hans fan Posted June 30, 2014 Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 Of one thing you can be certain as long as RF has even the most tenous involvement everything and everbody will be paid!!!!. Can't argue with that they pay every single penny , shame more promoters weren't like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crump99 Posted June 30, 2014 Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 (edited) Can't argue with that they pay every single penny , shame more promoters weren't like it How many can say this though: It was another tough year off the track with Panthers again making losses of more than £100,000 - the norm during the five-and-a-half-year reign of Frost and fellow owner Julie Mahoney. Frost added: “There are losses at Peterborough every year but myself and Julie are very fortunate in that our companies make a lot of money. “Without wishing to sound blasé, it is not big bucks to us. Financing the club has been part of our advertising and branding budget. the club are keen to attract new backers for next year. - note, next year peterboroughtoday.co.uk October 28 2013 Edited June 30, 2014 by Crump99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodles Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) Mick Horton is ready for his toughest battle of turning Panthers into a success... but he wants to know does the city of Peterborough want a speedway club? The local businessman stepped in to rescue the city club during the winter after owners Rick Frost and Julie Mahoney opted to pull out of the Elite League. Horton was initially due to front a community-based consortium after agreeing a two-year leasehold deal to operate Panthers at Premier League level, only to be left in sole charge after other planned investors pulled out. Now, halfway through the season, Horton has painted a picture of contrasts about his second reign at his local club. He believes Panthers boast a team capable of capturing honours in their return to the second tier for the first time since their title triumph of 1998 and is adamant the racing served up at the East of England Showground is second to none. But there is a problem - there just arent enough people coming through the turnstiles and that is hitting finances hard. In a candid insight to the clubs current situation, Horton admits he is subsidising Panthers on a weekly basis as attendances are falling 200 paying adults short of their break-even mark. Its a plight he is working hard to address and one which cant continue long-term as he calls for the backing of the Peterborough public. Horton, who also runs Elite and National League speedway at Coventry, said: Times are harder than they have ever been in speedway. My heart ruled my head to some extent last winter. I didnt want the club and the best track in the country to disappear and I know plenty of other people felt the same way. Included among them were certain partners which prompted me to put together a community plan to keep speedway alive in Peterborough, but unfortunately they then pulled out for their own reasons. I had no doubt that it would work this season in the Premier League and I think we can be very successful. We will make the play-offs and challenge for the title, weve got a good chance of reaching the League Cup final and we look very strong for things like the Premier League Pairs and the Fours. But the one thing we dont have is enough fans. We need 700 paying adults at home meetings to break even and were not coming close to that at the moment. Were a couple of hundred short despite seeing some brilliant racing week in, week out. Its the best speedway in the country. That means Im having to subsidise the club. I was never here to make money, but Im not in a position to lose a lot of it either. Im not panicking by any means, but I need to know does the city of Peterborough want a speedway club? That question will be answered by the crowds that turn out. The tough climate in speedway has been highlighted in the last few days. Elite League club Birmingham look set to go to the wall while the current promotion at the fellow top-flight side, Eastbourne, are disbanding at the end of the current season as they expect to make a huge loss. It is probably sensible to assume the picture is similar elsewhere. In Panthers case they are struggling to pull in fans despite providing more regular racing than in recent years. However, Horton recognises that a move to Tuesday home meetings has not had the desired effect and plans are afoot to make alterations to the fixture list. He added: A regular complaint at Peterborough has been a lack of a regular race-night. We addressed that by going to Tuesdays, but it hasnt really worked out. Its a school night when families are reluctant to take kids out and there are other things going on. We are up against football at the beginning and end of our season. So were looking to make our fixture list more family friendly and weve had a really productive meeting with the Showground bosses who have been very helpful. Theyve told us we will be given a few Friday nights and Sunday slots (where we start at an earlier time) and that is terrific news. The first Sunday meeting is against unbeaten leaders Edinburgh on July 20 and that will tell us a lot. Were also about to hit the local schools hard with tickets for upcoming meetings and were working to build up more sponsorship. Have your say on Panthers future, what can they do to increase support in the city? - comment on our website below, or email alan.swann@peterboroughtoday.co.uk, or on Twitter @PboroSport - Panthers are next in action on Tuesday (8 June) when they entertain Rye House at the Showground (7.30pm start). http://m.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/speedway/speedway-news/does-peterborough-want-a-speedway-club-falling-panthers-gates-suggest-the-answer-may-be-no-1-6155818 https://audioboo.fm/boos/2301099-mick-horton-on-trying-to-boost-crowds-03-07-14 Edited July 3, 2014 by Noodles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Brown Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Here we go again. I am sure Neil will pick me up on criticising a Horton again but why oh why are they allowed to run clubs. It cannot surely be more than coincidence that every club they touch ends up with a plea for more fans because they are losing money can it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_Jones Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Here we go again. I am sure Neil will pick me up on criticising a Horton again but why oh why are they allowed to run clubs. It cannot surely be more than coincidence that every club they touch ends up with a plea for more fans because they are losing money can it Quite right. It's not as if any other clubs are having financial problems... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Brown Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) Quite right. It's not as if any other clubs are having financial problems... Just a view that not every club has problems, that seems to be the case in this ownership. Just an observation ! Certainly hope any problems can be overcome because as I well know your club is a long time gone, maybe I am just a little bitter and twisted where the Hortons are concerned. Edited July 3, 2014 by Chris Brown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shale Searcher Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Panthers have a very watchable team in a fantastic setting. The crowds should be better because the entertainment is there (when H&S allows it ).. So why are the crowds so low...........? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crump99 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 So why are the crowds so low...........? Because not enough agree with that quote! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenga Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 So why are the crowds so low...........? because speedway is a 10 pound sport. thats the max any member of the public should pay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crump99 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 because speedway is a 10 pound sport. thats the max any member of the public should pay. Nope that's not it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin Jason 72 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I went to the bike show at the showground recently and there was one Rory Schlien bike there but nothing from the promotion What a wasted opportunity to give out fixture lists stickers and maybe discounted admission tickets. Sidecars were entertaining the crowds during the day so why couldn't the bikes do the same ? I guess it's easier to tell your customers to bring a friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin Jason 72 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I went to the bike show at the showground recently and there was one Rory Schlien bike there but nothing from the promotion What a wasted opportunity to give out fixture lists stickers and maybe discounted admission tickets. Sidecars were entertaining the crowds during the day so why couldn't the bikes do the same ? I guess it's easier to tell your customers to bring a friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I went to the bike show at the showground recently and there was one Rory Schlien bike there but nothing from the promotion What a wasted opportunity to give out fixture lists stickers and maybe discounted admission tickets. Sidecars were entertaining the crowds during the day so why couldn't the bikes do the same ? I guess it's easier to tell your customers to bring a friend It must have been good - you went TWICE. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldyman Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Surely racing on a Tuesday night has got to be the biggest problem? When I visited with Ipswich though, the crowd looked pretty okay to me, or is that because a lot of us Ipswich supporters went to that meeting? As for the on track entertainment that night, it was one of the best meetings I have seen for years. So is the race night, or is it just people's money is being spent on other entertainment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Brown Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 500 adults does make you wonder why anyone would bother running any club. If the support is not there then at the end of the day it will go. Yes there is an responsibility to go out and try to promote the sport but 500 compared to the numbers only a few years ago it awful This is where clubs need to know who the lost fans are so at least they can be targeted for a return. Sadly no clubs have any of that data Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 500 adults does make you wonder why anyone would bother running any club. If the support is not there then at the end of the day it will go. Yes there is an responsibility to go out and try to promote the sport but 500 compared to the numbers only a few years ago it awful This is where clubs need to know who the lost fans are so at least they can be targeted for a return. Sadly no clubs have any of that data No - sadly they don't deem it necessary to keep information like that. BIG mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25yearfan Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Friday night is Peterborough speedways traditional racenight and its a good one too cause many people don't have to get up for work the next day and the kids don't have school! This is the reason why Peterborough get poor crowds on a Tuesday! I thought one of the reasons for going to Tuesdays was cause Coventry run on a Friday night and at the time Ryan Fisher was doubling up with both! I understand why Chris Brown doesn't go a lot on the Hortons after what happened at Oxford but without Mick Horton there'd probably be no speedway at Peterborough so his negativity towards them on a Peterborough thread is a little bit wide of the mark! Oh and when I went to Peterborough speedway on Good Friday this year the crowd was very good at least 2000+ I'd say! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilWatson Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I thought one of the reasons for going to Tuesdays was cause Coventry run on a Friday night and at the time Ryan Fisher was doubling up with both! Tuesday was 'continuity day' - nothing to do with Coventry or Ryan - we understood that the disjointed fixture list wasn't ideal, and anticipated that a regular race-night would improve the crowds. Weekend dates are always at a premium when fitting in around all the other events at the Showground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crump99 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) 500 adults does make you wonder why anyone would bother running any club. If the support is not there then at the end of the day it will go. Yes there is an responsibility to go out and try to promote the sport but 500 compared to the numbers only a few years ago it awful This is where clubs need to know who the lost fans are so at least they can be targeted for a return. Sadly no clubs have any of that data What do you mean few years ago? This is from Bratters final blog and I remember those meetings well and thought the same: "I will never forget that the 2006 Grand Final, arguably the greatest modern day meeting ever, watched live by over 6000 people and by thousands more at home, was followed by a Craven Shield fixture attended by less than 700 people. If that Grand Final won’t pull people in, then what will?!?!" Colin Horton 2007: "I need to see 1,500 people coming through the gates but we are not getting anywhere near that. And to see less than 500 here against Reading last Thursday was galling." And MH has been there before: "Mick Horton has issued a harsh message to the club's fans - support us or lose us." (2004) - so I was surprised that he had another go tbh given the massive changes the consortium had to make. Where we are now was always the more likely outcome surely? As Bratters said: "In all fairness, it has been a pretty turbulent time at Alwalton since the departure of the Lynch, Jarvis and Wing promotion in 2002." - and that's when the wheels came off at the EoES due to new administration who made Friday night consistency impossible. Edited July 4, 2014 by Crump99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazza Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 I can never get on a Tuesday because i am always at work and i am sure there are a lot in the same situation so i really think that is the main problem and so a Sunday meeting is just fine for me and i have to admit i cant wait till the 20th ive only seen 2 meetings live this season because of work So with me and my boyfriend there is 2 people they wouldnt have had if it had been a Tuesday! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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