SCB Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 I've only just become a semi-regular at Belle Vue (would help if they didn't keep getting rained off!) as I'm working away from home in the area for a while and I must say one thing that has struck me about the place is the average age of the punter... and it doesn't bode well for the future of the club! I'm no spring chicken myself but I'm shocked at the lack of younger people attending. I wonder why the sport attracts young participants but not a young crowd? It the same at any track. It's a depressing site and some people seem to want to ignore it. BV fans are spring chickens compared to Birminghams! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 It the same at any track. It's a depressing site and some people seem to want to ignore it. BV fans are spring chickens compared to Birminghams! Doesn't seem to be the case at Cardiff though, the crowd mix always seems a lot younger there to me, I wonder where they're all coming from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil The Ace Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 It the same at any track. It's a depressing site and some people seem to want to ignore it. BV fans are spring chickens compared to Birminghams! Yeh I'm a spring chicken. Or so I like to think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 (edited) Yeah cos it's an event rather than a club meeting, hence why promoters need to ramp up the volume or whatever u do these days 😊 There were quite a few kids getting autographs and photos of the BV riders on the terraces after the meeting, unless it was the same ones running to the front all the way lol Edited July 21, 2015 by Trees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 The thing with Cardiff is that it offers excellent viewing in a lovely seating area with state of the art lighting and sound systems and its run a night when there is no school the day after. If only we could run under such conditions....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 If only we could run under such conditions....... Next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted July 21, 2015 Report Share Posted July 21, 2015 Next year! 4 out of 5 anyways! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 (edited) It the same at any track. It's a depressing site and some people seem to want to ignore it. BV fans are spring chickens compared to Birminghams!Often Speedway tracks try and attract 'kids' by offering them free entry when accompanied by a full paying adult, which is a fair idea, however.. When 'the kid' gets to 12 at BV then he has to pay £6.50 (or more likely his parent will)... The irony of this (and its flaw) is that around 12 years of age kids who have attended regularly now start to get involved more with the nuances of sport, eg how averages effect team building, how rules are made and why. (Good luck with that by the way), filling programmes in etc They also around 12 start to seek other ways of spending time entertaining themselves ('hanging out' is my lads favourite occupation)! This invariably involves 'mates' of both genders too as hormones kick in.. Speedway would be far better suited letting everyone at school age in for nothing at all as maybe some would then stay with the sport at 18... If you gave out 500 tickets to the local comprehensive I would imagine a 'fair few' would attend just to 'hang out'. For those tracks in particular that get all the food and drink income it must surely be a winner as a couple of hundred burger and coke buyers cannot be a bad thing. And the more that attend the less the crowd will resemble a 'darby and joan' coach outing which your average teen wouldnt be seen dead at... Let's face it, kids of 12 - 18 dont attend now so letting them in for nothing wont decimate the clubs finances, and it may just mean some return in revenue when they reach adulthood after gaining an understanding and appreciation for the sport? Edited July 22, 2015 by mikebv 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Lady Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Often Speedway tracks try and attract 'kids' by offering them free entry when accompanied by a full paying adult, which is a fair idea, however.. When 'the kid' gets to 12 at BV then he has to pay £6.50 (or more likely his parent will)... The irony of this (and its flaw) is that around 12 years of age kids who have attended regularly now start to get involved more with the nuances of sport, eg how averages effect team building, how rules are made and why. (Good luck with that by the way), filling programmes in etc They also around 12 start to seek other ways of spending time entertaining themselves ('hanging out' is my lads favourite occupation)! This invariably involves 'mates' of both genders too as hormones kick in.. Speedway would be far better suited letting everyone at school age in for nothing at all as maybe some would then stay with the sport at 18... If you gave out 500 tickets to the local comprehensive I would imagine a 'fair few' would attend just to 'hang out'. For those tracks in particular that get all the food and drink income it must surely be a winner as a couple of hundred burger and coke buyers cannot be a bad thing. And the more that attend the less the crowd will resemble a 'darby and joan' coach outing which your average teen wouldnt be seen dead at... Let's face it, kids of 12 - 18 dont attend now so letting them in for nothing wont decimate the clubs finances, and it may just mean some return in revenue when they reach adulthood after gaining an understanding and appreciation for the sport? That's far too logical and sensible to be adopted sadly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted July 22, 2015 Report Share Posted July 22, 2015 Family ticket is £42 for 2+2 so that works out at £3.50 each for the two children under 17. Students 17 and over are then £13 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 (edited) Family ticket is £42 for 2+2 so that works out at £3.50 each for the two children under 17. Students 17 and over are then £13 each.No wonder nobody goes then eh? The best price for a family of four for one months worth of speedway is £168 out of the family's monthly disposable income.. Add on programmes, and the inevitable food and drink and around 200 quid a month would be the outlay... To watch 60 minutes of speedway.... A scary position the sport is now in if that is the 'best prices' being charged to pay its costs... Edited July 23, 2015 by mikebv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 Well, I was answering the point you made about the expense of taking teenagers to speedway and showing it can be done for the price of a pint. If you had a speedway pot and spread the cost over a year it's £49 per month or £11 per week. Many families including me spread costs over a yearly period as you're correct in saying £168 a month is a lot, it is however similar to a family of four watching a 3D film every week. I think that's too much and as such rarely visit the cinema whereas years ago I attended weekly. I suppose I prioritise my leisure £. Having said all that I do believe the sport is overpriced but we appear to have painted ourselves into a corner there re costs for the competitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelvinht Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 Didn't mind paying a small fee for my lad to attend, but once he hit 17 and became a 'student' - even though he was still at school doing his GCSE's for a few months and then still in full time education doing a-levels, so still not earning a proper wage. Makes it an expensive night out - £17 for me, £13 for him, petrol £10-£15 (120 mile round trip), makes it £45 before any add-ons. Under 11's should be free (or kids for a quid), if in full time education shouldn't be any more than a £5, not the arbitrary 17 years of age. I know my lad wouldn't come every week, but he doesn't come at all now due to cost and other things to do. That's a £13 loss rather than a £5 gain for Buster. He would often bring a friend as well.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 (edited) Well, I was answering the point you made about the expense of taking teenagers to speedway and showing it can be done for the price of a pint. If you had a speedway pot and spread the cost over a year it's £49 per month or £11 per week. Many families including me spread costs over a yearly period as you're correct in saying £168 a month is a lot, it is however similar to a family of four watching a 3D film every week. I think that's too much and as such rarely visit the cinema whereas years ago I attended weekly. I suppose I prioritise my leisure £. Having said all that I do believe the sport is overpriced but we appear to have painted ourselves into a corner there re costs for the competitors. Sadly, family tickets are not the way to go though.... Even if they look like value for money, hardly any families with teenagers attend... The reason is simple, not many teenagers want to go out to an event with their mam and dad, they want to spend time with their mates... Charging them over six quid wont get them to the speedway I can assure you.. Letting my lad and his usual 'posse' of 15 'bros' and 'sisters' in for nothing and you may just have a chance that some will take to the sport (all his mates know he goes but not one of them know what it is!)... Obviously 'k-tels hits of the seventies' may need to be updated to the playlist of Capital Radio which may be a stumbling block too big to overcome!!!! Edited July 23, 2015 by mikebv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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