Football - 'tickets For Schools' Could It Work For Speedway.

[Deano 1,318]

My daughter came home from school today with a leaflet about "Aston Villa's tickets for schools". Basically your child gets into a football match for £1 provided they go with a season ticket holder or a paying adult, an adult can accompany up to four children using these tickets. If the adult is paying they get a discount on the full admission price for accompanying these kids. Each child can go and watch a maximum of 10 matches per season.

 

The incentive for the school to participate? The tickets are donated free of charge by the football club and the pound for each ticket goes into the school coffers. Therefore the school is pushing for people to go to the football.

 

Could this work for speedway? Yes there are costs associated, but it could work to grab the attention of kids and adults over the full season and not just a summer special? There is also an incentive for the adult to take the kids. What better place than to have a school do the hard advertising work for you?

[Mixy230 120]

I think it would! but they have to keep it up!

 

Give a banner to all participating schools to bring to the track! MC gives each school (club) a shout out over the microphone etc etc

 

Supporters Club in the school. School trips. Badges. Banners. Talks in assembly. A talk to the science class about engines.

 

The more involved the better.

 

M

[moxey63 1,785]

Hasn't this been tried before, surely it isn't a new thing.

My concern is not getting newbies to attend, it's keeping them entertained and interested, and giving them the appetite to come back.

The next time you are at a match, think that it's your first time and what will persuade you to return. After the initial experience of how fast, how dangerous the first couple of races are, it then starts becoming a bit tedious. That was my first experience, back in 1975 when I first attended. I was bored after a couple of races, but for some reason attended the following week. It was only when I learnt to fill in a programme that I realised the racing meant something. Otherwise I thought it was just motorcycle racing.

What has kept most coming back, and I may be wrong, is the ability to fill in a programme. Without keeping score or having a programme and knowing the basics, a newbie wouldn't really know what is going on.

People will only attend something again if they liked what they experienced.

Regular speedway goers think it's a certatinty that anybody who attend the first time will come back. It is their belief, I feel, that "If I like speedway, everyone else I introduce to it will." They think it'll be love at first sight for any newcomer.

In this day and age where youngsters are difficult to keep interested, entertained and occupied, my worry is that speedway, especially its long gaps between some heats, won't hold the imagination of restless youngsters.

There is something about speedway fans that they like keeping records. Just look at the people in the stadium the next time you attend - it's like the main part of being there isn't for the racing, it's who can fill in the result quickest. And go forbid if you get home and you've missed catching the time for one of the heats.

Speedway attracts a special type of person, perhaps a bit like a trainspotter. Perhaps it's the task of having to keep your own score which puts off newcomers. Football's easy to keep track of for a newcomers. I don't know, does cricket require you to keep your own score - and that doesn't attract big crowds.

I introduced my brother to speedway 30 years ago, making sure before he actually set foot inside a stadium that he knew how to fill in a programme. From the off he knew what was happening, loved watching the match progress, how riders were perfoming, thanks to being able to keep track of his programme scorecard. Without knowing how to keep track of the scores, I really doubt if he'd have gone again. As it was, it became a big love of his life.

All I'm saying is that not everyone understands speedway's meaning, the scoring process etc, at least, before letting them loose in any speedway stadium.

Edited September 15, 2012 by moxey63

[keef 105]

Hasn't this been tried before, surely it isn't a new thing.

My concern is not getting newbies to attend, it's keeping them entertained and interested, and giving them the appetite to come back.

The next time you are at a match, think that it's your first time and what will persuade you to return. After the initial experience of how fast, how dangerous the first couple of races are, it then starts becoming a bit tedious. That was my first experience, back in 1975 when I first attended. I was bored after a couple of races, but for some reason attended the following week. It was only when I learnt to fill in a programme that I realised the racing meant something. Otherwise I thought it was just motorcycle racing.

What has kept most coming back, and I may be wrong, is the ability to fill in a programme. Without keeping score or having a programme and knowing the basics, a newbie wouldn't really know what is going on.

People will only attend something again if they liked what they experienced.

Regular speedway goers think it's a certatinty that anybody who attend the first time will come back. It is their belief, I feel, that "If I like speedway, everyone else I introduce to it will." They think it'll be love at first sight for any newcomer.

In this day and age where youngsters are difficult to keep interested, entertained and occupied, my worry is that speedway, especially its long gaps between some heats, won't hold the imagination of restless youngsters.

There is something about speedway fans that they like keeping records. Just look at the people in the stadium the next time you attend - it's like the main part of being there isn't for the racing, it's who can fill in the result quickest. And go forbid if you get home and you've missed catching the time for one of the heats.

Speedway attracts a special type of person, perhaps a bit like a trainspotter. Perhaps it's the task of having to keep your own score which puts off newcomers. Football's easy to keep track of for a newcomers. I don't know, does cricket require you to keep your own score - and that doesn't attract big crowds.

I introduced my brother to speedway 30 years ago, making sure before he actually set foot inside a stadium that he knew how to fill in a programme. From the off he knew what was happening, loved watching the match progress, how riders were perfoming, thanks to being able to keep track of his programme scorecard. Without knowing how to keep track of the scores, I really doubt if he'd have gone again. As it was, it became a big love of his life.

All I'm saying is that not everyone understands speedway's meaning, the scoring process etc, at least, before letting them loose in any speedway stadium.

 

Had trouble sleeping the other night when i realised the heat time was missing from my Swindon meeting prog. Had to get it from the local paper the next day.... Mixy and moxey, a famous double-act

 

Speedway should be more involved with the local community, Swindon Town F.C. make a real effort.

[Mixy230 120]

Perhaps Speedway fans are like cricket fans! lol

Deck chair, blanket, thermos, program

[moxey63 1,785]

Perhaps Speedway fans are like cricket fans! lol

Deck chair, blanket, thermos, program

 

And there's usually more people on the infield than on the terraces.

[Mixy230 120]

moxey! you could be right!

[Mixy230 120]

Schools are always asking for mentors/business speakers etc etc to give a talk on a trade/business.

A talk

Short Film

Tickets

School trip

Metal work class or whatever they are called nowadays down to strip a bike & rebuild in the pits(needs an old bike and a riders mechanic) They could probably do it in an hour or 2.

Media class down to a meeting to make a promotional film at a meeting

Design a poster in ART or Media ?

Catering to be asked to create a decent Menu!?!? (If they have a Cafe) rather than a manky old van

 

Make it more a community thing!

Edited October 13, 2012 by Mixy230

[LittleMoza27 0]

Hi, a few years ago my school gave away tickets for A Speedway meeting at Coventry. We got in for free and then got to go into the pits and sit on a few of the riders bikes, we then got to go inside Chris Harris Garage thing and speak to his mechanic.

It was great experience for me and it would be great if they done it more often I think.

 

Cheers

[MattK 3,447]

Why don' they give tickets to adults?

[Posh Red 14]

Peterborough did something similar with local businesses a few years ago, I managed to get hold of a couple of tickets so the three of us went along. It meant that we only paid for our son to get in, but we did spend money on programmes, food & drink.

 

Unfortunately it was one of those nights where the showground was like a ploughed field and we spent longer watching tractors go around the track than bikes.

 

The clubs need to do something to try and get more people interested.

 

 

Excalibur communications who sponsor Swindon (Football & Speedway), have just announced that they have bought 2013 tickets for one of the stands at Swindon, and will be giving the tickets away to local football clubs for the Good Friday game.