NEWS: Project Revive approved by Cycle Speedway Commission

Project Revive is the culmination of work done by a Development Working Group, led by Cycle Speedway Commission member, Bob Falconer. The report has been formally approved by the Cycle Speedway Commission and is ready for implementation. The report is below:

Cycle Speedway – Strategic Development Plan – Project Revive  March 2024

Executive Summary

Cycle Speedway (CS) has suffered from long-term decline in terms of clubs, tracks and participants. It has little public awareness, and currently sits on the fringes of British Cycling (BC). This document, produced from a collaborative process with clubs, assesses the problem and proposes a series of actions as part of a recovery plan – Project Revive. Unlike previous strategic reviews, this proposal leaves the current dedicated racing scene as it is for now, and focuses instead on increasing participation and inclusion at the local level. The simple principle being that broadening the base of the pyramid increases its height. 

The essence of the approach is straightforward. Develop the local Track as a valued, fun and inclusive community asset, not just the preserve of a few.  Position CS within British Cycling as the safe entry to the sport, with something for everyone from three years upwards. Have an ambition to get children cycling by five. Gradually introduce different activities on the Track, coupled with an outreach programme to schools and community groups, using – for example – pop-up tracks. 

A wide range of potential Track activities is proposed here, including pre-school learn-to-ride, schools competitions, skills training, non-contact racing, corporate events, adult HIIT sessions and different formats taken from the velodrome, etc. Some clubs do some of these things already, whilst others are focussed entirely on the racing scene  – which will, of course, benefit directly from this increased participation. 

The assertion is this; unless Tracks become a well-used and valuable Community asset, the 2/3^rd of an acre of brownfield land they use will be at risk of being repurposed, particularly if they have a period with no club champion. New Tracks will not be financed unless seen as successful elsewhere, and will certainly not pop-up spontaneously on waste land as they once did.

There are three obvious questions. Firstly, how could increased participation happen? It will certainly need some project structure, finance and some re-organisation of responsibilities.  It would also be a gradual process with some trial and error to determine what works where, coupled with a sharing of experience. Secondly, can the existing shale tracks support this? Other options do exist. Thirdly, it is accepted that current volunteers and coaches cannot just take on more responsibilities and may well not be interested in these new ‘extracurricular’ activities. With this we can only rely on the hope that as more people come then so will more volunteers. At least CS is very contained in a location. 

Overall, the vision is a thriving local track, with an engaged community, great social atmosphere and the home track for a well-supported racing team.  From this base, other locations may justify building new tracks in their locality and increasing the number of racing clubs, increasing competition and reducing travel. Everybody wins!

Context and Relationship to Previous Strategic Reviews

This document is supplementary to the 2019 Strategy (and the 2021 review) 

Click to access Speedway_Summary_03.06.2021.pdf

and reflects British Cycling’s objectives. It’s focus is less on the racing structure of leagues, fixtures, rules and regulations – although it may have an influence on those – but more on how we can broaden participation at the grassroots level. Only by increasing and broadening participation at club level can the sport protect its future and return to growth. All the evidence, current and historic, clearly indicates that clubs that narrowly focus on racing alone are the most likely to fail. 

Process Followed

To reach the recommendations and conclusions in this document the following process was followed:

• A full review was made of previous strategy documents and action plans produced over the years, their conclusions, action plans and subsequent results taken into account.
• A survey taken of all UK clubs to gather their view on their financial strength, membership, and their level of optimism for the future of their club and their sport. 20 out of 28 clubs responded (results in Appendix 1).
• A small group of individuals then helped pull together a “brainstorm” of potential ideas that might help the sport develop. Some of these ideas were new, whilst others had been trialled successfully by individual clubs. 
• All UK clubs were then invited to put forward a representative to critique these ideas and further contribute. 21 clubs joined that process. 
• This, together with the strategic objectives of British Cycling generally, form the basis for this document. 

It is worth noting that there was an encouragingly high level of consensus in the responses. The following reflects those views.

Current  Situation

For those that are involved in the CS racing scene today, the sport remains exciting and well organised. This, however, disguises the reality that overall participation levels and the number of tracks is in long-term decline. Various strategies over the years have sought to address this, but the fact remains that the sport has become niche and little recognised: many tracks are dormant, clubs have closed, and the sport sits on the fringes of cycling generally. With the reduced number of active clubs in the UK, the time and travel commitment required to race is very high. Despite this, some clubs are thriving, and there is a trend towards greater inclusion and diversity, although there is still a long way to go. In a recent survey (Appendix 1), the majority of Clubs were concerned for the sport’s future. The general view is that overall it has an image problem, and is seen by many as somewhat “retro”.

With some of the remaining clubs operating on the edge of viability, the current direction of travel is towards an even more niche, more geographically dispersed, racing scene, with a continued reduction in the number of clubs and perhaps even longer term collapse. To a large degree we now only have the top of the pyramid with no bottom. 

An interesting exception is in Scotland where CS had virtually become extinct. it is now seeing something of an early revival through reach-out policies, enthusiastic champions and a new Scottish national championship event.

Where there is General Agreement

• Recovery can only come from increasing the appeal and participation at a local level. As one club succinctly put it ‘for many of the parents of our junior riders it’s just another activity that their kids take part in – not a lifestyle choice’. The more people that come to the track, the bigger the pool of potential riders, volunteers, sponsors, and potential finance.
• Cycling on a short track is the safest, most accessible and – being contained – the most manageable  of all cycling disciplines. It can offer healthy exercise, fun, excitement social interaction and of course racing, from the age of three upwards. 
• Whilst we want to encourage and develop racers, being inclusive and enabling people to enjoy participating in an activity is an end in itself, and those that come along and don’t race competitively are not “failures”. Helping people to get active on the track is a societal success, has many wider benefits, and should be part of “what the club does”. 
• Creating a great and inclusive social atmosphere at the club is recognised as key, particularly for youngsters. Friends bring friends.
• Marketing our activities effectively is important and, next to direct referrals, social media mastery is the most important route.
• It’s important for clubs to put aside competitive pressures and share best practice in the interests of the sport
• Tracks need to be seen and valued as a community asset – not just for the few – if they are to survive.
• If we are to expand what’s on offer at a local track, the burden for managing that cannot just fall on the current coaches

What led to the decline of the sport

The question arises as to what has led to the sport’s decline from being probably the most popular cycling sport some 50 years ago? If we are going to return to growth we must tackle the causes of decline. There is no single reason, but those most often cited include:

• Loss of tracks to development – once gone they seldom return
• Increased competition from other cycling disciplines (BMX, MTB etc), other sports and ‘screens’.
• Changing attitudes to risk and need for greater parental involvement
• CS can no longer easily spring up informally in an area like it once did, unlike, say, MTB or Road.  
• Too much looking back at the sport’s heyday and not enough time spent looking forward and more generally a failure to move and adapt with the times.
•  The decline of the motorcycle version of the sport that CS-Racing was originally modelled on and what is now a negative brand association 
• Some, but not all, respondents felt that the sport had not had the focus or support from British Cycling that was needed.
• A focus only on CS-Racing and not adequately embracing the general trend of other sports towards greater inclusivity. Football examples might include Walking, 5-aside and Women’s versions of the game as well as commercially available options such as “Little Kickers” from 18 months old.

What about Brand?

This is a disproportionally divisive issue that we have debated at the Working Group and reached the following conclusions. 

• There is merit in separating the brand of the sport from the brand of the track. We believe that this to be an important distinction in broadening the appeal. 
• The working group felt that a wholesale name change of the sport from ‘cycle speedway’ would not be well received, nor readily adopted, by the racing community. It was, however, felt that this could be shortened for most purposes to CS, much like MTB or BMX. A suffix could be used to make the distinction between CS-Racing (following all the current rules etc) and, say, CS-LTR (Learn to Ride), CS-Omnium or other variants. For convenience this terminology will be used in the remainder of this document.
• the Track can be called something quite different, and perhaps locally relevant. The Raceway, The Newtown Short Track, the M.U.S.T  (Multi-Use Short Track) or whatever – perhaps a sponsor’s name. In other words a true community asset. This will be much more effective in attracting funding generally and support from councils in particular. 
• So the local branding could follow the format – Welcome to the ‘Newtown Raceway – home of the Newtown Nomads CS-Racing Club’. Some clubs already have this format.

A future role for CS in the Community and within Cycling Sport 

Within Cycling: A CS Track is a safe and contained environment to teach many cycling skills from the age of 3 up. Whilst CS is not an Olympic or UCI sport, it is a great way to start, and can provide both a focal point and pathway to other cycling disciplines. This should be embraced, encouraged and supported by British Cycling.

In the Community: The more traditional CS clubs are typically small groups of around 8-12 mostly – if not exclusively – young males, usually managed by  older devotees of the sport. The problem here is that the numbers are small and they are not adequately representative of the community. This makes the club vulnerable to a) leavers at the rider or leadership level and b) the track being repurposed for development or some other more inclusive community use. This has happened in many locations over the years to the point where we have only 28 clubs left in the UK with the majority of these “concerned” about the future.

 Protect our Tracks: The good news is that the more forward looking clubs have recognised this and become much more inclusive recognising that ‘The Track’ can be a major community asset and attract all-comers and abilities. With that comes local support, sources of funding, greater security and a bigger talent base for CS-Racing.

Few clubs have freehold ownership of their track. As a community asset the future is more assured and the land can be registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) https://mycommunity.org.uk/nominating-an-asset-of-community-value-acv-and-community-right-to-bid .  As a community asset the Track should be viewed as separate from the CS-Racing club (which may wax and wain and have periods when it is inactive for whatever reason). 

So at the risk of being tedious – it is all about increasing participation and the ways to achieve that.

How to Increase Participation

Before any new activities can be brought to an existing track there are a few pre-requisites that need to be addressed. These can easily become barriers.

• Volunteers: any expansion of activity on the track would rely on a proportionate  increase in volunteers. Depending on the activity they may also need some coaching training. 
• Track surface: If used for a variety of activities this needs to be maintained and left in a fit state. 
• Facilities: toilets, changing, viewing etc need to be adequate.
• Governance: safeguarding rules etc need to be up to scratch.
• Some of the rules and regulations, rightly developed over the years for CS-Racing, may need to be relaxed for less intense activities

What follows is a compilation of credible ways, suggested  and/or critiqued by the club leads, for broadening the appeal and attracting a wider demographic. Many of these suggested programmes are being successfully carried out by at least one club today.  

Pre-school learn to ride: Set an ambition to help all children learn to ride a bike before starting school, thereby giving them a lifetime skill. This could be operated, say in the morning for an hour or two, and coupled with coffee & cake! Conceptually this would have a non-CS leader, and provide both a social environment and a safe training ground, together with balance and pedalled cycles with perhaps the addition of small ramps and obstacles  to add interest. A small fee plus charge for the drinks etc.

This will help popularises the track, add community value, demonstrates CS is the only cycling discipline that engages pre-school kids and gets them to ride (a key BC objective) and introduces youngsters and their parents to the sport as they get older. 

It will take resources and specifically a leader/volunteer to operate this, open up the track, provide suitable balance and small pedal bikes etc. 

School events (and community clubs): several CS clubs have had great success by taking variations of CS around schools and creating inter-schools competitions, both at the track and at their own venues with varying surfaces. There is some great best practice here to be shared. Again it’s important to see such events as valuable in their own right, not simply a mechanism for recruiting racers. The evidence is that clubs who engage most with schools and community groups and promote via social media are those who are most successful. One club has had to cut back on such initiatives as they were “being inundated”. 

Local Competition: For those that want to race on a local basis, without committing to extensive travel, a series of events can be built unconstrained by the standard 4-lap 4-rider format. This can add variety and interest and increase commitment: Examples are:

• Handicap races
• 10 (or more) lap races – more aerobic than anaerobic.
• Elimination races with 6 riders over say 10 laps where the last rider is eliminated every 2 laps. That would leave 2 riders to race out the final two laps
• Various formats that can be adapted from the Velodrome e.g. Omnium
• This could also include non-contact racing. For some that would increase the appeal.

Skills sessions: teach bike handling skills; efficient cornering, starting, passing, rapidly changing line, bunny hopping, riding shoulder to shoulder, stopping, (a major fear factor for newbies) etc. Potentially even some trick riding – wheelies etc. 

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training); Now seen as an important part of an exercise regime, this is really for adults as an alternative to, say, spinning classes and suitable for adults with adequate bike handling skills. Sessions on a track could last for as little as 20 minutes involving short bursts of 30-45 secs – ideal for 3-4 laps with a short break.  Again this could be a CS-Racing coach or not. Importantly, this is not racing, is non-contact, with modest speeds around the bends. It could also provide a pathway for adults into CS-Racing. 

Corporate Events: many sports offer Corporate sessions for team building, entertainment, competition (sales teams vs clients) etc. The Lee Vallet velodrome charges £850 for 16 people for one hour. This includes a bit of safety instruction, riding and culminates in a flying lap. We could easily create a similar, lower cost, event at a track. Coupled with say a BBQ, this could make a great financial contribution and potentially encourage regular participation from the attendees – or their offspring. 

Pop-up Tracks: It’s not going to be enough for clubs to expect potential riders to just turn up through accident or hearsay. As part of their community, clubs need to reach out. There are some very good examples of this.

Some clubs have had great success taking CS to community events and setting up simple tracks on grassland.  One example was during the recent UCI world cycling championships in Scotland (in which CS was notably not a part) where the Border Raiders – a club currently without a track – brought down CS bikes and other equipment and set up a temporary track in the Tweed valley near Glentress, where five world championship events were being hosted. Youngsters were queuing up to participate. This would be easy to replicate.

Linkage to other cycling disciplines: CS needs to position itself as a starting ground for cycling of all sorts, where basic skills can be safely learned in a contained environment. Mixed success has been reported when clubs have reached out to other disciplines. Some have found CS a bit aggressive with no brakes and body contact allowed. Cyclo-Cross for example operates largely across the winter season and can be complimentary. Building strong links with local BMX, MTB, Track, CX etc groups can only be positive overall. CS is the ideal discipline for youngsters to learn safely basic cycling skills from an early age. It may be we need to make the events more attractive as discussed earlier.  Cross discipline support also may need encouragement from British Cycling.  

Non-Cycling Activities on the Track: Making efficient community use of the CS Track makes good sense and would help ensure its longevity. Various concepts have been floated and experimented with, such as model car racing or electric scooters. The general conclusion was that shale tracks are not sufficiently robust for such activities and would be quickly churned up. One exception that could be added in with little risk of this is hover board riding. These devices are now quite affordable, suitable for rough terrain and could add a lot of interest as, say, an ancillary fun activity alongside cycling. Wheelchair racing should also be considered as an offering, and some clubs have already explored that possibility. 

 Use of Social Media

The importance of a good Social Media presence seems obvious, but the quality of how it is used by CS clubs and the sport’s governing bodies is patchy at best. The effective use of websites, Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram and WhatsApp etc varies enormously across the CS clubs. Some clubs are open and welcoming, with up to date information, whilst others are unfortunately the opposite and very much “closed”. Some clubs run largely on WhatsApp – which can work well with a small number of people, but by its nature is exclusive. Much of the information available across the various sources is erroneous or out of date, for  example one website advertising “upcoming” events in 2018!.

Follow the “speedway” links on the BC site and find references to “cinder tracks” and “dirt track racing”. Use the search engine and find there are zero CS events in 2024! Click on the “find a club” to discover that the local CS club doesn’t appear, but the local road clubs do! Just a simple example from the official BC site. Other searches lead to a nostalgic discussion forums, crash videos or senior racing events  – all of which have their place but don’t provide a good introduction to the sport.

There is much guidance available on the best use of social media for amateur sports clubs. There is also a lot of very good CS content available, particularly videos. We need to take this and combine it with the experience we have of good practice and produce a guide for clubs and where appropriate a template to ease the workload. This is an area where substantial improvements can be made quickly and at relatively low cost and needs to be prioritised. 

The Social Side

Easily forgotten, but most sports succeed as much from being a social hub as a sports hub. This is especially true for youngsters. It also has to be cool. The ability to have a natter and banter with peers is a big part of the appeal of sport. A typical training night where only one or two of a particular age or gender are interspersed into the training of the racers is not ideal. If a critical mass can be attracted then mates bring mates. Create a great and inclusive social atmosphere, particularly for kids. 

What can be done to help centrally?

Whilst the discussion so far has been on what clubs could potentially do, without clear leadership and excellence at the BC/CS-commission level, progress will be difficult and the ambitious BC inclusivity and expansion objectives unlikely to be met. The following are areas, outside of the normal racing matters, where this leadership is needed:

Availability and cost of CS Bikes: one of the things that historically made CS accessible was the simplicity and low cost of the cycles. Whilst the simplicity remains, the cost is creeping towards £1000 on the second hand market and that has been raised as a barrier. Finding alternative sources of suitable bikes is something that is best done centrally where volumes from clubs can be collated and new suppliers or assemblers can be sourced. It is not clear whether this paucity of suitable bikes is just at the more senior CS-Racing end or across the sport generally.

Examine Alternative Track Surfaces: the conventional shale surface works well most of the time and is quite cheap and easily repairable. It does, however, require quite a lot of maintenance, can become waterlogged and is easily churned up. A significant number of races and training nights were called off this past season due to track waterlogging and rutting. A conventional shale track would struggle to reliably support a much wider range of activity. Most outdoor sports have now moved in whole or in part to the wide range of artificial surfaces now available for sports such as football, tennis, athletics, netball etc. Cost aside – could an artificial surface such as polymeric (as used on athletics tracks) or other artificial surface work for CS? 

If so, then a much wider range of activity comes into play. The track could have lanes, which could be used or ignored depending on the event. Could even be used as a running track for under 10’s say?  Good floodlighting would enable all-year round availability.  Re-imagining the track is definitely a worthwhile exercise, but is quite a break with tradition. Should CS have a National Track of high standard?

Share best practice and test new ideas: Whilst competitive clubs may not want to give away their “secret sauce”, much can be shared for the overall good of the sport. This should be a key role of the commission.

New ideas, some of which have been put forward through this consultative process, need to be conceptually tested by the commission and tried out with a willing club before being generally encouraged or made available.  

Sample Training programmes and other sessions: As discussed earlier, a wide range of activities can be run on the track. Rather than clubs having to create these independently it would be helpful to make available programmes and guidance on how to run such activities. For example “How to” guides for things like school engagement, learn to ride, corporate events, handicapped races, reach-out pop-up track sessions etc. 

At a more serious racing level, CS riders could learn a lot about fitness training from the other cycling disciplines that have had serious funding. Training sessions with structured interval sessions, off track weight sessions, diet guidance and so forth could all be more available  for those that are more serious. This should all be made available via BC and appropriately adapted for CS as an on-line resource.

Help with Governance: the structure of clubs varies, some are charities, others community amateur sports clubs (CASC status), and some are just informal clubs. There are tax and other implications of each. Most clubs have at least a constitution and basic governance, but not all have for example a safeguarding policy. Providing  recommendations, guidance and basic templates of policies that are up to date with BC policies would be welcome.

Lead an improvement programme on IT, social media and data management: avoid clubs each doing their own thing by providing templates and guides and bringing best practice to the sport on website structure and social media use. Provide and manage quality, accurate, and up to date data and media that’s relevant to the sport’s operation and public image. Currently the sport uses 3318News.uk for media and results and the “I used to be – I still am – a cycle speedway rider” Facebook page for general chat – both of which have some great, occasionally overlapping, content and are run independently.

Finding ways to Develop the Sport: working with local authorities, other cycling clubs etc to find ways to resurrect neglected tracks and encourage new facilities.

Vision 2030

Let’s stretch the imagination and consider what the sport could look like in, say, 2030 – or perhaps more realistically – 2035. Our imaginary town is Weatherfield and it has a population of about 50,000 with a typical mix of wealth and deprivation. Our club is the Weatherfield Wizards. 

The Track is located inside the grounds of the Weatherfield Community Sports Hub which provides a wide range of playing fields and sporting activities and is operated on behalf of the local council. The Hub itself, which is close the Track, is warm and welcoming and provides changing facilities, toilets, café, bar etc and is usually quite busy.  

The Track is known as the Weatherfield Community Multi-Use Short Track (MUST) and is the home of the Wizards. The Track is an all-weather composite material that was laid down 5 years previously following a trial and then a grant from British Cycling. Visually it looks like a mini-athletics track marked with 4 lanes and follows the dimensions of a standard CS track. No concrete starting grid is necessary as the grip is sound in all weathers. There are various other markings on the track for different activities that, as with many sports surfaces, can be used or ignored. There is a small tiered viewing area and full floodlighting. Being an artificial surface the track can be used all year round.

There used to be a small clubhouse next to the track but the club now uses the Hub facilities and has the use of a room within that. Beside the track is a large secure storage facility for bikes, tapes and other equipment. 

The Track is booked on-line and has reserved slots for the Wizards who train on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and race most weekends in the season.

A typical week is something like this: 

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Mon	Pre-school Learn to Ride (balance bikes etc)	Weatherfield Primary school cycling (various events) and track running	Mixed medly events sessions – all comers
Tues	Primary school lessons Years 1 & 2	4pm Hoverboard racing	Wizards Training
Wed		Junior club riding	Corporate hire – JBH Ltd + BBQ
Thurs	Pre-school Learn to Ride (balance bikes etc)	Inter-schools CS-Racing Competition	Wizards Training
Fri	Primary school lessons Years 3 & 4	[Pop-up track and cycles taken to Metton School]	Adult HIIT CS Training
Sat	Weatherfield Wheelers vs Newtown Velo challenge omnium	Wizards vs Aces National League
Sun	Cycle Skills training sessions – all comers	Wizards Training

The Wizards racing coaches only get involved in CS training and events. The other sessions are booked and run by others and the track is maintained by the Council alongside the athletics track etc. 

The Multi-Use Short Track is a community asset and its wide use secures it’s future. The Wizards have two racing teams of men and women, a healthy junior section of girls and boys, and a little riders section. Parents can also be club members and volunteers. Overall memberships is around 60 and the MUST is used by around 200 individuals in a typical week.  Finances are very healthy and the Wizards can cover the cost of travel for their CS-Racing teams. 

The sport has grown over the last few years through the Active Schools Programme and the positive relationship with other cycling disciplines since CS strategically positioned itself as the early access sport for cycling generally.  There are now over 60 active clubs, some with modern tracks, some with traditional tracks and some using pop-up tracks. Some of the old tracks have been re-discovered and modernised for multi-purpose activities as the investment case is sound. We’ve now got thriving local and national leagues and a multiplicity of events. The CS-Omnium is the most popular event. 

Recommendations, Actions and Project Revive?

First of all, whilst there is clearly a need for a new initiative, it is important not to undermine today’s racing scene which is working well. Any changes here need to be tried, tested and managed carefully and of course there is an international dimension. What is being proposed here is a) supplementary to that b) will feed into it c) will expand the scope of the sport for the benefit of all d) help protect our tracks, and of course e) benefit the wider community.

We know that the current overall direction of travel is less tracks, fewer clubs, reduced participation and less community engagement as the sport becomes a shrinking niche activity. This is a proposed strategy to reverse that trend and to increase participation, be more inclusive, and protect and grow our tracks and their facilities. This will, however,  require the full engagement of  BC, the Commission, and the clubs in addition to serious leadership, drive and ultimately finance to make the transition. There will inevitably be resistance. The suggestion is that this is known as Project Revive.

If this strategy is to be adopted the key recommendations are:

1. Organisational responsibilities and resources:

1.  the division of responsibilities between BC and the CS Commission need to be reviewed. The implementation of this strategy and Project Revive will require resources, and potentially a focussed project leader/team. Therefore, in the following, the actions are put against both BC and the commission where it is not clear. 

2. British Cycling:

1. Positioning:  A re-positioning of CS by BC on all publicity as the safe early entry route into cycling sport (where CS is available today). The place where basic bike handling skills can be safely learnt and pathways to other cycling disciplines found. This should be embraced, encouraged and supported by British Cycling. Perhaps an ambition to get children cycling by the age of 5 –  or less ambitiously by the time they leave primary school (note that Swim England have a parallel ambition to get all children able to swim 25m by the time they leave primary).

3. British Cycling and the CS Commission: 

1. Publish a clear Digital Strategy* for the sport signposting the most appropriate and effective ways to use website, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp etc. Ideally providing software templates that can be used by all clubs. Find out which clubs are doing it well and use their experience. Have a fully supported website for up to date media and results and a Facebook page for current chat.

* Digital Strategy: the use of technology to provide experiences that enable people to do things better, more enjoyably and more efficiently.

2. Address the problem of the high cost and lack of availability of CS-ready cycles: Quantify the problem by age category, collate demand across the sport, and be willing to have bikes that are rebuilds etc for more casual use. Work with suppliers, large and small to resolve what is seen as a growing problem.
3. Develop/make available clear guidance on governance structures: ensure all clubs have up to date governance policies in place – providing templates that meet BC standards etc. Guide clubs on the advantages/disadvantages of different structures such as Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASC), Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) etc
4. Protect and increase our Precious Tracks: create a register of Tracks classified as those safe and in active use, those at risk, those disused but recoverable and support any new proposals. Take protective action where possible and guide on registering the Track land as an ACV (Asset of Community Value). Tracks need to be seen and valued as a community asset.
5. Update the BC website to better describe the sport  – A Quick Win:  This after all is the portal to the sport.  Ensure that the club information on there is accurate (and not described as dirt-track racing!), and that the search facility works and clubs are able to self-manage their own data.
6. Incentivisation: how to encourage and incentivise clubs and individuals to broaden participation? Special awards? Recognition? Financial incentives? Support? 

4.  CS Commission: 

1. Create New Clubs: Develop an engagement programme to resurrect and rejuvenate disused tracks working with the local authority and other landowners
2. Track Surfaces: Explore the potential for alternative track surfaces and means of reducing the impact of adverse weather 
3. Relax rules for non-racing: Some of the rules and regulations, rightly developed over the years for CS-Racing but sometimes enforced more widely, may need to be relaxed for less intense activities and to encourage all-comers
4. Identify best practice: and share this across the CS community 

5. Clubs: 

Clubs need to either buy-in and be part of Project Revive, or to choose to remain outside it. For those that choose to participate they should:

1. be open to trying new ideas, being inclusive, and increasing participation
2. be prepared to reach out to the community
3. self-identify where they believe they may have best practice and be willing to share that with the Commission and onwards to other clubs
4. appoint a Club Development officer to link and participate with Project Revive 
5. adopt at least one new (to them) idea for trial implementation in 2024 that increases participation (be it skills sessions, corporate events, pre-school, pop-up tracks, school events, local competitions, new formats
6. identify the help and funding that they may need
7. seek to increase their inclusivity and develop its approach and facilities as social hub as well as a sports hub

If CS were a minority sport that’s simply had its day then one could simply let it gradually fizzle out as the natural way of things. But anyone who has experienced the buzz, excitement and safe fun that the sport offers knows that its appeal is basic and enduring. The sport just needs to excite a new generation, adapt to the times, be forward thinking, and then the future is bright.

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Appendix 1