East End Fan 426 Posted March 4, 2018 As Moleman said, the Belle Vue Colts are subsidised by the senior team and it seems that they do not need to show a profit in order to survive. That is not the case for most other clubs, so no fair comparison can be made. To be fair, the admission price at most tracks bears comparison to other forms of entertainment and is a lot cheaper than some. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_martin 1,606 Posted March 4, 2018 7 hours ago, ouch said: It’s almost down to The Colts regular price but we let under 18’s in free. Well done though. In fact two adults and two 17 year olds can watch The Aces for £40 whereas when we come down to Brum to watch The Colts it will cost us £52. Ouch. How much do the Belle Vue promotion have to pay to rent the stadium? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_martin 1,606 Posted March 4, 2018 4 hours ago, WalterPlinge said: Think what he's trying to say is that Birmingham's "one match only reduced admission" is still way dearer that Belle Vue's standard admission For 2 adults and 2 17-year-olds to watch Birmingham v Belle Vue at Birmingham would cost them £52. For the same family to watch the same match in the plush surroundings of the NSS would cost them just £20. Exactly how many 17yo's go to watch the speedway with 2 adults? Most 17yo's want to be with other people their own age, not with mummy and daddy. That's a concept that speedway and most of the older generation speedway fans can't quite grasp. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WalterPlinge 657 Posted March 4, 2018 10 minutes ago, uk_martin said: Exactly how many 17yo's go to watch the speedway with 2 adults? Most 17yo's want to be with other people their own age, not with mummy and daddy. That's a concept that speedway and most of the older generation speedway fans can't quite grasp. The point he's trying to make is that anyone up to 18 can go to Belle Vue NL matches for free, and that the discounted "one off" prices for one Birmingham meeting are still considerably more expensive than any Belle Vue match of your choice all year. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aces51 2,778 Posted March 4, 2018 2 hours ago, East End Fan said: As Moleman said, the Belle Vue Colts are subsidised by the senior team and it seems that they do not need to show a profit in order to survive. That is not the case for most other clubs, so no fair comparison can be made. To be fair, the admission price at most tracks bears comparison to other forms of entertainment and is a lot cheaper than some. You would be correct if Belle Vue had made a profit last year but they didn't. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_martin 1,606 Posted March 5, 2018 14 hours ago, WalterPlinge said: The point he's trying to make is that anyone up to 18 can go to Belle Vue NL matches for free... And the very next post to yours says that Belle Vue made a loss last year, so letting everyone in for free doesn't work either, does it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest GiveusaB Posted March 5, 2018 I think that BV need to have lower prices, simply because they have 2 teams for their fans to support? They do well to keep 2 teams going, considering the sport's demise! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aces51 2,778 Posted March 5, 2018 18 minutes ago, GiveusaB said: I think that BV need to have lower prices, simply because they have 2 teams for their fans to support? They do well to keep 2 teams going, considering the sport's demise! They see it as a way to get people interested in the sport particularly, the younger generation. A night at the Colts for £20 for two adults and two under 18's is affordable for many families. The hope is they will give it a try, like what they see and then become fans and then as they discover more about the sport also support the Aces. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest GiveusaB Posted March 5, 2018 I imagine it's even harder to attract the younger generation when you have 2 highly successful football teams in the City! I guess that's one saving grace about 'Birmingham' ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WalterPlinge 657 Posted March 5, 2018 4 hours ago, uk_martin said: And the very next post to yours says that Belle Vue made a loss last year, so letting everyone in for free doesn't work either, does it? Didn't the new businessmen beind Belle Vue say that they didn't expect to make a profit in the first 2-3 years, and that they were in it for the long run? They're investing money now to see benefits in the future? Isn't this how proper business works? Didn't they also say crowds were up 30%? So clearly sensible pricing and trying to attract the kids does work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_martin 1,606 Posted March 5, 2018 17 minutes ago, WalterPlinge said: Didn't the new businessmen beind Belle Vue say that they didn't expect to make a profit in the first 2-3 years, and that they were in it for the long run? They're investing money now to see benefits in the future? Isn't this how proper business works? Didn't they also say crowds were up 30%? So clearly sensible pricing and trying to attract the kids does work. Time will tell. Of course fans applaud free admission. What fan wouldn't? Free stuff! Can't beat it. Be interesting to see the demographics of the increased numbers at BV. If there's been a 30% increase in attendance, then that, from my memory of the place, should mean an increase of about 300-500. So, were there really 300-500 extra teenagers on the terraces there? Was anyone doing the "proper business" thing of monitoring their customer base in order to better understand it? And of course, what will happen when the kid getting a freebie crosses over to the age when he/she has to dip into his/her pocket and actually pay for admission...how many of them carry on attending when they have to contribute to paying the bills of the business? As I said, time will tell. Belle Vue can (afford?) to do things their way according to their circumstances. Birmingham's circumstances are different, so the TwoMasons will do things their way, as they best see fit. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
East End Fan 426 Posted March 5, 2018 I was at Rye House some years ago and it seems that the week before they had let all fans in for free ( I believe they had a very good attendance, but that's only hearsay ). I remember the announcer asking if there was anyone in the crowd who had decided to come after enjoying the Freebie of the previous week. Not a single hand went up ! So that seemed to prove that free admission does NOT add people to the weekly gate.....There is an old thought in business...If it's free, it ain't worth anything ! I am curious about the suggestion that the new Belle Vue management are working on a 3 year plan to increase numbers. But Belle Vue have been running almost un-interrupted since 1928. I would have thought that the people of Manchester are fully aware of Speedway. Having said that, the new track/stadium IS very special and MIGHT prove to be the magic ingredient. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest GiveusaB Posted March 5, 2018 I think BV will attract more 'new' fans to the Prem meetings purely from a 'speed/entertainment' spectacle? imo....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aces51 2,778 Posted March 5, 2018 41 minutes ago, East End Fan said: I was at Rye House some years ago and it seems that the week before they had let all fans in for free ( I believe they had a very good attendance, but that's only hearsay ). I remember the announcer asking if there was anyone in the crowd who had decided to come after enjoying the Freebie of the previous week. Not a single hand went up ! So that seemed to prove that free admission does NOT add people to the weekly gate.....There is an old thought in business...If it's free, it ain't worth anything ! I am curious about the suggestion that the new Belle Vue management are working on a 3 year plan to increase numbers. But Belle Vue have been running almost un-interrupted since 1928. I would have thought that the people of Manchester are fully aware of Speedway. Having said that, the new track/stadium IS very special and MIGHT prove to be the magic ingredient. If only. At the recent fans forum both the management and fans commented on how often on seeing car stickers or Aces clothing being worn people ask if the speedway is still going, often saying they used to go. The Management are trying to improve the presence on social media and we are having a new website. They are also looking at billboard advertising but doing that or, radio advertising, which they tried last year doesn't come cheap. With limited resources it is a matter of trying to find the most effective way to spread the word. There's no easy answers to making people aware that the Aces are still running considering the TV exposure when the NSS opened and at the beginning of each season and the regular local media coverage. Either people don't watch the local TV newsor read the local press or it doesn't register with them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uk_martin 1,606 Posted March 5, 2018 Maybe the answer is to have a video game? BSPA18 perhaps? The speedway version of FIFA18? Certainly No-one who plays FIFA18 is unaware of football. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites