UK future of the sport.

In reply to Misty on another thread, ie reasons.
40 odd years ago or more the Queen flew pigeons. Sir Gordon Richards, others in the headlines. Royalty and cloth cap folks all raced. Even Andy Capp!
It is a question of exposure! If the sport is not in the nws regualrly who knows about it? Did not the News of the World have a pigeon section? Way back then?
So how does one fix the situation? In my opinion stick it in their faces! Prices paid for a pigeon. Domination of the sport by a few. Etc,. National winners. Advertise!!!!
Million dollar SA race. Push it! Canary Islands, Portugal, there has to be some interesting stories that get people to relate to. To say "I may just try it!" Get hold of some Sports writer to print something of interest. News is news! They are always looking for a new thread, angle etc, anything that sells papers. Print or on line. In this present day scenario, Green stuff, save the planet, kids off puters to get fresh air, should work.
Works for horses and Greyhounds.

all good ideas hal, but consider who is running horse racing, and doing the pushing.....then consider who is running pigeon racing

do they still have the pigeon signs up on your roads ...?

Yes. Lots of signs. Advertise on trucks also.

The most detrimental aspect of the sport in our country is that it does not allow the ordinary fancier a chance to change matters tat are in radical need of change.

Srarting at the top.

Now I have said many times the top are corrupt, not all but the others are as bad for not getting rid of them.

IN my cae they fabricated evidence to pervert the course of justice, they totally ignored the rules, voted when they should not have even been in the room whilst voting was taking place, the chairmand of the council had not a clue how to conduct a meeting nor did he know the RPRA Rules.

Now if this was untrue there wpuld be a hue and cry and a challenge to my statement but there will not be because it wuld expose those held in high exteem by many but who are not fit to be in any sport never mind making, no, stopping any changes that will deprive them of their little clique on the council.

So until this changes the sport will go downwards in our country, if they had adopted my suggestion 40 years ago that no one should serve on the council for more than four years mattters would now be entirely different.

But a gift here and a bob or too to the club all of which is meaningless in terms of how much certain people have in terms of money just lets the matter go on and on just so long as certain individuals benifit they are willingbto accept anything.


Regards.

Over the years I have corresponded with fanciers in many parts of the World, many in our own country, the latter have covered numerous different aspects of the sport, in particular how to deal with fanciers whose behaviour is totally unacceptable but for reasons of possible reprisals they dare not do anything about it.

I had to reply that I did not know the answer, unless the fanciers had the guts to do what was right under the rules.

I also had to say that I had been in exactly the same position several times, as Chairman/President of my club I was threatened in many ways at different times and wanted to take appropriate action but not backed up because the person in one instance, who should not be in any sport did a job no one else would do etc;

It is a sad fact that there a fanciers not fit to be in the sport and I know from letters received that this has resulted in good fanciers leaving the sport.

Regards.

You’ve got to take your hat off to, i think it’s called the entwhistle club, theyre making a real effort locally to get new fanciers young and old involved including schools, with members supplying starter lofts and young bird kits, what a great example they’re setting.
They have a seperate novice league aswell so they have a chance of getting a card, and don’t get to disheartened while they’re still learning the ropes.

Misty start another organisation.

Boosey wrote:

You’ve got to take your hat off to, i think it’s called the entwhistle club, theyre making a real effort locally to get new fanciers young and old involved including schools, with members supplying starter lofts and young bird kits, what a great example they’re setting.
They have a seperate novice league aswell so they have a chance of getting a card, and don’t get to disheartened while they’re still learning the ropes.

getting disheartened whilst learning the ropes is an important thing steve, your right........I`m feeling my way back into it as ive very little racing experience, and when things go wrong its very disheartening, which makes you consider if its all worth it.

The club mentioned had a very good write up not long ago and has a done very good job at attempting to promote the sport and engage the young at an early age and although for varying reasons some may not become life time fanciers I feel once the bug hits it lasts a life time even if you are not directly involved.

Times have changed beyond recognition in a very short comparative length of time, most young people are well versed in technology and if the sport could do well to somehow incorporate the use of technology within the sport that may be a come on to the young of today.

Over the past 50 years the sport has stagnated in comparison to many other sports.

Yes, timing systems have changed but each time been a source of dispute, transport has changed but one could argue to the detriment of the pigeon.

That is about it.


The RPRA, with fanciers money had an independent assessment of the running of the organisation the result was NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE and that says it all.



Regards.

Hal,
To start another regulating body would need at least 0ver20,000 members if the cost of doing so per member was within reasonable terms and all aspects of the sport covered.

The RPRA do not know how many participating lofts there are, nor how many members who just maintain membership etc.

They say the membership is 22,000, I do no believe there are anything like that participating members at club level.

So to attempt to start a new regulating body you would have to convince every existing participating member, to join in.

The vat majority of existing fanciers are in either middle or old age brackets
and the latter I feel would not be bothered with a change to another governing body,

If the majority of existing RPRA fanciers demanded changes relative to the Hall report, which should have been the case, there may be a chance of getting rid of those responsible for the state the sport is in, and having fresh new blood and new thinking, will it happen, do pigs fly.?.

Apathy, as I have been saying for over 45 years will be one of the reasons for the sports demise.

So, Hal it is not as easy as one may think.

Regards.

Misty. Was thinking of the US model. They have the American Racing Pigeon Associaton and the International Federation. No problem belonging to one or the other. Some Canadian clubs fly under IF rules. Get the bands from them etc, compete for trophies and such. I am surprised that there is not the same alternative in Europe. Or is there?

The position here, Hal, is that although we could fit England, Wales and Scotland not to mention Ireland into your back garden there are four different representative bodies, for the sport.

Not only that, the actual membership is so spread out and thin on the ground that for all fanciers to be represented taking into account different circumstances etc; is almost impossible.

The actual RPRA Rule Book is laughable and could be torn to pieces in many respects.

There could easiy be a set of competition rules compiled that are simple and easily understood without complicated additions added.

That is all that is neccessary for fair competition.

There is obviously the necessity to have rules for breaching the rules, also uncomplecated if approached in a proper manner.

The registration of ownership and the distribution of rings and the transfer of same in this day and age should be childs play.

If the sport was approached in the right manner the rules would only have to be adjusted to changing circumstances.

However, why not have things as complicated and misrepresentative as possible with no chance being given to the membership for chamge, just as the present situation represents?

Hal, when fanciers are more concerned with friviolities that have been discussed more times than one can inumerate and let the sport deteriorate ????.



Regards.

Hal.

If America can run the sport with only two main bodies it should be child play for the four present organisations in our Isles to amalgamate under one umbrella,

Nationality should play no part in or sport under the present situation, the main aim should be to enable fanciers to obtain that necessary for all fanciers to participate with the least possible rules and regulations.

Distance with the present technology available should pose no problems as obviously is the case in America.

Any chance of this happening, the answer is blowing in the wind.

I would assume so. But have no idea how that would be accomplished. The grass is always greener..but sometimes it is artificial turf.

I agree with the original post, the only exposure the sport realy gets on anything like a regular basis is in the BHW and the Racing Pigeon both only purchased by fanciers and not by a long way by all fanciers.

The contents would in no way be a means of attracting new members, both going time and time again over realy basic matters and not over matters that would improve the sport and a means of being able to attract new members.

I used to put both the racing and show results in the local paper each week years ago but this is not done now, so the only people being informed are existing members.

Although recently there has been coverage on the television that was very good but soon forgotten.

It needs continuity of exposure and not just one offs.

I do not think making the sport appear outside the working mans pocket by stating how much some idiots pay for pigeons would help in fact it is the working class fancier that has kept and is keeping the sport marginally afloat and not the money mad.

The fact is that at the present time with the sports problems being the main topics it does not offer at face value a very good proposition.

The sport should have a complete overhaul relative to the present circumstances and come up with a formula that would appear a good alternative proposition to all the virtual reality that the present generation appear to depend on for entertainment.

It will never happen because too many fanciers could not give a damn so long as they can race their pigeons and they are not personally inconvenienced.

Regards.