With the climax to the of the 2015 season fast approaching, we sat down with co-owner Gerry Facenna to get his take on how things have gone so far and his hopes for the crucial weeks ahead.
Tiger News: What was your main aim when you decided to buy the Tigers?
Gerry: More than anything my brother Michael and I wanted to save two sporting institutions – Ashfield FC and Glasgow Tigers. Giving the Tigers their first permanent home was also a big deal for us and the club’s loyal followers. We were also very conscious of wanting to give something back to the local community, which has been good to us and to Allied Vehicles over the years.
Tiger News: You’ve certainly made big changes at Ashfield.
Gerry: When Michael and I bought the club at the turn of the year we only had three months to get ready for the season opener. We were determined to give fans a quality stadium and I think we’ve done that, though it’s come at a price of course – £1.8 million to be precise. Now though I hope we created a facility most speedway teams would love to have.
Tiger News: What about the team side of things – what were your hopes there?
Gerry: Building success takes time, in sport as well as in business. It’s all about laying solid foundations. I think we’re well on the way to doing that though there’s still a long way to go.
It was never realistic to win everything in year 1 but it’s great to still be competing for two major trophies heading in to Autumn. Being pipped late on for second in the league was hard to take at the time but we’re still in the playoffs with a fighting chance.
Tiger News: And what about our first cup-final in four years?
Gerry: Well, that’s just fantastic. To be in the final of a major British trophy is huge in any sport and speedway is no exception. The fact that we’re up against our biggest rivals in a massive local derby makes it all the more exciting too.
Tiger News: Care to venture a cup-final prediction?
Gerry: Not really! Realistically Edinburgh are the team to beat. They’re the holders and have had a strong team for years, with plenty of experience when it comes to winning silverware. We have talent too though and if all our riders are at their best we should give anyone a run for their money.
The first step is trying to keep it close going into the second leg, so it would be great to see plenty of Tigers fans getting in the buses through to Armadale on Friday night. Then let’s hope emotion and the roar of a big Ashfield crowd can get the best out of our seven guys come the decider on Sunday.
Tiger News: Have you started thinking about next year yet?
Gerry: Yes, very much so. Team-wise we’ll sit down and review things at the end of the season. Commercially there’s still a huge amount to be done.
The plain fact is most speedway clubs in Britain are losing money. Here at Glasgow we’re trying to provide good facilities, a good show and a good team. All of these cost money.
We have to get smarter at maximising income. That has to be a multi-pronged approach – more income through the gate, better merchandising, more sponsorship support, other uses for the stadium. It all has to add up to a stable and successful business that guarantees the club’s security, gives us a platform for long-term team success and helps grow the sport of speedway.
Tiger News: Sounds good. Finally, any plans for the end of the season?
Gerry: A trophy to celebrate would certainly make for a great end-of-season do. Other than that I need a holiday! It’s been a long hard shift since January but the Tigers are definitely heading in the right direction.
Michael and I will recharge our batteries for a week or two – then it’ll be back to business. I want to keep things going over the winter with fan events, good communications, refinements at the stadium and of course getting the team tied up for next season. Above all, we’ll keep thinking positive and keep the Tigers moving forward.