Dissertation Questionnaire- The Results

[speedy19902006]

To everyone that filled my questionnaire in all 399 currently of you here are the results as promised! Now lets all have a good chinwag about them!

 

 

 

1) Please state your gender;

Chart Wizard

• Male
  340 (85.2%)
  
• Female
  58 (14.5%)
  
• Prefer not to say
  1 (0.3%)
  

 

2) Please specify your age group;

Chart Wizard

• less than 13
  0 (0.0%)
  
• 14 to 17
  5 (1.3%)
  
• 18 to 24
  33 (8.3%)
  
• 25 to 30
  31 (7.8%)
  
• 31 to 40
  53 (13.3%)
  
• 41 to 50
  100 (25.1%)
  
• 51 to 60
  107 (26.9%)
  
• 60 to 70
  61 (15.3%)
  
• 71+
  8 (2.0%)
  

 

3) How long have you attended Speedway?

Chart Wizard

• less than 1 year
  1 (0.3%)
  
• 1 to 5 years
  19 (4.8%)
  
• 6 to 10 years
  33 (8.3%)
  
• 11 to 15 years
  28 (7.0%)
  
• 16 to 25 years
  50 (12.6%)
  
• 25+ years
  267 (67.1%)
  

 

4) How often do you attend Speedway?

Chart Wizard

• Every week
  208 (52.1%)
  
• A couple of times a month
  60 (15.0%)
  
• Depends on the opposing team
  15 (3.8%)
  
• Intermittently
  89 (22.3%)
  
• Not any more
  27 (6.8%)
  

 

5) Who do you attend Speedway with? (you can select multiple answers)

Chart Wizard

• Take family Members
  220 (36.0%)
  
• Take friends
  83 (13.6%)
  
• Meet family at the Speedway
  54 (8.8%)
  
• Meet friends at the Speedway
  172 (28.2%)
  
• Alone
  82 (13.4%)
  

 

 

6) Have you ever introduced anyone to Speedway?

Chart Wizard

• Yes they still attend
  150 (37.6%)
  
• Yes however they no longer attend
  152 (38.1%)
  
• Yes however they did not like it
  34 (8.5%)
  
• No
  47 (11.8%)
  
• Other (Please Specify):
  16 (4.0%)
  

Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page

 

 

7) Why do you personally like Speedway? (you can select multiple answers)

Chart Wizard

• The racing
  369 (32.2%)
  
• The socialising
  181 (15.8%)
  
• The atmosphere
  244 (21.3%)
  
• The heritage of the Sport
  104 (9.1%)
  
• Supporting a local team
  199 (17.4%)
  
• Other
  48 (4.2%)
  

Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page

 

8) Do you support one team or a supporter of Speedway in general and support multiple teams?

Chart Wizard

• Support just one team
  270 (68.2%)
  
• Support multiple teams
  126 (31.8%)
  

 

9) How far on average is your round trip to watch Speedway?

Chart Wizard

• 0 to 4 miles
  39 (9.8%)
  
• 5 to 9 miles
  56 (14.1%)
  
• 10 to 14 miles
  34 (8.6%)
  
• 15 to 19 miles
  30 (7.6%)
  
• 20 to 25 miles
  36 (9.1%)
  
• 25+ miles
  201 (50.8%)
  

 

 

10) Have you ever attended any Grand Prix meetings wether it be in Cardiff or International meetings? (you can select multiple answers)

Chart Wizard

• Have attended Cardiff SGP
  303 (70.0%)
  
• Other
  129 (29.8%)
  

Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page

 

11) Do you subscribe to Sky Sports to enable you to watch Speedway live on TV?

Chart Wizard

• Yes
  269 (67.9%)
  
• No
  127 (32.1%)
  

 

 

12) With the average admission prices at £16.75 (elite league), £14.81 (premier league), £10.93 (national league), do you see the Speedway you witness as being good value for money in comparison to your teams division and entrance fee?

Chart Wizard

• Yes
  234 (58.8%)
  
• No (please give more details)
  18 (4.5%)
  
• If no (Please Specify your reason):
  146 (36.7%)
  

Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page

 

13) Do you choose to purchase a season ticket or prefer to pay the weekly admission fee?

Chart Wizard

• Buy a season ticket
  51 (13.0%)
  
• Pay weekly admission fee
  340 (87.0%)
  

 

 

14) How much on average do you spend combined at an individual Speedway fixture? (please specify)

 

Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page

 

15) In YOUR OPINION Speedway could;

Chart Wizard

• Be a little more expensive and I would still pay
  49 (12.4%)
  
• Be Cheaper
  230 (58.1%)
  
• Its just right
  117 (29.5%)
  

 

 

16) Do you think the image and marketing of Speedway needs to be improved?

Chart Wizard

• No
  24 (6.1%)
  
• Yes (Please Specify Any Ideas or Improvements That Should Be Made):
  369 (93.9%)
  

Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page

 

17) Do you think a Speedway meeting lasts to long?

Chart Wizard

• Yes- It needs to take less time
  153 (38.9%)
  
• No- Its just about right
  240 (61.1%)
  

 

 

18) Do you think the introduction of the new quieter silencer has affected or hindered the appeal of Speedway?

Chart Wizard

• Indifferent
  202 (50.9%)
  
• No
  93 (23.4%)
  
• Yes (Please Specify who you think it has):
  102 (25.7%)
  

Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page

 

 

19) Do you think there should be a performance cap on machinery relative to the division of competition thus making all riders compete against similar performance bikes in order to make speedway more competitive?

Chart Wizard

• No it is fine the way it is
  197 (49.9%)
  
• Yes (Please Specify what benefits you think a rule change like this would bring)
  198 (50.1%)
  

Text AnswersView ALL text responses in a separate page

 

 

20) Do you have any suggestions/comments you wish to make about Speedway racing in the UK on how it could be improved or altered to increase its appeal?

[AndyJ]

The hyperlinks to the Chart Wizard appear only to work for the person creating the survey....

[TesarRacing]

The results of the survey are very interesting - obviously a lot of thought has gone into the questions. Perhaps I am in the minority but I happen to think Promoters do a pretty good job in the main but I think these results should be of great interest to them.

[waiheke1]

interesting reading. one small point - i think there is something wrong with the way the percentages are calculated for questions which allowed multiple answers.

For exampe, question 10 says 70% of people have been to Cardiff and 30% have been to another GP. Which comes to 100%. This would imply that no-one who has been to Cardiff has been to another GP, and noone who has been to another GP has been to Cardiff - and I would be very surprised if that was the case.

[Midland Red]

interesting reading. one small point - i think there is something wrong with the way the percentages are calculated for questions which allowed multiple answers.

For exampe, question 10 says 70% of people have been to Cardiff and 30% have been to another GP. Which comes to 100%. This would imply that no-one who has been to Cardiff has been to another GP, and noone who has been to another GP has been to Cardiff - and I would be very surprised if that was the case.

Quite right - the percentages for multiple answer questions should have been calculated on the number of people who filled in the questionnaire - so the percentage for Cardiff would be 75.9% and other GPs 32.3%

[stevebrum]

Interesting reading, a lot of it i expected in all honest.

Put should be a good read for those running the sport.

[ch958]

questions 12 and 15 seem to clash - 12 saying good value in the main - 15 saying should be cheaper

its interesting that some of the things we harp on about as wrong are not seen as wrong by respondents - e.g length of meetings, etc

of course the respondents are dyed in the wool speedway people - the views of casual fans or non attenders are, in many ways, more pertinent.

[Dudleywood4eva]

I think question 6 is a concern. The majority of friends we introduce to the sport no longer attend. If this % can be increased at all im sure the gates would improve. I remember my first meeting - exciting racing and a great atmosphere .. I was hooked. If u introduce someone at the wrong time - like i have in the past - when there is half a team littered with guests, poor track conditions etc there is every chance they will never return.

[Derwent]

Questions 2 & 3 are the real cause for concern.

 

An ageing customer base and relatively few newcomers. That's a worrying trend for any business, never mind speedway.

[Dudleywood4eva]

Questions 2 & 3 are the real cause for concern.

 

An ageing customer base and relatively few newcomers. That's a worrying trend for any business, never mind speedway.

 

Totally agree. This is where speedway needs to focus on visiting local schools etc as kids r the future. So in 10-20 years time when these supporters r no longer with us ... v worrying

[SCB]

Questions 2 & 3 are the real cause for concern.

 

An ageing customer base and relatively few newcomers. That's a worrying trend for any business, never mind speedway.

The worrying thing though is if you dare to suggest ways to attract younger people on this forum you're branded ageist and anti-OAP so you might want to be careful what you say, they'll get their walking sticks, flasks and fold up chairs out and attack you.

 

Also interesting that almost everyone (93%) think speedway needs to sort its image out. I bet of that 93% most own a dodgy coat or t-shirt from their local track shop though and do nothing to help with speedways image.

[stevebrum]

The worrying thing though is if you dare to suggest ways to attract younger people on this forum you're branded ageist and anti-OAP so you might want to be careful what you say, they'll get their walking sticks, flasks and fold up chairs out and attack you.

 

Also interesting that almost everyone (93%) think speedway needs to sort its image out. I bet of that 93% most own a dodgy coat or t-shirt from their local track shop though and do nothing to help with speedways image.

 

Bit of a generalisation. I see plenty trendy kids and adults at speedway meetings. They are probably in the minority tho. Not sure its as low as just 7%.

 

Part of the image is to do with the product(s) that can be bought at most Speedway facilities. Or lack of variety (style)

[Conkers in Gravy]

The worrying thing though is if you dare to suggest ways to attract younger people on this forum you're branded ageist and anti-OAP so you might want to be careful what you say, they'll get their walking sticks, flasks and fold up chairs out and attack you.

 

Also interesting that almost everyone (93%) think speedway needs to sort its image out. I bet of that 93% most own a dodgy coat or t-shirt from their local track shop though and do nothing to help with speedways image.

 

It's not ageist to suggest ways to attract younger people to meetings, in fact it's exactly what speedway needs. It is, however, ageist (and fairly offensive) to slag people off because of their age, poking fun at their dress and the way they choose to enjoy the sport.

[ch958]

It's not ageist to suggest ways to attract younger people to meetings, in fact it's exactly what speedway needs. It is, however, ageist (and fairly offensive) to slag people off because of their age, poking fun at their dress and the way they choose to enjoy the sport.

 

 

what you don't want to do is alienate your current audience whilst reaching for a younger one and risk losing everyone over 50

[The White Knight]

what you don't want to do is alienate your current audience whilst reaching for a younger one and risk losing everyone over 50

 

If you do that - there will not be that many left. :sad:

[SCB]

It's not ageist to suggest ways to attract younger people to meetings, in fact it's exactly what speedway needs. It is, however, ageist (and fairly offensive) to slag people off because of their age, poking fun at their dress and the way they choose to enjoy the sport.

But you can't complain about the image of the sport and then continue to buy the products that are the image of the sport. If 93% think the sport has an image problem, why do most buy into it then? They're hypocrites.

 

And if you dare suggest ways to bring in a younger audience the old guard complain about it and call you ageist and think you hate old people. Go and take a look at the new speedway magazine thread, someone is trying something new and fresh so in come the old guard to slag it off.

[BWitcher]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying SCB, particulary regarding the new ideas and the 'old guard'.

 

I think you make a little too much of the 'products' side of things though. Speedway merch isn't too far removed from the kind of merch you see being worn at much larger events such as Nascar.

 

The key is, nothing new is tried. Fresh ideas are always panned. The simple fact of the matter is, new fresh ideas are a threat to the existing cartel who run the sport. If the sport was ever to thrive and be sucessful there would be no place for many of the current incumbutents of power.

[foamfence]

But you can't complain about the image of the sport and then continue to buy the products that are the image of the sport. If 93% think the sport has an image problem, why do most buy into it then? They're hypocrites.

 

And if you dare suggest ways to bring in a younger audience the old guard complain about it and call you ageist and think you hate old people. Go and take a look at the new speedway magazine thread, someone is trying something new and fresh so in come the old guard to slag it off.

I wouldn't slag it off, but From what I've seen of it, it won't be to my taste. The Speedway Star has served us well and is even about to be available online, I wouldn't like to think that anything else would weaken it's position, this product is only to be available four times a year, but will it remain like that or will it become a serious rival if it gets established? If past examples are anything to go by, it'll probably fizzle out.

[Conkers in Gravy]

But you can't complain about the image of the sport and then continue to buy the products that are the image of the sport. If 93% think the sport has an image problem, why do most buy into it then? They're hypocrites.

 

And if you dare suggest ways to bring in a younger audience the old guard complain about it and call you ageist and think you hate old people. Go and take a look at the new speedway magazine thread, someone is trying something new and fresh so in come the old guard to slag it off.

 

"Hypocrites" is a bit strong, but I take your point. There is undoubtedly far too much negativity, but that's common on pretty much every sporting forum. Speedway promoters have a fine line to tread, trying to find ways of updating the sport's fairly tatty image while keeping its long-serving, traditional audience happy. Rather them than me.

[spin king]

Have to agree with SCB regarding attracting younger fans and the old guard standing firm and not wanting change

 

The fact is that the sport does need to be marketed a lot better and needs to target the younger people, because there are far few younger people attending speedway than when I was in my teens.

 

These I stand on the terraces at Sheffield worrying 50% of the crowd may not be alive in 10 years time let alone attending speedway meetings.