Mid-season Monarchs update from Alex and John

NEWS Tuesday 16th July 2024, 3:30pm

by Alex Harkess and John Campbell

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Stellar Monarchs Co-Promoters Alex Harkess and John Campbell have cast their eye over the 2024 season to date with the following update for supporters ahead of an exciting conclusion to the season still to come.

Dear Monarchs Supporters,

As we move through the mid-point of the 2024 season, we would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your support so far this year and to update you on the position of the club at the current time.

On track there has been a lot happening this year, with some good performances and some not so good, and some other challenges along the way which we will come onto that we hope all Monarchs fans will be able to assist with.

Club activity

We set out this season to boost the profile of the Monarchs through partnerships with local football clubs Falkirk FC and Livingston FC. These initiatives have started positively but they are slow burners and will grow in the years to come. We have rolled out some targeted advertising in the local area, along with continuing the popular Community Initiative tours for local community groups. You'll see these groups in the stadium at every Monarchs match. We have also continued our longstanding collaboration with Armadale Children's Gala Day.

These activities, we believe, have started to bring some new fans in and we welcome anyone that has started following the team this season. We'll continue to work to attract more new fans in the weeks ahead though if you can help to introduce a new friend or two to speedway racing that would be appreciated.

Monarchs Speedway Academy (MSA) continues to go from strength to strength which is testimony to the terrific work of all involved in helping develop the next generation of speedway talent. The MSA are having an open day this Saturday 20th July at Armadale Stadium from midday to 2pm. If you know a young person that has an interest in speedway or that already is involved in a different discipline of motorcycle racing and fancies a go at speedway then come along to find out more.

Awesome action at Armadale

On track the team started brightly by topping the BSN Series Scottish section to progress to the semi-finals. There have been some good results though perhaps inconsistency could be said to be the hallmark of our season to this point. Every member of the team has had excellent performances but equally everyone has also had their off nights which have harmed our results. Speedway is a sport of fine margins and we have been very close on occasions.

However, we do have the BSN Series semi-final to look forward to. This team earned their place in that semi-final and we are backing the team to go all the way, without any changes to the line-up. We face Scunthorpe in that tie, and we have already shown this season that we can beat them on aggregate.

The racing at Armadale Stadium this season has been terrific with some real standout heats. Our match with Oxford at the beginning of June was heavily praised for its excellent racing. The team have all played their part in that and we look forward to more to come for the rest of the season. We are determined to make Armadale a fortress from now on.

Attendance challenges

Unfortunately, the great racing has not reflected in great crowds. Two of our traditionally biggest crowds of the season, the opening match against Glasgow and our Children's Evening, were rained off at the first time of asking with the subsequent restaging attracting many hundreds of fans fewer than their equivalent match last season.

This has had an impact on club finances which has been compounded by a string of crowds that have been below breakeven level. Last season started with a record-breaking opening match attendance though the crowds dwindled in the second part of the season due to unfortunate circumstances.

It would be fair to say that crowds this season have not rebounded to the level of early 2023. To be transparent about the stark reality of the situation, after a sizeable crowd for our match with Oxford, attendances have fallen below 500 for the two matches since, one well below 500. This places the club in a challenging position moving forward.

In the past week the Monarchs Fans Trust have stepped in to provide vital assistance to get the club over current hurdles. We are eternally grateful to the Trust for their support and to each member of the Trust for continuing to contribute to this wonderful organisation. The Trust are preparing a renewed push to add new members. If you are not currently a member then please consider joining up.

Efforts are ongoing in the background to secure the long-term future of the club but in the immediate-term we must do everything we can to get the attendances back above 500, and hopefully far above that, so that the Monarchs will be around to race into a bright future.

We still offer Blue Reward cards for free that allow you to receive discounted admission prices amongst other benefits. Those that have recently applied for these cards can pick them up at the Club Shop on Friday. We've extended our Summer Special prices within our hospitality areas to allow you to enjoy our matches with all the VIP perks that hospitality offers.

Big finish to the season

It has been a busy summer of sport which, coupled with the ongoing holiday season, we appreciate has influenced attendances. Or that it can be raining at your house and be dry at the track which may have discouraged some. However, we hope that the commitment that our team is showing to the cause and the quality of racing that is on show will encourage everyone to make attending matches at Armadale Stadium a priority for the rest of the season.

We hope that by being open about the current position that we can start to build the crowd back up to where it should be. If anyone can support us in boosting attendances, or has any thoughts about anything we can improve about our current operation that might help with this endeavour, then we would be pleased to hear from you by contacting us here.

There is still lots of excitement ahead including the BSN Series semi final. The racing this season has been spectacular. The team is determined to deliver strong results for the rest of the season. Now we just need more fans on the terraces to enjoy the fun!

Enjoy your speedway,
Alex Harkess and John Campbell
Co-Promoters
Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway