PROJECT 2010

LOOKING BACK ON PROJECT 2010 - posted 22 January 2010

As work starts on Project 2015 and the modern-day Commission start to model the sport's future, we look back on events five years ago when the last development plan was published (see below for detail).

Certainly many of the changes proposed by the Development Workgroup and endorsed by the membership at the 2005 annual general meeting, have come to fruitition.  Today many of these changes are very much an accepted part of cycle speedway.

A cornerstone of Project 2010 was the desire for the Premier League to become the sport's showpiece competition.  Judging by last year's competition, the league is certainly competitive enough but it still has some way to go in terms of projecting the sport and attracting media interest and commercial sponsorship.

The newly introduced British Club Championship has certainly made its mark.  Last year all but a handful of clubs supported the event in one form or another but surprisingly only two clubs, Ipswich and Wednesfield managed to field team in all seven categories.

Plans to scrap the traditional British Team Championship, cycle speedway's oldest competition, were abandoned as public opinion won the day.  The revamped British Finals Weekend, encompassing the newly introuduced Women's individual as well as other age-cateogry events, proved successful although some still long for a return to the Seventhies and Eighties when the finals weekend attracted the best riders in sufficient numbers to warrant regional qualifiying rounds and a 64-rider tournament.

Project 2010 heralded a new-style administration with more emphasis on nominated rather than elected officials and the scrapping of the traditional all-inclusive annual general meeting in favour of a regional conference.

Although Project 2010 was a collaberative effort, one of the principal architects was Martin Gamble.  Now five years since in inception, Spokesman asked Martin to reflect on Project 2010 and give us a taste of what may be in the Project 2015 plan.  Here's what he said.

Even with the benefit of five years' hindsight, Project 2010 still makes fascinating reading.  Let's not forget that it was based entirely on submissions from clubs, officials, riders and other people connected with the cycle speedway. It was the outcome of a thorough analysis of all responses - an accummulation of comments, suggestions and ideas from everyone who responded. No single person, nor even the
Development Workgroup can claim sole responsibility for its creation!

Readers may recall that this document was published and circulated five years ago where it was discussed at the (then) Annual Conference where it received unanimous support from all clubs present apart from one abstention.

The current debate on name changing is an important but natural progression. You will also recall that the old broadsheet "Spokesman" as long ago as the 1980s carried an article on changing the name but this was shot down in flames with almost no support whatsover!

The current debate where there is now strong support to change the name is a very good sign in terms of the progress in recent years. The fact that the overall numbers are also on the increase is also encouraging but this is set against the loss of further clubs and regional disparities.

The 2010 Development Plan was always designed as an ice-breaker. It was intended to start the process of change by asking the sport to cast aside old practices and to discuss new ideas to take on board changes from the more subtle to big upheavals. It was the start of the beginning rather than a means to an end.

The speedway link remains tenuous but the as the sport of speedway has declined dramatically in terms of spectator and media interest over the past thirty years, so cycle speedway's fortunes also dropped until the past three or four years. We are still miles away from the mass participation numbers of the 1940s and 1950s.  It should be noted that the Development Plan never mentions the "speedway connection"
once. (I can't remember whether this was by accident or design!) With the benefit of hindsight, maybe it should have done, if only to recognise where cycle speedway came from?

Clubs that are recruiting large number of younger riders these days seem to do so without the speedway link. Maybe it is time to examine this more closely to see if there is still some leverage that can be obtained from aiming resources at the few hundred dwindling die-hards that still trample the shale-scattered terraces at the local speedway arena or whether cycle speedway is better suited to be aimed at schools, youth groups, organised Saturday clubs, family days and the like?

The current interest in changing the name (which appears to be treated much more seriously now than ever before) is a welcome symptom that people are now beginning to understand that the sport needs to change more and more radically. This is going hand in hand with the realisation that cycle speedway needs more outreach and opportunities for participation and excellence.

There is no doubt that a number of clubs have made massive progress over the past five years but a number of clubs have also fallen behind or disappeared over the same period. Maybe this is due to the club's ability and resources to execute their own development plan? This phenomena is something that we still do not understand properly although club structure might be one clue. Available resources is clearly
another.

Either way, may I draw your attention to Project 2010's rallying cries "What Can I Do Now?" and  "Casting Off the Old Image - A Call to Arms". Maybe we should remind ourselves of these words? Maybe this is where we start for the next phase of the
process?

We hope to bring you more views on Project 2010 soon.