May'07 - Greyhounds Queensland

The past 18 months has been very
challenging for the greyhound racing industry
in Queensland.
Distributions to clubs have been stagnant
since 2005/06, prizemoney has not increased,
but the costs associated with being involved
in the sport have continued to rise -
particularly petrol and dog food.
We are seeing some of the effects of this
through the decrease in the available pool of
greyhounds for race meetings across the state.
It is a major concern that nominations for
TAB meetings are being extended regularly
and race meetings are being held with less
than full fields.
It is not something that is restricted to
Class 2 or 3 meetings either, as nominations
for our flagship Thursday night meetings at
Albion Park are just enough at present to fill
a meeting.
You just have to look at the "not required"
lists for each race meeting to see we have an
issue when it comes to the pool of available
greyhounds.
When there is an insufficient pool, then
quality of the racing product presented can
suffer, which in turn can affect turnover.
So how have we got into this position and
how do we turn it around?
One of the most enjoyable aspects of my
job is that I have the opportunity to talk to
licensees on a very regular basis, so I get a
very broad cross section of views on our
industry - both the positives and the negatives.
Some of the "hot" issues that have been
raised as factors for
where we are at present
and where we need to go
are:
TAB Distribution
Model - This has been
long discussed and while
it's not ideal or equitable,
we are locked in at
present despite the Chair
of the GRA's attempts to
have the funding model
changed.
So at this point
"What is, is" therefore
we need to provide the best possible racing
product with what we have, and identify other
sources of revenue to boost our total industry
income.
Albion Park Future - Frustration would
best describe the collective view on the future
of Albion Park. Whether your position is
"stay" or "go", most people would like to see
a resolution so that we can move forward.
Internationalisation - Our racing
greyhounds are now being exported overseas
for racing. I do not have the data on how many
or what quality these greyhounds are, but in
any case these exports are reducing the
available pool for at least the non-TAB Clubs.
Nationalisation - Greyhound racing is a
very national sport now, particularly with the
AGRA Group Racing Calendar which
provides a broad range of opportunities for
elite class greyhounds to traverse the country
competing for rich Group races.
All States are competing to attract these
elite greyhounds to their carnivals, and the
way the calendar is structured, there are very
few clashes between similar events.
The other aspect of the national basis of
our sport is that greyhounds are very mobile
in that they can be easily transported between
locations.
This is of particular concern if you are
unable to retain greyhounds within your
catchment area and of benefit if you are able
attract greyhounds to your area.
Prizemoney - Queensland is on a par with
other states in terms of prizemoney for
provincial (Class 2) meetings.
Our city prizemoney, however, is
Luke
Gatehouse
significantly lower than both NSW and
Victoria. Western Australia has recently
announced significant prizemoney increases
for 2007/08, which will propel their
prizemoney above our current level.
Given the national basis of our industry
and the ease of exporting our greyhounds both
nationally and internationally, strategies need
to be developed to:
1 Retain greyhounds in Queensland;
2 Make it attractive for interstate
greyhounds to relocate to Queensland.
The Brisbane Club has advised the GRA
that city class prizemoney in Queensland
needs to be increased to achieve parity with
the other eastern states and Western Australia.
This will encourage the retention of our
existing stock and provide an incentive for
owners/trainers to import quality greyhounds
from interstate to Queensland - if they are
suited for Queensland racing.
We will work with the GRA to achieve
this outcome.
Breeding Incentive - Views on a
breeding incentive scheme range from must
have to must not have.
Personally, I believe there needs to be an
incentive for people to breed "quality" stock
- not just an incentive to breed. For example,
the WESTCHASE Scheme in Western
Australia has two major aims:
1 to provide an on-going incentive for the
breeding and purchase of city class
greyhounds with a view to ensuring the ongoing
strength and competitiveness of city
racing in Western Australia.
2 To provide an incentive to local breeders
and thereby foster the development of a
significant, sustainable and responsible
Western Australian greyhound breeding
industry.
WESTCHASE bonuses are paid to the
owners and breeders of all WA bred
greyhounds winning any city class event for
the full duration of their racing career. The
scheme also includes other events such as
provincial and country class Juveniles and
Maidens over various distances.
The breeders of greyhounds winning
select WA Bred feature events qualify for a
substantial WESTCHASE bonus. These
features are specifically open to WA bred
greyhounds only, with events scheduled
across all three race classes and a variety of
distances.
Whether Queensland reintroduces a
breeding incentive scheme should be broadly
discussed, and if the answer is yes, then a
thorough consultation process should be
implemented to ensure the scheme developed
meets the aims it sets out to achieve.
The benefits of a scheme would not be
seen for a couple of years, so such a strategy
should not be pursued in isolation from other
strategies to retain and import greyhounds.
New Participants - While we need to
regenerate our greyhound population, we also
need to introduce strategies to attract new
participants to the industry, whether that be
as owners or trainers.
We need to make owning a greyhound
easy and accessible, and have it "on the radar"
as a fun and exciting activity. We can all
remember our first winner - I can just about
call the race of mine.
We need to share that "buzz"!
Non-penalty Meetings - The Brisbane
Club has indicated to the GRA we wish to
return to normal Class 3 meetings next
Challenges for
2007-08 and Beyond
financial year. Friday Non-Penalty meetings
were introduced on July 1, 2006 after
discussion with the GRA regarding the
unsustainable level of prizemoney paid by the
club with respect to the allocation received
from the GRA.
The three TAB Clubs are now paying
approximately the same percentage of
distribution as prizemoney, with the minimum
level set at 80%.
The Brisbane Club will deliver its first
surplus budget for many years in 2006/07, and
we are now keen to see an increase in
allocation to the club so we can increase
Friday prizemoney levels.
These are some of the major issues
surrounding us at present.
I will be more than happy to discuss these
with industry participants and hear your
views. Alternatively you can drop me a line
at the club bgrc-luke@ozemail.com.au .
Winter Carnival Marketing Campaign
The club will be soon start an extensive
marketing campaign for this year's SKY
Channel Winter Racing Carnival. The
marketing campaign aims to meet the
following goals:
* Attract the highest calibre greyhounds
in Australia to contest races during the Winter
Carnival;
* Highlight the feature races contested
during the Winter Carnival, so owners and
trainers are aware of races and key dates;
* Attract regular "racegoers" (greyhounds
or other codes) to Albion Park during the
Winter Carnival;
* Convert interested observers into
attendees at race meetings during the Winter
Carnival;
* Create an awareness in the general
community of the Winter Carnival;
* Attract new racegoers, particularly
young people, to race meetings during the
Winter Carnival.
The campaign will utilise the following
media:
* Print - Greyhound and non-greyhound
publications
* Radio - 4TAB and commercial radio
* TV - SKY Channel
* Direct Mail - to interstate trainers
* Internet - BGRC website
The campaign will focus on the speed and
excitement of greyhound racing and on the
positive aspects of the greyhound itself.
With the changing
perception of the
greyhound in the
general community,
primarily due to the
efforts of the
Greyhound Adoption
Program and the Fred
Bassett and Nova
promotions, the
general public is
starting to see the
greyhound in a
different light.
The theme of the
campaign aims to utilise and strengthen this
change in perception.
We are also about to start advertising at
the Palace Centro Cinemas in Fortitude
Valley.
The advertisement is aiming to attract the
function and party market to our function
room on race nights, and again focuses on
the speed and excitement of greyhound
racing.
We are planning plenty of on-course
entertainment for our three key Final nights,
the VIP Petfoods Gold Cup on June 7,
Brandons Electrical QLD Derby on June 21
and the Garrrards Horse and Hound Winter
Carnival Cup on July 19.
Further details will be available in
upcoming editions of the Albion Angle -
available on-course, via email or directly from
our web site.
Mick Byrne Memorial
The club will be staging a new event
during the Winter Carnival - the Mick Byrne
Memorial, in honour of long serving Brisbane
Club committeeman, the late Mick Byrne.
It will be run over the same nights as the
Gold Cup, and is open to the best 5th grade
greyhounds nominated, with the number of
heats to be determined by nominations for the
Gold Cup, the Mick Byrne Memorial and
other programmed races on heat night.
The series has been programmed at this
time to give Derby aspirants an opportunity
to compete in a high prizemoney series in the
weeks leading up to the Derby heats.
Prizemoney for the winner of the Final
will be $8000 plus trophy and rug.
The (May, 2007) Journal Page 4