Alarmingly Low Crowds

[Shale Searcher 1,264]

The problem with these analogies is there isnt really a comparator sport? Engine powered team racing on a small oval track.

[speedibee 3,091]

* I'm not sure why there are two topics, can someone delete the other?

 

I raised my point elsewhere in regards to the sport being somewhat boring in comparison to my memories, but that topic is simply a matter of opinion.

 

What can't be denied, I believe, is that the cost of speedway is scandalous.

 

This sport, in simple terms, must know it's role and know it's place. Speedway, as much as we wish it was, is as far from being a prime time sport as netball, badminton and GAA.

 

Let me put it into perspective; I paid £17.50 to get into Ashfield for the first meeting of the season. The following Sunday, I paid £18 for my ticket at the Scottish Cup semi-final, the Old Firm game. £1 more to watch a globally renowned derby, viewed by more than only the Superbowl, at the national stadium. An incredible addition to this is that my friend managed to get his 16 year-old son a ticket at £7. At Ashfield, he would have paid £13.50. That's unbelievable.

 

There are not enough people in this country, who class speedway as their first sport, to justify those prices. It's detrimental to attendances, I believe. Put it this way, if it cost £12.50 to get into Ashfield, I would go more often.

 

There are arguments for reducing the cost to increase the volume of punters, similar to what the Bundesliga has done, but I think that goes beyond the issue at hand; speedway does not have a right to charge those prices and if promotors, management and directors are in the sport for the money that's to be made, then they've made a grave error and should dismiss their financial advisor(s) ASAP.

If speedway was afforded the same luxuries as football maybe the promoters could afford to lower prices , sturggling football clubs get tax breaks , govenrment and local council handouts , you only have to look at Coventry city ,£30.000.000 in debts written off by the council and the taxman to get them to come back from self imposed exile in Northampton . so no problem keeping their prices low

[Daytripper 1,123]

The problem with these analogies is there isnt really a comparator sport? Engine powered team racing on a small oval track.

True. Part of the problem is that apart from F1 and to a much lesser extent Superbikes, motor sport in general is not even on the radar as far as the mainstream media is concerned. The days of massive crowds are gone forever. That's just the result of a changing world with so many alternatives available. However, within those constraints people will pay the price if the product is good enough.Speedway is broadly comparable with some stock cars, cricket and a number of others and as others have said soccer can charge twice as much a pull a huge crowd in, so there is no doubt that cost is not a major obstacle to most people who don't want to spend their lives in front if the telly.

[sparkafag 746]

Speedway has a core audience that is willing to pay £14 - £18.00 to watch it, that audience hasn’t massively differed or changed with price changes.

 

The majority of tracks have attempted free nights for televised meetings or opening nights which has seen a huge increase in attendances when it was free (naturally) but swelled by people who haven’t returned to pay full price the next week.

 

Speedway as a sport has had an average attendance in the 500/2,000 range for 15 years that is the market the sport lives in, that is the sports role and place that it has known for a long time now.

[Guest]

Speedway as a sport has had an average attendance in the 500/2,000 range for 15 years that is the market the sport lives in, that is the sports role and place that it has known for a long time now.

 

Sad but very true. The worry is "will things improve?" or "will they get worse?"

[sparkafag 746]

 

Sad but very true. The worry is "will things improve?" or "will they get worse?"

 

It is just a speedway crowd there is far more in life worth worrying about it. Should just accept speedway attendances for what they are and have been for a while now, doubt they are going to change massively either way.

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

 

I disagree. Factually, yes, club's promotions can charge £1,500 for admission and £250 for a portion of chips, but I'm referring to the bigger picture; reality.

 

Your comments regarding the 40% increase are put into perspective by the fact that, via the current costing structure, the necessary numbers aren't coming through the gates. It's adapt or die.

 

A quick Google search shows that Halifax Town have a smaller average attendance than most clubs in their league, plus a number of clubs in the lower leagues of Scotland. A horrific example to support your point; it simply emphasises mine.

 

What you propose is a huge financial gamble (and I think you know that) at absolutely no risk to yourself.

 

Very easy to make suggestions and come up with bright ideas when you won't be the one on the wrong end of it if it goes pear shaped. To be fair, you're anything but the first to do so.

 

At Mildenhall, we once had someone who 'guaranteed' that gates would go up if advertising was done properly. I suggested that he pay for it - after all, he couldn't lose - and would then approach the promotion so that he could have a share in the increased revenue. Needless to say, he didn't want to know.

 

Cutting prices has been tried many times. I think SCB quoted Belle Vue doing it a few years ago in that they cut the prices for one meeting and got a bigger crowd in. The next week they did it again and the usual number turned up, resulting in a substantial loss. I know John Anderson did it at Berwick a couple of times; the fact that he doesn't any more speaks volumes.

 

The simple truth is there is absolutely no certainty - indeed, evidence suggests otherwise - that a substantial reduction in entry prices will result in clubs becoming more viable.

 

One last thing : cost is anything but the only factor when considering the level of attendances. Isle of Wight charge £11, Birmingham £13. Of the meetings I saw at those two tracks, Birmingham's gate was at least 3 times that of Isle of Wight.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Halifaxtiger

[Tsunami 10,219]

 

What you propose is a huge financial gamble (and I think you know that) at absolutely no risk to yourself.

 

Very easy to make suggestions and come up with bright ideas when you won't be the one on the wrong end of it if it goes pear shaped. To be fair, you're anything but the first to do so.

 

At Mildenhall, we once had someone who 'guaranteed' that gates would go up if advertising was done properly. I suggested that he pay for it - after all, he couldn't lose - and would then approach the promotion so that he could have a share in the increased revenue. Needless to say, he didn't want to know.

 

Cutting prices has been tried many times. I think SCB quoted Belle Vue doing it a few years ago in that they cut the prices for one meeting and got a bigger crowd in. The next week they did it again and the usual number turned up, resulting in a substantial loss. I know John Anderson did it at Berwick a couple of times; the fact that he doesn't any more speaks volumes.

 

The simple truth is there is absolutely no certainty - indeed, evidence suggests otherwise - that a substantial reduction in entry prices will result in clubs becoming more viable.

 

One last thing : cost is anything but the only factor when considering the level of attendances. Isle of Wight charge £11, Birmingham £13. Of the meetings I saw at those two tracks, Birmingham's gate was 3 times that of Isle of Wight.

Agree. Many years ago, in either Nottingham to Leicester, the public transport halved the price in an attempt to get more people to use the busses. The numbers returned to normal after a little while and the initiative was scrapped. Remember for it to work you needed double the bus users/attendees just to stand still, which is a risk nobody in business would consider. It is just myths proposed by others who don't know business, and certainly not being the ones that take the risk of those panaceas of success.

 

In addition to the examples that you quote, remember that Lakeside did a 'free' meeting and got something like a 4000 crowd, but the next week the usual numbers turned up to pay the regular price.

[Daytripper 1,123]

Agree. Many years ago, in either Nottingham to Leicester, the public transport halved the price in an attempt to get more people to use the busses. The numbers returned to normal after a little while and the initiative was scrapped. Remember for it to work you needed double the bus users/attendees just to stand still, which is a risk nobody in business would consider. It is just myths proposed by others who don't know business, and certainly not being the ones that take the risk of those panaceas of success.

 

In addition to the examples that you quote, remember that Lakeside did a 'free' meeting and got something like a 4000 crowd, but the next week the usual numbers turned up to pay the regular price.

Lakeside did a £10 meeting last year but still had to get a sponsor to underwrite the loss. Conversely there was a particularly good TV meeting 2 or 3 years ago, I think it was Wolves v. Poole, at a time when the Turbo Twins were at their most spectacular, and I was reliably informed that at Lakeside the following Friday there were an exceptional number of enquirers from newbies who had watched the TV broadcast and wanted to give it a go.

[iris123 20,978]

I like the 'open day' idea that Güstrow do.A day for the kids really with face painting,bouncy castle etc,but also junior speedway and for anyone in the crowd a chance to do a bit of cycle speedway.The pits are also open for evyrone to have a look at how the youngsters and their fathers/mothers are going about setting up the bikes.A look behind the scenes as it were,and it is free to get in

 

Does it help with the crowds?I can't say,but as it has been going on for a number of years,i guess the club thinks it worthwhile.At least it helps attract a few youngsters to the sport and gets the club out into the community

 

http://www.speedevent.de/mcg/

[Sotonian 610]

I think the smallest crowd that I have encountered for a speedway meeting was at Aldershot in 1956 - that gate was quoted to me by the then speedway manager as being 482 paying customers.

Are you sure?. Aldershot weren't even running in 1956!

[Tsunami 10,219]

Lakeside did a £10 meeting last year but still had to get a sponsor to underwrite the loss. Conversely there was a particularly good TV meeting 2 or 3 years ago, I think it was Wolves v. Poole, at a time when the Turbo Twins were at their most spectacular, and I was reliably informed that at Lakeside the following Friday there were an exceptional number of enquirers from newbies who had watched the TV broadcast and wanted to give it a go.

The free meeting at Lakeside has been reported on here many times. Exceptional crowd for the free meeting, and vitually nil increase afterwards. I don't think it was televised.

[Guest]

I think the smallest crowd that I have encountered for a speedway meeting was at Aldershot in 1956 - that gate was quoted to me by the then speedway manager as being 482 paying customers.

 

 

Are you sure?. Aldershot weren't even running in 1956!

 

You are correct Sotonian. It was the 1957 season.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Guest

[Daniel Smith 5,660]

Is £17 for speedway expensive. For me it is because I don't believe I'm getting value for money.

If the racing was better £17 would be a bargain.

It all comes down to VFM.

The biggest thing for me is that all kids under high school age should be free.

First year of high school to 21 should be £5.

Full time students over 21 £10

 

That could make a difference to swelling the attendance but not necessarily clubs income

[Trevor 270]

Don't know what people are saying about low crowds. Belle Vue are currently averaging 6,000.