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How Do We Attract A New Young Audience?

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You still go to speedway then?My girlfriend doesn't like the sport that much,but the state of the toilets is a major turn off for her as well as the delays

 

Delays are an annoying problem for the older generation I think,but this year I travelled back from London to Hamburg by train.10 hours with two of my kids.A few years back and a ten minute wait for the bus would be too long and they'd kick off.Now 10 hours went by without incident because they have their mobile phones........

Odd How Women all complain about the state of toilets wherever they go . yet I know several people who work in establishments who provide toilets . and each and every one of them say how disgusting the womens toilets are at the end of the evening compared to the mens , maybe if the women weren't such dirty creatures their facilities would be a bit cleaner

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Odd How Women all complain about the state of toilets wherever they go . yet I know several people who work in establishments who provide toilets . and each and every one of them say how disgusting the womens toilets are at the end of the evening compared to the mens , maybe if the women weren't such dirty creatures their facilities would be a bit cleaner

In a previous life I used to clean the toilets of the local Community Centre and, yes, I can vouch for that! One day I'm going to write a thesis on Public Toilets and usage of same!!

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At the end of the day, even if the racing is brilliant, only the people there will know.... How do we get that it was brilliant to all the rest of the world that don't go, or won't go because "first out the gate always wins" syndrome..

It's the people that don't go that need targeting..

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At the end of the day, even if the racing is brilliant, only the people there will know.... How do we get that it was brilliant to all the rest of the world that don't go, or won't go because "first out the gate always wins" syndrome..

It's the people that don't go that need targeting..

The people who know will take the those who have never been , but the tracks have to provide consistently good racing , because you only get 1 chance with a newbie , and once they have had their preconceptions reinforced you dont get a second , I would never take a newbie to Leicester for example because theres zero chance of them ever wanting more . and most other tracks are so hit and miss that it's virtually impossible to take a guest without winding up with egg on your face .. theres not enough Hype and bluster to substitute for poor content , although it is possible to hype complete crap and fool the masses , just look at wwf, thats proof it can be done .

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The thing with wwe is that it knows what it is and does it well,by comparison speedway is a mess on many levels.unfortunately

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THE following is part of a pice I wrote for Speedway Star this week. Comments?

 

THE biggest conundrum facing the current crop of British promoters is how to attract more people through their turnstiles and especially those of a younger generation.

Speedway Star has a vested interest in this. More people attending domestic speedway in the UK increases our potential market as well. BSI, too, looking to increase their annual attendance at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium for the British Grand Prix.

It is the BSPA who hold the keys to a new audience. Schemes such as free admission for under 16-year-olds attending with at least one adult, for example, have merit.

But the question that needs to be asked is this: why would teenagers want to go to speedway in the first place? What’s in it for them?

Kelvin Tatum, newly appointed to the Lakeside management team, and I were chewing this over during a protracted lunch last week.

We agreed that speedway tracks have to be more imaginative in providing ways in which young boys, and girls for that matter, can inter-act with speedway.

How can they get to experience what riding a speedway bike is all about without actually doing so? This has always been a root problem for speedway, which even in the wider world of motorsport exists in its own little bubble.

You cannot buy a speedway bike and ride it down the road, it’s a unique piece of equipment. But that shouldn’t necessarily mean that it is of no interest to potential young fans. Make its inherent weirdness an attraction rather than a deterrent.

Would it be feasible for tracks to allow a limited number of young fans prior to each meeting to discover what it is actually like to sit on a bike, to learn first hand what the idiosyncrasies of it are?

Learning how a speedway bike performs, its unique nature, how it could outgun an F1 car off the grid could be used to add to its allure.

Better still if they could test their reactions at a simulated starting gate. There was one at GPs in Gothenburg for a while and it was a massive attraction.

Kelvin says he would be happy to do that at Lakeside and to walk a group round the track so that they get a further idea of what is involved.

At a recent SGP in Torun he took four fans (not youngsters) onto the track, stood them at the starting gate and walked them through a race. They were quite entranced by the experience because previously they had only looked on from the outside and could now envisage what riders were thinking during the course of a race. Simple and at no cost.

It is also being suggested that promoters and/or riders should be encouraged to visit local schools to talk about speedway and encourage pupils to become engrossed with the mathematical aspect, scoring, averages, etc, as part of their curriculum.

At the SGP rounds we can use tablets and smartphones rather than a pen and programme to register riders scores and the simple app automatically calculates the final numbers and positions.

Is it not time that collectively the promoters commissioned something similar for league matches so that kids can attend with their iPads, fill in the names and follow the meeting in a manner that would appeal to them much more?

It might minimally detract from programme sales – although not if the editorial content of the programme is good enough to still warrant purchasing – but this progression to the digital age is long overdue.

It doesn’t require any wi-fi connection and would appeal to those youngsters who are joined at the hip to their smartphones.

We are only scratching the surfacing here but the bottom line is that speedway bosses need to up their game when they go fishing for a new speedway audience that can provide the core attendance for years to come.

All of the above - but every week. I let a wry smile cross my lips whenever read of a tracks' forthcoming appearence on Sky "we've done a tremendous amount of promotion, hope get get a big crowd", etc. Tracks should promte each and every week, not just the week they are on TV. Promoters mostly aren't (promoters) because the mostly don't (promote), they are the top bananas who run their particular track, though I'm not suggesting for a second it is an easy job where money is taken to the bank in a wheelbarow. At least not anymore.

 

The sport CAN be sold to youngsters, however. I've said before my own non-scientific promotion when I've shown great races, tremendous passes and manuouvers and, yes, the odd crash has produced a positive reaction 99% of the time. And 99% of people I've taken to speedway left with a positive expreience and of, those at least 50% still attend today.

 

But if they don't know, they won't come. And if they don't like it, for whatever reason, when they do come they probably won't go again. I could go on all day (it's ok i won't!) about the small things which make a difference. Allthough many speedway promoters do not own their stadia, they can at least make the best of what is a available. The speedway track is 'their bit' of the stadium so if it happens to be inside a greyhound track, for example, it is simply not acceptable for the public having to peer through 1ft of grass between the dog track and the speedway circuit, etc.

 

I was once told at a sales seminar that you CAN, in fact, sell sand to the Arabs and snow to the Eskimos, the trick is convincing them that the sand or snow you are sllling is better than what they already have.

 

To sum up: make the show as good as you can, then sell and promote it....

Edited by Martin Mauger
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......GRW123......

Personally, I hate slow meetings;, I hate bad refereeing decisions; I hate reruns that go back to the pits; But most of all I hate the admission costs. The sport is far too expensive and does not represent VFM. In this day and age, paying £1.00 to watch a 1 minute race is far too much. especially as many tracks are badly prepared and racing is more like follow the leader. Years ago, going to a meeting was of similar costs to a meal of Fish and Chips. Now it is 3 times the cost of a meal, and that should be appreciated when considering why the attendances are poor.......

Me, Even though there are many things I dislike about the sport, my love stays as strong as ever and I go every week. Each year that passes, people like me are getting less all the time......... I would love to see a up-chance in the way the sport is run. No more stupid rules and secret lists. Let all the promoter fight for the same cause and lets all sing from the same hymn sheet..... For the sport to survive we have to have more common sense about every aspect, and for those decision makers to forget the past and comply with the present. ..... It's our only chance..........

Good post. :approve:

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All of the above - but every week. I let a wry smile cross my lips whenever read of a tracks' forthcoming appearence on Sky "we've done a tremendous amount of promotion, hope get get a big crowd", etc. Tracks should promte each and every week, not just the week they are on TV. Promoters mostly aren't (promoters) because the mostly don't (promote), they are the top bananas who run their particular track, though I'm not suggesting for a second it is an easy job where money is taken to the bank in a wheelbarow. At least not anymore.

 

The sport CAN be sold to youngsters, however. I've said before my own non-scientific promotion when I've shown great races, tremendous passes and manuouvers and, yes, the odd crash has produced a positive reaction 99% of the time. And 99% of people I've taken to speedway left with a positive expreience and of, those at least 50% still attend today.

 

But if they don't know, they won't come. And if they don't like it, for whatever reason, when they do come they probably won't go again. I could go on all day (it's ok i won't!) about the small things which make a difference. Allthough many speedway promoters do not own their stadia, they can at least make the best of what is a available. The speedway track is 'their bit' of the stadium so if it happens to be inside a greyhound track, for example, it is simply not acceptable for the public having to peer through 1ft of grass between the dog track and the speedway circuit, etc.

 

I was once told at a sales seminar that you CAN, in fact, sell sand to the Arabs and snow to the Eskimos, the trick is convincing them that the sand or snow you are sllling is better than what they already have.

 

To sum up: make the show as good as you can, then sell and promote it....

Said for years that Speedway meetings need to be better promoted than they ever have, the promoters need young, enthusiastic people working with them to do it too! Edited by Trees

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Said for years that Speedway meetings need to be better promoted than they ever have, the promoters need young, enthusiastic people working with them to do it too!

Maybe one way is to give out flyers to ticket agencies?I bought some tickets for a concert a couple of weeks back and the woman put them in an envelope.When I got home and had a look I had a couple of flyers in there.One for the Nitro Circus.You then target people who are ready to part with money for a night out......

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My 14 year old daughter loves the Speedway and the GP last year at Cardiff she loved - I asked her over Christmas what she liked and didn't about the Sport

 

Likes

 

Tai Woffiden !

The speed and smell

Crashes

Writing the scores in

Getting signatures and selfies with the Riders

 

Dislikes

Poor facilities

Time waiting for the races

Tractor going around/Poor Commentary

Uncool hobby amongst her friends ( interesting )

 

And the best comment she made ' Its such a great sport dad compared to Football and the Darts ' - both those IMO are in the 21st Century - Im sure we can learn something from the Darts

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When I have won the Lottery and bought my track . I shall give my season ticket holders some free passes to bring guests , hopefully they will be responsible enough to use the free passes wisely and Ill get a return on my investment . I will also ask the supporters clubs for List of addresses of former members , so that I can contact them and bring them back into the fold .. recommend a friend and get a discount on your own season ticket .and Ill offer a discount to visiting teams season ticket holders ..

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When I have won the Lottery and bought my track . I shall give my season ticket holders some free passes to bring guests , hopefully they will be responsible enough to use the free passes wisely and Ill get a return on my investment . I will also ask the supporters clubs for List of addresses of former members , so that I can contact them and bring them back into the fold .. recommend a friend and get a discount on your own season ticket .and Ill offer a discount to visiting teams season ticket holders ..

With ideas like that you stand no chance of the BSPA giving you a licence! ;-)

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" How do we attract younger audience".... Basically, it's too late in my opinion. Too many opportunities in recent years to change the sport and propel it forward have gone unchallenged. Until promoters sign up to a single business idea, stick to it and sell it to it's audience. An idea that images the kind of changes that happened back in the late sixties. Changes that make it attractive to 6 years olds.

 

Speedway = "Meccano".... it needs to be like "Lego".

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Put OAP pricing up and let anyone under 30 in free. No young person wantsto go to a event thats stinks off wee and werthers originals

I guess it beats pimples and grunts!

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