£10 Sport?

[Catch Me If You Can]

its easy to pick holes in my analogy but 90 percent of the posters think the same as me. If you disagree - fine - but what do you think should be done?

 

by the way i pay £8 to stand with 3-400 people in the Northern League - not a kick in the arse from average PL crowds

 

Conference is professional football these days and i specifically said that was not comparable. By the way - £17 to watch conference - you must be bonkers!!

Berwick seem to be among front runners in reducing prices. Late last season they had a £10 charge for adults and kids free and this year with Workington have the lowest admission in Premier at £13 per adult, reduced concessions and kids free. For their Dudley challenge it was £8 adult and I read they had a not bad turn out? Edited June 16, 2013 by Catch Me If You Can

[Fromafar]

Berwick seem to be among front runners in reducing prices. Late last season they had a £10 charge for adults and kids free and this year with Workington have the lowest admission in Premier at £13 per adult, reduced concessions and kids free. For their Dudley challenge it was £8 adult and I read they had a not bad turn out?

The attendance hasn't increased even though the admission has been reduced,this is the problem the fans are deserting the sport for whatever reason.£13 is not bad IMO.,but the entertainment has to be up too scratch . Edited June 16, 2013 by Fromafar

[MattK]

I don't think £17 is too much, if the meeting provides value for money. Now, I appreciate "value for money" is subjective and people have their own opinions, but for whatever reason the racing at Swindon this season has been generally quite poor, with most races won form the gate and very strung out.

 

On the other hand, I would have no qualms about paying £17 every week to watch what was served up at Somerset last Tuesday, if the Rebels were my team.

[Vince]

If Speedway is a £10 sport and the price is what will attract new spectators why are NL meetings run in front of one man and his dog? They are often at least as entertaining as EL or PL meetings, have the same facilities and despite the wobblers tag given by some on here (presumably those who haven't been!) the standard is high enough for times to only be a second or so a lap off the pace of the higher leagues. Is anybody else having problems with this forum where the return key isn't starting a new line? Anyway I think costs have to be reduced, preferably by increasing the number of home grown riders but to ensure survival rather than decrease admission costs.

[cowboy cookie returns?]

£17 would not be too much if the sport was run in a better way & your team of 7 were most of the time on track however to turn up & have 2 or 3 missing is just bonkers! As for the reason I don't go much is down to the rules the final straw being when the el changed the playoffs from the top 6 to top 4 half way through the season.

To survive the sport first of all needs to scrap the rule book & start again & I would run league matches over 16 heats & have a junior league programme with matches over 6 heats for the second half. In terms of guests these would be banned & cover would come from r/r & your junior team members just like the old nl days.

In terms of how the leagues would work I think a 18-20 team top league & the rest would form a 2nd division. This would have a fixed for ever points limit of 48 if using 16 heats or 45 if using 15 as this is what is required to draw a match.

Having a big league would mean no gp riders but this is about rebuilding the sport from ground up in the uk.

On the otherhand if you want to keep the el then you still need to re write the rule book go to a home match every 2 weeks & get someone like monster on board to fund it on a long term deal while also having a longterm eurosport or free to air tv deal to get it out in the public domain as muh a possible.

Am I crazy i'll let you decide! But I am someone who won't go week in week out in its present form.

 

£17 would not be too much if the sport was run in a better way & your team of 7 were most of the time on track however to turn up & have 2 or 3 missing is just bonkers! As for the reason I don't go much is down to the rules the final straw being when the el changed the playoffs from the top 6 to top 4 half way through the season.

To survive the sport first of all needs to scrap the rule book & start again & I would run league matches over 16 heats & have a junior league programme with matches over 6 heats for the second half. In terms of guests these would be banned & cover would come from r/r & your junior team members just like the old nl days.

In terms of how the leagues would work I think a 18-20 team top league & the rest would form a 2nd division. This would have a fixed for ever points limit of 48 if using 16 heats or 45 if using 15 as this is what is required to draw a match.

Having a big league would mean no gp riders but this is about rebuilding the sport from ground up in the uk.

On the otherhand if you want to keep the el then you still need to re write the rule book go to a home match every 2 weeks & get someone like monster on board to fund it on a long term deal while also having a longterm eurosport or free to air tv deal to get it out in the public domain as muh a possible.

Am I crazy i'll let you decide! But I am someone who won't go week in week out in its present form.

[The White Knight]

It's a chicken and egg situation surely?

 

Elite League promoters are really up against it with all the various fixtures their riders are taking part in and so having to fit around! Premier League promoters have it relatively easier imo and so don't need such a complicated set of rules!

 

I guess the only way to make running EL teams easier would be for all teams to run on only 2 nights of the week. It would certainly make it better for tv for starters and riders' calendars! But will this ever happen?

 

Speedway could also do with more tv money so they could use it to attract more fans particularly for tv matches!!

 

I'd be all for having more PL together with EL meetings on tv, it's good to see lots of different tracks and riders! I realise that this wouldn't go down well with EL promoters but I guess British speedway isn't really in a position to pick and choose?? I guess PL promoters know their job is easier than EL promoters as far as sorting their fixtures and signing riders is concerned?

 

We'll see what happens!

 

............................ and also SOME Elite League Supporters. :angry:

[SCB]

its easy to pick holes in my analogy but 90 percent of the posters think the same as me. If you disagree - fine - but what do you think should be done?

 

by the way i pay £8 to stand with 3-400 people in the Northern League - not a kick in the arse from average PL crowds

 

Conference is professional football these days and i specifically said that was not comparable. By the way - £17 to watch conference - you must be bonkers!!

Newport County was about £17 this season too. As for crowds of 3-4000 in the Northern League, I think you're bending the truth again. Whitley Bay averaged 492 while Jarrow couldn't muster 100 most games! The average attendance for the North League Div 1 was 226! the highest was 2200 for the game that more of less clinched Darlington the league title as they were playing the team that come second towards the end of the season. Only 4 non-league clubs managed to hit your lowest estimate of 3000 last season with any consistency while another 9 managed ti at least once.

 

 

If you want to compare prices, try season tickets. Leicester City works out at £17 a game for an adult and under 10s are free. I think it was WBA charged £20ish for a kids season ticket but for every game they attended they got £1 back so actually, a kids season ticket, was free as log as they went to every game - very clever as obviously mum and/or dad had to pay to get in anyway.

 

What about Premiership family tickets? 2 adults and 2 kids can go and watch Cardiff City for £40! How much does it costs for the same at a EL speedway meeting? If you're willing to pay up front or go as a family, Premiership football (admittedly Cardiff City) is cheaper than EL speedway at some tracks where it costs about £42-45 for the family and about £16.50 a meeting on a season ticket.

[AndyJ]

Newport County was about £17 this season too. As for crowds of 3-4000 in the Northern League, I think you're bending the truth again.

 

Seeing imaginary zeroes SCB?! Didn't the quote say 3-400?

[SCB]

 

 

Seeing imaginary zeroes SCB?! Didn't the quote say 3-400?

Oh heck! 300-400 is still higher than average for North League Div 1 anyway. And if we're talking 3-400 then every EL and PL teams beats that and I'm guessing all NL teams do, Buxton may struggle but thats about it. So hardly prove the point that this £8 gets the crowds flocking in! It's a poor example.

[ch958]

Newport County was about £17 this season too. As for crowds of 3-4000 in the Northern League, I think you're bending the truth again. Whitley Bay averaged 492 while Jarrow couldn't muster 100 most games! The average attendance for the North League Div 1 was 226! the highest was 2200 for the game that more of less clinched Darlington the league title as they were playing the team that come second towards the end of the season. Only 4 non-league clubs managed to hit your lowest estimate of 3000 last season with any consistency while another 9 managed ti at least once.

 

 

If you want to compare prices, try season tickets. Leicester City works out at £17 a game for an adult and under 10s are free. I think it was WBA charged £20ish for a kids season ticket but for every game they attended they got £1 back so actually, a kids season ticket, was free as log as they went to every game - very clever as obviously mum and/or dad had to pay to get in anyway.

 

What about Premiership family tickets? 2 adults and 2 kids can go and watch Cardiff City for £40! How much does it costs for the same at a EL speedway meeting? If you're willing to pay up front or go as a family, Premiership football (admittedly Cardiff City) is cheaper than EL speedway at some tracks where it costs about £42-45 for the family and about £16.50 a meeting on a season ticket.

 

i said 3/400 not thousand

 

"bending the truth again" go to hell - i am not a liar - the other bozo was talking about conference football which is pro - where else did i bend the truth? bloody rich coming from someone who can't read properly

 

speedway is dying - especially at elite league level. I'm not bending the truth about that - just trying to suggest an answer

 

if £17 is the right price where is everybody??

 

as for quoting football i already said you cant compare - football is popular speedway is not.

 

just stick your heads back in the sand i've given my opinion

Edited June 16, 2013 by ch958

[Main Man]

Newport tried a few meetings with £10 admission and one did have a much better attendance ....but as pointed out the increase has to be much higher to cover the costs involved

[oldswindonsupporter]

As SS said, the overheads involved mean that speedway as we know it will never be a £10 sport.

 

That's just the business reality, Speedway will not survive as a £10 sport.

 

And that may be is the real problem, no good sticking your head in the sand, if the market will only pay / support £10 then the cost of the product needs to be trimmed, that is basic business logic! If speedway wants to survive, it has to cut costs as there isn't the appetite to pay for it at current prices.

 

I went to Somerset last Tuesday purely and simply as it was an attractive meeting at an affordable price, £20 for two. The normal £30 is something that I'd think twice at especially when you also have to factor in the other costs as well, parking, fuel, programme, eats, drinks.

 

 

 

 

[ch958]

And that may be is the real problem, no good sticking your head in the sand, if the market will only pay / support £10 then the cost of the product needs to be trimmed, that is basic business logic! If speedway wants to survive, it has to cut costs as there isn't the appetite to pay for it at current prices.

 

I went to Somerset last Tuesday purely and simply as it was an attractive meeting at an affordable price, £20 for two. The normal £30 is something that I'd think twice at especially when you also have to factor in the other costs as well, parking, fuel, programme, eats, drinks.

 

exactly my point - cheers

[SCB]

 

 

i said 3/400 not thousand

 

"bending the truth again" go to hell - i am not a liar - the other bozo was talking about conference football which is pro - where else did i bend the truth? bloody rich coming from someone who can't read properly

 

speedway is dying - especially at elite league level. I'm not bending the truth about that - just trying to suggest an answer

 

if £17 is the right price where is everybody??

 

as for quoting football i already said you cant compare - football is popular speedway is not.

 

just stick your heads back in the sand i've given my opinion

I made a mistake and acknowledged that. your 3-400 is still not true though is it? the league average is 220. If you're ignoring the Conference (which is non-league football and it £17ish) then 300 is an excessive figure. and are we really going to take tips from sports teams attracting 300 on a good day?

[moxey63]

Encourage people to attend more regularly via discount vouchers or similar, say, a certain reduction for every fifth meeting you attend. Top Supermarkets do promotions, so they must work or they simply want to repay valued customers.

 

Away support increases the atmosphere at tracks, so slash away support admission, which would help potential travellers with fuel costs etc

 

many promoters will not touch promotions, because they feel the fans will turn up anyway... so why lose money.

 

As I mentioned previously, a cost that could really be cut from a night's entertainment is the programme... it only need to be a race card, say about 50p worth.

 

Too many clubs nowadays feel the important part of their entire product is a nice glossy magazine that only the biggest of football clubs should produce. I know clubs survive on profits from programmes, but if a fan buying a programme, which he can’t afford, makes him stop attending, then it is negative. Speedway without a programme is not fun, and another three quid or something on top of your admission is asking too much sometimes.

Edited June 16, 2013 by moxey63

[ch958]

I made a mistake and acknowledged that. your 3-400 is still not true though is it? the league average is 220. If you're ignoring the Conference (which is non-league football and it £17ish) then 300 is an excessive figure. and are we really going to take tips from sports teams attracting 300 on a good day?

 

"take tips"

 

what the hell are you talking about?

 

if £17 is the right price where is everybody??

 

by the way i watch Whitley Bay with between 4 and 600 others and what i'm saying is thats not a kick in the arse off a PL crowd where admission is double and I'm saying price should be a tenner, 12 tops because thats what the market level for a sport that attracts that number of people is. And the Bay don't fly their centre forward in from Scandinavia!

[Grand Central]

I think we are all getting a little hooked up on comparisions with a totally different sport.

With very little help towards answering this sports questions.

 

I saw, on a different thread, that Philip Rising was quoting a current promoter as saying that British Speedway was a £10 sport.

I just think that feels true.

 

Whether any form of product can be put together at that price point that still feels like something akin to, say, the Premier League.

I genuinely don't know.

 

But if it can't I dare say I will continue to pay £17 to see a £10 product, occasionally.

Every now any again I may go home thinking it was £17 well spent.

But more often I won't.

 

Is there a realistic future going on like this?

[ch958]

"Is there a realistic future going on like this?"

 

No!

[Elephantman]

 

 

And that may be is the real problem, no good sticking your head in the sand, if the market will only pay / support £10 then the cost of the product needs to be trimmed, that is basic business logic! If speedway wants to survive, it has to cut costs as there isn't the appetite to pay for it at current prices.

 

I went to Somerset last Tuesday purely and simply as it was an attractive meeting at an affordable price, £20 for two. The normal £30 is something that I'd think twice at especially when you also have to factor in the other costs as well, parking, fuel, programme, eats, drinks.

If the market will only pay £10 entry speedway has a real issue. Many costs are fixed and many are outside of the sports control. Add in to this the winter clamour of supporters calling for promoters to get their hands in their pockets to pay for the better riders and all together you have a recipe for disaster.

 

In the USA they are doing some interesting work on the price elasticity of demand for team sports http://thesportseconomist.com/labels/Elasticity%20of%20demand.htm

[moxey63]

Seems, with the amount of clubs losing money each seasn, promoters still aren't charging what they need to break even. When they put up admission, it causes another couple of fans or so to stay away, and so the next season entrance fee rises, causing another handful of fans stay away - either through financial stress or unwiling to pay the extra.

 

Not that it's all down to admission costs, a lot is to do with the entertainment value. Some matches I've withnessed I would not give five bob to watch.

Edited June 16, 2013 by moxey63