| Welfare Anyone in doubt about the importance of taking good care of the animals who make our sport possible need only look at the furore that following the Grand National – horseracing’s best known and, at the same time, most controversial event.
The needs of greyhounds differ to those of horses. But the vulnerability of the two sports to public opinion – even the ill-informed type – are similar, and there is an unavoidable obligation on those who benefit from greyhound racing to ensure that the dogs are properly protected and cared for, both during their racing days and after their careers are over.
This is why the Fund has in the last 12 months donated more than £1.5 million to the Retired Greyhound Trust and spent a further £1.3 million on other welfare-related issues such as veterinary care and track safety, in total over £2.8 million or 36% of all expenditure.
| Integrity
In terms of the sport’s reputation, integrity is close behind welfare in importance. Indeed for bookmakers is it supremely important, for greyhound racing would diminish quickly as a betting medium if the layers and their customers could not have total confidence in its honesty. Thus the Fund spent a total of £1.2 million (15.5% of expenditure) this year on drug testing, the Greyhound Board’s field force, racecourse integrity and earmarking/ microchip identification.
| Prize money
The third big demand on the Fund is prize money. This, plus welfare and integrity, are the holy trinity and last year the Fund contributed £2 million (26% of expenditure) to prize money, our largest single expenditure head. Without the Fund’s contribution in these areas, the burden on both tracks and owners would be significantly increased and all of the Fund Directors are acutely aware that although greyhound owners participate because it’s a lifestyle choice and they love it, the Fund is vital to the future wellbeing of the sport.
| Marketing
When times are hard, getting spending right on marketing can be difficult. Nevertheless, if the public is not reminded that the sport is out there, attendances will fall and the Fund was pleased to contribute just over £1 million to the sport’s marketing effort last year.
| Stadia While the provision of good facilities at the tracks is important, it was necessary for the Fund to take a hard look at grants to stadia and the outcome was that a total of just under £418,000 was allocated last year compared to the £1.6 million in 2008-09 and just over £500,000 in the 15 month period to March 2010. The Board understands the importance of the grants system to tracks, but in today’s circumstances it cannot be a top priority and is likely to fall again in the current year.
Annual Report 2010-2011 3
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