BERWICK v GLASGOW (BSN) April 15th - 7pm

[mikebv 10,292]

2 hours ago, bloom89 said:

Personally I think this is a bit of a stupid statement, If the promotion can only break even by lumping £5 on the admission prices then maybe they should cut there cloth accordingly too and maybe only run NDL if they can't afford it. In times when some people have to decide between heating there home or eating meals and your going on like £5 is nothing that £5 could be vitally important to some people and if the choice was to keep a roof over my head or lose speedway then I think I know what 99% of people would choose. 

The 2nd Tier has caused issues for itself by running teams full of Div 1 HL's and SS's for the past few years. (They even had at one stage last season the Div 1 Number One rider in the averages topping their own averages too)..

Even at a "reduced rate" v their top league money, teams will still be more costly to run than the standard team level from say a decade ago..

The added issue this year is that more top names have come back to the top league which you can only think will reduce the earning potential in Div 1 of several established double uppers, so I would imagine they will want a good deal in Div 2 to help offset that, and with a "weaker" Div 2, they could score more points than in previous years..

And once the Pandora's box of the majority of riders double upping and downing was opened you cannot suddenly shut it..

When you set your price position for what you sell, solely based on covering the costs of your operating model, rather than what your customers are willing to pay for your goods, then it usually doesnt end well..

 

[Fromafar 10,375]

36 minutes ago, mikebv said:

The 2nd Tier has caused issues for itself by running teams full of Div 1 HL's and SS's for the past few years. (They even had at one stage last season the Div 1 Number One rider in the averages topping their own averages too)..

Even at a "reduced rate" v their top league money, teams will still be more costly to run than the standard team level from say a decade ago..

The added issue this year is that more top names have come back to the top league which you can only think will reduce the earning potential in Div 1 of several established double uppers, so I would imagine they will want a good deal in Div 2 to help offset that, and with a "weaker" Div 2, they could score more points than in previous years..

And once the Pandora's box of the majority of riders double upping and downing was opened you cannot suddenly shut it..

When you set your price position for what you sell, solely based on covering the costs of your operating model, rather than what your customers are willing to pay for your goods, then it usually doesnt end well..

 

Even the pay rates in NDL are probably causing financial  difficulties in some Clubs,a good percentage of the riders are really just talking advantage of easy money for what is now a hobby.£14 to watch NDL at Berwick don’t think that will attract big crowds and Double Headers prices might not help attract any more.The ideal of producing new young talent is commendable but  not at these prices IMO.

[tyretrax 2,253]

6 hours ago, Normski said:

was Dick there lol i thought it was Norman Collier on the mic

Agreed Norman, the PA was inaudible on the back straight.

[damosuzuki 696]

Minimum wage is now over £10. There's no way speedway is going to come Down in price. It's cheap for a pro motorsports as it is. 

 

 

[Fromafar 10,375]

8 minutes ago, damosuzuki said:

Minimum wage is now over £10. There's no way speedway is going to come Down in price. It's cheap for a pro motorsports as it is. 

 

 

There no way the crowds will be rising though.

[mikebv 10,292]

7 hours ago, damosuzuki said:

Minimum wage is now over £10. There's no way speedway is going to come Down in price. It's cheap for a pro motorsports as it is. 

 

 

At the very highest level it is, £29 to watch a GP is terrific value for money..

Not sure the same can be said about the lower tiers of the sport domestically when weighed up against that..

The top tier racing costs circa £20 to stand for a concession, and you get you see GP riders, so to charge similar for the 2nd tier is taking a risk I would say..

 

[Bandit59 1,151]

8 hours ago, damosuzuki said:

Minimum wage is now over £10. There's no way speedway is going to come Down in price. It's cheap for a pro motorsports as it is. 

 

 

For 15 minutes racing?

[Wee Eck 703]

1 hour ago, Bandit59 said:

For 15 minutes 

[Wee Eck 703]

10 hours ago, mikebv said:

The 2nd Tier has caused issues for itself by running teams full of Div 1 HL's and SS's for the past few years. (They even had at one stage last season the Div 1 Number One rider in the averages topping their own averages too)..

I’m struggling with this one. Which rider topped both averages? I can only think of Sam Masters

[lisa-colette 6,035]

33 minutes ago, Wee Eck said:

I’m struggling with this one. Which rider topped both averages? I can only think of Sam Masters

Yeah was Sam Masters. Don't think anyone else did it. Think at one point last season he had higher average than Doyle in Prem. 

[wtf 621]

The whole concessions thing I find interesting. ONS statistics show that the age groups with the highest levels of disposable income are the 55-65 and 65-75 age range. Obviously they also have the most capital too, but just based on disposable income, that's the case. I understand the concept of concessions and the fact that they've been there historically, but your asking a business to give a discount to those who can most afford to buy its product. (however shoddy you may think that product is). The best fun however is going to be now watching some of the over 65s amongst us have a meltdown and demonstrate that they are just as "entitled" as the GEN Z they moan about so much.

Every group can and will take offence at anything that affects them. Speedway goes up by a couple of quid and everyone moans like f##k, yet what's happened to your weekly shop or you heating bills. Costs of operating a stadium have gone up similarly, rents, energy etc. Riders wages from what I've seen haven't increased this year over any other, except in the case where quality has increased with some foreign additions. 

Where speedway has to improve is that however much it charges it has to be perceived by it's customers as "good value". They have to improve the entertainment, so people feel it's worth the price they are paying. They've gone and spent a load of money on transponders that do nothing, don't work, and add nothing to the show, yet can't be bothered to spend a couple of hundred quid on a centre green clock for the 2 and 1 minute countdowns. 

[Bandit59 1,151]

5 minutes ago, wtf said:

The whole concessions thing I find interesting. ONS statistics show that the age groups with the highest levels of disposable income are the 55-65 and 65-75 age range. Obviously they also have the most capital too, but just based on disposable income, that's the case. I understand the concept of concessions and the fact that they've been there historically, but your asking a business to give a discount to those who can most afford to buy its product. (however shoddy you may think that product is). The best fun however is going to be now watching some of the over 65s amongst us have a meltdown and demonstrate that they are just as "entitled" as the GEN Z they moan about so much.

Every group can and will take offence at anything that affects them. Speedway goes up by a couple of quid and everyone moans like f##k, yet what's happened to your weekly shop or you heating bills. Costs of operating a stadium have gone up similarly, rents, energy etc. Riders wages from what I've seen haven't increased this year over any other, except in the case where quality has increased with some foreign additions. 

Where speedway has to improve is that however much it charges it has to be perceived by it's customers as "good value". They have to improve the entertainment, so people feel it's worth the price they are paying. They've gone and spent a load of money on transponders that do nothing, don't work, and add nothing to the show, yet can't be bothered to spend a couple of hundred quid on a centre green clock for the 2 and 1 minute countdowns. 

Not every pensioner is minted

[Fromafar 10,375]

20 minutes ago, wtf said:

The whole concessions thing I find interesting. ONS statistics show that the age groups with the highest levels of disposable income are the 55-65 and 65-75 age range. Obviously they also have the most capital too, but just based on disposable income, that's the case. I understand the concept of concessions and the fact that they've been there historically, but your asking a business to give a discount to those who can most afford to buy its product. (however shoddy you may think that product is). The best fun however is going to be now watching some of the over 65s amongst us have a meltdown and demonstrate that they are just as "entitled" as the GEN Z they moan about so much.

Every group can and will take offence at anything that affects them. Speedway goes up by a couple of quid and everyone moans like f##k, yet what's happened to your weekly shop or you heating bills. Costs of operating a stadium have gone up similarly, rents, energy etc. Riders wages from what I've seen haven't increased this year over any other, except in the case where quality has increased with some foreign additions. 

Where speedway has to improve is that however much it charges it has to be perceived by it's customers as "good value". They have to improve the entertainment, so people feel it's worth the price they are paying. They've gone and spent a load of money on transponders that do nothing, don't work, and add nothing to the show, yet can't be bothered to spend a couple of hundred quid on a centre green clock for the 2 and 1 minute countdowns. 

We all know the “ Concessions” and “Good Value” have been done to death.The rider”wages” are the subject that are causing the Promotions the biggest headaches IMO.Are they paying over the odds regarding their income.Nobody will ever know.Supporters Clubs fund raising is keeping a few Clubs afloat.

You have ask why the Sport is not attracting younger fans in any great numbers..

PS

Your statistics maybe correct but Pensioners that attend still have “ their marbles” and maybe think they are being taken for granted.Time will tell.

[marko 956]

Been saying it for years.

Reduce costs on the bikes and riders will be able to take a points money pay cut and still earn more than they are now.

Thats less money for the promoter to pay out so they could use that to reduce admission prices or keep the prices as they are BUT put that money back into the speedway by way of track covers or improving the drainage etc

We have to get more youngsters involved but they won’t with the costs needed to get setup, if we had more youngsters coming through some will turn out to be good riders and fill the teams out better or possibly take the place of a average riders who requires a lot of finance to travel from abroad.

[mikebv 10,292]

15 minutes ago, marko said:

Been saying it for years.

Reduce costs on the bikes and riders will be able to take a points money pay cut and still earn more than they are now.

Thats less money for the promoter to pay out so they could use that to reduce admission prices or keep the prices as they are BUT put that money back into the speedway by way of track covers or improving the drainage etc

We have to get more youngsters involved but they won’t with the costs needed to get setup, if we had more youngsters coming through some will turn out to be good riders and fill the teams out better or possibly take the place of a average riders who requires a lot of finance to travel from abroad.

Choosing to use Div One HL's (and plenty of them), in the 2nd Tier has no doubt bumped up the costs of the 2nd tier teams, hence Newcastle struggled to compete at an affordable level...

With other teams getting propped up significantly by well meaning fans/promoters, with very deep pockets..

By targeting your most loyal customers for a significant increase you undoubtedly are running a high risk strategy...

You only have to look around the stadiums to see the highest age demographic of followers and these people will have, in the vast majority of  cases, been followers for decades.. 

Hopefully the right thing to do for their business...