There was a massive 20,794 fall in attendance at Ireland’s remaining privately controlled greyhound tracks, the Irish Greyhound Board’s latest annual report reveals.
Attendance at the tracks in Clonmel, Dundalk, Enniscorthy, Kilkenny, Lifford, Longford and Thurles plummeted from 138,857 in 2017 to 118,063 last year.
The report claims there was a 3.2% increase in attendance at IGB-controlled tracks (Shelbourne Park, Limerick, Cork, Youghal, Tralee, Waterford, Galway, Mullingar and Newbridge) but this coincided with an increase in the number of race meetings around the country - from 1,566 in 2017 to 1,586 in 2018.
Overall, attendance at the 16 tracks fell last year from 514,546 to 506,142 - that's the lowest level since records began.
Also down were prize money contributions from owners and sponsors (from €1,752,790 to €1,634,306) as well as average attendances per race meeting.
The IGB’s “2018 Annual Report” reveals that, despite the dramatic drop in attendance at private tracks, “grant assistance to private stadia increased from €340,758 to €382,465.”
The report also highlighted a continuing “downward trend" in on-course betting.
Contrary to outrageous claims that the greyhound industry supports thousands of jobs, the only evidence of employment in the annual report was 132 full time staff employed by the IGB and its subsidiaries and 106 race night casual staff (full time equivalents) - a total of 238 full time equivalent jobs.
The Irish Greyhound Board CEO’s basic salary in 2018 was €132,920 plus €33,230 in pension contributions, totalling €166,150, while key management personnel received a total of €766,105.
“Bord na gCon surplus after taxation for 2018 is €159,032 (2017: €1,971,885),” the report states. “The surplus includes the dividend of €13,948,788 declared by Dublin Greyhound Sports and Association Limited [Harold’s Cross] plus the forgiveness of loan balances due from subsidiary companies to the value of €15,768,230...Loans due by subsidiary companies have been forgiven by Bord na gCon by €15,768,230 in advance of the consolidation of the subsidiary structure.”
The IGB thanked the politicians who continue to shamefully push for scarce public funds to be channelled into propping up this dying industry - “The Board appreciates the support of Minister Michael Creed, Junior Minister Andrew Doyle and the government, as evidenced by the contribution of €16 million from the Horse and Greyhound Fund.”
“It went on to outline that after the funding was increased to €16.8 million in 2019, “the additional funds are assigned to a further increase in prize money budget and the strategic objectives of Bord na gCon”. Nearly half of the massive state grants received go out in prize money for races - “prize money contributions account for 47.3 per cent of the total allocation to the Board from the Horse and Greyhound Fund”.
“2019 has been a mixed year to date from a business perspective,” the report states. “The first half of the year was positive from a commercial outlook but indications for the latter part of the year are of a very difficult trading environment.”
Following the “RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running for Their Lives” exposé (which revealed that 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year because they are not fast enough to win races), attendance at tracks has continued falling even further.
Newstalk news reporter Barry Whyte tweeted in September: “Since the RTE investigates programme on greyhound racing in June, attendances at Shelbourne Park have fallen by 40%”.
The Irish Times reported that attendance at tracks around the country has fallen by 20 per cent following the RTE programme. It quoted IGB CEO Ger Dollard as saying: “The existing model from a financial sustainability perspective is problematic. Bottom line, looking at our own stadia, Shelbourne Park and Cork wash their face. All other stadia lose money.”
Read the full IGB annual report at
https://www.igb.ie/globalassets/report-pdfs/annual-reports/annual-report-2018.pdf
SEE ALSO:
Attendance at greyhound tracks drops 20% after RTÉ expose
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/attendance-at-greyhound-tracks-drops-20-after-rt%C3%A9-expose-1.4023770
ACTION ALERT
Say NO to the cruel greyhound industry - don't attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/office parties held at greyhound tracks
Please support the Greyhound Action Ireland / ICABS billboard advertising campaign on GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-fund-ban-greyhound-racing-billboards
STOP THE STATE FUNDING FOR GREYHOUND RACING
Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe now and demand an end to state funding to greyhound racing.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: @LeoVaradkar
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie; minister@per.gov.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/
Tweet to @Paschald
Email “I support an end to all state funding to the cruel greyhound industry and a ban on hare coursing” to all Fine Gael TDs
maria.bailey@oireachtas.ie; sean.barrett@oireachtas.ie; pat.breen@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; catherine.byrne@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; corcorankennedy@eircom.net; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; michael.darcy@oireachtas.ie; Jim.Daly@oireachtas.ie; john.deasy@oireachtas.ie; Pat.Deering@oireachtas.ie; Regina.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; andrew.doyle@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; frances.fitzgerald@oir.ie; peterm.fitzpatrick@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; enda.kenny@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Kyne@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; Tony.McLoughlin@oireachtas.ie; Mary.MitchellOConnor@oireachtas.ie; Dara.Murphy@oireachtas.ie; Eoghan.Murphy@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; tom.neville@limerick.ie; michael.noonan@oireachtas.ie; kate.oconnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O'Donovan@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; noel@noelrock.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie
Email “I support an end to all state funding to the cruel greyhound industry and a ban on hare coursing” to all Fianna Fáil TDs
billykelleher@eircom.net; sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie; Bobby.Aylward@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; johncurranff@gmail.com; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; john.brassil@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie; jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie; john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; mattie.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; coper@eircom.net; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; timmy.dooley@oireachtas.ie; barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie; fiona@fiona.ie; declan.breathnach@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; kevin.okeeffe@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; escanlonmcc@eircom.net; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; james@jameslawless.ie; shane.cassells@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; margaret.murphyomahony@oireachtas.ie; anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie; eugene.murphy@oireachtas.ie; jack.chambers@outlook.com; james.browne@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; lisa.chambers@oireachtas.ie; marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; pat.casey@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; frankorourke1@gmail.com
Visit the Oireachtas website for more telephone numbers and other contact details for TDs
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/32
Please sign and share petitions
Ireland - Ban cruel hare coursing
www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing
Stop supporting the cruel greyhound industry
https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry
GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks
Tell Gain Pet Nutrition to Stop Sponsoring Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing
Contact the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, and urge her to permanently stop licensing cruel hare coursing.
Email: josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie or
Phone: +353 (0)1 631 3800
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://facebook.com/JosephaMadiganFG
Tweet to: @josephamadigan
Watch RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running for Their Lives to witness the horrors of greyhound racing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM