More greyhound tracks are expected to close in Ireland this year - that’s according to a report on the Greyhound Star website.
The 19 July 2022 editorial reveals that a “highly respected source is anticipating track closures before the end of the year”, adding that this is “something that might not entirely displease the Irish Government”.
The Irish Government has been coming under increasing pressure to stop the massive state grants that are keeping dog-killing greyhound racing afloat.
“While tracks like Kilkenny and Clonmel are ‘flying’, Thurles is not, with Midlands tracks Mullingar and Newbridge also apparently under the cosh [under pressure],” the Greyhound Star report stated. “Mullingar and Youghal would be seriously in the mire but for SIS [which pays for race content to provide to betting shops] – I am told.” https://greyhoundstar.co.uk/the-upper-cut/
Three greyhound tracks have shut down in Ireland in the past five years: In 2017, Harold’s Cross stadium in Dublin closed “with immediate effect”, Lifford track in Donegal closed in 2019 and in March 2020, racing at Longford track came to a permanent end.
In 2019, an Indecon report commissioned by Greyhound Racing Ireland also recommended the closure of Enniscorthy and Youghal tracks. At the time, the Irish Greyhound Owners and Breeders group predicted that “Thurles, Newbridge and Mullingar [tracks] will be closed in two years' time.”
The Indecon report stressed that “even with the cessation of support for Lifford, Longford, Enniscorthy and Youghal, the sector would not be financially sustainable if the decline in attendance continues and if the existing cost base is not reduced. In such a case we believe there could be a future need to withdraw funding for three additional stadia. Decisions on this should be made by [Greyhound Racing Ireland] by the end of 2022 and should be informed by objective evidence on financial outturns and attendance levels as well as the other criteria identified in this report.”
It emerged last month that Greyhound Racing Ireland has been presenting misleading track attendance figures to convey a level of public support for racing which does not exist. As reported in the Sunday Times, more than half of Greyhound Racing Ireland’s “attendance” figures are made up of greyhound owners/trainers, bookies and those with free entry.
Greyhound Racing Ireland provided 2021 figures which showed that attendance for the whole of that year at its nine stadia was 115,278. This figure ridiculously included 76,993 attendances by greyhound owners and trainers participating in racing activities, 1,896 attendances by bookmakers and 2,186 “complimentary” entries - that’s a total of 81,075. Excluding these, the annual attendance figure is slashed to a mere 34,203. That’s an average of 3,800 per GRI track or an average of just 73 people per track each week. With most tracks having two race meetings per week, and Shelbourne Park having three, the average attendance per race meeting is even lower.
A breakdown of the figures shows that last year, the attendance included just 31,157 adults (including 11,002 OAPs), 1,339 students and 127 children. Similarly, the attendance figures for the first five months of 2022 are hugely inflated by individuals involved in greyhound racing - out of the 75,333 attendances at GRI stadia from January to the end of May this year, more than half (38,188) were “attendances” by owners, trainers and bookies.
ACTION ALERT
Don’t go greyhound racing. Boycott companies that support or sponsor greyhound racing.
STOP THE STATE FUNDING FOR GREYHOUND RACING
Join us in demanding an end to the government’s massive grants that are keeping cruel greyhound racing afloat. Greyhound Racing Ireland has received more than a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers’ money since 2001, including €16.8 million for 2020, €19.2 million for 2021 and €17.6 million for 2022. This is unacceptable and must be stopped. Contact the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Finance Minister now.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie
Phone: 021-432 0088
Leinster House: 01-618 3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie; minister@finance.gov.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 604 5626
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Paschald