Ford after views on race day change (From Bournemouth Echo)

Ford after views on race day change

7:00am Monday 2nd June 2008 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

MATT Ford is to canvas Pirates' fans' opinion as to whether the club should switch from Wednesday to Thursday racing.

Poole Castle Cover's chief also feels they may have to race at home on alternate Thursdays in future to beat off the counter attraction of live Champions' League football on TV.

Ford believes attendances have dropped worryingly at all speedway tracks in Britain this year, regardless of which division.

And, with the country currently in economic turmoil with food and petrol prices spiralling, he believes something drastic has to be done to combat the downward trend in crowd levels.

Ford, whose club does not publish official attendance figures, admitted they were down at Poole this year, although he declined to disclose by what amount.

Ford, whose club are believed to have averaged about 3,000 per meeting last year, said: "Next year there will have to be some changes because I believe running approximately 30 meetings in one year is too many.

"Visiting fans are almost non existent in speedway now so you have to stay loyal to your home supporters, of which 90 to 95 per cent come from your surrounding geographical area.

"If people have a chance of seeing the same opposition four to five times in a season like they currently do, you won't achieve the crowd levels you would wish for or need to sustain Elite League speedway.

"So I think at the next BSPA annual meeting we'll see one or two major changes in the sport.

"On a more local basis we'll have to consider certain aspects of our business, and by that I mean our race day.

"With football being the country's number one sport and with the emergence of the big four English clubs in the Champions' League, something has to be done about our Wednesday race day.

"At this point in mid-May, we have come up against it on seven or eight occasions already this season.

"You can't beat that form of entertainment on TV which people can stay at home and enjoy.

"I've spoken to Poole Stadium manager Shaun Spencer-Perkins and touted the idea that perhaps we would have to consider Thursday speedway at the stadium to give ourselves every opportunity of attracting a suitable crowd.

"Some people will point to the fact the Elite League points limit went down this year as being one of the reasons why crowds haven't been so good at all speedway venues but the problem isn't just in the Elite.

"It's in the Premier and Conference leagues as well and clearly for people to even get to a stadium now with rising costs of fuel etc it's hard on everyone's pocket to afford to go on a weekly basis.

"Perhaps if we rode only once a fortnight it would be a little less strain on their purse strings and may also entice some of the world stars who chose not to ride in England, the likes of Nicki Pedersen, Tomasz Gollob, Peter Karlsson and Rune Holta, to come back.

"The likes of those riders who just don't want to do 50 meetings a season over here but would be happy to do 20 to 25."

Ford, whose club last switched race day from Tuesday to Wednesday in 1992, added: "The emergence of football on Wednesday isn't going to be getting any better for us. We realise that but no decision will be made straight away.

"We'll ask for people's thoughts, probably through a questionnaire handed out when people go through the turnstiles during one of our next few matches, to see if there is a significant difference between who favours Wednesday or Thursday.

"Then we'll go from there."