Racing costs

If you are a race secretary for either a club national or grand prix make sure you have a read of this http://www.britski.org/arbul101.pdf. It has some useful information about the forthcoming season, it has been sent to club secretaries in the past couple of days, been on the website since the end of March, but not emailed directly to race secretaries yet.

Some important information in there about the refunds and finally clarification about the £5 day entry fee which has been charged for so long for ‘insurance’, it is now not required as long as the person on day entry can prove they are a member of a club. That’s good news and a move in the right direction reducing the cost for first timers.

Also in there you’ll find information about costings for 2010. I’m not surprised to as several weeks ago I spent some time asking SSE to justify the cost increases and why in these times some of the costs have to increase, in fact they should be looking to reduce costs where possible. However as expected I hit a brick wall. Now I wouldn’t mind if there was clear justification but there isn’t as SSE refuse to publish any finances relating to the club nationals and grand prix for the seasons. What has been very frustrating though is the thought processes behind the increases and the dismissive approach taken when questioned. When you talk to certain people the focus is very much the higher end, i.e. the Grand Prix series and the Club Nationals are there to generate income for SSE to pay for other things in the year, but the emphasis is that this is a club organised event.

In ERSA we have been very fortunate to be able to hold the race entry fee at £9 since 2002. Each year we discuss whether it should be increased to £10 but have so far managed to avoid the ‘well it’s been £9 for so long to lets increase it…’. I’m NOT saying costs shouldn’t increase but there has to be a clear justification for it and people shouldn’t be so dismissive when costs are raised, comments such as;

- it has been the same for the past two years

- an extra £1 is nothing in the grand scheme of things

- all slope prices have gone up and need to cover those

- an extra £20 on the race admin fee is small and it also has been the same for a couple of years

SRSA and LSERSA have also been looking very closely at their costs and how to improve them for their members which again is all good news.

Yes many slope prices have gone up over the past couple of years, SSE have all the GP costs and know some of the CN costs, but that is only part of the picture. Being dismissive about the other small increases is the wrong mind set going forwards, it means that instead of looking for places it improve it is always assumed the race entry can be increased and no one will complain!

Last year for a club national the admin fee was £300. £10 to hire the backups timers (which most clubs did), £10 for the bibs and £25 for the SSE radios. Most clubs would have paid about £310 in the end (I did ask how many had all the gear including the radios but didn’t get an answer). This year the club national admin fee is £350. However if you do not use any of the three items above you get a £10 refund. So this year for example in Ipswich we will require the backup timers and therefore will be charged £330. £20 increase over the previous year and I am sure that will be a similar picture for most clubs. Do wonder where the other 50p goes :)

Being more open with the finances is easy, if you want to do it, otherwise you can always find reasons not to. Yes it takes time and yes some of the information can be sensitive, such as slope hire prices, but there are ways to hide this detailed information. I’ve asked several times about publishing of the finances and as you can imagine have met huge resistance. As racers and parents we pay the entry fees and should be entitled to have a clear understanding of where the money goes. Some of it goes on training of different people, meetings, England squad, admin, trophies etc which is fine but exactly where. There is a breakdown of costs for 2008 here, but that is only part of the information there is more behind it.

I was told that there was no need to publish as it is like going to a shop, we have a choice and we don’t expect the shop to publish their finances! Actually it is very different, very limited choices and this is not a shop but a sport which we all contribute to. As a region we are expected to provide SSE with a copy of our finances just like other regions, but it doesn’t work the other way!

Last year the Grand Prix series lost money overall. Very few races broke even which is one of the reasons why there have to be changes this coming year. It’s excellent news they have been able to hold the indoor prices at £20 and that is difficult (hopefully a last minute sponsor will be identified, but not sure where that stands now), although next year this is likely to be something that will have to increase. However they shouldn’t be nervous about publishing that the series lost money last year again much more open and clear to people as not many are aware of that. Was told that 4 out of 5 outdoor GPs lost money but do wonder how especially when I think back to the figures for Ipswich!

Unfortunately they are very protective and nervous about publishing any information about finances and see it as a negative move rather than something positive. Yes short term there will be questions but there is a long term benefit to be much more open and transparent on the finances. If people understand where the money is being spent and needed then if price increases are required it is much easier to justify them.

I know many other people think the same but there is the danger that if you ask the wrong questions you are immediately branded anti SSE and don’t know what you are talking about, so many people keep quiet, and to be fair you are correct that certainly happens! Even publishing this blog I will get moaned at in some quarters, which is a shame as it should be seen more as a opportunity to be open and encourage more people to come on board.

Anyway will post more over the coming weeks about bits and pieces. There are definitely some people there trying to move things in the right direction and putting in a lot of hard work but there are massive hurdles to overcome, time will tell.