Phlipphlopp 3,913 Posted March 10, 2015 What recession ? People like Lucifer Sam still attends 50+ meetings a year with a lot of mileage , so either , we havent had a recession , or socialists arent doing so badly under the tories than they'd have us believe. Or maybe they are middle class denialists ? 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 10, 2015 Too many tracks are only accessible to car owners, years ago it was quite common to go to Belle Vue, Sheffield, Halifax and Odsal by public transport. Some people would visit at least two of them a week by public transport (I often did at times). Two of them are closed, one was replaced by a rubbish track, which leaves Sheffield. These days the costs are too high for everyone involved but I don't think the recession will further spoil things, as wages are starting to pick up. I think the biggest problem is that the sport in this country is trying to live beyond it's means, the only real answer is to not try and compete with other countries and adopt a more insular approach. Nothing much will happen in the foreseeable future though, it'll just stumble along much as now. Of course when there were six tracks in London, and if one lived there, it was possible to travel to all of them by London trains, buses and/or the underground. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
remembertheracers 171 Posted March 11, 2015 (edited) What recession ? People like Lucifer Sam still attends 50+ meetings a year with a lot of mileage , so either , we havent had a recession , or socialists arent doing so badly under the tories than they'd have us believe. Or maybe they are middle class denialists ? This govt is crap - end of politics. David Milliband or Blair v Boris - you may hate them but 3 top politicians. But that has little to do with it as bankers stay out of jail. I am going the cinema, very comfortable seat tomorrow = £5.72 Ice hockey season ticket £7.033 per game, good seat Neither get rained off, both have reasonable or comfortable seats. Speedway at £17 - forget it Edited March 11, 2015 by remembertheracers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 5,022 Posted March 11, 2015 £17 to watch EL speedway?£18 at Cov this year!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
customhouseregular 1,651 Posted March 11, 2015 Of course when there were six tracks in London, and if one lived there, it was possible to travel to all of them by London trains, buses and/or the underground. Spot on gustix...I did not drive but got to West Ham, Wimbledon and Hackney regularly. Also, I was not highly paid but speedway was affordable back then. I am now a 100 mile round trip from the nearest track, without a car and the cost of public transport (at least 2 buses and a train in every case) makes attending impossible. Lord knows how long it would take to get to a track and it would be the next day before I got home again. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AJK86 180 Posted March 11, 2015 I think main problem for Speedway and have mentioned this before, people want value for money and they quite simply get that elsewhere ! I go to Ice Hockey it costs £15 i get a comfy seat, i know it will be on and the night runs smoothly with plenty of choice for all ages.Football is expensive each game but they don't play a home game every week so kind of balances itself out cost wise.Speedway needs to offer more and be at a more affordable price, more so for newcomers, i don't need to be won over ! I love Speedway and will go until day i leave this planet but that won't help speedway in long run.We have to entice people away from the alternative options and give all ages a good night at the speedway, maybe a home meeting should be just every two weeks to make it easier to afford. If your a family trying to afford £50 quid a week plus i can imagine it would be hard and they no doubt pick and choose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cityrebel 2,960 Posted March 11, 2015 The problem is, the british public think that speedway is poor value for money and who can blame them. That is why we have very few younger fans coming through. Both of my kids have stopped going, but can't get enough of premier league football. They don't think twice about paying £40 for a ticket. Speedway is old hat and has very little chance of becoming fashionable again. Every time the admission price goes up, a few more fans stop going. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The White Knight 9,039 Posted March 11, 2015 The problem is, the british public think that speedway is poor value for money and who can blame them. That is why we have very few younger fans coming through. Both of my kids have stopped going, but can't get enough of premier league football. They don't think twice about paying £40 for a ticket. Speedway is old hat and has very little chance of becoming fashionable again. Every time the admission price goes up, a few more fans stop going. Sadly - that is so very true. We can only hope that some people at the top of Speedway see the light and attend to some of it's ills. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldtimer 340 Posted March 11, 2015 We are supposed to be coming out of the recession, but don't think it has anything to do with falling crowds, it's the product that needs changing, speedway keeps doing the same things that don't work, hoping things will change. Personally I want to be entertained more than 15 minutes, poor presentation and standing around for long periods with nothing happening or unnecessary intervals, interviews you can't hear and awful music won't bring back the crowds let alone newcomers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robert72 845 Posted March 11, 2015 The product is a massive problem at Leicester & the management don't seem to want to fix it. With so many top riders walking away including britains number one rider it says it all for speedways future in the uk. Speedway racing needs to improve and it needs to be cheaper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCB 0 Posted March 11, 2015 We are supposed to be coming out of the recession...... Technically we haven't been in recession for about 5 years! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
New Science 1,059 Posted March 11, 2015 I would like to pose some questions: With the amount of negativity to those who run Speedway in this Country, which is currently running at a very high level, and the necessity of having Promoters. How will they react to possible fall of Crowds and loss of revenue due to the Recession and even less disposable income for their Customers/Supporters? How will Speedway emerge from the Recession? The current Government are hell bent on pushing their Austerity Policies for another five years, if they get elected. With further 'Cuts' prophesied, what effect do you think this will have on our Sport? The current Austerity 'Cuts' appear to have had a very bad effect on Crowds over the last four years, with no improvement in the situation from Government - can things only get worse? Will people have less disposable income, or will the recovering Economy trigger an easing of the aforementioned 'Cuts'? If so, and if people feel better off - does anyone think that the Crowd levels will improve? Discuss. It seems fashionable these days for a failing business to simply blame the government for all its ills.The reason British speedway is a failing business is that the product is not good enough,often enough and is not good value for money.There is money around but people are just choosing not to spend it on watching British speedway.Went to Cheltenham races on Tuesday,,a record first day crowd of 63,000.Most sports are flourishing even in these times of recession,the reason speedway is not is nothing to do with the politics of the day ! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ch958 2,395 Posted March 12, 2015 It seems fashionable these days for a failing business to simply blame the government for all its ills.The reason British speedway is a failing business is that the product is not good enough,often enough and is not good value for money.There is money around but people are just choosing not to spend it on watching British speedway.Went to Cheltenham races on Tuesday,,a record first day crowd of 63,000.Most sports are flourishing even in these times of recession,the reason speedway is not is nothing to do with the politics of the day ! i wouldn't say it had nothing to do with it but i do accept your main point entirely. for example, if a man is unemployed - the unemployment rate is 100 pc for him - if someone has had a pay cut as i myself have the revival of the economy is meaningless because I'm 150 lighter every month and my bills have gone up yes the product needs improvement but if sufficient people have been affected by fiscal problems that has an effect too going to a speedway meeting more than once a month would be impossible for me 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teddy2706 166 Posted March 12, 2015 The original post questions are relevant and pertinent, but as none of us are individually able to influence how speedway is run, presented and marketed; why do any of us actually care about the answers? Promoters will do as they wish, alienate or attract fans, run the place into the ground or grow the business. It is out of our hands. Personally I never attend Elite league matches, I take in some attractive PL matches, but watch NL as a rule. The reasons: NL is unpredictable, exciting, raw, ragged and cheap. PL is professional, fast, usually exciting, I have to travel farther to watch, so is less cheap, but has many teams, so interesting matches can be chosen carefully. However, if you want good value for money, go and watch a days Grasstrack or MX for a similar amount to ninety minutes of speedway. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucifer sam 3,953 Posted March 12, 2015 What recession ? People like Lucifer Sam still attends 50+ meetings a year with a lot of mileage , so either , we havent had a recession , or socialists arent doing so badly under the tories than they'd have us believe. Or maybe they are middle class denialists ? Hey, don't drag me into your argument. All the best Rob 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
