Coventry Storm V King's Lynn Friday 13th May

[teddy2706 166]

I would say crowd was more like 450

Goodness knows where they were hiding if that is a true figure?

[Gemini 4,894]

Quite a lot of fans like to view from the upstairs bar so they're not visible. I'll take my binoculars next time and do a proper count being as the Storm attendances seem to draw a lot of attention.

[topsoil 2,498]

The attendance figures at Coventry Storm do seem to have drawn a lot of attention lately. But for National League teams belonging to Premier / Elite League teams the attendance figures are not the primary concern, that is to being on home grown riders to supply the main team. I realise there is a point where it may not become financially viable to run a National League team if losses are incurred, but surely the promotion would have thought of this beforehand. The National League team isn't there to make money, the "savings" comes in the future, when you have a group of local riders (hopefully) serving the Elite / Premier team.

That said, I would have thought that if it was scheduled correctly, the National League meetings could be run on the nights where the main team are either away or don't have a fixture due to GP weekends, thus giving the fans their weekly diet of speedway. It may also be the place for the owners to try out a number of promotional ideas, to get crowd numbers up.

I have a lot of time for the likes of Coventry, Kings Lynn, Rye House, teams who run National League teams as well as the main team. I think the sport would be in a far healthier state if every team had their own feeder teams in place. That way we would be producing a lot more local riders, who fans and sponsors could relate a lot more to, than going to the expense of flying in riders from all over Europe each week.

[solrac 313]

Agreed. Fair play to any club that puts out a NL team in addition to an EL team.

 

Attendances are bound to be relatively poor in relation to stand alone clubs like Birmingham, Kent, Eastbourne etc..

 

The NL is in good health at the moment, long may it continue that way.

[Woz01 3,589]

Quite a lot of fans like to view from the upstairs bar so they're not visible. I'll take my binoculars next time and do a proper count being as the Storm attendances seem to draw a lot of attention.

The Eastbourne match there was around 50 fans in the bar, most of the seats inside were taken. I was staggered when people suggested only 100 showed up. There was quite a bit more than 100 cars in the car park! Id have said 300.

[teddy2706 166]

Whilst I agree with the sentiments regarding EL/PL teams running NL sides, Rob Godfrey has dabbled with it on occasions and isn't at present. He seems to have his hands full attracting sufficient bums on seats for PL meetings?

 

I certainly didn't think the bar was packed for the Storm/KL fixture because I was sitting right in front of it.

 

I get the impression that my observations regarding poor crowds are regarded as somehow derogatory or negative?

That isn't my intention, but it is intended to be an alarm bell to all of us who are stakeholders in speedway who aren't, at present, attending live speedway for whatever reason.

 

As an old Station Rd and Dudley Wood Rd spectator, I know that once the facility is lost, it can stay lost for a very long time.

This is why I cannot understand some promotions alienating their support base.

[speedibee 3,091]

 

 

 

The attendance figures at Coventry Storm do seem to have drawn a lot of attention lately. But for National League teams belonging to Premier / Elite League teams the attendance figures are not the primary concern, that is to being on home grown riders to supply the main team. I realise there is a point where it may not become financially viable to run a National League team if losses are incurred, but surely the promotion would have thought of this beforehand. The National League team isn't there to make money, the "savings" comes in the future, when you have a group of local riders (hopefully) serving the Elite / Premier team.

That said, I would have thought that if it was scheduled correctly, the National League meetings could be run on the nights where the main team are either away or don't have a fixture due to GP weekends, thus giving the fans their weekly diet of speedway. It may also be the place for the owners to try out a number of promotional ideas, to get crowd numbers up.

I have a lot of time for the likes of Coventry, Kings Lynn, Rye House, teams who run National League teams as well as the main team. I think the sport would be in a far healthier state if every team had their own feeder teams in place. That way we would be producing a lot more local riders, who fans and sponsors could relate a lot more to, than going to the expense of flying in riders from all over Europe each week.

Since January this year , national league teams are not allowed assets , so promoters are not saving anything in the future , and NL teams are not making anything from providing opportunities and training