New greyhound racing stadium offers hope of sporting revival
A new greyhound stadium in Wolverhampton has sparked hopes of a revival of the pastime despite track closures across the country.
It was announced in March that greyhound racing will cease in Swindon at the end of the year, with Romford the sole arena in greater London following the closure of Crayford in January.
The Welsh government, too, said the sport would be banned “as soon as practically possible”.
But the new arena in Wolverhampton, due to open in the autumn, could drive fresh interest in the sport.
The Midlands operation will leave the Perry Barr Greyhound stadium this summer with a move across town to Dunstall Park set to allow the racing fixtures to sit alongside existing horseracing meets.
“It’s a really exciting time for our sport,” said greyhound trainer Kate Harrison. “The facilities from a trainer and racegoer point of view are second to none, and there’s scope to attract new people to greyhound racing.
“I’ve already had people on the phone to me wanting to know if we have space to train greyhounds to run on their behalf at Dunstall Park. That’s really encouraging, and the interest surrounding the track’s launch is building week by week.
“There are mixed emotions leaving Perry Barr, but this is a fresh start and the whole sport can be proud of what’s being developed by the team behind the scenes.”
Greyhound hopes
The greyhound track will be placed within the inner rails of Dunstall Park horseracing track, with existing spectator infrastructure set to be utilised.
DCMS secretary Lisa Nandy said earlier this year that the UK Government has “no plans” to ban greyhound racing, despite leaders in Wales being part of the same political party.
David Evans, regional general manager at track operators Arena Racing Company, said: “At the heart of this development is our commitment to greyhound welfare and homing by working closely with our homing partners to ensure all greyhounds can enjoy a happy, healthy, retirement when their racing careers end.”