Promoters :

The Good and The Bad

During the many years I have been a speedway fan I have had little praise for the British speedway promoter especially after I heard of some of the tricks they have pulled over the years from taking a riders testimonial money, taking money from a collection held by fans for a dead rider to phoning a widow days after her husband was killed to remind her that the promoter still wanted the money he had given her husband for his bike.

So I was surprised when I opened my programme at the Newcastle v Edinburgh meeting on 9 April and read an article by the Edinburgh co-promoter John Campbell and he was asked what he liked and disliked about speedway and he said

“I like to have enough change so that we don’t get queues at the gate. I like to have queues at the gate because, as we have enough change, it means we have a big crowd. I like to have enough programmes so that everyone who wants one gets one. I like to start the proceedings bang on 7.30pm even if we have queues at the gates – we’ll get them all in by the time the first race starts. I like to be approaching the end of the match by 9.00pm. We don’t get any of the drink or food sales so we have no reason for long intervals. I like to have a well prepared track to give riders the confidence to race hard into each corner. I like racing to take place on warm, though not necessarily sunny conditions.

What I don’t like about speedway. I don’t like dust. I don’t like referees who delay meetings for no good reason. I don’t like visiting promoters feigning heart attacks in my pits area. I don’t like paramedics failing to turn up at the appointed time. I don’t like electric failure.”

There is virtually nothing I could disagree with in John’s comments and so if he is the good now on to the bad.

According to my dictionary the word promoter means

“A person or thing that promotes – a person who helps to organize, develop or finance an undertaking”

Whist the word promote, which comes from the Latin word promovere meaning to “push onwards”, means

“To encourage the progress or existence of.... to raise to a higher rank or status etc”

So in the present tough economic situation you would imagine that promoters would be trying everything in their powers to “promote” the sport after all it is also their business and livelihood.

Already this season we have seen promoters in the speedway press, on the internet and teletext moaning about poor crowds or when they do go out into their local area to promote the sport are surprised how many people do not know that the sport exists in their area.

There will be many different reasons why crowds are poor or why people are unaware of the existence of their local track but the question that promoters need to ask themselves is are they doing enough to promote the sport. Some promoters will no doubt say that their limited budgets will not stretch to include a major advertising campaign but do you need to spend a vast amount of money to let people know you exist.

Back in the 1970’s I remember Halifax Speedway running a competition where a car registration was read out each meeting which had been spotted in the area with a Dukes sticker in it and the lucky owner got 2 free admission tickets. So if you did this now for an outlay of say £30 you could get people to advertise your local track, which is after all your business, every day in your area by driving to work, the shops or the school run. People might even ask the car owner about the track after all I am sure most fans have had the experience where people find out you are a speedway fan and say “does it still exist” or “ I used to go “

Maybe promoters should ask themselves why do garages where you buy your car or have it serviced put their stickers on it with their details and what services they offer if not to drum up more business and why does virtually every van/hgv vehicle and many cars owned by small business you see on the roads have their details sign written on them or plastered over the rear windscreen. Do these businesses believe that everyone who sees the sticker or sign written vehicle is a potential customer.

All these business‘s must think it is worthwhile but I wonder how many promoters or indeed other people who take money out of the sport have anything in their cars which show they are speedway fans but judging by the promoters/team managers/presenters and announcers cars I have seen in the car parks of British speedway stadium very few. Maybe the BSPA could introduce a rule that they must after all there is a dress code for team managers.

MCM