Panic over for Eagles but why are our gates so low asks Bob?
Argus says..........Eagles are safe but worried
7:00am Thursday 9th April 2009
By Brian Owen »
Eastbourne Eagles boss Bob Dugard has reassured fans the club will survive the credit crunch.
But he admits they are lagging behind Elite League rivals in terms of sponsorship and attendances.
Dugard met with other top-flight promoters on Tuesday as the finishing touches were put to a new, improved deal with Sky Sports which should help sustain tracks through the economic downturn.
Notes were also exchanged on how clubs are managing this season and Dugard admitted Eagles, who are averaging less than 1,000 fans per meeting so far, did not come out of it too well.
He said: “It was a very worthwhile day but not for good reasons. It seems we are generally doing far worse than most other people.
“I can’t get my head around why that should be.
“Generally speaking crowds at the Midlands tracks seem to be double ours.
“You’re talking about a difference in income of £13,000 per week over the course of a season.
“If our lower crowds are partly down to us losing Edward Kennett, which they might be, the fans have to know we did all we could.
“The racing so far this season at Eastbourne has been superb. To be putting that sort of entertainment in front of small crowds is quite disheartening.
“We have also got maybe two of the top four young riders in the world in Lewis Bridger and Simon Gustafsson.
“We hear some tracks are getting ten times the sponsorship we have.
“Generally the meeting felt things would improve next season. The BSPA are close to a new five-year TV deal which brings a worthwhile increase in revenue but we still need to attract 1,200 people to our meetings.
“The club is 100% safe for the season but we have to then ask whether it is worth continuing if people don’t want speedway.”
Full report on front page
sussexbulldog
Full story is on our front page.
ray
the fault is mainly the fault of the management , they have driven previous sponsors away and many fans by there rude and unacceptable behaviour . they have not even seemed to have made sufficient effort to recruit new sponsors or fans , seem to have no idea of how to do so . fans have offered help and suggestions but at this time there has been no response .
the economic situation has obviously affected attendances many fans are or were long distance travellers , and the sale of season tickets sale has probably reduced , however it would seem edward kennett leaving is not a major factor , but the fee will help the management's financial problems , but the managements behaviour again made the situation what it became .
other tracks are situated in more populated areas , which is a major reason they have higher attendances .
so we live on , great . but there is still a serious shortage of sponsors and fans . the management are still sitting on their hands , they should be promoting and considering the ideas and help offered from all sources .
parker
ray wrote:
the fault is mainly the fault of the management, they have driven previous sponsors away and many fans by their rude and unacceptable behaviour . they have not even seemed to have made sufficient effort to recruit new sponsors or fans , and seem to have no idea of how to do so . many fans have offered help and suggestions but at this time there has been no response.
the economic situation has obviously affected attendances, many fans are or were long distance travellers , and the sale of season tickets sale has probably reduced , however it would seem Edward Kennett leaving is not a major factor, but the fee will help the management's financial problems , The managements behaviour again made the situation what it became.
Other tracks are situated in more populated areas, which is a major reason they have higher attendances .
so we live on great,but there is still a serious shortage of sponsors and fans . the management are still sitting on their hands, they should be promoting and considering the ideas and help offered from all sources .
Ray you make some good points, we are not situated in highly populated areas fans have to travel long journeys and not on good roads, the local industries are rural and few and far. Over the last few years our gates were never as large as most others and true management appears to have done little to seek both new fans and sponsors. May be some of the Kennett fee could be used to Finance a PR and Marketing person if only part time. We've all come up with worthwhile suggestions that would, abeit on a small scale help but it needs someone out there shaking hands, networking etc. One other thing the supporters club that seems to have gone quiet, what about posters circulated through the membership. I know we used to do it on the infamous KGB ran Eagles Website/ Forum. It was taken over by management and since then other than Sids monthly sheets nothing, when you look back on what they hoped to achieve they appear along way sort of that mark.
ray
as usual paul , totally agree , but will they make that effort . maybe david's e-mail to martin might have some affect , presume bobby will listen to him , especially as he states he does not understand the small attendances compared to other tracks . much of that is logic and surely we have usually had smaller crowds because of it . even if the horse is led to the water , will it drink ?
spoke to RIAS about insurance but asked why Castle Cover were now poole's sponsors . answer is they are different names but mostly the same insurance company . presume no management contact with Hastings Direct as suggested before the season started
mmmmethanol
What would be nice is some form of acknowledgment from the management. (I get the impression BD thinks that's beneath him).
Even in the current turmoil there are a hardcore of supporters who've made positive suggestions (Lifts, Advertising, Supporters Club to name but a few) & have offered to assist the club in whatever way they can & will continue to support the club.
Eastbourne has some truly dedicated & loyal fans who appear sometimes to be taken for granted.
We're fortunate to have Speedway, but the club are fortunate to have the loyal supporters.
I'm sure there'll be increased attendances with a few subtle changes from management, the better weather & the teams' continued good form.
MrB
If Bob really thinks loosing Ed is the reason for people staying away and he cant think of any other reason then he really is living in cloud cuckoo land
Aussie2
I agree that we could do with a good PR man. Even in Hailsham, which is only a few minutes from the track, not many people know about the Eagles, other than the fans who already go. It would not take much to publicise the club, make it prominent at the tourist office in Eastbourne, and how about some flyers we could put into the local shops. Also if people do not have computers how are they going to know about the car sharing scheme, this needs to be publicised. Perhaps it would be an idea for one of the riders to have a bike in the centre of Hailsham and at the Arndale Centre in Eastbourne. Many firms may not know about our club, so the management need to go out.
Speedway Cat
ray wrote:
the fault is mainly the fault of the management , they have driven previous sponsors away and many fans by there rude and unacceptable behaviour .
Unfortunately I have to agree with this being a big factor! After all I've been driven away for this very reason...and if I don't come to meetings then neither do the friends I often bring along!
