Promoters Feedback Through this page Poole co-promoter Matt Ford will attempt to answer questions and issues raised by supporters Matt makes no apologies for providing the viewpoint from the perspective of Poole Speedway Ltd and admits "some of my responses will, I guarantee, not being what the supporters want to hear. I would also emphasise that I am looking at this from the business perspective and may not be necessarily what I, Matt Ford the person, would want. It is vital that for future sustainability of the sport that we look at the bigger picture on a number of issues. For Matt's previous view click here

Bournemouth has a large Polish community and knowing how much generally the Poles love their speedway has there been any efforts from the club to boost crowds by attracting the Poles along to Poole "Well, what we have done is taken an advertisement in a Southampton paper because that area has a considerably larger number of Polish nationals than Bournemouth, but we were a little disappointed in just how few Polish papers are printed, I think the print run is only around 6,000. I would say though that the Polish psyche is a little different because whilst many Polish people are happy to come over here to work and earn good money when they come to disposing of their income they tend to 'convert' the costs of things back into local equivalents and make comparisons. So, because in Poland they can attend meetings for around £5-£6 equivalent they consider £15 considerably more expensive. Many of the Poles are over here to work for their investments in the future, there have already been signs of many of them having earned sufficient to be able to go back home and buy land and property and set themselves up virtually for life. So their mission for being over here is to work hard and intensive for the short term to earn and save for the longer term. In truth I have only really seen one track with a developing Polish fan base and that was Eastbourne. Maybe if we had not had the injury problems with Karol and Zibi and our team structure had been how we had planned it at the start of the season it might have been a bit different here and we may have been able to attract a few more than what we have done, which is why we took out that advertisement initially, but I can certainly confirm that we have not ignored that community.

Poole teams in recent seasons appear to have been devoid of British riders and you alluded to previously the importance of bringing riders through from the Academy league so do you see the way forward where you would be going for British riders in the future- "I would love to have British riders. I would love to have 7 of them rather than having to worry about many of the issues that you have when you have foreign riders, when you have to get involved in accommodation, flights, vans and often mechanics and so clearly it is a more expensive line to follow with foreign riders that British ones. But, we have to accept we are not an Eastbourne. We are not a track that is in the woods miles away from the nearest houses. We cannot practice here so when it comes to a rider, who, say Edward Kennett, Lewis Bridger those types of rider that when they are at the age of signing for clubs they have had the opportunity to ride and learn their trade at tracks like Sheffield, Eastbourne, King's Lynn. Which is why you'll see those tracks signing the majority of those sort of riders. Peterborough once had it. They used to have the facility for practice and training and crikey look at the riders that they brought through - Oliver Allen, Simon Stead, David Howe there were lots of them. They had about five or six all at one time that they developed but now they don't have that option as they don't have the practice facilities that are needed to sustain this development. And now they are in the same position as us. We live in a town centre where clearly we cant have practice. There are other restrictions of course, and that is if I was able to use the stadium I would be charged a full rent even just for practice session. So whilst there are the financials simply the biggest issue is we cannot avail ourselves of practice because we are so close to a school, we have residents just 50 metres away. So unfortunately when these youngsters are taking the sport up they are going to the Eastbournes etc who provide them with the education, training and practice and rightly they get first call on the top talent. I can tell you though that we do try and we will always be there or thereabouts. I can truthfully say that we were in the market for Lewis Bridger when Lewis came here but it didn't quite work out then we were in the running for Tai Woffinden, he came here and availed himself of after meeting practices and we were very close to getting Tai but again it didn't quite work out. So to finish the question I would love to have a team full of Brits because it would be more cost-effective for the club but unless we can offer some form of training here I can't see the day happening when we came be in the position to sign them, for the Adam Roynon's, Josh Auty's and the likes are all being snapped up by the clubs that bring them on.

Racing conditions here at Wimborne Road this season seem to be much better, so what has been the secret with the track - "If I told you nothing, would you believe it? Because to be honest there has been nothing different done. We have had the same track man since we took over and he did it for 10 years before that. But I guarantee you that he is doing nothing different. But it is funny, people talk about slick tracks, grippy tracks and clearly I have seen it a struggle when we have a morning meeting and it is a hot day. Often that has been an early season meeting, like our double fixtures against Eastbourne and that can give a false impression. On that very point I do wonder whether we would be better off switching that fixture round and we go there in the morning and they come to us in the evening. But, going back to the track preparation, very seldom do we have a conversation about the track, the riders will kindly tell him what they will want done and last year we had a couple who preferred it to be ripped more on the outside, Bjarne for example, loves it like that. Funnily enough Adam was recently talking about it and a couple of fans came over and listened to what he had to say and he was pleading for it not to be ripped on the inside because that is the way the riders wanted it as they felt it safe to ride the track slick on the inside and those that wanted the grip could look for the outside and that is fine for them. Occasionally it might not suit all the riders but often we are in the hands of the weather gods. Even today we ripped the track twice and then had a further weather update indicating that there could be rain around 7.30 so we then couldn't risk leaving the track open so we had to pack it down a little because if rain does come we need it to run off the best it can. So you are often changing the track during the course of the day.

This feedback is intended as a two-way medium, so is there anything you want to say back Matt? - "Well I did hear that there was rumour on the coach to Cardiff that riders hadn't been paid for 12 weeks well I would just like to say that I can guarantee that I am the only promoter in British speedway that has paid his bills totally on time and that my riders have been paid right up to Swindon on the 20th June and I am still awaiting for three lots of money, so where these rumours come from I do not know, they are frustrating more than anything but I guess it is kind of one of those things you have to deal with. So to the gossipmongers amongst you hold your heads in shame saying things like that about the club.