mikebv Posted April 11, 2019 Report Share Posted April 11, 2019 Reading the Speedway Star, and looking at the admission costs listed for each track, I thought I would see what the cost would be for me and my 15 year old lad to attend each circuit.. These teenage years (last year at school) seems to be the ones when 'kids' drift away from the sport, just at the time you would want to keep them interested as they are only one small step away from being potential paying customers themselves.. With the SON being just £22.50 for me and my lad to get in, it certainly puts into perspective some of the admission charges being asked for, and may also give some steer as to why terraces are hardly full to bursting. Some real disparate numbers for 'the same product'... Fair play to Buster, his three teams are by some way the lowest charging in the Premiership.. £27 - Glasgow, Edinburgh (Booked Online pre match day it's £25 at Edinburgh) £25 - Poole, Belle Vue, Wolverhampton, £23 - Swindon, Kent £22 - Redcar, £21.50 - Birmingham £21 - Scunthorpe, Somerset £20 - Newcastle £19 - Cradley £18 - Kings Lynn, Ipswich, Peterborough, Plymouth, Eastbourne £17 - Berwick £16 - Sheffield £15 - Leicester £13 - Isle Of Wight, Mildenhall £12 - Leicester Cubs £10 - Belle Vue Colts.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sings4Speedway Posted April 11, 2019 Report Share Posted April 11, 2019 Very alarming that the top spot is occupied by two teams who are not top flight. Plus a NL in third is equally disturbing. In fact throughout the list there is little to suggest that admission prices/attitudes reflect the levels teams compete at. It has to be said that everything for the £18 bracket down "seems" reasonable and extra credits to those who admit under 16's foc. Certainly not shocked to see IOW as one of the best yet again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted April 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2019 1 minute ago, Sings4Speedway said: Very alarming that the top spot is occupied by two teams who are not top flight. Plus a NL in third is equally disturbing. In fact throughout the list there is little to suggest that admission prices/attitudes reflect the levels teams compete at. It has to be said that everything for the £18 bracket down "seems" reasonable and extra credits to those who admit under 16's foc. Certainly not shocked to see IOW as one of the best yet again. Same thoughts struck me... I have a fairly decent salary but not sure I could afford (or justify) £100+ per month for four Speedway meetings out of my disposable income, with the inevitable teenage requests for food and drink on top! There are so many other costs these days that have to come first.. Kids aged 13 - 16 are conspicuous by their absence at a great many tracks, maybe charging for them to get in also dissuades parents to attend who otherwise might go if their teenagers got in for free? Use free admission for their teenage kids as a 'loss leader', as let's be honest you don't see many teenagers now at many tracks so hardly a huge income loss... Do those who let teenagers in for free now I wonder see a reasonable amount of them there? Someone needs to replace the ageing demographic over the next ten years or so.. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted April 11, 2019 Report Share Posted April 11, 2019 I totally agree with you. My two kids jumped ship as teenagers, and wouldn't go now if i paid them! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted April 11, 2019 Report Share Posted April 11, 2019 Mine as well ~ as soon as they were old enough to be left that was it. Perhaps it was all those years taking them around different tracks and basing our holidays in areas we would be able to attend at least one match during the week away. I think we even managed 3 meetings when in Dorset ~ one at Poole and Weymouth twice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 My 15 year old enjoys speedway a looks forward to going if I suggest it. Five pounds doesn't break the bank, but I don't go regularly - just when the mood takes me. I do think that letting under 16s or under 18s in for free would be a good strategy to get kids interested and parents attending, particularly if you are going to attend regularly. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Smith Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 That is certainly one of Buster's best thing's with Kids free. I'd have it as high as U21's. Personally, I wouldn't mind paying a junior admission price of a £5 if they got something in return i.e. free flags, air horns, bumper pack with signed photo/poster of the team or individual photos/posters etc etc. It's all about incentives to keep the youngsters coming back. By the time these kids turn 18 they'd then be hooked but it's then seen as "sad" to be given a kids pack. Maybe between 18-21 a free burger, chips and drink etc. Promoters need to think outside the box a little better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted April 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 15 minutes ago, Daniel Smith said: That is certainly one of Buster's best thing's with Kids free. I'd have it as high as U21's. Personally, I wouldn't mind paying a junior admission price of a £5 if they got something in return i.e. free flags, air horns, bumper pack with signed photo/poster of the team or individual photos/posters etc etc. It's all about incentives to keep the youngsters coming back. By the time these kids turn 18 they'd then be hooked but it's then seen as "sad" to be given a kids pack. Maybe between 18-21 a free burger, chips and drink etc. Promoters need to think outside the box a little better. Some common sense ideas.. So much could be done.. Flood secondary schools with free tickets, do the same with colleges and uni's... Lads and Lasses doing mechanical courses, give them some hands on experience at the track.. Dont bother with 'free when accompanied by an adult' rubbish, teenage kids hang out in packs, let them all in for nothing.. They are not there now in any amount of numbers, so absolutely nothing at all to lose, even if ultimately no gain.. And you may sell some more teenage/18+ fodder, burgers, pop, booze etc. So those who own their food and drink outlets would benefit from the extra footfall if nothing else.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sings4Speedway Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Despite the additional issues with proving individuals are under 18 i would definitely back free entry with the hope that if 1 in 10 remains a paying supporter that is still a positive up take from the numbers now. However battling society changes may be harder anyway, how many 17-18 years olds would rather sit in the car park of a drive thru fast food restaurant all night than sit in a stadium watching speedway with all the same commodities (poorly lit, greasy food, dirty toilets) even if it was free to enter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedyOne Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 So for the cost of MikeBV taking his son to Kent to watch an NL meeting, he could instead have 2 adults and 8 kids attend Belle Vue, and still get £3 back? Racing must be incredible at Kent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted April 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 15 minutes ago, CottonOn said: So for the cost of MikeBV taking his son to Kent to watch an NL meeting, he could instead have 2 adults and 8 kids attend Belle Vue, and still get £3 back? Racing must be incredible at Kent. 130% more to watch the same fourteen riders? As you say, it must be blinding racing at Kent... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieman72 Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Has anyone been to Birmingham Speedway recently? What are the facilities (i.e. food, drink, cover, seating, spectating) like now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halifaxtiger Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 2 hours ago, CottonOn said: So for the cost of MikeBV taking his son to Kent to watch an NL meeting, he could instead have 2 adults and 8 kids attend Belle Vue, and still get £3 back? Racing must be incredible at Kent. I think the frightening one is that Leicester is £8 cheaper than Kent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halifaxtiger Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 2 hours ago, mikebv said: 130% more to watch the same fourteen riders? As you say, it must be blinding racing at Kent... Unlike many places, paying to park at Glasgow & Edinburgh is pretty much a necessity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhoundp Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Kent; Len Silver never does anything for nowt, ie lining his own pocket proven by the fact Kent remain in the NL, this despite having one of the best Stadia and being well supported. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsunami Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 16 minutes ago, greyhoundp said: Kent; Len Silver never does anything for nowt, ie lining his own pocket proven by the fact Kent remain in the NL, this despite having one of the best Stadia and being well supported. What. A speedway promoter being a proper business man. Tut Tut, shame on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Indeed, he’s old school, boot full of cash type. Most have gone and left it to rich fan boys to keep our beloved sport going for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halifaxtiger Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 1 hour ago, Tsunami said: What. A speedway promoter being a proper business man. Tut Tut, shame on him. Personally, I'd say a proper businessman is someone who cares so much about his paying customers that on a freezing cold night he goes round handing out blankets and hot wheat pack hand warmers, not someone who charges almost double what his competitors do and 25% more than some two leagues higher. This is especially at a time when speedway desperately needs to show that it represents good value for money and that fans are valued and not simply to be fleeced for as much as possible. One of the main reasons why speedway is in the desperate situation that it is is that fans have been taken for granted for years and that sort of entry fee for that standard of speedway is a classic example. The much maligned Buster Chapman deserves a huge amount of credit for the entry charges at King's Lynn, Ipswich & Peterborough and letting under 16's in free. I suspect, however, that he got the idea about free entry for U16's from another club. No prizes for guessing which one, but its the same one that gave out the blankets. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Belle Vue Colts though it’s under 18. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waytogo28 Posted April 13, 2019 Report Share Posted April 13, 2019 We all know how wealthy the people of London are - as what goes to Kent! And all those wealthy landowners too. Len is just charging what the market can bear. Maybe they are not "proper" old school supporters? They could be flash types to whom 20 or 30 quid at the door is nothing. Don't we need another 250, 000 of them across the country? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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