Coventry 2016

[Midland Red]

You right " Speedway is often classed as a sport fot simple dullards " ..... is FOT a students word then ?

So what does "You right" mean???

[bluebee]

I am amazed at the vitriol poured out on this forum about these concessions. Why do some people feel that speedway owes them privileges and discounts when it is obvious that the sport is not in a financial good health? I don't know Horton but i doubt if he's acquired a Panamanian offshore account for his speedway profits. If the club was being ripped off with the NUS cards then it makes perfect sense to suspend the discount. There seems to be a mentality that demands special favours regardless of the economic consequences. Compared to other sports speedway is a cheap night out and the admission fess have not increased exponentially over recent years. How many speedway tracks have found it difficult in the Elite league? I used to go to Reading and where are the Racers now. Anybody seen Oxford Cheetahs recently? Are Peterborough Panthers still racing Elite.

 

Support it or look forward to your nights at the keyboard reminiscing about the good old days when there used to be speedway in Cradley Heath - no sorry, should that be Long Eaton. No of course the good old days when we had a speedway team in Coventry where all the OAPs and students got in for free, had a bag of chips for nothing and a pint of Bitter thrown in by the promotion.

[Gemini]

It's only the same handful of people all the time though and some of them don't even go to Coventry anyway so one has to wonder why they are bothered about admission prices, apart from the fact they can have a good moan of course.

[ColinMills]

IF BEES get a winning side, no-one will care or mention the price!

[TesarRacing]

I am amazed at the vitriol poured out on this forum about these concessions. Why do some people feel that speedway owes them privileges and discounts when it is obvious that the sport is not in a financial good health? I don't know Horton but i doubt if he's acquired a Panamanian offshore account for his speedway profits. If the club was being ripped off with the NUS cards then it makes perfect sense to suspend the discount. There seems to be a mentality that demands special favours regardless of the economic consequences. Compared to other sports speedway is a cheap night out and the admission fess have not increased exponentially over recent years. How many speedway tracks have found it difficult in the Elite league? I used to go to Reading and where are the Racers now. Anybody seen Oxford Cheetahs recently? Are Peterborough Panthers still racing Elite.

 

Support it or look forward to your nights at the keyboard reminiscing about the good old days when there used to be speedway in Cradley Heath - no sorry, should that be Long Eaton. No of course the good old days when we had a speedway team in Coventry where all the OAPs and students got in for free, had a bag of chips for nothing and a pint of Bitter thrown in by the promotion.

 

 

It's only the same handful of people all the time though and some of them don't even go to Coventry anyway so one has to wonder why they are bothered about admission prices, apart from the fact they can have a good moan of course.

 

 

IF BEES get a winning side, no-one will care or mention the price!

 

3 sensible posts for a change - agree with all of them!!

[Woz01]

It's only the same handful of people all the time though and some of them don't even go to Coventry anyway so one has to wonder why they are bothered about admission prices, apart from the fact they can have a good moan of course.

I like the posts from people that say "well I'm not going this week" but I still see them there and made up stories that friends are not going etc. Its like they have an agenda or something. We all know Horton isnt perfect but some 'fans' go way over the top and blatantly lie on social media to try and make a stronger case.

Edited April 6, 2016 by woz01

[hagonshocker]

Just re-instate the OAP concessions and all will be well.

You would think!

[beesboybert]

Removing the student offer is ridiculous. I'm not a student, have no NUS and pay full price when i go, but in Coventry alone you have Coventry City, Wasps, Coventry Rugby Club and Coventry Blaze, all of which embrace students and accept NUS cards as proof for their discount. If people "abuse" it at the speedway, they will do the same at those other clubs.

 

The management clearly have a strict idea of who they consider to be entitled to a discount, and it seems they are stuck in an archaic world where only youngsters can be students.

 

This will just lead to more and more people walking away from Brandon, meaning bigger losses for the club... leading to the inevitable closure after this season

[mdmc82]

 

 

 

 

 

3 sensible posts for a change - agree with all of them!!

Completely agree 👍🏻

Some people are moaning saying they won't be going this season then, but they might not have a season to go to next year.

I hope those same people don't moan about having no stadium or team to support if they aren't attending this year based on having to pay the same as the rest of us.

 

I do think though that if we perform as badly at home as last time, any new fans that started watching over last 2 years when always winning, won't stick with it.

Edited April 6, 2016 by mdmc82

[190557]

Removing the student offer is ridiculous. I'm not a student, have no NUS and pay full price when i go, but in Coventry alone you have Coventry City, Wasps, Coventry Rugby Club and Coventry Blaze, all of which embrace students and accept NUS cards as proof for their discount. If people "abuse" it at the speedway, they will do the same at those other clubs.

 

The management clearly have a strict idea of who they consider to be entitled to a discount, and it seems they are stuck in an archaic world where only youngsters can be students.

 

This will just lead to more and more people walking away from Brandon, meaning bigger losses for the club... leading to the inevitable closure after this season

How can an adult in employment who buys an NUS card off the internet without any intention of ever going anywhere near a College or University be classed as a student. These people buy them with the sole intention of defrauding the Bees, Blaze, Wasps and Coventry FC. How you consider this practice acceptable is beyond me.

[Woz01]

Removing the student offer is ridiculous. I'm not a student, have no NUS and pay full price when i go, but in Coventry alone you have Coventry City, Wasps, Coventry Rugby Club and Coventry Blaze, all of which embrace students and accept NUS cards as proof for their discount. If people "abuse" it at the speedway, they will do the same at those other clubs. I also say again its only temporary at this stage until they find a compromise (or not!).

 

The management clearly have a strict idea of who they consider to be entitled to a discount, and it seems they are stuck in an archaic world where only youngsters can be students.

 

This will just lead to more and more people walking away from Brandon, meaning bigger losses for the club... leading to the inevitable closure after this season

The major difference is the price between adult and students watching the bees is £12 while the clubs you name I believe the price difference is perhaps £3-£5 so its less likely to happen plus even if it does the loss of revenue isn't so great. Other sports teams throughout the UK do have an age limit on student admission, if they want it to be £5 then they will have to adopt similar otherwise they will have to go back to £14 for all students as in previous seasons. Edited April 6, 2016 by woz01

[SteveLyric2]

IF BEES get a winning side, no-one will care or mention the price!

Oh dear - pages and pages of more moaning then!!!!

[Woz01]

How can an adult in employment who buys an NUS card off the internet without any intention of ever going anywhere near a College or University be classed as a student. These people buy them with the sole intention of defrauding the Bees, Blaze, Wasps and Coventry FC. How you consider this practice acceptable is beyond me.

Absolutely and the price difference is only a few quid for those clubs while for the Bees its £12 difference, huge amount lost! Coventry City used to at least ask for a covering letter if you was asking for a student season ticket, surely the Bees promotion can do the same.

Edited April 6, 2016 by woz01

[kingbee]

Removing the student offer is ridiculous. I'm not a student, have no NUS and pay full price when i go, but in Coventry alone you have Coventry City, Wasps, Coventry Rugby Club and Coventry Blaze, all of which embrace students and accept NUS cards as proof for their discount. If people "abuse" it at the speedway, they will do the same at those other clubs.

 

The management clearly have a strict idea of who they consider to be entitled to a discount, and it seems they are stuck in an archaic world where only youngsters can be students.

 

This will just lead to more and more people walking away from Brandon, meaning bigger losses for the club... leading to the inevitable closure after this season

I bet oap get concession as well at these clubs

[Woz01]

You'd think that as the promotion seems to have linked up with Wasps (they are listed as partners on website) they'd get a bit of advice on promotional skills and event experience. Have they actually sought advice or even attended the fans village before Wasps matches? I've never seen them to be honest.

[Gemini]

I bet oap get concession as well at these clubs

There's another good example. Why are you complaining on behalf of OAP's when you don't even go? I am an OAP but am quite prepared to pay the extra £3 if it will help the promoters balance the books at the end of our last season. Do you really think any Speedway promoters these days are making loads of money to stash away?

[kingbee]

There's another good example. Why are you complaining on behalf of OAP's when you don't even go? I am an OAP but am quite prepared to pay the extra £3 if it will help the promoters balance the books at the end of our last season. Do you really think any Speedway promoters these days are making loads of money to stash away?

 

that's your opinion I have mine do you no if I go or not you don't know me and I think you are in a minority.in answer to your last statement why is it that Horton is the only promoter in this country that does not offer concessions

[Gemini]

I know you don't go because you have said that on here on more than one occasion.....unless you're telling porkies of course and just say that for effect as woz01 posted "I like the posts from people that say "well I'm not going this week" but I still see them there and made up stories that friends are not going etc. Its like they have an agenda or something." Wasn't it twice you went last season? I don't personally know why the promoters have changed the price structure but they have explained and I do know that pound for pound for a family it is still cheaper to go to Coventry than it is to go to my local track Leicester. Presumably the idea was to encourage more children/students to go but of course that system has been abused so is all up in the air at the moment.

[21st century heathen]

Also of importance in my opinion is whether or not student season tickets been withdrawn too?

 

I think what we have here is actually nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction due to panic about a perceived rather than genuine threat to the business. I've been to the Bees fixtures this season and have I seen a queue across half the car park of new student who happen to have, 'coincidentally', all signed up to the same evening class at the same time, which just happens to be precisely when the speedway season starts? No, obviously not!

 

You cannot realistically put an upper age limit on it in my opinion. It would be foolish and alienate students if anything I believe. I don't have exact current figures but Coventry and Warwickshire universities (the obvious main targets to attract the next generation to speedway in Coventry) have around 50,000 students between them. Around 15,000 of those are postgraduate - so you immediately rule 15,000 potential customers. Of the remaining 35,000 a lot (but I don't know the split without contacting them for information) will be over 21/22 (for example) and not necessarily all school/college leavers continuing their education with no break. Again, there are potentially thousands of lost customers if you take this approach. It would be crazy. Also, any SU president who accepts in consultation with Coventry Speedway to offer a concessionary admission price to some but not all of its members is not doing his/her job properly as they should be representing the best interests of all their members, not a select number.

 

If Coventry Speedway could attract just 1% of this local student body to part with a fiver it would rake in an extra £2½k a week. Okay we're not setting any kind of records here but that's not to be sneezed at and more importantly it will far outweigh the few dozen quid you might lose from a tiny number who may try signing up to a course just to get an NUS card. This is the basis on which every other business in the country, EU and beyond operates an NUS card discount scheme. As I said earlier do you think everyone has to take an admissions letter to Co-op to get their 10% off? I know it may sound sarcastic, but seriously, think about it. The answer is no. You present your NUS card, and that's it.

 

Perhaps Mr Sandhu could be approached to offer, in conjunction with Coventry Speedway, a discount to students? I'm sure 20% (for example) off at the bar along with just £5 at the gate will be a good offer to approach the universities SU and external relations/marketing team. You might even open up the door to do some mutual advertising on a quid pro quo basis. Universities work very hard to set themselves apart from their competition and spend an awful lot of money doing so. Being able to advertise free of charge a local cheap night out may help them and the speedway club may only need offer putting up some posters advertising the next open day for example. There are very few late teens and early twenties at speedway compared to older persons so there's a massive untapped market. Most clubs will be close to a university/college, though some will be a more difficult 'sell' due to track location. It just requires that speedway embraces the world it lives in, gets off its collective backside to actively, not passively, promote the sport. Has anyone, from any club not just Coventry Speedway, ever approached the SU at their local uni and invited them plus 10 (for eg) guests to come along as VIP guests to see what it's all about for themselves?

[LisaColette]

Maybe he is starting a revolution!

Edited April 6, 2016 by lisa-colette