RACING FOR CHANGE ANNUAL REVIEW 2011 INTRODUCTION

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RACING FOR CHANGE ANNUAL REVIEW 2011 PROMOTING HORSERACING TO STUDENTS Horseracing has a loyal fan base but it’s considerably older than other comparable sports, with seven out of ten customers aged 46 years or over. This needs to be addressed urgently if we are to guarantee a secure, long-term future for the sport. Much is now being done to address this, including a major campaign to market racing more effectively to university students. When RfC started this project in 2010, there was only one university racing club in existence. By the beginning of 2011, we’d grown this number to 22, with six new campus racing clubs launching during the year. Our first task has been to identify students with a racing interest that are sufficiently keen to set up a club on campus. We then provide them with advice and marketing assistance to help them start their club. Feedback from ‘racing ambassadors’ on campus suggests that it’s the social aspects of a university racing club that’s the biggest draw for first year students, based around raceday trips with their mates. This is one of the main reasons why we’ve preferred to develop local clubs rather than a national ‘student racing’ entity. However, we strongly support the Student Racing magazine, produced by Mike Spence and Alex Bell, as it gives our ambassadors a regular and relevant publication to distribute to club members. During last year’s Freshers’ Week, we provided racing clubs with 1,500 goody bags as well as literature, posters and other display material. Once term time began, we helped club ambassadors to organise trips to the races and stable visits. In 2011, 33 Racecourses provided discounted tickets or free entry for students from university racing clubs. Some of these trips have proved particularly popular. Liverpool University Racing Club took 70 students to Aintree, with Glasgow University taking 25 to Ayr and UCL organising a trip for 30 students to British Champions Day at Ascot. Several Racecourses have now agreed permanent offers for local students, and some university clubs are proving particularly active. The Birmingham racing club has organised three racing trips since term began, taking in Cheltenham, Wolverhampton and Warwick. Exeter has also been busy with a trip to Paul Nicholls’ yard, and a day at Wincanton races. Club ambassadors have also been actively promoting the sport in their campus magazines and newspapers. One such article in The Oxford Student newspaper was based around a two-page interview with AP McCoy. The Champion Jump Jockey and other Horsemen have also engaged with the student racing clubs on course, adding to the excitement of their day. In 2012, our racing ambassadors will also be eligible to apply for a Chartered Institute of Marketing certificate, provided they’ve undertaken certain important tasks during the year relating to their club’s promotion. This should help us grow our club base further as CIM awards are valued by employers. One of the other ways that we boosted university racing club membership in 2011 was via the leasing of a racehorse with Tim Vaughan, called Tae Kwon Do. We ran a competition among students to be one of the 200 owners of the horse, with us paying all the costs and the students sharing any winnings. The new owners were invited to see him run, to visit Tim’s yard, and to receive regular updates on his progress. However, their biggest thrill was to witness his victory at Fontwell Park, and to receive a share of the prize money. Although students are a major target, they’re not the only younger adults that we’re trying to reach. Much of our editorial work is aimed at the younger media and, through them, younger adults in all sectors of society. Bristol University students enjoying a day’s racing at Cheltenham 28 29
RACING FOR CHANGE ANNUAL REVIEW 2011 MEASURING SUCCESS Seven key areas have been selected to monitor the industry’s overall progress. We believe each of these measures can be influenced by RfC activities. SHARE OF BETTING 32% (est.) Based on 2010 figures and aggregated data from some bookmakers in 2011, racing’s share of gross win is circa 32% and there is evidence to suggest that a figure that had been falling consistently in prior years has steadied, confirming racing’s popularity as a betting product when promoted effectively. RACECOURSE ATTENDANCE: 6.1 MILLION (5.8M IN 2010) Note 1 Excellent marketing by the Racecourses, combined with improved central promotion and national initiatives such as ‘Free Month’ have helped to take the racegoing audience to record levels. This is a stunning achievement in the face of current economic conditions. With competition from both the London Olympics and Euro 2012, it is likely to be a challenging year but racing has built a strong racegoer base and proved that the sport has wider appeal when promoted effectively. Note 1: Source RCA Note 2: Based on estimate of HBLB (Horserace Betting Levy Board) returns. Excludes income from betting shop picture sales. AVERAGE ANNUAL TERRESTRIAL AUDIENCE (CHANNEL 4) 506,000 Channel 4’s average audience increased for the second year running to 506,000 from 484,000. We use the Channel 4 figures as the channel broadcasts every week and provides a more consistent average. BBC Television nonetheless posted an average peak time audience for its summer Flat meetings of 1.5 million viewers – up over 400,000 on 2010. RACECOURSE SPONSORSHIP/ TERRESTRIAL AND BROADCAST REVENUE £16M. Note 2 This is on a par with 2010 and reflects that racing is holding its own in the currently tough commercial environment. REACHING A YOUNGER AUDIENCE – 200,000 WEBSITE VISITORS The Lovetheraces.com website was designed as an entry point for new racegoers, with a particular focus on a younger demographic. The site attracted over 200,000 unique visitors in 2011, up from 60,000 in 2010. STUDENT RACING CLUBS – 28 CLUBS In 2010 there was just one formal Student Racing Club, which we increased to 22 in the first year. The rise to 28 in 2011 is a little disappointing as we had targeted 50 and reflects both the need to find ambassadors at new universities and to replace former ambassadors who have graduated. We have plans in place to increase the number of clubs again in 2012. NEW MEASURE – PROMOTING OWNERSHIP In 2012, RfC will be actively promoting racehorse ownership at British Racecourses and at stable open days. A ‘find a trainer’ website will be developed, allowing us to track the level of customers’ interest in ownership and enable us to follow up. 30 31
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RACING FOR CHANGE ANNUAL REVIEW 2011 INTRODUCTION

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