ch958 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) Why not? You were RIGHT!!! cheers twk i got good support from you but it can get a bit hairy on here! edit: record crowd at Brum last night with 10 pd entrance so we must be on to something just get the costs down and everyone can win!! Edited July 25, 2013 by ch958 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickthemuppet Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I was looking through an old Speedway Star from 1975 and saw the admission prices for King's Lynn were 70p. It now costs £16 to get in at Saddlebow Road and that is about 23 times more than it cost 38 years ago. There were some other prices listed in the magazines of the time and I wondered how much other speedway related stuff would cost if prices had gone up exactly in line with what the fans have to pay now. New Speedway Machine - £16,000 Decent Used Speedway Machine - £8,050 Rear Tyre - £287.50 Pair of Speedway Boots - £529 Speedway Star £3.45 If the average wage had increased at the same rate then in would be about £69,000 per year. Looking at the figures I wonder if the crowds dropping may be related to the cost of the night out? When Ipswich Town Football club won the FA Cup and the EUFA Cup the top price ticket there was £1.50 which was the same price to see Ipswich Speedway . Now the top price ticket is £42.00 at Portman Road and £16.00 at Foxhall Heath. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Science Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I was looking through an old Speedway Star from 1975 and saw the admission prices for King's Lynn were 70p. It now costs £16 to get in at Saddlebow Road and that is about 23 times more than it cost 38 years ago. There were some other prices listed in the magazines of the time and I wondered how much other speedway related stuff would cost if prices had gone up exactly in line with what the fans have to pay now. New Speedway Machine - £16,000 Decent Used Speedway Machine - £8,050 Rear Tyre - £287.50 Pair of Speedway Boots - £529 Speedway Star £3.45 If the average wage had increased at the same rate then in would be about £69,000 per year. Looking at the figures I wonder if the crowds dropping may be related to the cost of the night out? Been looking at some figures recently and in my area the only sport I can find that is cheaper to watch than speedway is Bet Square Premier league football(footballs 5th tear)Other sports(cheapest ticket price)include Premier football £25,Championship £21,League one £18,League two £17,Ice hockey £17,county cricket £20,Premier rugby £26,Rugby league £20.Don't get me started on international sport,tickets at Wembley,Lords,Twickenham etc cost between £40-£80 cheapest.Sure we all want cheaper tickets but speedway tickets(league and GP) probably have not risen as significantly as other sports.I think the issue people have is maybe not the cost but the value for money,for most of the sports I've listed you could argue that the entertainment value has never been better,don't think speedway can say that ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) yes but speedway is attracting crowds similar to football's 5th tier therefore entrance fee should be commensurate once crowds build up maybe then the price can go up lets not kid ourselves - the product is shoddy at the moment edit: just checked Whitley Warriors ice hockey - £7.50 in Edited July 25, 2013 by ch958 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerowl Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Having been to quite a few Conference grounds in the last few years, their facilities are generally far better then anything speedway has to offer. You can sit down and watch for a start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockney Rebel Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 speedway riders being professional is what's pushed costs, years ago it was all about finishing work, loading your bike on a rack or in the boot of the car, then off you go .. nowadays you have to have the van, the signwriting, the new flash kevlars, the team t-shirts and hoodies, the team caps, the website etc, and that's all before you've even ridden for a NL team!!!! get back to basics people, use your money on your riding, not fekkin hoodies!!! Excellent post I was just about to make such a post myself then read yours. Riders didn't need to take so much from the sport then cos most of them had other jobs.Nowadays as you've just pointed out most of them consider themselves professional before they've even got a team place. Whilst I don't begrudge riders earning a good wage if the cost to the paying customer keeps rising they'll just stay away and the riders will be out of a job altogether. cheers twk i got good support from you but it can get a bit hairy on here! edit: record crowd at Brum last night with 10 pd entrance so we must be on to something just get the costs down and everyone can win!! Might have been a record crowd but did the promotion make any money? Just asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Excellent post I was just about to make such a post myself then read yours. Riders didn't need to take so much from the sport then cos most of them had other jobs.Nowadays as you've just pointed out most of them consider themselves professional before they've even got a team place. Whilst I don't begrudge riders earning a good wage if the cost to the paying customer keeps rising they'll just stay away and the riders will be out of a job altogether. Might have been a record crowd but did the promotion make any money? Just asking. no cr they prob didn't which is why people bang on about getting costs down so riders dont need paying quite so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I think cost should be reduced. Riders don't need to be full-time or as so-damn professional, which I think has raised costs. Even the novice nowadays wants his bloody name on his van, whereas 40 years ago they would have been just happy with a second half spin. People are comparing the price of admission with other sports, but in other sports they don't need such a huge outlay of machinery and stuff for the riders. When these things are bought, this is money going out of the sport. It's like anything nowadays, youngsers want what is cool - and wouldn't be seen in a tatty pair of leathers while their rivals fall about laughing at the pov. I mean, when was the last time you saw a kid with a phone resembling a brick or trainers that were less than £200? It means thousands is spent on speedway stuff even before a kid has had his first spin. It's all about image,never mind how good the rider becomes. It was like Ken Bjerre in the World Cup, when his suspension thing came lose and he probably didn't realise until after the race. Is this extra cost that isn't really needed? Ditto the dirt deflector. Then you see riders with four different helmets, each with a different bloody colour on it. What is that about? Speedway admission, for the amount of entertainment you get, is too high. The whole cost thing needs looking at. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 moxey - brilliant post u going to get some flak tho - 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) moxey - brilliant post u going to get some flak tho - NOT from me ch958. :approve: Edited July 25, 2013 by The White Knight 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Think it was Dave Younghusband back in the early 90s who said youngsters would walk through the bar "Hollywooding" it in their riding gear etc if they could. Seems like people who can’t afford it, the youngsters, wanting the perfect cake before they can even cook, are spending a lot of the costs. The costs, at the end of the day, must either be met by people paying at the turnstiles or by some sponsor. Speedway, in this current climate, can't depend on either and must begin making the sport more manageable. Speedway “promoters” have the power. They complain about losing thousands every season, so why don’t they take action. It seems obvious they are handing over to the riders more money than they are taking in, and so up the admission price to pay the riders yet more money the following year. The result is that some punters refuse another pay hike and stay at home. We have seen people quit smoking after a recent budget rise in their price, not willing to pay anymore. And cigs are a drug; hard to pack in; speedway a luxury, when times are tough. I say at least a fiver could be shaved off the average admission, if promoters began taking steps right now. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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