How Do We Attract A New Young Audience?

[Skid Sprocket]

I don't know how you attract the you attract the the kids, but once you have if you want to keep them look no further than the actions of Bomber at the ELRC tonight. He had a massive queue of starry eyed kids queueing behind his car for a Bomber goody bag, photo opportunity and autograph.

Lets hope that the school/college promotion plan helps and all the permissions can be obtained, then if other riders can be persuaded to follow Bombers example.....

[Local Boy]

Before attempting to attract any audience perhaps you should think about how you retain an audience. One way is to apply my wife's barometer of acceptability of a venue i.e. will we eat there/go there again/use it for functions?

 

She applies a simple approach:

 

"What are the condition/standard of the toilets?"

 

If they pass this acceptability test they are in;if not they are out. This approach is based on the view that if an organisation keeps their toilets in order everything else is probably in order.

 

Now apply that approach to the speedway stadiums of the UK and ask yourself a simple question would you use their lavs or would you do your best to hang on until you get home?

 

Today, people young or old, will not put up with lousy facilities! Fix the fundamentals first.

[Guest]

Before attempting to attract any audience perhaps you should think about how you retain an audience. One way is to apply my wife's barometer of acceptability of a venue i.e. will we eat there/go there again/use it for functions?

 

She applies a simple approach:

 

"What are the condition/standard of the toilets?"

 

If they pass this acceptability test they are in;if not they are out. This approach is based on the view that if an organisation keeps their toilets in order everything else is probably in order.

 

Now apply that approach to the speedway stadiums of the UK and ask yourself a simple question would you use their lavs or would you do your best to hang on until you get home?

 

Today, people young or old, will not put up with lousy facilities! Fix the fundamentals first.

 

That's a good point in regard to the standard of toilet facilities. But in most case it is not up to the speedway promoter - it is the concern of the stadium owner to ensure the toilets are up-to-stnadard. All a promoter can do bearing in mind he is probably only a tenant is to pass on the concerns to the stadium owners if they choose not make improvements, what else can the speedway promoter do?

Sadly,I doubt that a threat to take the speedway elsewhere if the stadium fails to make improvements will have little effect. The stadium knows that at the end of the day there are no other suitable places for speedway.

It's sad that this happens, but it does - and in some cases - will continue to do so.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Guest

[Vince]

I would think that a few quid getting somebody in to at least clean the toilets very thoroughly before and keep them that way during a meeting would be a good investment. You can get away with sub standard facilities if they are very clean.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Vince

[Trees]

The cleanliness of the loos have never bothered me particularly. Always about supporting my team, the quality of racing and crowd interaction ..... ok so I like a half decent cuppa but that's it lol

 

Tell ya wife to hover or line the seat, get out as quickly as possible and enjoy the racing

[uk_martin]

I don't know how you attract the you attract the the kids, but once you have if you want to keep them look no further than the actions of Bomber at the ELRC tonight. He had a massive queue of starry eyed kids queueing behind his car for a Bomber goody bag, photo opportunity and autograph.

 

OR...you do what BSI do at some of their events. You ditch the stadium sound system for inter-heat music, and use it for announcements only. Leave the music to some "name" DJ's who can be pulled-in from local nightspots, with their own mobile DJ rigs, playing the music that kids actually listen too. I recall at the SWC in Prague, they had a different DJ doing his thing on each bend of the stadium.

 

Too bad if you are Perry Como's #1 fan, or if Roy Orbison is what floats your boat. You can listen to them whilst supping your cocoa at the Derby & Joan Club after the meeting. Or you can tune into Classic FM on your car wireless on your way home.

Today, people young or old, will not put up with lousy facilities! Fix the fundamentals first.

 

Birmingham's toilets are spotless (or they are before people start using them lol) - and yet we still have one of the oldest average crowd ages in the country.

[Trees]

OR...you do what BSI do at some of their events. You ditch the stadium sound system for inter-heat music, and use it for announcements only. Leave the music to some "name" DJ's who can be pulled-in from local nightspots, with their own mobile DJ rigs, playing the music that kids actually listen too. I recall at the SWC in Prague, they had a different DJ doing his thing on each bend of the stadium.

 

Too bad if you are Perry Como's #1 fan, or if Roy Orbison is what floats your boat. You can listen to them whilst supping your cocoa at the Derby & Joan Club after the meeting. Or you can tune into Classic FM on your car wireless on your way home.

Jesus, that sounds terrible, the music at the Under 21s in Gdansk did my head in, some up to date stuff is fine but not the ott poop lol

[Guest]

Jesus, that sounds terrible, the music at the Under 21s in Gdansk did my head in, some up to date stuff is fine but not the ott poop lol

 

​I think The Lord has more important matters to consider than the music being played in Gdansk!

Edited October 10, 2016 by Guest

[iris123]

 

​I think The Lord has more important matters to consider than the music being played in Gdansk!

The Lord probably has,but obviously the Devils Advocate hasn't eh?

[SCB]

Before attempting to attract any audience perhaps you should think about how you retain an audience. One way is to apply my wife's barometer of acceptability of a venue i.e. will we eat there/go there again/use it for functions?

 

She applies a simple approach:

 

"What are the condition/standard of the toilets?"

 

If they pass this acceptability test they are in;if not they are out. This approach is based on the view that if an organisation keeps their toilets in order everything else is probably in order.

 

Now apply that approach to the speedway stadiums of the UK and ask yourself a simple question would you use their lavs or would you do your best to hang on until you get home?

 

Today, people young or old, will not put up with lousy facilities! Fix the fundamentals first.

Might seem silly to some but ask both of my sisters what puts them off speedway most (having attended most weeks when speedway first returned to Newport) and they'll tell you going to toilet in a shed without any lights. Ladies tend to be quite snobbish about where they go to toilets, unlike us men who in the main don't care! That said, walking through puddles of what could be other people piss is not what you want and at some tracks you just cant be sure that puddle in the bogs isn't exactly that!

[SpeedwayTShirts]

Having attended 2 meetings in 2 years one at Wolverhampton and one at Belle Vue (both thoroughly enjoyable), it's time to realise that the sports an open wound, the powers that be aren't interested in improving the image to attract a younger audience.

And many people know the passion I had for the sport in the past and the lengths I was willing to go to to make an evening at the track more entertaining.

2 meetings in 2 years, you'd never have believed it 3 or 4 years ago......

[New Science]

Having attended 2 meetings in 2 years one at Wolverhampton and one at Belle Vue (both thoroughly enjoyable), it's time to realise that the sports an open wound, the powers that be aren't interested in improving the image to attract a younger audience.

And many people know the passion I had for the sport in the past and the lengths I was willing to go to to make an evening at the track more entertaining.

2 meetings in 2 years, you'd never have believed it 3 or 4 years ago......

If both of your experiences were "both thoroughly enjoyable " what are the issues ?

[waiheke1]

If both of your experiences were "both thoroughly enjoyable " what are the issues ?

My guess is that he is not part of the "younger audience."

[uk_martin]

Jesus, that sounds terrible, the music at the Under 21s in Gdansk did my head in, some up to date stuff is fine but not the ott poop lol

 

You're just getting old!

If both of your experiences were "both thoroughly enjoyable " what are the issues ?

 

Something to do with the referred to "powers that be", perhaps?

[Sings4Speedway]

Independent music for me is a definite no. Been to local grasstracks where it was tried, played music when results were being read out and worse when riders were prone injured on the track.

Toilets especially the ladies need to be addressed.

Food? Give the public the chance to have lunch/dinner at venues rather than grab a quick bite on a wobbly plastic chair?

 

For me a big way of gaining younger attention is merchandising especially in a professional current way. More importantly make it affordable. Football easily associates teams via expensive replica kits and its a multi million pound business.

Speedway shifts a few scarfs & hats that an individual keeps a lifetime so hardly a recurring sales model.

 

Produce good affordable speedway merchandise either generic or club specific to create an identity. Give away some kind of collector memorabilia to kids each meeting? Meet & greet with a different rider each week at the turn styles?

 

None of the above are the finite answer but speedway has fallen a long way and needs to climb back up step by step.

[Little Thumper]

Before attempting to attract any audience perhaps you should think about how you retain an audience. One way is to apply my wife's barometer of acceptability of a venue i.e. will we eat there/go there again/use it for functions?

 

She applies a simple approach:

 

"What are the condition/standard of the toilets?"

 

If they pass this acceptability test they are in;if not they are out. This approach is based on the view that if an organisation keeps their toilets in order everything else is probably in order.

 

Now apply that approach to the speedway stadiums of the UK and ask yourself a simple question would you use their lavs or would you do your best to hang on until you get home?

 

Today, people young or old, will not put up with lousy facilities! Fix the fundamentals first.

 

This is absolutely and totally correct!

 

If a venue cannot even provide decent toilets, floodlights that don't pack up after 30 minutes, facilities that aren't ramshackle and on the point of collapse and make an attempt to generate some kind of atmosphere of excitement and fun, then it might as well give it up as a bad job.

 

I occasionally consider asking friends to come along to the speedway but then I think about the non-functioning toilets, the dreadful food and the loudspeakers that don't work, and decide that it would be far too embarrassing!

 

And as for making provision for disabled customers, when I raised this with the governing bodies, they said it wasn't their problem and gave me the home addresses of the promoters and told me to write to them about it!

[Kay Marie Dunn]

I totally have the same approach about lavs, great minds think alike

[Tigerblade]

The cleanliness of the loos have never bothered me particularly. Always about supporting my team, the quality of racing and crowd interaction ..... ok so I like a half decent cuppa but that's it lol

 

Tell ya wife to hover or line the seat, get out as quickly as possible and enjoy the racing

It's OK for the likes of you and me to say about the quality of the racing etc being important, but we are the converted - we're talking about getting folk into the place in the first instance. At Sheffield we are quite lucky with facilities, but some of the terracing is 85 years old now and in some places it shows. As has been pointed out already, I know how many Clubs are at the mercy of landlords and can't really do anything, it's a bit of a vicious circle.

 

One thing I would think of is stop marketing it as a "family sport". Many young people don't think somewhere their grandparents go is "cool".

[Guest]

 

This is absolutely and totally correct!

 

If a venue cannot even provide decent toilets, floodlights that don't pack up after 30 minutes, facilities that aren't ramshackle and on the point of collapse and make an attempt to generate some kind of atmosphere of excitement and fun, then it might as well give it up as a bad job.

 

I occasionally consider asking friends to come along to the speedway but then I think about the non-functioning toilets, the dreadful food and the loudspeakers that don't work, and decide that it would be far too embarrassing!

 

And as for making provision for disabled customers, when I raised this with the governing bodies, they said it wasn't their problem and gave me the home addresses of the promoters and told me to write to them about it!

 

I fully understand the point you are making, but some of them - all of them? - are outside the jurisdiction of a speedway promoter. At many stadiums they are only tenants who have booked the venue to stage their events. The upkeep of many stadiums is down to its owners - and while complaints about facilities may well be made to them, if the owners choose to ignore what can the promoters do? They cannot say we will leave the stadium if facilities are not improved because, at the end of the day, there probably is not a suitable stadium they can relocate to.

[Little Thumper]

 

I fully understand the point you are making, but some of them - all of them? - are outside the jurisdiction of a speedway promoter. At many stadiums they are only tenants who have booked the venue to stage their events. The upkeep of many stadiums is down to its owners - and while complaints about facilities may well be made to them, if the owners choose to ignore what can the promoters do? They cannot say we will leave the stadium if facilities are not improved because, at the end of the day, there probably is not a suitable stadium they can relocate to.

 

gustix, my knowledgeable friend, what you say is without reproach.

 

And as you quite correctly point out, I make my comments based on the observations that I have made at some but not all venues.

I apologize for my lack of clarity.

 

But at the end of the day, the customer who has just handed over several fine British pounds doesn't care a jot whether the venue that has relieved them of their money is owned by Acme Enterprises or Larry the Lamb.

 

What they do know is that at a venue that is charging money to attend their event then the facilities must be of reasonable quality and therefore providing dirty or inoperative toilets, PA systems that do not work and an environment that is unsuitable or unsafe for the physically challenged is not acceptable in any circumstances.

 

Surely, that is not too much to ask in this day and age?

 

So as Local Boy said, "Fix the fundamentals first".

 

Or as Alan Bennett wrote in History Boys, " You can't polish a turd".

 

Just my opinion, obviously.