Greyhound Tracks Given Chance to Address Challenges on Future

Even in, and perhaps especially now given the time to think, decisions based on what was happening in sport before the lockdown are coming under a sharper spotlight.
The Irish Greyhound Board were delivered an independent Indecon Strategic review of Greyhound Stadia in December of 2019.
It suggested that two of the tracks where racing takes place, at Enniscorthy in Wexford and Youghal in Cork were unsustainable in the long term.
48 submissions from across the industry were submitted as part of the post report consultation and these have now been summarised in a new update which was considered by the Board alongside consideration of new threats arising from the Coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having on the sector.
Bearing in mind the submissions and further discussions Indecon delivered the update, confirming the original findings but offering three potential avenues for the Board to take in light of the changed circumstances of the lockdown and how that might play out in the coming months.
The three options were to implement the proposed restructuring and other decisions recommended by Indecon in its original report published in December 2019; to shelve those recommendations until a clearer picture emerges of the current situation or to provide an opportunity to Enniscorthy and Youghal for a fixed period of time to address the challenges and issues identified and for key performance measures to be set.
The Board has now decided to run with the latter and contact has been made with the Enniscorthy and Youghal tracks to enable further engagement.
The matter will be further considered by the Board at its July 2020 meeting.
No tracks are racing at the moment. This process will go towards determining how many emerge to race as the country returns to more social engagement.