .why do they bite the hands that feed them ? Sad

we have a fold up chair in the garage , i'll put it in the boot of the car Razz

on the other hand argos have them for £5.95 , might buy a new one to take along with my own refreshments and race card . have run off copies of these already. Smile

don't think they'll start charging us for taking our own seat in d'you , cos many do this already . oh dear , i am getting as petty as they are Rolling Eyes

parker

Kevin54

Just to put another side to this question of charging for the grandstand.

It's not a new idea.

Many years ago, before the "New" one was built, there was an older open grandstand.
Anyone wanting to sit there was charged, for a couple of seasons I had the task of collecting the money at one of the entrances.

Then, when the new one was built, they charged to go upstairs, again I had the fun of collecting the money, not such a good job as you did not see much of the meeting Exclamation

Whether they charged to sit downstairs I have to admit I am not sure, I have a feeling they did, but I may well be wrong.

I'm not saying I am for it or not, as personally it does not affect me, I don't spectate from there.

However, this is a matter of choice, if someone does not wish to pay they have the option of viewing elsewhere, and bring a fold up chair, as Mr B said in his post.

Also, if in this way it helps with the income over a course of the season, and that goes in a small way to keeping the club afloat, shouldn't this be what we all want?

Eagle1971

Personally I'm not that bothered about the toilets, car park or the grandstand. I've never understood the fuss over the toilets myself as I go before I leave home and you don't get a very good view of the racing from there anyway.
I judge everything by the team on the track myself. I'm concerned that by constantly reducing the averages you are watering down the quality. I take Davey out and just see a Premier League team left.
I hope I'm wrong......we will find out in March.

Jaytee

Personally as a family, we have taken fold up chairs to Eastbourne meetings for the past 4 or 5 years. We sit/stand on the 1st or 2nd bends and in my opinion it is by far the best area to watch the action in the stadium.

parker

sussex bulldog

Thank you for clarifying that Parker. Cool

ray

thank you parker , you have confirmed what the position is , also all of us must now be confirmed as right that trevor is not up to the job . but we knew that last year . the statements and counter - statements issued by the management over the league programme , Sky . kennet , and now this along with other matters too, are unbelievable --- in both senses . Sad

bought the £6 fisherman's chair , excellent , and is in boot of car ready . Wink

parker

ray

add to his cv ?! what else does he have on it ? [ naughty chuckle ] Wink

be intrested what financial gain they will get from coventry whether
loan or sale . also if kennett and pratt accept the original deal of coventry owning kennett's contract . wonder what the bspa numpties will decide what is valid . Confused

emjay

Well, if Mr TG is co-promoter, then perhaps he will be able to reign in his partner. EB does seem to be regarded as the league's laughing stock, and that will continue as long as everyone is regularly treated to the comments of Chairman BD. Co-promoter suggests a partnership of equals, so time for some straight talking perhaps.

speedy dan boy

just a few questions from me

1--BB kindly gave Eastbourne speedway some cash,was that money to be used by the riders or for general use for Eastbourne speedway

2-- Before a wheel is turned for the 2009 season do we get the sky money up front,does anyone have any idea?

3-William HILL Bookmakers pay the BSPA a sum of money so they can use their speedway game in their shops? Do we get a cut?

4- Bob is one of a few promoters to own his own stadaum.Do you think the car park fee,seat fee in yhe main grandstand is just a way to bump the admission up without putting it on the entry fee,as Bob gets the whole amount anyway.I ask this because the owners of the East of england showground keep the parking fee for themselves!! the promoters get nothing!!

The point im trying to make(GOING AROUND THE HOUSES I KNOW!!)is Eastbourne dont have to do anything to get a large chunk of money coming in,do you think they are just being lazy to get out there to get another chunk of cash that they would have to work for?

parker

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