Scunthorpe Scorpions V Peterborough Panthers ( S G B Championship) - Sunday, August 20th (5.30pm)

[Crump99 4,476]

It is strange that even when it's free not many people take up the offer. Once the die hard lemmings are gone, so is league speedway, and looking at most crowds, most die hards are very much on their way to being gone .

 

Even the glory hunters only tend to take one look:

 

Bratters adds - "I will never forget that the 2006 Grand Final, arguably the greatest modern day meeting ever, watched live by over 6000 people and by thousands more at home, was followed by a Craven Shield fixture attended by less than 700 people. If that Grand Final won’t pull people in, then what will?!?!"

 

I seem to recall that it was Belle Vue though and at that time you'd struggle to cross the road when Belle Vue, Eastbourne or Lakeside were in town!

 

 

 

 

[Baldyman 6,243]

Strange sport speedway. My team are doing well and I've more or less stopped going. I think I've been to one of the last eight.

[jenga 2,998]

good job torin gave ged a sweetner , now how about one for the fans ?

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

It is strange that even when it's free not many people take up the offer. Once the die hard lemmings are gone, so is league speedway, and looking at most crowds, most die hards are very much on their way to being gone .

 

That's not necessarily true. For the Belle Vue v Wolverhampton meeting, there was a lot of promotion and a £10 entry.

 

The crowd was over 2,500, by far the biggest of the season and probably double the normal attendance.

 

 

Bratters always worth a read on such occasions:

 

During my time at Peterborough, I have done everything humanly possible to attract newcomers to our sport and all I might add on little or no budget. I have presented to over 2500 kids in various schools road show initiatives, I have invited and hosted whole organisations along for free and whole streets along for free. I have put up banners and posters, I have given away 1000’s of (sponsored) car stickers and more kids goodie bags than you can shake a stick at. I have offered free admission to members of the thriving local Polish club (one person came – once), 2 for 1 offers, Kids for a quid and Kids for free. We have on occasions been overrun by hundreds of Scout groups and I have undertaken umpteen radio interviews and quite a few local TV vox pops. I have put leaflets in newspapers, I have put leaflets through letterboxes, I have handed leaflets out in shopping malls and I have put 1000’s of leaflets on cars (with apologies to the owner of the Blue Vauxhall Astra in the Peterborough Railway Station Car Park in September 2007, honestly, it really did come off in my hand, so it must have already been broken). You name it and I’ve pretty much done it and all the time, our attendances have remained constant. Constantly poor. A successful team will bring you big crowds, but this is only a short term fix and as all Speedway aficionados’ know, and only to well, success in Speedway will never happen, year on year, it can’t, for the sport would simply die.

 

from 2010 Bratters' final Panthers blog on "Lovespeedway24"

 

 

 

Again, its not necessarily true. Isle of Wight's aggressive marketing strategy has produced impressive attendances over the summer and will probably mean that the track is safe for the future - and that's despite having poor on track results.

 

You can argue that their crowds are seasonal (and you'd be right) but I can say with some certainty that their gates are four fold bigger than those of the previous promotion at the same time.

 

The other thing is that you can do all the promotion you like but if the experience is poor, people won't come back. Isle of Wight have attracted a massive (and totally deserved) reputation for customer care that stands out against some of the surly, hostile, couldn't give a toss speedway management that exists out there and that's simply by treating a paying punter as someone who they desperately want to return. They have set a standard that others equally desperately need to copy.

 

It says everything that the Island is probably 350 miles from my home but aside from local tracks I'll go there more than anywhere else.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Halifaxtiger

[Baldyman 6,243]

Maybe some clubs are scared of offering a lower entrance fee, just in case they lose money?? And if it worked for belle vue, which it obviously did, do they now do it every week, or was it a one off?? I'm gonna guess at one off and the crowd is back to be its usual. So that begs the question, why didn't they carry it on, ya never know, some may have stayed in the habit? Who knows. could speedway work as a tenner sport??

 

I can't ever remember the club I follow ever giving a penny off.

Edited August 26, 2017 by baldyman

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

Maybe some clubs are scared of offering a lower entrance fee, just in case they lose money?? And if it worked for belle vue, which it obviously did, do they now do it every week, or was it a one off?? I'm gonna guess at one off and the crowd is back to be its usual. So that begs the question, why didn't they carry it on, ya never know, some may have stayed in the habit? Who knows. could speedway work as a tenner sport??

 

I can't ever remember the club I follow ever giving a penny off.

 

I think that's dead right and, to be fair, you have to increase your crowd a fair bit if you cut entry prices. At best its a gamble and its been tried many times, usually to the cost of the promotion.

 

I think Belle Vue did it bang on because it was a one off (they haven't done it since) to get people in and hope that they stay. Decent opposition, tv cameras, good promotion and a cut price produced the desired result.