berwick bandits 2019

[balderdash&piffle 720]

1 hour ago, penchev said:

Do not understand, how the cost can remain so high? for one the admission has gone up and also the price of a programme, the catering van has disappeared and the catering is all done in house, this surely has to increase profit?

Is it purely down to numbers through the gate?

We have a great team and the boys are doing the business on track, but yet it seems we have a lack of support?

Has the recent unusual cold weather having a say in matters?

Is the lack of meetings an issue?

Do people have other things to do on a Saturday evening?

Will we ever know what the issue really is?

Keep the faith folks.

It isn't price for me, I do understand when you are in a low paid economy like Berwick and the Borders, it can be a financial strain.  I havn't been to speedway at all this season, mainly because I have had quite a serious cough since January, I didn't want to aggravate  it on a cold damp night.  If it wasn't for Leon, I could take speedway or leave it,  the  entertainment value has almost disappeared, Berwicks track has become predictable, when you fill your programme  in on the 1st lap 2nd bend,  something is seriously wrong.  I now understand when you have other interest how quickly you change your priorities.

[Cupidstunt 92]

has speedway just had its day, I hear Leicester are struggling with crowds as well and they are top of the league, is it Saturday nights??

[balderdash&piffle 720]

11 minutes ago, Cupidstunt said:

has speedway just had its day, I hear Leicester are struggling with crowds as well and they are top of the league, is it Saturday nights??

Apart from at International level you are probably correct, very little difference between Premiership and Championship.  Is there a case for Championship becoming Semi Professional , the rider gets a proper job to keep him and rides speedway as a hobby, certainly not the crowds to support speedway at this level for it to be a full time job

[gazzac 1,015]

2 hours ago, Cupidstunt said:

has speedway just had its day, I hear Leicester are struggling with crowds as well and they are top of the league, is it Saturday nights??

To a degree,  but Eastbourne have gone into this season with proper promotion through the community, local business , schools, decent website and have embraced social media,and they run Saturday nights  or Sunday.  Gates are far better than the tail end of when we were in the Elite league. Perhaps if other club owners/promoters studied their plan, and implemented similar schemes  perhaps the doom and gloom would not be so prevalent. Suppose if a promoter doesn't promote, the club is doomed to failure. Like him or loath him, Poole's sucess over the last 20 odd years has largely been down to Matt Ford's promoting. 

Edited May 13, 2019 by gazzac

[Fromafar 10,359]

1 hour ago, Cupidstunt said:

has speedway just had its day, I hear Leicester are struggling with crowds as well and they are top of the league, is it Saturday nights??

It’s struggling big time for various reasons which have been discussed endlessly on forums.unfortunately the answer is not if you don’t support it you will lose it (although probably true) which seems the only answer Promoters can come up with.As a professional full time sport in UK it had its day IMO

[jenga 2,998]

1 hour ago, balderdash&piffle said:

Apart from at International level you are probably correct, very little difference between Premiership and Championship.  Is there a case for Championship becoming Semi Professional , the rider gets a proper job to keep him and rides speedway as a hobby, certainly not the crowds to support speedway at this level for it to be a full time job

will that mean that the fully professional riders will be riding in a semi professional  lower league . that cant be allowed to happen Shirley . also the semi pro riders will be up against full professional riders , 

err , ALMOST LIKE NOW , in fact it is the same . boot out the big guys and let the championship become a proper lower league . but there are always the odd one ore two wanting to have a show pony in their side . speedway is ruined now and there is no way back . make championship number ones a premiership reserve  , just  like ye olde days ..  

[screm 8,054]

4 hours ago, penchev said:

Do not understand, how the cost can remain so high? for one the admission has gone up and also the price of a programme, the catering van has disappeared and the catering is all done in house, this surely has to increase profit?

Is it purely down to numbers through the gate?

We have a great team and the boys are doing the business on track, but yet it seems we have a lack of support?

Has the recent unusual cold weather having a say in matters?

Is the lack of meetings an issue?

Do people have other things to do on a Saturday evening?

Will we ever know what the issue really is?

Keep the faith folks.

Probably all of the above, admission has been £15 for a couple of seasons now and IMO £15 is more than enough for Championship speedway, certainly the stop start nature to our fixtures have lead to some finding other things to do each Saturday night. Its definitely worrying that the club are sending out warnings on crowd levels, especially when you consider we have raced local tracks so far, the team is doing reasonably well and there was a decent take up on season tickets which gave the money up front. we were told before the season started that the club had cut their cloth accordingly and that riders had taken pay cuts to race in the team, to find we could be in for more financial difficulties is a worry, lets hope crowds improve very soon.

[DSC67 1,465]

I'd guess the admission prices were set a a level which the club believed they needed to break even 

[bjcol 83]

49 minutes ago, DSC67 said:

I'd guess the admission prices were set a a level which the club believed they needed to break even 

well that's no  worked has it still to dear

[allthegearbutnaeidea 1,734]

Main reason I take or leave home meetings is the racing, not the price, if I have any other potential plans they take priority over the speedway, although I’d never be sat in the house if it was on.

[Fromafar 10,359]

1 minute ago, allthegearbutnaeidea said:

Main reason I take or leave home meetings is the racing, not the price, if I have any other potential plans they take priority over the speedway, although I’d never be sat in the house if it was on.

Personally I think the quality of the racing is a big factor whether fans take it or leave it if ,something else crops it probably wins the day now.

[allthegearbutnaeidea 1,734]

Just now, Fromafar said:

Personally I think the quality of the racing is a big factor whether fans take it or leave it if ,something else crops it probably wins the day now.

Thats the case for me, been to 3/5 at home and 3/3 away, Shielfield park bores me

[George Dodds 310]

13 hours ago, gazzac said:

To a degree,  but Eastbourne have gone into this season with proper promotion through the community, local business , schools, decent website and have embraced social media,and they run Saturday nights  or Sunday.  Gates are far better than the tail end of when we were in the Elite league. Perhaps if other club owners/promoters studied their plan, and implemented similar schemes  perhaps the doom and gloom would not be so prevalent. Suppose if a promoter doesn't promote, the club is doomed to failure. Like him or loath him, Poole's sucess over the last 20 odd years has largely been down to Matt Ford's promoting. 

and at the end of the season we will see whether it has worked or whether, despite the increase in crowds, the books balance. I really hope they do but look at Glasgow who do everything you say with bells on and are losing a shedload of cash. Main cost for all promotions is riders' wages, I would imagine that stadium rental, insurance and medical cover vie for second place. Some say they can't afford to go every week, others say that racing every other week isn't good enough - not whingeing as I often get accused of, just pointing out that one fix does not necessarily fit all. 

[Fromafar 10,359]

25 minutes ago, George Dodds said:

and at the end of the season we will see whether it has worked or whether, despite the increase in crowds, the books balance. I really hope they do but look at Glasgow who do everything you say with bells on and are losing a shedload of cash. Main cost for all promotions is riders' wages, I would imagine that stadium rental, insurance and medical cover vie for second place. Some say they can't afford to go every week, others say that racing every other week isn't good enough - not whingeing as I often get accused of, just pointing out that one fix does not necessarily fit all. 

Riders wages related to crowd levels is a main issue these days IMO 

[George Dodds 310]

1 minute ago, Fromafar said:

Riders wages related to crowd levels is a main issue these days IMO 

to be honest I think it always has been - even going back in the day. But we expect a level of professionalism from riders which was unthinkable 30 year ago - imagine the howls of abuse if a number one rider turned up with one bike, it blew up and he withdrew from the meeting as used to happen quite regularly - but still want them to cut their costs.