Organisers of half of the leading cycling races in Belgium believe it is inevitable that spectators will have to pay to watch their favourite riders – but more than two in three fans are opposed to the idea.
That’s the finding of a survey from Het Niuewsblad, with the season-opening race it sponsors – previously called the Omloop Het Volk, and changed in 2009 after the newspapers merged – kicking off the cobbled classics campaign this Saturday.
Het Niewsblad says that one in two of the organisers it surveyed agree that it is “inevitable that the public will also have to pay” to watch races.
However, the newspaper adds that organisers of the biggest events, such as Flanders Classics who own the Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad among others, and KWC Hand in Hand, who put on the E3 Harelbeke, do not agree that charging is inevitable.
Instead, they say that races should “remain accessible for everyone,” but as Het Nieuwsblad points out, when it comes to smaller events, where budgets are stretched, the idea of charging spectators has much more appeal.
Belgium now has seven races in the expanded UCI WorldTour – besides the four mentioned above, the others are the Dwaars Door Vlaanderen, also owned by Flanders Classics, and the Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne- Liege, both of which are organised by Tour de France owners ASO.
There’s no way of knowing which races have organisers who are in favour of charging fans, but Belgium currently has around 50 men’s races that full under either the UCI WorldTour or Europe Tour.
Our suspicion would be that it is ones that do not have the same level of media coverage as the bigger events, and ones not specifically mentioned as having owners opposed to the move include the Three Days of De Panne and Le Samyn, both of which form part of the UCI Europe Tour.
The newspaper has also polled fans on the issue, and they are against the idea of paying by a margin of more than two to one.
At the time of writing, 70 per cent are against the idea, 26 per cent would agree to pay for access to certain parts of the course, and just 3 per cent would be willing to pay to access the race at all – although it’s difficult to see how the latter might work in practice.
Back in 2012, organisers of the London Olympic Games charged £15 for fans to watch the road races on Box Hill in Surrey, motivated in part by the aim of limiting numbers on the National Trust-owned beauty spot.
6 thoughts on “Belgian race organisers split on whether fans should pay to watch”
Time for organisers to wander
Time for organisers to wander round with the charity bucket in order to raise additional funds. I would probably lob a couple of euro in while watching a race.
Or is it time for bike races to issue race day/ race series programmes? Get some exclusive interviews with past winners and present contenders, bike reviews, behind the scenes content? Buy the program at kiosks/ shops along the route and have a read while waiting for the race…
Race organisers need to start thinking of the overall product they could offer, not just focus on the racing.
Martyn_K wrote:
This is what lower-level rugby clubs have done for years, and many people actually do like having a programme, and knowing who’s out there. Unfortunately, I’ve seen this clash with items also being called ‘programmes’ which don’t have rider lists, etc.
The Nokere Koerse has been
The Nokere Koerse has been charging fans who enter Nokere for the last few years. Every Euro is needed to prop up the race which relies heavily on the locals and local businesses to keep it running. Ironically the only year the race made any money was when it was cancelled due to snow.
However, this works because the race does several circuits. I’ve got a video from the Arenberg where the entire Roubaix race passes in about 51 seconds. I wouldn’t have wanted to pay for that, as much as I did enjoy it!
I’d like to see a few ‘fan’ zones trialled in smaller town centres. Watch the race pass, then see the rest on a big screen and have a beer etc. But that works for the foreign fans like me. Would it work for the local who can go back in doors to watch their own tv or take away from local bars who rely on a bit of extra race day money? Either way with the drought of money in cycle racing something will eventually need to happen.
AL
Would be something if no one
Would be something if no one actually turned up to watch. Now that’d be an event I’d excel at.
It’s going to be a balancing
It’s going to be a balancing act I wouldn’t want to do.
Charging for point to point races such as Paris-Roubaix will never really work as people generally move along the route. For those that loop, organisers need to look at the whole package. What facilities are to be provided and for what price.
My fear is that once charges are brought in then corporate entertainment takes over the best spots. Those attending have little interest in the actual event. The everyday fan gets priced out.
The reality is that, apart
The reality is that, apart from circuit races and TTs, you get a few seconds of action as a spectator.
Charging for access to somewhere with TV coverage might work – charging for access to a roadside won’t.