Sgp/swc Official Attendances

[TwoMinuteWarning]

Attendance figures for the 2006 GP's and World Cup Finals have been released by the F.I.M:

 

SGP

Krsko 7,000

Wroclaw 24,500

Eskilstuna 8,000

Cardiff 40,000

Copenhagen 24,892

Lonigo 4,500

Malilla 12,500

Prague 9,000

Daugavpils 9,000

Bydgoszcz 17,000

 

SWC Finals at Reading

Race-Off 2,800

Final 4,500

 

If you want to see how this compares with previous attendances since 1999, go to:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/speedway3/extra9.htm

[Rob B]

Am surprised Prague was that low and that Daugavpils was that high.

[iris123]

Copenhagen seem to be the only ones that issue a real figure,rather than a rough one

[21st century heathen]

That's disappointing for Cardiff, although still by a long way the best supported meeting in world speedway.

 

I too would have thought Prague would be higher. Certainly over 10,000.

 

A strange pattern that's immediately obvious is a general dip in attendance throughout 2004. Why was that?

[Kevin Meynell]

A strange pattern that's immediately obvious is a general dip in attendance throughout 2004.  Why was that?

 

The figures are suspiciously round, so I suspect were even lower than claimed. The reason... well I think the novelty of the SGP has started to wear-off. Too many rounds, too little variety, and a foregone conclusion as to the outcome.

[Subedei]

The figures are suspiciously round, so I suspect were even lower than claimed. The reason... well I think the novelty of the SGP has started to wear-off. Too many rounds, too little variety, and a foregone conclusion as to the outcome.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

But Cardiff gets bigger every year, doesn't it?

I think you have a point young Meynell. If Crump rides away into the distance again, I think interest could go downhill very rapidly. I mean, leaving aside Krsko and Bydgoszcz, the GPs were of a very poor standard in 2006. The SWC is a far more engaging spectacle and more compelling by far.

Adding new GPs seems little more than a desperate attempt to regain the initiative.

Edited January 3, 2007 by Subedei

[Trees]

But Cardiff gets bigger every year, doesn't it?

Not officially

[21st century heathen]

The figures are suspiciously round, so I suspect were even lower than claimed. The reason... well I think the novelty of the SGP has started to wear-off. Too many rounds, too little variety, and a foregone conclusion as to the outcome.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I was talking about a general in dip in 2004 alone. If you at the past stats, there's a clear dip at most GP's that year. Attendances recover for 2005 and 2006.

 

You're right that they've clearly been rounded up to the nearest sensible number.

 

Too many rounds? It's about right IMO.

 

The variety of tracks is there, sadly the track prep. is generally poor.

 

You can hardly blame BSI for a rider being as good as TRick has been, and Crump last season.

 

But Cardiff gets bigger every year, doesn't it?

I think you have a point young Meynell. If Crump rides away into the distance again, I think interest could go downhill very rapidly. I mean, leaving aside Krsko and Bydgoszcz, the GPs were of a very poor standard in 2006. The SWC is a far more engaging spectacle and more compelling by far.

Adding new GPs seems little more than a desperate attempt to regain the initiative.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Not if you look at the stats.

 

The SWC has been a huge success. With all the moaning we do about one thing or another I think that should be acknowledged more readily.

[Gemini]

That's disappointing for Cardiff, although still by a long way the best supported meeting in world speedway.

I can't see the attendance getting any bigger than that as I think it has reached it's peak now. The days of Wembley type crowds are unfortunately over.

[21st century heathen]

Well it's not just peaked, it's dipped since 2002. I'm not expected it to suddenly rise by 10,000, but if there was a slight upwards trend that would be good. It would only take 1 in every 40 people to bring a mate the following year (for eg).

 

Personally I think the cost is the biggest problem. How are you going to attract any but the 'biggest' speedway fans at this kind of prices? I love speedway )and Cardiff for that matter), and I haven't decided whether I'm going to splash out yet. The money I'd spend going to the Cardiff GP next season would pay for me to go to B'ham once a month instead.

[south coast robin]

Will be interesting to see if the attendances increase again this year at Cardiff ?

Some strange figures from F.I.M...read in SS that the Aussie Grand Prix attracted officially just over 19,000 ?

[21st century heathen]

Will be interesting to see if the attendances increase again this year at Cardiff ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

It peaked in 2002, dipped badly over two years, and has levelled off in the past two years. I can't see where you get "...increase again..." from?

[south coast robin]

It peaked in 2002, dipped badly over two years, and has levelled off in the past two years.  I can't see where you get "...increase again..." from?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

increase from last year .

[sjw ministerofport]

Gemini, you can't really compare Wembley and Cardiff. Don't forget that Wembley was a one off final, and many of the crowd were from other countries. Now I suspect that some of those fans just stay and watch their own countries GP. And also I don't remember Wembley being televised. It would be interesting to see how many people watched the GP's around the world last year on television.

I think the GP series and the World cup are great but still could be better. As for attracting people through the turnstiles, I wonder, more and more people are armchair fans and not just for speedway.

[Shalewhale]

I can't see the attendance getting any bigger than that as I think it has reached it's peak now.  The days of Wembley type crowds are unfortunately over. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I think the biggest thing holdong back the attendance at Cardiff is the start time. Its all very well holding it in the evening, but getting back from Cardiff to anywhere much afterwards is a reall pain in the posterior, especially if you don't want to go by road.

[south coast robin]

I think the biggest thing holdong back the attendance at  Cardiff is the start time. Its all very well holding it in the evening, but getting back from Cardiff to anywhere much afterwards is a reall pain in the posterior, especially if you don't want to go by road.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

True..especially if you want to get a train to Swindon..there ain't any .

[youngy105]

Daugavpils or whatever it's called (the latvian GP) would have been well attended due to it being a new round of the SGP circus. As we now know the track was terrible and it was possibly the worst GP of 2006. Be very interesting to know if the attendance is 9,000 this year.

[21st century heathen]

Had the same problem the firdt year. Looked into going down on the train, but couldn't get one back.

[Paragon]

The attendance in Latvia would have been much higher if the prices had been in line with what the locals earn. most of the crowd around us were from away, they should have had a different price structure to enable the locals to go along too, rather than try & climb the outside walls. We probebly wont go again due to the cost & distance (I don't like flying & it's a long trip in the car & Direct line would not insure us for Latvia or Lithuania so we only had third party insurance). I'm sure a lot of other people will not bother either.

People this year will choose the German GP for thier 1 off because its new & Prague's popularity has wained because it's now quite expensive. The first year I went to Prague in 96 I had a seat in the main grandstand for £10, that seat now would cost around £50 & accomadation has gone through the roof compaired to what it was.

[speedyguy]

The attendance in Latvia would have been much higher if the prices had been in line with what the locals earn. most of the crowd around us were from away, they should have had a different price structure to enable the locals to go along too, rather than try & climb the outside walls. We probebly wont go again due to the cost & distance (I don't like flying & it's a long trip in the car & Direct line would not insure us for Latvia or Lithuania so we only had third party insurance). I'm sure a lot of other people will not bother either.

People this year will choose the German GP for thier 1 off because its new & Prague's popularity has wained because it's now quite expensive. The first year I went to Prague in 96 I had a seat in the main grandstand for £10, that seat now would cost around £50 & accomadation has gone through the roof compaired to what it was.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

Those Prague increasses - all due to the wonder of them now being in the EU?