Post by zonkers on Oct 28, 2009 20:36:08 GMT
From Panthers forum.....
Peterborough Panthers owner Rick Frost believes dropping out of speedway's Elite League may help alleviate the club's financial difficulties.
Most of the Panthers sponsorship comes from Frost's heavy equipment company.
He told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "You have to be commercial and say do you want to plough huge sums of money in every year?
"You may consider other options. Do you drop to [second tier] Premier League? I'm just saying it is alternative."
The Panthers have been in the Elite League for 10 consecutive years winning the championship twice in that time.
The 2008 season saw the Alwalton side survive a relegation battle and the last campaign was hampered by poor away form, culminating in a fifth-place finish.
As a result crowds have dropped and Frost says the club needs to attract more supporters if it is to have a future.
"We need to increase attendances to 1500 per home meeting. We're nowhere near that now to be honest," he said.
"So you look at it and wonder if it will be commercially viable. I don't know. We've got to work hard and try to achieve those sort of numbers."
Dropping down to the Premier League is just one direction the Panthers could go in.
Frost knows that an alternative is try to build a successful side at the East of England Showground to capture the Peterborough public's attention.
"I think the reality is we've got to attract more youngsters there," he said. "We already do a kids go free programme.
"But I don't think there's an overnight cure for attendances quite frankly, except a successful team which might bridge the gap."
Frost will start to look for new riders as soon as the team averages are released.
Peterborough Panthers owner Rick Frost believes dropping out of speedway's Elite League may help alleviate the club's financial difficulties.
Most of the Panthers sponsorship comes from Frost's heavy equipment company.
He told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "You have to be commercial and say do you want to plough huge sums of money in every year?
"You may consider other options. Do you drop to [second tier] Premier League? I'm just saying it is alternative."
The Panthers have been in the Elite League for 10 consecutive years winning the championship twice in that time.
The 2008 season saw the Alwalton side survive a relegation battle and the last campaign was hampered by poor away form, culminating in a fifth-place finish.
As a result crowds have dropped and Frost says the club needs to attract more supporters if it is to have a future.
"We need to increase attendances to 1500 per home meeting. We're nowhere near that now to be honest," he said.
"So you look at it and wonder if it will be commercially viable. I don't know. We've got to work hard and try to achieve those sort of numbers."
Dropping down to the Premier League is just one direction the Panthers could go in.
Frost knows that an alternative is try to build a successful side at the East of England Showground to capture the Peterborough public's attention.
"I think the reality is we've got to attract more youngsters there," he said. "We already do a kids go free programme.
"But I don't think there's an overnight cure for attendances quite frankly, except a successful team which might bridge the gap."
Frost will start to look for new riders as soon as the team averages are released.
