Alarmingly Low Crowds

[Gresham]

 

 

 

 

 

Further to my comment about a "lockout for fans at Wembley in 1946'. that same season there was a similar happening at Wimbledon. Nowadays I suppose promoters have to lock the fans in - those few people who bother to attend a meeting that is! There's a big difference between 85,000 at Wembley in 1946 and a mentioned 400 at IoW seven days ago.

Whilst I understand the gist of your post...comparing Wembley in London at the height of attendances, to little ol' IOW, which only has a population of 130 odd thousand is a bit extreme, wouldn't you say?

[Guest]

Whilst I understand the gist of your post...comparing Wembley in London at the height of attendances, to little ol' IOW, which only has a population of 130 odd thousand is a bit extreme, wouldn't you say?

That's a fair point Gresham. I was not specifically 'attacking' IoW - just try to emphasise how interest in speedway has dwindled since those wonderful speedway days of 1946, when there were big crowds and much National media coverage, to what is dished up - for those who bother to attend a track - in these modern times.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Guest

[Gresham]

That's a fair point Gresham. I was not specifically 'attackimg' IoW - just try to emphasise how interest in speedway has dwindled since those wonderful speedway days of 1946, when there were big crowds and much National media coverage, to what is dished up - for those who bother to attend a track - in these modern times.

Well I'm not old enough to remember those days...but can remember watching Bristol in amongst 10,000 odd on a Friday night and Wembley in 78...and you are correct, attendances have tumbled...they are frighteningly low nowadays.

 

As other threads on this forum have discussed, and there seem to be many reasons for this...I do find it strange that a sport can dwindle to so little crowds, when it was once the second highest attended sport in the country. As the OP said...ALARMING.

[E I Addio]

Lakeside had a big crowd v Kings Lynn on Good Friday. Not as big as the heyday off the local derbies with Eastbourne but pretty decent. It dropped for the unattractive fixture with Leicester on a freezing cold night but still seemed comparable to a lot we saw last year, then it was well up for Poole. Difficult to assess the Poole meeting because an accident in Dartford Tunnel meant a lot of fans arrived late, but as far as I could judge in the dark it seemed a pretty decent crowd by about heat 3 or 4.

[Guest]

Lakeside had a big crowd v Kings Lynn on Good Friday. Not as big as the heyday off the local derbies with Eastbourne but pretty decent. It dropped for the unattractive fixture with Leicester on a freezing cold night but still seemed comparable to a lot we saw last year, then it was well up for Poole. Difficult to assess the Poole meeting because an accident in Dartford Tunnel meant a lot of fans arrived late, but as far as I could judge in the dark it seemed a pretty decent crowd by about heat 3 or 4.

 

It's useful when mentioning 'decent' crowds to quote figures, otherwise it's pointless to do so. Was it 10,000 or 5,000, or 400? What attendance constitutes a decent crowd these days?

[steve roberts]

 

It's useful when mentioning 'decent' crowds to quote figures, otherwise it's pointless to do so. Was it 10,000 or 5,000, or 400? What attendance constitutes a decent crowd these days?

Trouble is there has always been a reluctance of Promoters to issue 'official' attendance figures. Why one may ask?

Edited April 26, 2016 by steve roberts

[MattJ81]

Cradley last night was a lower crowd than usual, certainly outside, but it was very cold and as we were setting out there was a hail storm (which later found its way to Monmore). Also West Brom football were on the tele which may have kept a few away.

 

The Rye House meeting was switched at the last minute from the Monday night to the Tuesday due to weather but the crowd looked OK and the first meeting was a healthy crowd compared to recent Cradley meetings both at Monmore and especially last year at PB

 

I believe Cradley will have a higher average attendance this season than last and I wouldn't imagine it will be down on previous Monmore seasons, although I appreciate it's all subjective and mostly guesswork

[Guest]

Cradley last night was a lower crowd than usual, certainly outside, but it was very cold and as we were setting out there was a hail storm (which later found its way to Monmore). Also West Brom football were on the tele which may have kept a few away.

 

The Rye House meeting was switched at the last minute from the Monday night to the Tuesday due to weather but the crowd looked OK and the first meeting was a healthy crowd compared to recent Cradley meetings both at Monmore and especially last year at PB

 

I believe Cradley will have a higher average attendance this season than last and I wouldn't imagine it will be down on previous Monmore seasons, although I appreciate it's all subjective and mostly guesswork

 

Like many posts, this thread gives speculative comment on how attendances are going - up or down - but again an all important factor that is needed is missed - no figures either correct or speculative are given. I quote from the previous post "...but the crowd looked OK..." What size was that crowd? Was it 800, 8,000 or 80? And as for "..I believe Cradley will have a higher average attendance this season than last..." what numbers are we talking about?

[SPEEDY69]

Trouble is there has always been a reluctance of Promoters to issue 'official' attendance figures. Why one may ask?

 

They probably have to account for entrance money in their tax returns!

[George Dodds]

The recent quoted attendance figures are a long way off the crowd for a 1946 Wembley v West Ham match when spectators were locked out and 85,000 fans were inside the stadium to watch the racing.

So basically if the BSPA can arrange for a six-year worldwide war which kills millions, uninvent TV and home entertainment, raze garden centres to the ground, and race in London all speedway's woes will be solved?

Even Premier League football attendances stack up badly to those immediate post war years ... but, correct me if I'm wrong Gustix, wasn't it a short-term high? Within 10 years wasn't the sport down to a handful of tracks and even they were on their uppers?

The past is gone - it will never return, along with the time when British speedway could afford to pay the rates of money which will attract the top riders here.

Instead we should be looking at the likes of British Superbikes and British Touring Cars - two organisations which manage to run profitably in front of large crowds despite not having access to the elite level or racers.

Put two or three riders or roughly equal ability on track and speedway is as good as was in the 40s. 60s, 90s, whenever - Berwick against Glasgow on Saturday night proved that. One of the problems with modern speedway is that too often races feature four riders of widely differing abilities - sort that and you have something sellable to the public.

[Guest]

So basically if the BSPA can arrange for a six-year worldwide war which kills millions, uninvent TV and home entertainment, raze garden centres to the ground, and race in London all speedway's woes will be solved?

Even Premier League football attendances stack up badly to those immediate post war years ... but, correct me if I'm wrong Gustix, wasn't it a short-term high? Within 10 years wasn't the sport down to a handful of tracks and even they were on their uppers?

The past is gone - it will never return, along with the time when British speedway could afford to pay the rates of money which will attract the top riders here.

Instead we should be looking at the likes of British Superbikes and British Touring Cars - two organisations which manage to run profitably in front of large crowds despite not having access to the elite level or racers.

Put two or three riders or roughly equal ability on track and speedway is as good as was in the 40s. 60s, 90s, whenever - Berwick against Glasgow on Saturday night proved that. One of the problems with modern speedway is that too often races feature four riders of widely differing abilities - sort that and you have something sellable to the public.

What a sad parallel? Not worth further comment on that!

[BWitcher]

So basically if the BSPA can arrange for a six-year worldwide war which kills millions, uninvent TV and home entertainment, raze garden centres to the ground, and race in London all speedway's woes will be solved?

Even Premier League football attendances stack up badly to those immediate post war years ... but, correct me if I'm wrong Gustix, wasn't it a short-term high? Within 10 years wasn't the sport down to a handful of tracks and even they were on their uppers?

The past is gone - it will never return, along with the time when British speedway could afford to pay the rates of money which will attract the top riders here.

Instead we should be looking at the likes of British Superbikes and British Touring Cars - two organisations which manage to run profitably in front of large crowds despite not having access to the elite level or racers.

Put two or three riders or roughly equal ability on track and speedway is as good as was in the 40s. 60s, 90s, whenever - Berwick against Glasgow on Saturday night proved that. One of the problems with modern speedway is that too often races feature four riders of widely differing abilities - sort that and you have something sellable to the public.

 

I agree with all your post till your last sentence... That is not a problem with modern speedway. Indeed at Elite League level it has never featured more equal riders in races. There has ALWAYS been widely differing abilities in races.

What a sad parallel? Not worth further comment on that!

 

You introduced it.

[Shale Searcher]

Speedway needs an outlet on bog standard prime time tv to generate some interest from people outside "our little world" We are sometimes speedways worst nightmare....

We slag it off on line (facegram, instabook, tumbledown, twatter, etc..) anyone that hasn't discovered speedway, would be put-off straight away by some of the ascerbic comments/reports we bung on these sites....

 

We need a "be positive about speedway" week online/ down pub etc, just talk about all that's good, and give the not so good a rest!!

[Guest]

 

 

 

You introduced it.

 

I was responding to this comment by George Dodds, not his overall Post. Read more carefully - and thoughtfully - before getting on your high horse!

So basically if the BSPA can arrange for a six-year worldwide war which kills millions, uninvent TV and home entertainment, raze garden centres to the ground, and race in London all speedway's woes will be solved?

Edited April 26, 2016 by Guest

[mickthemuppet]

 

I saw two variations on attendances for last week's reopening meeting at IoW. On Facebook, an attendee quoted it as "about 400" while a BSF assessment was given as 250, although this latter Poster later conceded he usually gave "low guesstimate attendances" and that there could have been more spectators at the meeting.

The recent quoted attendance figures are a long way off the crowd for a 1946 Wembley v West Ham match when spectators were locked out and 85,000 fans were inside the stadium to watch the racing.

Then crowds are way down at football grounds today compared to the 1940's where you would get 30,000 for a division 3 or 4 match. Colchester united averaged 9,300 in the Southern League in 1948, look at their gates today which are under half that

[Guest]

Then crowds are way down at football grounds today compared to the 1940's where you would get 30,000 for a division 3 or 4 match. Colchester united averaged 9,300 in the Southern League in 1948, look at their gates today which are under half that

 

Fair comparison mickthemuppet. I am of the opinion that the decline of interest for speedway coincided with the rapid interest in TV that followed the introduction of the commercial stations in the mi-1950s. Your comparison of the decline in some areas for football is also credible.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Guest

[Trees]

Speedway needs an outlet on bog standard prime time tv to generate some interest from people outside "our little world" We are sometimes speedways worst nightmare....

We slag it off on line (facegram, instabook, tumbledown, twatter, etc..) anyone that hasn't discovered speedway, would be put-off straight away by some of the ascerbic comments/reports we bung on these sites....

We need a "be positive about speedway" week online/ down pub etc, just talk about all that's good, and give the not so good a rest!!

I love that idea ..... a week when loads of great league races are shared on social media, when all clubs run a free meeting, a big push on local and perhaps national radio, local TV and national TV (you never know!) ......

[Notenoughnerve]

Speedway needs an outlet on bog standard prime time tv to generate some interest from people outside "our little world" We are sometimes speedways worst nightmare....

We slag it off on line (facegram, instabook, tumbledown, twatter, etc..) anyone that hasn't discovered speedway, would be put-off straight away by some of the ascerbic comments/reports we bung on these sites....

 

We need a "be positive about speedway" week online/ down pub etc, just talk about all that's good, and give the not so good a rest!!

Absolutely spot on. I dragged a couple of new guys along for the play off final and they loved and will be back. And a bloke who lived in my street, who rarely attends live sport is coming with us to the Bank Holiday fixture. It's because I talk with enthusiasm about it.

And no matter what, a good Speedway meeting is still a great spectacle.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Notenoughnerve

[George Dodds]

Speedway needs an outlet on bog standard prime time tv to generate some interest from people outside "our little world" We are sometimes speedways worst nightmare....

We slag it off on line (facegram, instabook, tumbledown, twatter, etc..) anyone that hasn't discovered speedway, would be put-off straight away by some of the ascerbic comments/reports we bung on these sites....

 

We need a "be positive about speedway" week online/ down pub etc, just talk about all that's good, and give the not so good a rest!!

Again we perhaps need to take a leaf from the other motorcycle codes and Premiership Rugby which self-finance highlight packages and then all but give them to terrestrial TV - as a result ITV 4 shows highlights of Moto-GP, British superbikes, Premiership Rugby Union and has Touring Cars and Formula E live while Five has World Rally Highlights. Channel 4 night-time is awash with highlights from obscure car racing formulas.

We made the mistake of taking the money from Sky and then allowing them exclusivity when they were the only players in the game - the mistake must not be repeated when a new deal is negotiated, although that sadly is years away.

Grand Prix can sort out their own TV problems as most of the money generated from it goes outside the sport in this country.

Edited April 26, 2016 by George Dodds

[Gresham]

Speedway needs an outlet on bog standard prime time tv to generate some interest from people outside "our little world" We are sometimes speedways worst nightmare....

We slag it off on line (facegram, instabook, tumbledown, twatter, etc..) anyone that hasn't discovered speedway, would be put-off straight away by some of the ascerbic comments/reports we bung on these sites....

 

We need a "be positive about speedway" week online/ down pub etc, just talk about all that's good, and give the not so good a rest!!

You make a fair point... although I think it's good to give an accurate discussion, rather than a completely one sided one.

 

I speak fondly to people I know about speedway...and am planning to take my loved one and her son to their first speedway meeting soon. They are excited about going. I also took 3 new people last season and they want to return, when it's warmer.

 

I've read some good things recently about Speedway on here and on other media formats...I even watched a Polish meeting that had come up as exciting.

 

I've found forums are generally places where people vent their frustrations and make constructive criticism, as they are generally frequented by fans already into the sport.