Speedway Attendances

[Craftman 26]

As a fan of Stoke who no longer travels away ( other than the annual beating at Buxton ) it's interesting to see how NL crowds compare with each other and also with the PL and EL.

 

It's no secret that Stokes attendances are at an all time low ( well certainly since I first went in 1985 ) and that Dudley/ mildenhall pull the biggest crowds as most on the forum seem to hint.

 

Like with football in general , crowds are declining due to cost , but is it cost , poor facilities , quality of racing or anything else that explains the declining speedway attendances ?

 

Watching the EL playoff at Lakeside , I was surprised to say how few people were in attendance for such a key meeting !

[Neil H 63]

I think cost is the main reason why people don't watch anymore. Fuel has increase to stupid levels and added to admission prices, it is a costly evening out. Some people have stopped going to meetings as they have 'fallen out of love' with the sport and the way it is run and the way they are treated at some tracks.

Edited September 26, 2012 by Neil H

[berniev123 58]

Not been to Mildy for a while so don't know about them but can say that Dudley on a Tuesday rocks to the beat of up to just under the 2,000 mark by my looking around. I won't be far out. At one match last year, Golden Hammer I think, it was reported that we had 3000+

Pity that other tracks have not got that kind of dedicated fanatics turning up to watch NL or the EL/PL for that matter.

[greyhoundp 990]

Sorry, but i have to disagree with your estimate, i was taken to task for saying that we averaged around the 1500 mark at Monmore, i would like to hear what other peoples estimate of what the Monmore Wood crowd figures are.

[Damon 49]

I would say Mildenhall can be anything from 500 (trophy match) to around 1000? for a decent league fixture.

[PhilK 150]

As a fan of Stoke who no longer travels away ( other than the annual beating at Buxton ) it's interesting to see how NL crowds compare with each other and also with the PL and EL.

 

It's no secret that Stokes attendances are at an all time low ( well certainly since I first went in 1985 ) and that Dudley/ mildenhall pull the biggest crowds as most on the forum seem to hint.

 

 

Thats not good to hear, what sort of numbers are we talking about at Stoke? Went to see Mildenhall there in the Play Offs and KOC Final at the end of last season and there looked to be around 600-700 possibly a few more, but haven't bothered to go there this season yet.

[berniev123 58]

Sorry, but i have to disagree with your estimate, i was taken to task for saying that we averaged around the 1500 mark at Monmore, i would like to hear what other peoples estimate of what the Monmore Wood crowd figures are.

 

From my understanding we are getting about the 3rd highest crowds in UK league speedway and can at times beat our hosts at Monmore.

The figure for the 2012 Golden Hammer when Jan O & Sam rode was published in local papers.

The figure of 1700 has also been bandied around as a season average in local rags.

Tonights rag is also saying that the crowds are not going down below the 2010 starting average which has been suggested to be at least 1500 in the local area.

Anyway........the Heathen throng is a very goodly number and far exceeds the majority of clubs (home and away) which is why I said it is a pity that other clubs are not getting sensible numbers to sustain a viable club. Perhaps the BSPA should publish the figures in the Speedway Star and then there would be no hiding anything when it comes to paying fans, who are their bread and butter if the sport is going to continue to thrive in future years.

Just a thought on crowd size but no one has disputed my guestimates when I have said before on other threads

[Davebeagle 5]

I reckon there are over a thousand who regularly attend Monmore home meetings-couldn't believe that we had to queue round the car park to get into The Golden hammer!

Have only been away at Stoke this year and was most surprised at how few home supporters there were-Heathens fans must have made up half the attendance.

[Craftman 26]

 

 

Thats not good to hear, what sort of numbers are we talking about at Stoke? Went to see Mildenhall there in the Play Offs and KOC Final at the end of last season and there looked to be around 600-700 possibly a few more, but haven't bothered to go there this season yet.

 

 

The last home meeting was on a Sunday v Rye was no more than 200 , with around 300 v Mildenhall the night before ( good away following ).

 

Remember Stoke also now have a establshed PL football team , and dual fans like me often can't afford both on the same weekend .

 

 

[greyhoundp 990]

BernieV, it was none other than our Chairman who, said my 1500 figure was incorrect, and i myself would say our crowds have slightly increased on last season, whatever they may be.

Edited September 26, 2012 by greyhoundp

[Damon 49]

For whatever reason attendances are never published, unless anyone can say differently, so it really comes down to people standing there and have a quick rough count up.

[builderbob 44]

the only reason i can see that attendences are not published is the promoters dont want certain groups of people to know how much they take

[21st century heathen 220]

Heathens' crowds are healthy, all things considered, but any suggestion of in the region of 2-3k on a regular basis is wildly optimistic in my opinion. I would put regular crowds in the region of 1,200. Broadly speaking the crowd for a Heathens meeting is about the same as a Wolves meeting. Jokes about pulling bigger crowds than our old rivals may be taken a bit too literally, and probably exaggerated, by some people. I've been to Monmore on consecutive nights and seen one or the other club pull a slightly larger crowd, and I've seen it pretty much the same.

 

The main reason it's difficult to judge a crowd is that we don't ever see an official figure so we have no frame of reference. Also, 1,200 at Monmore will look a bigger crowd than 1,200 spread out around somewhere like Swindon.

[bruno 1,793]

on the falling attendance issue i reckon cost is the biggest factor this year more so even than quality racing.to date ive done no away fixtures despite doing most of them the last 2 years and much travelling to whatever meeting i fancied before the heathens returned.il be doing rye house saturday and maybe mildenhall once or hopefully twice.the reason is purely cost but as i seem no better off anyway i reckon next year i might as well go back to attending away meetings again!!!!

 

on another point i have felt my enthusiam wane a bit for speedway because i havent been going as much.best get back to it next year methinks

[MARK246 243]

Sorry, but i have to disagree with your estimate, i was taken to task for saying that we averaged around the 1500 mark at Monmore, i would like to hear what other peoples estimate of what the Monmore Wood crowd figures are.

According to this web page /www.napit.co.uk/viewus/infobank/dogs/ukdogs/monmore.php the capacity of Monmore green is 1300 for dog racing is it different for speedway?