Cardiff GP 2025 Cancelled

[MattB]

On 12/22/2024 at 2:30 PM, foreverblue said:

Probably do not want to tell us Cardiff attendances as it would spoil their commercial reasons line. There was way more than 5000, I would have said around 20000.

If it was 20,000 then it's still way more than any British club has had for many a long year

[rikard5150]

On 12/20/2024 at 11:20 AM, ShanoXtra said:

Nice rant but Gorzow and Torun both have roofs. And yes, i'm aware Torun isn't in the GP this year!

Torun has the SON meetings in 2025. That is why they don't have a GP. To me the biggest mistake is having the final round in Vojens. Love the place but not the rain.

[Humphrey Appleby]

On 12/23/2024 at 12:30 AM, foreverblue said:

Probably do not want to tell us Cardiff attendances as it would spoil their commercial reasons line. There was way more than 5000, I would have said around 20000.

Never understood what the big secret is over attendances. The stadium will know anyway, and it’s reasonably easy to estimate if you’re there.

The tickets will also only represent a percentage of the revenue.

[Humphrey Appleby]

On 12/22/2024 at 5:40 AM, PersonalResponsibility said:

It's probably reached a natural end, but the way it's been dealt with is abysmal. I'm sure the usual suspect will be along soon to chastise those who've booked non-refundable accommodation, but that was a big attraction of Cardiff: it would never be rained off.

Whatever your thoughts are of the whole event, there are now unhappy speedway fans who have lost money on hotels, and maybe some who won't bother as much with speedway.

WBD have been an unmitigated disaster.

It is very poor to announce a date and venue for an event and then change that, unless the announcement clearly stated ‘TBC’ or whatever. I think people have every right to be annoyed and possibly even a case for small claims recovery, although this is of course speedway and it’s hardly the first time it’s happened - Gelsenkirchen and Riga come to mind.

Non-refundable bookings can save you a fair bit. I tend to do it and just accept there will occasionally be a change of plan. I’m still up on the deal.

[Humphrey Appleby]

On 12/21/2024 at 11:02 PM, IainB said:

We'll never know, of course, but BSI did consistently build the crowd over the duration of their time at Cardiff until the final year, then all of a sudden it halved, yes you could mention Covid, but that doesn't seem to have effected the attendances at any other events. 

Not really sure BSI did - think it was consistently around 30-40k in reality, and it seems some cheap ticketing may have been required in later years. 

Probably not bad given how many people actively follow British speedway, but there’s only so long you can rely on a seemingly unchanging demographic. That pattern was pretty much repeated in the other prestige venues they ran at for a few years.

[Humphrey Appleby]

On 12/20/2024 at 8:49 PM, fatface said:

It's a sad, but inevitable end. And there's loads of reasons for it. I suspect the event has been propped up beyond it's natural lifespan from public sector funding in Wales. And that's not sustainable. Cost of living is a factor in this....people simply have less disposable income over the last decade. High energy prices mean that running major facilities...even your local pool...has rocketed and these costs have to be passed on.

Visit Wales has had its budget cut by 3.5 million so maybe they want to subsidise events with much better ROI.

The Principality Stadium seems to have a cost model based around ROI to the Welsh economy rather than seeking to maximise return on the facility itself, but the financial travails of the WRU and cuts to Welsh Government funding seems to have made more acutely aware of the need to out on money spinning events instead of ‘community events’ - to the point they moved a Welsh rugby international to Twickenham in favour of a pop concert.

On 12/20/2024 at 8:49 PM, fatface said:

But the biggest reason is that British Speedway as a whole is on its *rse. The fan base is shrinking, ageing and ultimately dying....and without that hardcore of supporters, any big event in the UK will struggle.

Which is unfortunately the bottom line.

[Humphrey Appleby]

On 12/20/2024 at 10:11 PM, AFCB Wildcat said:

For those that bitched about 'rip off Cardiff' , I see that Premier inns in Manchester are all around £400 or more for those 2 nights.

Bargain! 👍

Well there’s always the Travelodge and Ibis, and several other chain hotels that showing around £300 for those nights at the moment.

At least Manchester has more options than Cardiff, even if you need to travel out a bit.

[foreverblue]

5 hours ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

Well there’s always the Travelodge and Ibis, and several other chain hotels that showing around £300 for those nights at the moment.

At least Manchester has more options than Cardiff, even if you need to travel out a bit.

Cardiff had plenty of options if you were willing to go on a 20 min train ride.

[IainB]

6 hours ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

Probably not bad given how many people actively follow British speedway, but there’s only so long you can rely on a seemingly unchanging demographic. That pattern was pretty much repeated in the other prestige venues they ran at for a few years.

It always struck me how different the demographic was that attended Cardiff from what you'd see at most club tracks, whether that was due to the influx of "foreigners" to the event I don't know, but it always seemed quite a younger crowd to me.

[Humphrey Appleby]

1 hour ago, foreverblue said:

Cardiff had plenty of options if you were willing to go on a 20 min train ride.

But what time did the trains stop running? 

[AFCB Wildcat]

6 hours ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

Well there’s always the Travelodge and Ibis, and several other chain hotels that showing around £300 for those nights at the moment.

At least Manchester has more options than Cardiff, even if you need to travel out a bit.

There were always cheaper options for Cardiff too. I used Premier inn as a comparison to the rates in Cardiff, because it's like for like. I was making the point that it's standard practice for hotels to hike prices around events. Manchester is no exception as the prices I stated show. 

'Travelling out a bit' was an option at Cardiff too. There were plenty of cheaper options along the valley lines, with easy access to the stadium or city. We always stayed in Caerphilly and took the train.

I accept that the GP alone, won't impact prices in Manchester in the same way as Cardiff, but that's because it's not a big stadium event in the city centre. 

 

 

[foreverblue]

34 minutes ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

But what time did the trains stop running? 

About 11.30ish, loads of good humoured banter with some welsh people who may have had a few too many on the train back.

Edited 6 hours ago by foreverblue

[SPEEDY69]

On 12/20/2024 at 4:20 PM, ShanoXtra said:

Nice rant but Gorzow and Torun both have roofs. And yes, i'm aware Torun isn't in the GP this year!

I've been to Gorzow and unless they changed it, they don't have a roof which covers the track - the seating is mostly covered.

[Waspman]

Nice place manchester ask charles Veitch 

[stevehone]

On 12/21/2024 at 9:15 PM, flagrag said:

My apologies I forget about the German and Danish ones what I meant to say was that WBD are not event promotors . They do however still have some very good ideas and plans on how to move the series forward with further progress made on possibly having a London GP if all the logistics and arena availability was to fall into place for another year 

can't see that happening while WBD have the rights, if they won't pay for Cardiff there's no way they'll do a London stadium with all the extra meetings/surveying/money