£10 Sport?

[cowboy cookie returns? 747]

I work with some Poles & bearing in mind the Polish riders we have had at Ipswich over the years they would love to go but its too expensive! The problem is when the sport in the country should have been developed in the 70's & 80's is wasn't so we then come up with the years late 80's to now with cost cutting crap rules & nothing done to try & attract outside support. Maybe now is the time to start over in the uk. I have got back in to Speedway this year through the gp on Euro sport & I think a lot more people will see it now its on Euro sport. The gp's this year have been good & tonights has been fantastic & shows what a great sport it can be. We in the uk need to start rebuilding on the back of this move from Sky as it maybe the last chance we get. As I said I have got back into it I watch the gp's buy the speedway star but do I go up to Foxhall every week? The answer is no & that is down to the micky mouse way the sport in this country is run nothing to do with cost to get in or which league the Witches are in. I think I am not alone!!!!!!!!!!!

[stratton 1,491]

I work with some Poles & bearing in mind the Polish riders we have had at Ipswich over the years they would love to go but its too expensive! The problem is when the sport in the country should have been developed in the 70's & 80's is wasn't so we then come up with the years late 80's to now with cost cutting crap rules & nothing done to try & attract outside support. Maybe now is the time to start over in the uk. I have got back in to Speedway this year through the gp on Euro sport & I think a lot more people will see it now its on Euro sport. The gp's this year have been good & tonights has been fantastic & shows what a great sport it can be. We in the uk need to start rebuilding on the back of this move from Sky as it maybe the last chance we get. As I said I have got back into it I watch the gp's buy the speedway star but do I go up to Foxhall every week? The answer is no & that is down to the micky mouse way the sport in this country is run nothing to do with cost to get in or which league the Witches are in. I think I am not alone!!!!!!!!!!!

Good post and its people like you that the sport should be trying to entice back to want to go everyweek.I wonder why you don't? as you said Micky Mouse comes to mind.

[Fromafar 10,365]

We need to stop paying silly money to mediocre Riders for starters.the crowd levels should determine the money paid out.How many teams at the end of last season said they had lost money yet these same Teams are paying money to riders who probably are the most expensive in the League. The sport cannot survive in its present state it is not not attracting new fans in any significant numbers and the regular fans seem be drifting away. I certainly don't confess to know a solution ,but IMO technology has overtaken the sport .

[george.m 3,063]

I believe speedway to be a £10 sport.

 

I would definitely attend more meetings if they paid £10.

[Trees 2,814]

It's a chicken and egg situation surely?

 

Elite League promoters are really up against it with all the various fixtures their riders are taking part in and so having to fit around! Premier League promoters have it relatively easier imo and so don't need such a complicated set of rules!

 

I guess the only way to make running EL teams easier would be for all teams to run on only 2 nights of the week. It would certainly make it better for tv for starters and riders' calendars! But will this ever happen?

 

Speedway could also do with more tv money so they could use it to attract more fans particularly for tv matches!!

 

I'd be all for having more PL together with EL meetings on tv, it's good to see lots of different tracks and riders! I realise that this wouldn't go down well with EL promoters but I guess British speedway isn't really in a position to pick and choose?? I guess PL promoters know their job is easier than EL promoters as far as sorting their fixtures and signing riders is concerned?

 

We'll see what happens!

[cityrebel 2,960]

i think the final straw for a lot of people was when when the admission price went up to over £1 per race.

[van wolfswinkel 635]

Sneak in over the wall, a programme and a couple of pints and that's about a tenner Sidders....

If you go to Blunsdon half-way through the meeting you can usually get in for nought. I've tried and tested all fences and walls and the only way you get in for free thesedays is to use a pole vault. German Bundesliga seat prices are comparable with our Premiership. It's the standing terraces that are cheap, around 10 quid. So yes if you have to stand at Blunsdon in a decrepit stadium with poor views its probably not worth more than a tenner. Seated in a decent stand would pay about13/14 quid.

Edited June 15, 2013 by bertie boy

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,748]

riders deserve every penny they can get ,i know i was one but i also know that the money just isnt there in the sport and something has got to give but nobody is trying to do anything about it. a couple of years ago 1 rider practically bankrupted the premier league club he rode for and he was only a reserve for them .it wasnt the points money he was on although he was on a good deal for the premier league it was the extras he was getting paid. ie flights ,mechanic ,etc. i dont blame the rider or the club but these things need to be addressed ,its just getting worse and untill ways are found to get the crowds back watching british speedway they have got to stop. but where are the meetings between the bspa and the riders to find a way forward?.. i wont hold my breath

[deanozoff 13]

I think that your 'facts' about non league football are way off the mark. Last season I went to a few non league matches and paid £17 at Alfreton Town, £15 at Mansfield and £16 at Grimsby.

 

The average crowds are similar but the £8-12 entrance fee is dated by about 5 or 6 years.

[ch958 2,395]

I think that your 'facts' about non league football are way off the mark. Last season I went to a few non league matches and paid £17 at Alfreton Town, £15 at Mansfield and £16 at Grimsby.

 

The average crowds are similar but the £8-12 entrance fee is dated by about 5 or 6 years.

 

its easy to pick holes in my analogy but 90 percent of the posters think the same as me. If you disagree - fine - but what do you think should be done?

 

by the way i pay £8 to stand with 3-400 people in the Northern League - not a kick in the arse from average PL crowds

 

Conference is professional football these days and i specifically said that was not comparable. By the way - £17 to watch conference - you must be bonkers!!

[Catch Me If You Can 260]

its easy to pick holes in my analogy but 90 percent of the posters think the same as me. If you disagree - fine - but what do you think should be done?

 

by the way i pay £8 to stand with 3-400 people in the Northern League - not a kick in the arse from average PL crowds

 

Conference is professional football these days and i specifically said that was not comparable. By the way - £17 to watch conference - you must be bonkers!!

Berwick seem to be among front runners in reducing prices. Late last season they had a £10 charge for adults and kids free and this year with Workington have the lowest admission in Premier at £13 per adult, reduced concessions and kids free. For their Dudley challenge it was £8 adult and I read they had a not bad turn out? Edited June 16, 2013 by Catch Me If You Can

[Fromafar 10,365]

Berwick seem to be among front runners in reducing prices. Late last season they had a £10 charge for adults and kids free and this year with Workington have the lowest admission in Premier at £13 per adult, reduced concessions and kids free. For their Dudley challenge it was £8 adult and I read they had a not bad turn out?

The attendance hasn't increased even though the admission has been reduced,this is the problem the fans are deserting the sport for whatever reason.£13 is not bad IMO.,but the entertainment has to be up too scratch . Edited June 16, 2013 by Fromafar

[MattK 3,447]

I don't think £17 is too much, if the meeting provides value for money. Now, I appreciate "value for money" is subjective and people have their own opinions, but for whatever reason the racing at Swindon this season has been generally quite poor, with most races won form the gate and very strung out.

 

On the other hand, I would have no qualms about paying £17 every week to watch what was served up at Somerset last Tuesday, if the Rebels were my team.

[Vince 9,458]

If Speedway is a £10 sport and the price is what will attract new spectators why are NL meetings run in front of one man and his dog? They are often at least as entertaining as EL or PL meetings, have the same facilities and despite the wobblers tag given by some on here (presumably those who haven't been!) the standard is high enough for times to only be a second or so a lap off the pace of the higher leagues. Is anybody else having problems with this forum where the return key isn't starting a new line? Anyway I think costs have to be reduced, preferably by increasing the number of home grown riders but to ensure survival rather than decrease admission costs.

[cowboy cookie returns? 747]

£17 would not be too much if the sport was run in a better way & your team of 7 were most of the time on track however to turn up & have 2 or 3 missing is just bonkers! As for the reason I don't go much is down to the rules the final straw being when the el changed the playoffs from the top 6 to top 4 half way through the season.

To survive the sport first of all needs to scrap the rule book & start again & I would run league matches over 16 heats & have a junior league programme with matches over 6 heats for the second half. In terms of guests these would be banned & cover would come from r/r & your junior team members just like the old nl days.

In terms of how the leagues would work I think a 18-20 team top league & the rest would form a 2nd division. This would have a fixed for ever points limit of 48 if using 16 heats or 45 if using 15 as this is what is required to draw a match.

Having a big league would mean no gp riders but this is about rebuilding the sport from ground up in the uk.

On the otherhand if you want to keep the el then you still need to re write the rule book go to a home match every 2 weeks & get someone like monster on board to fund it on a long term deal while also having a longterm eurosport or free to air tv deal to get it out in the public domain as muh a possible.

Am I crazy i'll let you decide! But I am someone who won't go week in week out in its present form.

 

£17 would not be too much if the sport was run in a better way & your team of 7 were most of the time on track however to turn up & have 2 or 3 missing is just bonkers! As for the reason I don't go much is down to the rules the final straw being when the el changed the playoffs from the top 6 to top 4 half way through the season.

To survive the sport first of all needs to scrap the rule book & start again & I would run league matches over 16 heats & have a junior league programme with matches over 6 heats for the second half. In terms of guests these would be banned & cover would come from r/r & your junior team members just like the old nl days.

In terms of how the leagues would work I think a 18-20 team top league & the rest would form a 2nd division. This would have a fixed for ever points limit of 48 if using 16 heats or 45 if using 15 as this is what is required to draw a match.

Having a big league would mean no gp riders but this is about rebuilding the sport from ground up in the uk.

On the otherhand if you want to keep the el then you still need to re write the rule book go to a home match every 2 weeks & get someone like monster on board to fund it on a long term deal while also having a longterm eurosport or free to air tv deal to get it out in the public domain as muh a possible.

Am I crazy i'll let you decide! But I am someone who won't go week in week out in its present form.