STARs - The Idea
by Derek Smith

STARs.....Supporting Tigers Aim for Regeneration

STARs as a concept was born around September 2005, an idea triggered on the back of some particularly lean financial times for Glasgow Speedway.

Supporters of the club, not for the first time, were made aware of the financial losses being endured as the unsuccessful 2005 season began to draw to a close.
With various non-promising sounding predictions for the future of the club being aired by the promotional team, a small group of long-time Tigers supporters united behind the idea that simply bringing the sport (and the Glasgow club) to the attention of many more people, and working to attract them as potential new supporters, was a positive way of attempting to turn the oppressive tide of financial doom.

Without any particularly firm ideas of what could be achieved, STARs quickly planned and hosted a number of close season social events - each one a vital fundraiser which would allow STARs some scope to try and publicly raise the profile of Glasgow Tigers. Amongst these formative events were a speedway themed 'race night', general knowledge quiz, speedway talk-in and 1994 KOC Cup Final Reunion night.

With some funds in the coffers, and having established some very useful speedway friends in very useful places, STARs financed and launched an eye-catching poster and billboard campaign -
practically the first of its kind in many, many years - which encouraged the general public to look up the club's official website to discover all they need to know about the 'what', 'where', 'when' and 'how much' of Glasgow Speedway.

Several other initiatives were launched during the speedway season itself, these included a Glasgow-wide schools competition to 'design a race jacket' to be worn during the club's '60th Anniversary' meeting in August, a stand/fliers distribution at the Glasgow Show, '100 Club', sales of never before seen DVD footage of the 1994 all Scottish KOC Final, newspaper advertising and competitions.

By the end of the 2006 season the Glasgow promotion publicly acknowledged that average crowd levels had risen by circa 15% - the first such 5%+ increase in many seasons! Whilst STARs cannot lay claim to exclusively accounting for the whole of this hike, even a 50% contribution in 'year 1' justifies the existence and hard work from the STARs group and provides optimism for future campaigns.

As we reach the end of 2006, STARs is a year older and wiser. We have a better idea of what works, what doesn't, how to improve on what we do and maximising the resources we have available.

A critical enabler of all STARs promotional activities is our fund raiser events, we attempt to make these as interesting and varied as possible in order to give something entertaining back to the many supporters who have backed us.

Glasgow Supporters now have a much clearer idea of what we're about and, our hope is that we'll increasingly be supported in many more of the events and initiatives STARs run from now on, as only with the wider support of the Glasgow Speedway public can STARs increasingly become more effective at developing the Ashfield crowds and ensuring that we all enjoy our speedway.

The first 2006/2007 close season event was the biggest, and most successful, single event STARs had ever attempted to stage .... almost 150 fans packed into Firhill Stadium on Friday, 8th December to enjoy the company of Tigers legend Steve Lawson, ex-skipper Andy Reid and GP superstar Hans Andersen.

Two further events are planned in advance of the new speedway season - it is again vital that these are well supported by speedway fans in order that STARs can invoke as much publicity work as possible in the lead-up, and throughout, the coming speedway campaign.

The better the backing of ALL STARs initiatives - social events, 100 club, fantasy league, memorabilia stall etc. - the better placed STARs can be to most effectively lift the overall profile of Glasgow Tigers, the more people (including ex-supporters) who know what we are and where we are then the higher the prospect of attracting new supporters and, in doing so, directly
contributing to the financial well being (and future) of the sport in the City of Glasgow.

Please remember though, STARs is NOT a closed-shop, we don't necessarily have all the best ideas and the best contacts. If anyone wishes to propose a potentially useful promotional suggestion - or introduce a potentially useful contact - please do not hesitate to contact STARs Chairman Derek Smith via derek@glastigers.co.uk

STARs - with YOUR support working to raise the profile of Glasgow Speedway