G'day, many good ideas have been mentioned, but it seems there's concern regarding ownership of anything produced or constructed. My view is this...........frankly it's irrelevent, if whatever we do enhances the track, the vision, the sound, the entertainment, the spectacle or the Speedway experience, then everyone benefits and may encourage more patrons, and, therefore benefits Belle Vue. The GRA are often seen as ogres, when in fact, they are simply business people doing their best for their organisation and as such are approachable for negotiation. Do we think they don't know that the demise of B.V. will not help their cause..........fifty grand rent revenue p.a. for a start. Why can't we help them to help us??

IDEAS:
Seats on trailers.

Raised platforms, height at Health & Safety maximum before rails required. Piles concreted in, joists, then planked. Timber H4 boron treated or U.K. all-weather equivalent.

John Hall's grassy knolls or an elongated bank. Truck, digger, top-soil & grass-seed. Easy!!

Seating units constructed from scaffolding. Get local scaffolder to sponsor them, stick on the appropriate sign. They can have 'em back at end season if they wish. Name in programme & B.V. Site. If you're really clever, you can use curved corrugated iron to goover top to afford some cover.

FUNDRAISING:
I will donate towards purchase of 12 x 6 m gazebo. Erect each Monday evening at track. Invite biggest Motorcycle dealer in Manchester to bring along some of his machines, road 'bikes, trail 'bikes, whatever. Slap his signs, flags etc. all over it. Offer free for first meeting then charge thereafter. Name in programme & B.V. Site.

Gas -fired barbecue at track or outside local Supermarket. Serviette, 1x slice of bread, 1 x sausage, squirt of road smash.......... “a quid please Sir.” Get Supermarket to sponsor bread and bangers. Put their name on sign in front
“ food sponsored by.......” See if you can get gas sponsored too. Name in programme & B.V. Site.

Look into xtra use of centre green. How about a small moto-x track for 50cc kids 'bikes. A couple of berms, whoops etc. 6 hours on a Saturday........50 quid. Query Stock-car people.

Is there a prominent brick wall at Kirky Lane? If so, name the wall SPONSORS WALL and sell the bricks, 50 quid a pop and put sponsors names on plastic plaques screwed to the bricks.

Think of any friends/contacts you have and ask if they're willing to help, in return, their help would be recognised publicly, somewhere in the B.V. Organisation etc.

My youngest Son did 250 Production Road Racing for 8 years, I got all his Av. Gas & oil sponsored by BP. New Zealand, and Dupont for the paint on his fairings (frequently damaged). All I did was put stickers on the 'bike, trailer & Van.
Someone contact Castrol Publicity Office.......nothing ventured …..nothing gained.
Imagine this: THE CASTROL BELLE VUE ACES
However, sponsors need to know what they get out of it e.g. exposure on Sky T.V., Channel M etc.

Has anyone seriously petitioned/lobbied the Council regarding the Aces predicament. Draw up a document explaining the history of B.V., what it's loss would mean to the City etc. Appeal to civic pride. The name Belle Vue is synonymous with Man. United and deserves a better home.

These are just a few errant thoughts off the top of my head............and no, I'm not off it!!

Over to you.

I have to admire your enthusiasm and drive on this Hakarimata

My thoughts are:

Some good - Grassy Knoll / Lobying the council + drumming up some civic pride

Some problematic - Barbie ideas - GRA control the food and drink (the food is poor and a rip off) and there will likely be issues with having a barbie, aside from the weather!

Some already happening - we are the "One51 Aces" and have many secondary sponsors as well (Rockoil / Autogate / ATP / Doodson etc)

However, I would applaud anyone who feels they have the time available to help you out with an idea or two here. You have said before that you are willing to donate money if used in the right area's, maybe you could contact the promotion direct and offer your support to them, I'm sure they will already have ideas that are in need of some financing.

All the Best !

great stuff from hakar NZ...we should stop moaning and get off our backsides and get stuck in..its our club.

Regarding food sales there used to be Burger van in the pits but that was stopped by GRA who will not allow any type of food sales they do not control.
Council have been got at loads of times but they see Kirky Lane as the answer and while we are still there they will do nothing and if we leave they will do even less, if the GRA kicked us out well maybe but if they did not kick us out in JP's time after all the aggro they got from him including the odd bought of fisticuffs then they are not likely to evict us now.
Centre green is a no go area for anything speedway related and regarding mini track health and safety issue, and even a mini track would require a licence.
All the ideas you have mentioned are great but most have been looked at or require the GRA to agree and that is not going to happen.
I have also been involved in many sports and my son was involved in Grass Track and Karting and even raced against Lewis Hamilton and I have organised through the years over a million in sponsorship for various sports and at the moment I know that many companys are cutting back because it is difficult to justify to their work force a large sponsorship deal when most are making folks redundant

__________________
We wern't born to follow, we were born to lead

Good to see a positive thread with some constructive ideas, far too much doom and gloom on here.

Great stuff from the Kiwi, excellent points mate.

The only problem I have, and I wont be able to sleep tonite worring about "John Hall's Grassy Knolls."

John, I would get this looked at right away pal.

Other than that, an excellent, upbeat posting young man way down there in NZ.

TEL

Nice One.

nice post from maugerland

some great idea's pity we don't have our own stadium to carry them out.

Terry

You now have a life-long friend since I'm a 68 year old pensioner with COPD.
Thanks to you and everyone else for the positive comments, I'm doing all I can to "rally the troops".

Some great, positive ideas have been put forward. Particularly the one for me is about this site's contributors and the aces management, maybe getting closer and working together for the good of the aces.

This for me could have 'legs'. Let's face it, we all want the same thing and even Eastbourne next season are being to a degree bankrolled by fans pledging a grand.

I am not saying that we should do that but there must be many of us with some 'talent, skill or infrastructure' that could benefit the aces.

One idea I have to attract new fans is what my company describe as "The Power Of 10" - Quite simply if you can engage 10 people positively, they know 10 people who they will tell and you move forward.

Given our poor attendance level if everyone who contributes on this website, (and attends each week), could bring 10 mates, family or work colleagues then the attendance would rocket in percentage terms. (100 of us on here could swell the crowd by a 1000!!!!)

Yes I know...

That's the dream done then, now the reality!!

To deliver this the aces mgt and us on this website would need to develop a relationship..

My idea would be for those who do care enough to do something would receive 10 tickets to distribute amongst those people who we know. NON SPEEDWAY FOLLOWERS ONLY.

The positive is that these people are our aquantances so have heard us 'banging on' about speedway, and some may even be those lost to the sport (like i have been several times) just waiting to be cajoled back..

To make it work you couldnt charge 16 quid for the 'newbys'. More like a tenner....(and even a free programme). However 1000 'newbys' paying a tenner is 10k more than the week before.

Maybe 'newbys' could be given 6 weeks worth of tickets at a tenner??

They are more likely to continue coming when they have attended six times, got to know the riders and rules (god help them with that) rather than a one off special. (and thats 60k you have had that hadnt been there before).

As I say, it would be built on trust, I know eastbourne's benefactors are getting 'nothing extra' in return (eg no season ticket it is simply a donation). Therefore should this idea hold water then 'the regulars' should still pay 'the usual' AND NOT USE THE REDUCED ADMISSION THEMSELVES.

Who knows going forward more fans could result in lower admission for everyone and a virtuous circle begins...

I may dream eh???

.