AndyJ 95 Posted January 30, 2013 Well at Belle Vue in 1987 it was £3.10 inc programme. Next year it is £19.50 an increase of 530% To put in perspective the national average wage then was £13,500.00 On the same scale of speedway increases it now should be £85,000.00!! In reality it costs about 3 times as much in 2013 to watch speedway as it did in 1987 The strategy of accounting for lost fans by simply upping admission was always going to produce the results it has How very true. Perpetually squeezing the pockets of the (dwindling) hardcore does look to be a rather doom-laden strategy. It'd be intriguing to know the equivalent inflation for competing entertainments- such as Football (probably Division Two/Three most appropriate given the comparable crowd sizes), Cinema, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brandonbee48 1,194 Posted January 30, 2013 Gemini, your memory is spot on. Bees beat Hull 42-36 in the title decider, and then walloped Leicester 50-28 in the second leg of the Midland Cup final, having won 43-35 at Leicester in the first leg earlier that week. Ole Olsen got a 12-point maximum in the Hull meeting, and 13 paid 14 against Leicester. The crowd was over 20,000, but short of the all-time record Brandon crowd. Unofficially that was 27,000 for the Brandonapolis in 1951 - on a Thursday night! Showing my age here but i was at the 1951 Brandonapolis aged 7 with my dad, standing on my little wooden stool on the back straight. This was the night my hero, Les Hewitt beat Split Waterman with a last bend swoop to win it. A completely different world back then before the mass advent of TV in 1953, but those old-time promotors like Charles Ochiltree, Johnnie Hoskins and Ronnie Greene knew how to sell and market the sport.Rather like the Poles do today. Regards. Alan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gemini 4,894 Posted January 30, 2013 Aggregate scores from the programme was 93-63 (see below) so the score at Leicester must have been 35-43. Probably got that wrong again!! Thank you dj350z. Some names to get the memories stirring in that programme! Wasn't looking good for Leicester then if we'd already lost at home by 8 points. Regarding the attendance of 20,000 I think the capacity now is set at around 12,000 so what has happened to the extra room for 8,000 fans? I don't think the terraces have ever been altered so it must just be down to good old 'Health and Safety' restrictions these days. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dj350z 2,266 Posted January 30, 2013 (edited) Your'e welcome Gem. John Boulger was a favourite rider of mine from Leicester - always seemed to be a nice chap and fair rider. Yes, H&S will definately be the reason the capacity has reduced. Recognise any of these Leicester riders from a reunion in 2010: Edited January 30, 2013 by dj350z 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TesarRacing 1,825 Posted January 30, 2013 Good photo DJ. Looks like Vic White at the back, 3rd from left. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gemini 4,894 Posted January 30, 2013 Your'e welcome Gem. John Boulger was a favourite rider of mine from Leicester - always seemed to be a nice chap and fair rider. Yes, H&S will definately be the reason the capacity has reduced. Recognise any of these Leicester riders from a reunion in 2010: John Boulger, Ray Wilson, Vic White.... ??..... Graham Plant..... ??...... Two I can't get. Graham Plant hasn't changed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Jones 2,127 Posted January 31, 2013 the guy on the extreme right looks like John Hart. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ramsbottom 10 Posted January 31, 2013 The guy in the middle with the glasses and cap is I believe Roger Mills. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dj350z 2,266 Posted February 1, 2013 Yep, 10 out of 10 for Gemini, Dave and Ramsbottom!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
THE DEAN MACHINE 4,740 Posted February 2, 2013 The strategy of accounting for lost fans by simply upping admission was always going to produce the results it has Spot on 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g13webb 4,254 Posted February 3, 2013 (edited) We can all remember the good days and the big crowds, but speedway has changed do much. The biggest single factor is what its cost to be a speedway rider?. That costs dictates everything else. It dictate what the promoters have to pay the riders, its dictates the admission prices we have to pay. It also stops the production line of pulling in new talent. Going back to the time being quoted, we then had an abundance of British talent that appealed to all the supporters, now we have but a few riders capable of producing the same standard. It would be wrong the blame the poor attendances on the admission prices alone, it is a refection of where the sport has gone, and that's down to the way the sport has been governed over the years. In this current economic crisis, times are even harder, for the supporters as well as riders.... A total rethink is needed.... (Added later)..... Getting back to the title of the thread, It is imperative that when there is a good turnout, like last year, it is essential to get it right. The debacle that happened would only destroy the interest of the supporters that did go. Edited February 3, 2013 by GRW123 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ch958 2,395 Posted February 3, 2013 We can all remember the good days and the big crowds, but speedway has changed do much. The biggest single factor is what its cost to be a speedway rider?. That costs dictates everything else. It dictate what the promoters have to pay the riders, its dictates the admission prices we have to pay. It also stops the production line of pulling in new talent. Going back to the time being quoted, we then had an abundance of British talent that appealed to all the supporters, now we have but a few riders capable of producing the same standard. It would be wrong the blame the poor attendances on the admission prices alone, it is a refection of where the sport has gone, and that's down to the way the sport has been governed over the years. In this current economic crisis, times are even harder, for the supporters as well as riders.... A total rethink is needed.... spot on Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lejon 5 Posted February 5, 2013 One reflection from over here. When i started following my team Lejonen in the mid 00's the price for the allsvenskan was 80SEK =£ 6.The club was on the way up and they tried out to let the fans in for nothing and sponsors paid 10p for each and every attending.Crowds went up by 280% from about 550 to 1550.Then they went up in the Elite and prices went from 120 sek t 160 in just 3 seasons .Crowd figures rose from about 800 in the second tier to 3500. Still: The paying customer 16 years and older was as low as one third! During the spell in the top tier we drew about around 250 % more people in during 10p matches .In my opinion the response from the regulars on pricing issues should be looked after better since history never seems to learn club officials when enough is enough and you vote with your feet and not bother to come... 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkidSolo 9 Posted February 5, 2013 According to some old football programmes I have, in 1987 Coventry City charged away fans £6, today they charge £25 and are 2 divisions lower. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squall 270 Posted February 6, 2013 Sadly it can - and - it will unless something is done by the Promoters to pull in more Punters - and by that I DON'T mean introducing even more stupid Rules than they have at present. :sad: In fact - getting rid of the more stupid Rules might actually help..................................... :rolleyes: Rules don't stop people watching 4 blokes, 4 bikes, 4 laps.. People love the noise, the dirt, the crashes, the smell. Now the noise has been silenced (), the smell has gone, the dirt can be found 3 yards from the fence, crashes mean a 30min delay...and we have to pay more for it! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
