Seriously

[The White Knight]

How do they get away with increasing prices for a semi final anyway. No the wonder people are slowly drifting away from Speedway, fleecing the punters is certainly not encouraging the public to attend.

These days, when money is tight, to say the least, it just makes the Promoters look like money grabbing sharks. They should be rewarding their loyal Supporters with discounts, not making them pay through the nose.

I don't agree with the 'play offs' anyway, but this takes the biscuit.

[mikebv]

43 minutes ago, Gavan said:

I doubt many Ipswich fans would go to Manchester on a Monday night with the home leg on Thursday and who can blame them … same maybe said for Belle Vue on Thursday they might not travel as it isn’t the final 

 

As I mentioned before...

Around 150 Aces fans attended the first leg of the POSF a couple of years ago on the Thursday at Foxhall...

It seems there is a lack of belief in how important the competition actually is nowadays, such is the amount of apathy shown by so many not attending from both teams last night..

Given how the sport is ran, I cannot blame them, however, it must be worrying for promoters when even semi finals cannot get enough people interested from both sides..

Weather permitting, I am sure Ipswich will get a decent crowd, but I don't think 150 Aces fans will be there this time...

[CrystalCastles]

6 hours ago, mikebv said:

I would estimate about 2000 Max...

The mainstand was about half full (900 or so), with possibly over 1000 on the back straight (there was still loads of room there)...

There was the usual lack of local promoting of the play offs, however, I believe Granada Reports mentioned it at around half six, (just over an hour before start!)...

Amazed people didn't put their teas down and get themselves down there!!!

I have only been once this season so I got there around 6.45 to try and get a space on Kirky Lane, (as I remember these spaces usually get filled quickly), and half the road was available, which tended to suggest there and then that the crowd wasn't going to be "bumper"..

I have said many times, Speedway needs to find a way to get Away Fans in attendance in decent numbers...

There may have been Witches fans there last night but they were few and far between...

Ironically, given the home crowd levels, the Aces do take a decent following away and I remember around 150 or more at Ipswich a couple of seasons ago for the first leg of the POSF..

And obviously 400 or so at Sheffield and around 300 at Leicester when they won their recent titles..

150 Witches fans, either sat together or stood together, would have given the meeting the feeling of being an "event", (that a POSF should be seen as), rather than the mundane, run of the mill, evening it ended up being..

No idea why clubs don't subsidise Away Fans admission (huge reductions), given so very few go now..

It would raise the atmosphere levels massively...

Some very easy and workable solutions based on lots of other sports. But they are as ever miles behind the curve.

Football decided to do something with price capping for away fans

Cricket counties let away members get in for free, to some games.

Too much self interest in promotions, but what they should be looking to do is centralising & discounting tickets.

It took them years to realise that streaming was a good idea.

5 minutes ago, mikebv said:

As I mentioned before...

Around 150 Aces fans attended the first leg of the POSF a couple of years ago on the Thursday at Foxhall...

It seems there is a lack of belief in how important the competition actually is nowadays, such is the amount of apathy shown by so many not attending from both teams last night..

Given how the sport is ran, I cannot blame them, however, it must be worrying for promoters when even semi finals cannot get enough people interested from both sides..

Weather permitting, I am sure Ipswich will get a decent crowd, but I don't think 150 Aces fans will be there this time...

Play offs are only really appealing when the result has a degree of uncertainty on it.

As you say can't really blame fans if they don't go, changeable weather, a team you see multiple times & the result is going to predictable.

Whole competition needs radical change.

 

 

[CrystalCastles]

59 minutes ago, The White Knight said:

How do they get away with increasing prices for a semi final anyway. No the wonder people are slowly drifting away from Speedway, fleecing the punters is certainly not encouraging the public to attend.

These days, when money is tight, to say the least, it just makes the Promoters look like money grabbing sharks. They should be rewarding their loyal Supporters with discounts, not making them pay through the nose.

I don't agree with the 'play offs' anyway, but this takes the biscuit.

I haven't been since Swindon/Somerset shut.

I have mixed feelings about the Ticket pricing, business wise dynamic pricing is becoming a 'norm' so it doesn't really surprise me that they try and cash in on Play Offs.

Other comments really highlight why fans have many reasons for giving it a miss.

That tends to lead to lots of businesses increasing prices to attempt to recover lost some of the revenue from smaller crowds.

Long term i think it is damaging.

Especially as Promotions never seem to do anything to make it more of an event or spectacle.

At some point in the next years, Speedway will hit a ceiling point where it prices itself out of fans. 

 

 

 

[secsy1]

The unnecessary price increase highlight's how detached from a professional business acumen these people are.

Speedway is done and dusted in this country.

R.I.P. BRITISH SPEEDWAY.  

[IainB]

1 hour ago, CrystalCastles said:

It took them years to realise that streaming was a good idea.

I don't think the ever did, wasn't it down to Martin Hunter and Ben Duffil approaching them with the idea instead of the other way around?

[Sir Sidney]

3 hours ago, The White Knight said:

How do they get away with increasing prices for a semi final anyway. No the wonder people are slowly drifting away from Speedway, fleecing the punters is certainly not encouraging the public to attend.

These days, when money is tight, to say the least, it just makes the Promoters look like money grabbing sharks. They should be rewarding their loyal Supporters with discounts, not making them pay through the nose.

I don't agree with the 'play offs' anyway, but this takes the biscuit.

It's common practice in other sports to charge different prices for different grade matches- speedway is probably slow on the uptake! And that's without the model of 'dynamic pricing' where ticket prices vary for the same sections based on demand.

I'm not saying I agree with it, but I doubt that is the reason people are drifting away. Perceived value for money is a much bigger issue. 

[IainB]

24 minutes ago, Sir Sidney said:

the model of 'dynamic pricing' where ticket prices vary for the same sections based on demand.

What about when there's clearly no demand? Put the prices up 😂

[Sir Sidney]

8 hours ago, IainB said:

What about when there's clearly no demand? Put the prices up 😂

Using dynamic pricing it woukd go down - so don't expect British Speedway to use that. 

[SJA]

17 hours ago, PhilTheAce said:

Weirdly aswell, it’s always the padded most expensive seats that always sells out 😂

Which demonstrates that price is a red herring when people talk about what to do to attract more people to watch the sport live. 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

21 hours ago, secsy1 said:

I have heard that Belle Vue increased admission prices for yesterdays Semi Final Play off match against Ipswich.

Can anyone clarify if that is correct and if so why?

And I believe the car park price too 

[PersonalResponsibility]

Dear me, I accept that I'm tight and have difficulty parting with my hard earned...but twenty seven English pounds to stand on a terrace and watch a British speedway meeting? Mental.

[Sir Sidney]

23 minutes ago, PersonalResponsibility said:

Dear me, I accept that I'm tight and have difficulty parting with my hard earned...but twenty seven English pounds to stand on a terrace and watch a British speedway meeting? Mental.

And perhaps that sums up one of British Speedway's biggest challenges - persuading our current fan base to part with entry fees that other sports would see as a bargain. 

Just as an example, and not in particular to compare to football, Manchester City's ticket prices for this year ( which also vary by category of team / competition) below

Adult

 

Category A: £40-£60

 

Category B: £35 - £55

 

Category -C £30 - £50

 

And Manchester United

 

Ticket categories are listed below: 

 

- Cat D £32 - £52 (cup fixtures only)

- Cat -C £37 - £60 (2 x PL fixtures)

- Cat B: £57 - £86 (11 x PL fixtures)

- Cat A: £59 - £97 (6 x PL fixtures)

 

Less than 1% of tickets will be priced at highest Cat A price point of £97.

 

 

Edited 9 hours ago by Sir Sidney

[PersonalResponsibility]

1 hour ago, Sir Sidney said:

And perhaps that sums up one of British Speedway's biggest challenges - persuading our current fan base to part with entry fees that other sports would see as a bargain. 

Just as an example, and not in particular to compare to football, Manchester City's ticket prices for this year ( which also vary by category of team / competition) below

Adult

 

Category A: £40-£60

 

Category B: £35 - £55

 

Category -C £30 - £50

 

And Manchester United

 

Ticket categories are listed below: 

 

- Cat D £32 - £52 (cup fixtures only)

- Cat -C £37 - £60 (2 x PL fixtures)

- Cat B: £57 - £86 (11 x PL fixtures)

- Cat A: £59 - £97 (6 x PL fixtures)

 

Less than 1% of tickets will be priced at highest Cat A price point of £97.

 

 

I agree. It's probably a combination, for me at least, of football always being quite a 'premier' event to attend (at least top level football) and speedway slowly creeping up from ~£13 to £27.

I think my biggest obstacle is the uncertainty in what you're going to get. If I go to a top-level football game, although I might watch a boring game, it's in a nice stadium, the atmosphere is usually good, and the top players are, in the main, guaranteed to be playing. Similar to a big music gig.

If I go to a British speedway meeting I'd get no nice stadium, close to zero atmosphere mostly, and maybe 4/5 top riders across both sides.

When you add in that track conditions being bad can wipe out nearly any racing, the venue entertainment is often abysmal, etc. then it just makes you question if £27 is really worth it?

My view is probably skewed, though, because I don't have a local track. I think I'd probably (un)happily spend £20 a week if I did, because I'd have a team to support and some skin in the game. As it is, I just pick and choose as a neutral and that's when you realise that it's mostly poor value.

[mikebv]

4 hours ago, SJA said:

Which demonstrates that price is a red herring when people talk about what to do to attract more people to watch the sport live. 

The padded seats are home, in the main, to the ST holders, who have to purchase tickets for the PO's...

Many would have purchased their usual seats...

[Fromafar]

16 hours ago, Sir Sidney said:

It's common practice in other sports to charge different prices for different grade matches- speedway is probably slow on the uptake! And that's without the model of 'dynamic pricing' where ticket prices vary for the same sections based on demand.

I'm not saying I agree with it, but I doubt that is the reason people are drifting away. Perceived value for money is a much bigger issue. 

Putting prices up won’t solve the value for money issue.

Mondays meeting was mediocre and won’t have them flocking back.

The difference in the standard of riders will always make League Meetings ordinary .IMO 

Great Racetrack though.

 

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Fromafar

[Sir Sidney]

9 minutes ago, Fromafar said:

Putting prices up won’t solve the value for money issue.

Mondays meeting was mediocre and won’t have them flocking back.

The difference in the standard of riders will always make League Meetings ordinary .IMO 

Great Racetrack though.

 

 

 

I don't disagree. I'm simply illustrating that other sports already do the same. There are a whole host of things that clubs could do to make meetings more of an event and greater value for money - most of which have been floated on here any number of times. There is endless free information available on the internet that shows tried and trusted methods used by other sports to engage fans and grow crowds. For whatever reason most clubs ignore that

It may well be that the lesser difference in standard between riders is why some people prefer the Championship to the Premiership.  

[orion]

20 hours ago, Hawk127 said:

Agree but the way it works, Poland calls the tune and if you are a rider in both leagues and Poland is paying top dollar, one you will not ride in the UK or be allowed to ride by your Polish team and two you will not take any risks if the Polish team can claw back money. The answer to achieve what you suggest is to ride these matches in October but then you are at the mercy of the weather. It is what it is and the UK version has capitulated to Poland and it is unlikely that the sport will get back to what it used to be to be in the foreseeable future. Poland dominates and that is it and until the UK presents a professional package with top quality sponsors, a t v deal that promotes the sport to a wider audience and the promoters get off the backsides and promote so that the spectators who can create an atmosphere turn up in the numbers that you see in Poland, it will continue to be the poor relation. Sadly U K speedway does not create any interest amongst Joe Public.

How many times can  this guy say  Poland....

[cowboy cookie returns?]

5 hours ago, Sir Sidney said:

And perhaps that sums up one of British Speedway's biggest challenges - persuading our current fan base to part with entry fees that other sports would see as a bargain. 

Just as an example, and not in particular to compare to football, Manchester City's ticket prices for this year ( which also vary by category of team / competition) below

Adult

 

Category A: £40-£60

 

Category B: £35 - £55

 

Category -C £30 - £50

 

And Manchester United

 

Ticket categories are listed below: 

 

- Cat D £32 - £52 (cup fixtures only)

- Cat -C £37 - £60 (2 x PL fixtures)

- Cat B: £57 - £86 (11 x PL fixtures)

- Cat A: £59 - £97 (6 x PL fixtures)

 

Less than 1% of tickets will be priced at highest Cat A price point of £97.

 

 

That’s to watch a professional product in a competition that actually brings kudos & means something to win it. I doubt they would pay that much if half the team doubled up in the championship & used guests to cover injuries.
 

A far cry from British Speedway. If British speedway was attracting full houses & had people waiting on List’s & ballots to get tickets they could probably warrant higher prices. At the moment for many people 24 quid isn’t attractive let alone 27 for what is on offer.

[Hawk127]

1 hour ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

That’s to watch a professional product in a competition that actually brings kudos & means something to win it. I doubt they would pay that much if half the team doubled up in the championship & used guests to cover injuries.
 

A far cry from British Speedway. If British speedway was attracting full houses & had people waiting on List’s & ballots to get tickets they could probably warrant higher prices. At the moment for many people 24 quid isn’t attractive let alone 27 for what is on offer.

Another issue is, it is now the business end of the season in Poland and the GPs so no rider is going to possibly jeopardise either becoming potential world champion or risk not winning the league or retaining a place in the upper league in Poland. They pay the riders top dollar and can make demands on them to protect the Polish product and t v rights with t v companies seemingly contributing handsomely to the coffers of Polish speedway across the board. Not sure what the answer is but UK speedway is not in a position to exploit an event to the detriment of the punters attending who are at odds with what is on offer and now pick and choose the meetings they attend because the product has become tired and in some cases boring. Those who want to exploit the punter are not looking at the bigger picture and are possibly driving the sport into oblivion.