Extortionate Admission Prices

[Bald Bloke 3,281]

32 minutes ago, Pieman72 said:

Carry on then there's not a problem Gramps.

All i said was there is a good mix of fans at Lynn... Which is correct.

Where did i say there wasn't a problem? 

I never said that £20 wasn't expensive, or lower prices wouldn't attract some younger fans either.

In fact never disagreed with you at all 

 

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Bald Bloke

[Pieman72 588]

1 hour ago, Bald Bloke said:

All i said was there is a good mix of fans at Lynn... Which is correct.

Where did i say there wasn't a problem? 

I never said that £20 wasn't expensive, or lower prices wouldn't attract some younger fans either.

In fact never disagreed with you at all 

 

 

I'm sorry never intended to be derogatory. I'm trying to make the point that speedway is dying and some of the reasons are admission prices that are not affordable to younger families.

[Pieman72 588]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

And the "best part of £50" is needed by promoters for you to pay it three or four times a month..

Paying out £150 to £200 to watch no more than an hours Speedway in total simply isn't going to happen is it? 

The missed opportunity is that if they charged say £20 for a pair of adults they would much more likely get regular continuous visits, hence four matches equalling £80...

Meaning more fans, resulting in more atmosphere, more money, and a far better overall impression of the sports popularity given the crowd numbers....

A virtuous circle that would help the sports future...

When you pay out circa £50 for one visit then that will more than likely be your one visit per month or maybe even your one visit per season, given spending £50 you will have high expectations of what you should see for your money. And if it doesn't match it then you could be loath to pay it again..

Which means less fans so less atmosphere, less money, and an almost brand damaging impression of the sports popularity given the crowd numbers..

A vicious circle that can never hope to help the sports future. .

Superb synopsis. I think the promoters need to get a grip and run tracks on a sensible evening with riders that are affordable else a vicious circle ensues.

[Monarchs2468 79]

On 7/24/2021 at 4:16 PM, Pieman72 said:

Why are Speedway admission prices extortionate? For a night out at Belle View for my wife and I would cost the best part of £50 really....I don't think so. No wonder the terraces are empty re: Quest speedway coverage. As is the case in society the only ones who can afford these prices are pensioners. Speedway turnstiles will be looking like Waitrose on a Thursday morning.

Extortionate seems a harsh word. It really depends on disposable income and priorities. When mortgage/rent/commute/family come into it then speedway is well down the list of priorities as should be all 'entertainment'.

However, I'm very fortunate as I bumped Sky and BT sports and now I can now afford an Edinburgh Monarchs season ticket and some additional trips to Glasgow and Berwick. Admittedly I do go on my own (loner) so the cost is not doubled plus kids. 

I haven't missed Sky or BT at all so far. 

I used to have season tickets for football, rugby (local and 6 nations) but gave them up. Too expensive and not value for money was my reasoning. 

[topsoil 2,498]

Berwick allow under 16s in free. As a result you get a lot of younger fans going as part of a family. But that side of promotion very seldom gets the praise it deserves. Far easier to be negative.

[TRM 97]

11 hours ago, mrss said:

You didn’t have too sit in the grandstand, you didn’t have to buy beer and wine. 

I wanted to to ensure my wife and children had the best possible evening doing something that I like and had to persuade them to watch! 

[cityrebel 2,960]

8 hours ago, TRM said:

I wanted to to ensure my wife and children had the best possible evening doing something that I like and had to persuade them to watch! 

My missus hates it and my kids lost interest in their teens. What is there for youngsters at speedway. It's a sport that has stood still and never moved with the times.

[iainb 4,962]

19 hours ago, AFCB Wildcat said:

Out of interest, how does this compare pro rata to admission prices from the 70's heydays?

My Dad wasn't in a highly paid job but he took me and my sister to Poole every week and to Weymouth on Tuesday nights in the summer holidays. We didn't buy drinks or food unless it was out of our pocket money but we always had a programme each.

Can anyone remember what the admission prices were then? I can't!

 

I remember the admission being around 75p in the late 70's at Leicester, there's been around an 8% increase year on year to get to today's prices... which would have made it a better investment than property 

[topaz325 1,853]

The true cost of running a meeting runs in to many thousands of pounds, so it’s not just riders pay that is the problem/ issue.

[Skodaman 192]

13 hours ago, Pieman72 said:

Superb synopsis. I think the promoters need to get a grip and run tracks on a sensible evening with riders that are affordable else a vicious circle ensues.

As I have said elsewhere, some promotiobns have no choice as they dont own the stadiums.

[topsoil 2,498]

3 hours ago, cityrebel said:

My missus hates it and my kids lost interest in their teens. What is there for youngsters at speedway. It's a sport that has stood still and never moved with the times.

Isn't this a case for all sports though, other than football maybe? I know going back to my own experience, I was speedway daft when I was a teenager, Then I started to go out, alcohol and girls took over. Then you settle down and lose interest in the "chase". Then you go back to what you used to enjoy.

I would bet that the only sports which attract teenagers in any amounts are one which also have alcohol nearby? Football (because it is media wall to wall), T20 cricket, darts nights out (sold as a night out rather than a purely sporting attraction).

So if you want to attract teenagers, maybe you need to turn speedway meetings into a stag party atmosphere?

[Beowulf 1,513]

19 hours ago, bruno said:

Gigs are the same I think I worked it out for a top band it should be about £15 now but you can easily pay close on 3 figures for some of them. The world's gone barmy

Are but the music world has changed drastically. Artists used to tour to promote and sell the new album. But with illegal downloading etc.artists are making much less money from vinyl and CD sales. What to do ? Push up concert ticket prices to eye watering levels. 

[cityrebel 2,960]

8 minutes ago, topsoil said:

Isn't this a case for all sports though, other than football maybe? I know going back to my own experience, I was speedway daft when I was a teenager, Then I started to go out, alcohol and girls took over. Then you settle down and lose interest in the "chase". Then you go back to what you used to enjoy.

I would bet that the only sports which attract teenagers in any amounts are one which also have alcohol nearby? Football (because it is media wall to wall), T20 cricket, darts nights out (sold as a night out rather than a purely sporting attraction).

So if you want to attract teenagers, maybe you need to turn speedway meetings into a stag party atmosphere?

Something needs to be done to bring some fresh blood into the sport. Fans of any age would be a start!

[Pieman72 588]

Promoters have always ignored the obvious and the VSPL have a bunker mentality and definitely won't change. They have never had the best interests of the sport Dan NcCormack Cradley/Monmore Green Greyhound promoter turned out to be be a disaster for speedway and the decline has persisted since. Also a now defunct premier stadium was sold to a property developer.  It's a complex situation that can't attract sponsorship when it should and we have to ask why. The consequences are the admission prices have to cover all the outgoings.

[cityrebel 2,960]

I've always felt the admission prices are one of speedway's biggest obstacles in attracting new fans. If the product was at a similar level to Poland, it could be justified.