Is Speedway Too Expensive Now ?

[Chewbacca 653]

It is expensive for its consitiuency

[Backless 538]

It's no coincidence that crowds have dropped off especially as speedway likes to be a weekly sport as opposed to say Football which tends to be fortnightly with a much longer season.

 

Since when has football been fortnightly?

Whether its European competition, FA Cup, League Cup, Johnstones Paint Tin, and whatever other competitions there might be, most teams play twice a week and half of those games will be at home.

 

Again it doesn't make Soeedway "right" to run every week, but its not like football fans spend 13 days sat at home before going to a home game.

[Lewis 76]

For me its not so much the cost but the frustation of travelling 100's of miles to watch my team away & be subjected to endless laps of tractor racing or dragging out the meeting for 2 1/2 hours.

 

15 laps of speedway should be done in 1 1/2 hours, I can then keep interested throughout & more importantly stop the kids from asking every 2 mins "how many races to go".

[Lord Skid 426]

Unfortunately i just can't see a future for Speedway as we like to remember it . Ipswich yesterday, had everything on paper, 13 decent riders, one of the best prepared race tracks in the country, clean tidy stadium, good presentation, but just a few people watching, no atmosphere, anyone still remember the Gollob days at Ippo will be really sad.

And yes, people are right in saying that it's not about 15 minutes entertainment, last night was probably 10 at best. But look at all the good bits, dirt deflectors/ £200 didn't really help, oil catchers/ £50, fancy rear guards/£60, fancy cut outs/£50, none have done anything apart from line a few pockets, and push up costs.

As far as atmosphere goes, the sport has zero, nothing beats handbags at dawn to get the pulse rate rising, but it's been stopped by a £250 fine etc. nearest thing to a punch up is a post on Twitter or Facebook, but even that has been moderated by the BSPA.

Anyone wanting some real entertainment, go and watch an Ice Hockey match, compare the two, and see which one you enjoy the most, it'll cost around £10, guaranteed to be on, 60 minutes action, as they stop the clock, when play stops, you'll see more action in one game than a whole season at Leicester, try it, you won't be dissapointed.

[Robinh88 571]

£10 is about right in my opinion.

[scaramanga 908]

£10 is about right in my opinion.

it seams a comon thought that £10 is about the right price for prem league speedway

[aljack 38]

Compared to other sport (football, tennis etc) speedway is fairly cheap in price to watch. So I dont think its the money that is putting people off going. Take last night at Ipswich foxhall stadium, the meeting was rushed through at a great rate due to the poor weather and when the weather had improved at just after 9pm what happens? The riders come round to celebrate their win then NOTHING!!! Go on you fans just s*d off weve had your money so now go home as they are taking the fence down thats it!!! In my opinion speedway fans are treated abysmally and I feel many attend just once and never go again and no wonder when paying £15.50 for just over an hours entertainment. I remember when there used to be a champion of the evening with all the riders taking part and a big final at the end of season with all the top 16 riders taking part with a cup. Now NOTHING!!!

[oldtimer 340]

I agree with those who have said speedway is more than 15 minutes of racing. I go to Somerset on a Friday because there is bugger all on the TV Friday night, I like there pasty and mash and it's a social event where I can have a joke and discuss speedway and have a moan, with like minded anorachs, who I only see on a Friday night. It could however be more value for money if the presentation was better, you can't reproduce the Millenium Stadium atmosphere, and I fear air horns will never return in popularity to League racing, but, it should be 2 hours or more of entertainment, not just tractor racing that drowns out the rider interviews. There is too much standing around with nothing happening, and I am certain this puts off new people. You have to attend for some time before you get to know the riders and get some knowledge of the sport and get hooked, and there is not enough "raz a ma taz" to make new people think, that was a good evening with a good atmosphere even if the racing was processional.

Edited September 28, 2012 by oldtimer

[spanner47 336]

Compared to other sport (football, tennis etc) speedway is fairly cheap in price to watch. So I dont think its the money that is putting people off going. Take last night at Ipswich foxhall stadium, the meeting was rushed through at a great rate due to the poor weather and when the weather had improved at just after 9pm what happens? The riders come round to celebrate their win then NOTHING!!! Go on you fans just s*d off weve had your money so now go home as they are taking the fence down thats it!!! In my opinion speedway fans are treated abysmally and I feel many attend just once and never go again and no wonder when paying £15.50 for just over an hours entertainment. I remember when there used to be a champion of the evening with all the riders taking part and a big final at the end of season with all the top 16 riders taking part with a cup. Now NOTHING!!!

But if you asked, i reckon the majority of fans want it over asap as this time of year.I dont want to stand around in the cold for over 2 hours, i dont mind in the summer, but in March/April and late Sept/Oct, i just want see 15 heats and get home. But some want to make a night of it, you'll never please everyone. Like most fans of the 70's, i loved the Champion of the evening, it sometimes produced the best racing of the night, but where's the money going to come from to pay the riders? Luckily Chris listens to people, and he knows in cold weather most of us want a quick interval, then get home!!

[cowboy cookie returns? 748]

The short answer is yes.

As a speedway fan i don't agree that you are paying a pound a minute as for most who go these days it is a full evening out walking around the pits watching the warm up etc. But that is the hard core support who do that & nothing is being done to bring in new supporters & for anyone coming for the first time then to them £15 is far too much to watch league speedway in the uk.

So yes the cost of admission needs to be cut but too do that you need to reduce costs. Its no good reducing the standard of the leagues anymore as that will just drive more support away & as most if not all the stadia is rented then that is a cost of which the clubs have little control. I think the only way of reducing costs is to bring in some form of standard equipment that would deduce costs for the riders & would also make i think for closer racing which in turn would be good news.

However the cost of admission is only part of the problem when trying to attract new support. Speedway needs to have a massive shake up otherwise i fear the sport in the uk will die out maybe not in 5 or 10 years but it will.

The league set up needs sorting out aswell the two leagues need to work closer together. The Elite league is a joke but it should be a place that every club & rider wants to be part of.

Having seen the old 13 Heat format & second half for the first time the other week at Ipswich for the John Berry meeting I have to say i found it so much better than the 15 heat's of today & no double points jokers it seemed like proper speedway.

If i was in charge i would bring back the 13 heat format with second half & allow the the team managers freedom with gate selection for the riders the old tac sub rule no double point rides. The two riders with the lowest aveages would ride at 6 & 7 & the top 5 could ride in any postion as the team manager saw fit.

So 13 heats a second half do away with the micky mouse rules standard equipment going back to the 70's/80's? Yes maybe but lets not forget the 1980's are trendy again rightnow & does the sport have anything to lose i don't think so as nothing that has been done in the last 20/30 years seems to have made it any better.

My first meeting was in 1989 so I am not looking at the old days with rose tinted specs the sport can still be a great night out but i fear if nothing is done it won't be around for too much longer & sorry for going off topic.

[oldtimer 340]

Spanner 47 is correct about how long some matches take especially when it's a cold evening. I think it's done on purpose to make you think when you get home that you have had a long evenings entertainment. Last night Somerset got through a double header 30 heats plus a 15 minute interval for riders to change tyres between matches in 3 hours and that included the extra time for a few "two on the trot" due to R/R and reserve swaps.

[montie 1,273]

Interesting to hear the views from the Leicester promotion last night on the radio about the PL play off groups,Newcastle picking the two furthest away tracks and which then left the other side of the group with some hefty travel bills and basically took out the number who will travel to the meetings

 

Although Newcasstle had every right to pick who they wanted,for the fans and clubs finances it was a stupid move

[aljack 38]

But if you asked, i reckon the majority of fans want it over asap as this time of year.I dont want to stand around in the cold for over 2 hours, i dont mind in the summer, but in March/April and late Sept/Oct, i just want see 15 heats and get home. But some want to make a night of it, you'll never please everyone. Like most fans of the 70's, i loved the Champion of the evening, it sometimes produced the best racing of the night, but where's the money going to come from to pay the riders? Luckily Chris listens to people, and he knows in cold weather most of us want a quick interval, then get home!!

 

But surely speedway basically is a summer sport with hopefully good weather for May,June,July,August and September. Thats 5 months when we should not get cold evenings and more or less 5 out of 7 months when speedway is held. And to rush through meetings in 75 - 90 minutes with only 15 races and then sent home is not good enough in my book.

[Tsunami 10,219]

Interesting to hear the views from the Leicester promotion last night on the radio about the PL play off groups,Newcastle picking the two furthest away tracks and which then left the other side of the group with some hefty travel bills and basically took out the number who will travel to the meetings

 

Although Newcastle had every right to pick who they wanted,for the fans and clubs finances it was a stupid move

 

It allowed us to absorb a home and an away fixture from our very busy timetable because of being successful. I would have thought that was a master stroke.

[Dinosaur 31]

speedway has long been regarded as a family sport but frankly it isnt. A family of four would be looking at £50 - £60 per week which they wouldnt pay. How many families of four do you see on the terraces? Speedway is a sport for single fellas or married couples who have been attending for years and stayed in the habit. Maybe you get the odd father and son combo but certainly very few families. More should be done to attract these people, every 2 adults attending should be allowed to bring their 2 kids in free. Look after the future