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Is British Speedway holding it self to ransom paying for star riders? With tracks having to charge unrealistic admission prices to fewer supporters could it be that this model is accelerating the decline? Would it not be better to invest in the future encouraging British riders for British tracks. It's like buying a Ferrari but not having the funds to run it

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It is hard to tell. Over the last decade the Elite League/Premiership has significantly weakened the product and in turn crowds have dwindled. Therefore, logic dictates that a significant reduction in team strength, by jettisoning "star" riders in favour of young British riders, would only hasten the demise.

You only have to look at the relative attendances of National League clubs compared to Premiership clubs to see that a lower admission prices don't seem to make up for the lack of well-known riders on display.

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1 hour ago, MattK said:

It is hard to tell. Over the last decade the Elite League/Premiership has significantly weakened the product and in turn crowds have dwindled. Therefore, logic dictates that a significant reduction in team strength, by jettisoning "star" riders in favour of young British riders, would only hasten the demise.

You only have to look at the relative attendances of National League clubs compared to Premiership clubs to see that a lower admission prices don't seem to make up for the lack of well-known riders on display.

i understand and respect your view but i can't help thinking that local home grown riders and continuity would prove popular and a crowd puller. I speak from the perspective of having only supported 2nd div speedway and having Martin Dixon, Steve Wilcock, etc as local (ish) heroes that the crowd identified with and supported

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We have to roll out a business model that's sustainable. It's a bit lazy paying a crowd puller then sitting back waiting for for a trickle of fans who are prepared to pay the extortionate admission prices it's hardly surprising tracks are closing.  I think we have conceded too much particularly regarding race nights. I take the view that the type of fan attracted by 'star' riders may also becoming extinct?

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UK speedway has lost a lot of the star riders but mainly through retirement and those coming through don’t seem to be of the same quality apart from a few.

Paying huge sums to Hancock Pedersen and Woffinden wouldn't justify it now without outside money and I doubt attendances would be significantly more.

The racing is more important as well as spectating facilities.

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I think the biggest problem we (the U.K.) have is not having 7 riders you consider as YOUR TEAM.

Your team of 7 can ride for you tonight, then in the next couple of days ALL represent a different U.K. team, the promoters are missing a huge problem.

We have lost the bond between the fans & their team.

P.S. Then you also have the wholesale team changes from season to season all these actions mean missing fans!

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I was quite surprised when I came across a pre-season edition of the Star from 2008 and found that Belle Vue was charging £16. Admission hasn't gone up that much in 10 years.

Edited by moxey63
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I quite understand moxey's point but unfortunately younger people don't have that type of disposable income for a bit of midweek entertainment. For a good seat at Belle View that would be £48. How do we attract a younger supporter into Speedway who will return?

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1 hour ago, Pieman72 said:

I quite understand moxey's point but unfortunately younger people don't have that type of disposable income for a bit of midweek entertainment. For a good seat at Belle View that would be £48. How do we attract a younger supporter into Speedway who will return?

My point was that I thought admissions were rising every season and that the sport is too expensive. I was surprised that wasn't the case. It was only slightly less expensive a decade ago, although there were higher class riders. We are getting less quality now for the price of 10 years ago. But, in the last 10 years, people have been squeezed for their cash and, so, £16 admission is needed for other everyday things and, for some, speedway has to take a miss.

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Speedway has to adapt to changing times and as I've reiterated before variety and semi professionalism has to be the way to go.

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1 hour ago, moxey63 said:

My point was that I thought admissions were rising every season and that the sport is too expensive. I was surprised that wasn't the case. It was only slightly less expensive a decade ago, although there were higher class riders. We are getting less quality now for the price of 10 years ago. But, in the last 10 years, people have been squeezed for their cash and, so, £16 admission is needed for other everyday things and, for some, speedway has to take a miss.

£16 in 2008 is worth just under £22 now so sitting down at the Aces is still more. However charging just under £22 at each top division track as your base price would be a disaster I would think..

I think the admission price surge of the late noughties though were a reflection of the rising costs that the 'superstars' started to incur as they started to ride around Europe virtually every night, and the fact that crowds were starting to drop significantly, so inflation busting rises were being pinged in to balance the books..

Around 2010 I think the sport reached that tipping point where promotions finally realised (at EL level) that they couldn't keep squeezing more out of an ever decreasing number of people year on year, and slowed up the increases to try and keep the fan base they still had from leaving too..

This was the start of the 'exodus' I would say of the very top riders as EL promoters couldn't justify having three top heat leaders per team as the crowds wouldn't cover the cost of doing so...

 The PL just seemed to jump onto the coat tails of the EL prices and kept their admission charges a pound or two below in the main, even though they had no 'superstars' to pay for which always surprised me, especially given how the 2nd tier mainly had EL level second strings at No1...

Presume it was the Sky Money that heavily subsidised the EL?

Edited by mikebv
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Some excellent points but the main problem is how the leagues are managed. Rolling out a star rider and looking into looking into a Crystal Ball isn't going to stop the rot. We have to think 'outside the box unfortunately both the supporters and the promoters are not for change. A good analogy was Woolworth's it had been trading very profitably for years but their model of shopping was out of date and broken. So what's the answer give it a make over, charge top dollar and put up the prices...the rest is history.

Edited by Pieman72
Grammar

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On 4/6/2019 at 1:01 PM, Pieman72 said:

Is British Speedway holding it self to ransom paying for star riders? With tracks having to charge unrealistic admission prices to fewer supporters could it be that this model is accelerating the decline? Would it not be better to invest in the future encouraging British riders for British tracks. It's like buying a Ferrari but not having the funds to run it.

The UK before my time had an abundance of top riders. Sometimes in the same team, e.g KL Knights (Crump, Adams) in 2000. Will GP riders fully commit to the demands of an EL season? I have my doubts about that.

Dropping down a league minus 16 years, the PL used to attract some of the best upcoming European stars (PUK, Zagar, Kylmikorphi, Janusz Kolodzeij). 

I don't think British Speedway should be held to ransom too bring back for e.g Woffinden, Hancock and Zagar etc.

Our glory days are over for now, maybe they will come back.... someday?

 

 

Edited by Robinh88

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5 hours ago, Robinh88 said:

I don't think British Speedway should be held to ransom to bring back for e.g Woffinden, Hancock and Zagar etc.

Our glory days are over for now, maybe they will come back.... someday?

 

Our glory days are over - for the foreseeable future ( 10 -15 years at least ). The huge challenge is to survive for the next 10 years and keep 70% of the current clubs running. Journeyman riders are expecting and getting far too much for doubling up and that is not the future because the on-track racing value has so diminished. Major structural changes will have to be made to costs and what is offered up as racing entertainment before the tide of falling attendances turns ( it is can be turned). Riders, like all of us, will go on taking what they can squeeze out of promoters, that is human nature. 

Even Tai Woffinden riding regularly here for a UK team would make no difference after the first few meetings. I am someone who would love to see him do that but he could not pull in enough new fans to make it viable.

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Really excellent some very interesting replies. It's no point ignoring what's happening and we as supporters can affect change. It's good to see that alternatives can be explored and there is a future for British Speedway. Nobody can be blamed for the situation that exists but the books have to balanced and the current structure is not working.

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