I generally support your first point but it is as well to remember that HP died because GBOTA could not make a buck there (under rent pressure from V'Landys/Trots at the time). Be that as it may, GBOTA paid no heed to the strategic need for two prominent tracks - one of each type - in the Sydney area, thereby disenfranchising Hunter region big dogs (and the Bulli area to a lesser extent). The demand was always there, even prior to the freeway arriving, but it was no longer serviced.

This pattern (from 1987 onwards) was probably a contributing reason for a steady stream of good dogs to Victoria, which was perceived to offer better options. Currently, for whatever reasons, Maitland and Bulli have not filled that gap. NCA screwed Singleton and Cessnock never had the facilities despite many trainers liking the track. In any event, Cessnock basically duplicated Maitland.

Both Maitland and Bulli are now GBOTA-controlled, which means the "vision thing" is absent, annual finances rule everything, average field quality is degraded, and short races dominate the entire scene.

On your second point, and bar a select few MPs, the Nationals have proved useless or worse, led by an anti-greyhound type in Troy Grant. Far and away, the major reason for support of greyhound racing came from types who objected to Baird/Grant trying to eliminate an entire industry - ie the principle upset them, not the dogs as such. Indeed, some even claimed a dislike of greyhound racing but decided that the business principle was more important anyway.

One parallel outcome has been the rise of the Shooters at Orange and elsewhere.

That aside, how on earth can you create more coverage when (a) we have run out of dogs, (b) the TAB calendar is more or less full,(c) anything extra would tend to be on SKY2, and (d) income is falling?

There is much to be said about looking after hobbyists and small tracks scattered around the state but the business case is that it is not on. Much better to do well with what we have.

"The Greyhound-Data Forum has been created to act as a platform for greyhound enthusiasts to share information on this magnificent animal called a greyhound".

I enthusiastically support greyhound racing. But it desperately needs updating and realism.

There is much to be said about looking after hobbyists and small tracks scattered around the state but the business case is that it is not on. Much better to do well with what we have.

Seriously what sort of industry are you proposing in this so called business case ? While we are at we might as well remove all the sporting facilities in country towns Australia wide .

BTW are you an owner trainer , breeder ?

Re Seriously what sort of industry are you proposing in this so called business case? While we are at we might as well remove all the sporting facilities in country towns Australia wide.

In practice, that is what is happening anyway. What were once popular community assets run by Show Societies and the like are falling into disuse across the State as former users find other ways of satisfying their needs. There is then a tendency for greyhound racing to be left holding the baby but unable to sustain or improve its position. Dapto is the most recent case, Canberra lost the votes, NCA dumped Singleton a while ago, Orange went at about the same time, Cessnock lost an unwinnable battle, while Maitland lacks decent support, as shown by the dicey quality of its facilities.

There are good stories, too, but they are located in growing and popular towns Tamworth, Dubbo and Wagga, for example where willing locals push the code along, and top grade footie fields as well. But its a question of balance. We are living in a world with a very risky medium term outlook, where breeding is still falling away and greyhound revenue has been in sharp decline, according to Mestrov.

So, no, I dont like to remove all the sporting facilities and therefore suggested we should move to a clear two-level system where the big tracks pay well and the little ones are supported but attract only minimal prize money. By doing that the industry gets to maintain all its venues but also offers serious support for quality racing.

The test is not what owners or trainers think is a great idea but what customers think about the product especially those who still have a job. If the answer is positive then rewards to owners and trainers will follow. The reverse order cannot work.

If we don't have a strong grass roots industry around the country returning decent prizemoney, remembering these are the areas where the greyhounds are mainly bred and nurtured, then the top will not survive either

You can't have a head without a strong body

Definitely not an owner or trainer if hes suggesting country dogs race for $100 a win to fly the flag!!!

This guy is a flog & the reason why most people have brushed g data, bc he invaded every topic with bullshit.

I thought hed left so I started posting again. ...but sure enough his head has popped up again to annoy us all.

Hes not an owner, hes not a trainer ...hes a half baked punter and a wanna be journo. So his opinion is not needed on an owners forum about greyhounds. To me he sounds like he needs to go join the liberal party bc hes anti greyhound in nsw 100%.

Bruce...piss off would you? Youre not wanted here

Sandro,

Several years ago I mounted a case that 5th Grade provincial racing (the guts of the industry) had got out of step with inflation and proposed that winners should be earning $2,000. And that was in old money.

That principle still applies but it has been joined by expanded funding of former "Country" class tracks - Taree the latest (albeit with no sectionals and no videos).

That's all very nice for some but who is going to pay for it in the medium and long haul? Income is already down significantly while breeding has been on a gradual downward slope for two decades now, and acutely so in the last five years. It is not recovering. Why is this so? And what will happen when all the grants and subsidies run out?

At the core, I have already indicated my support of many of the individual thoughts put forward here. However, it is necessary to put them all together, add them up and decide which we can afford and which we can't. That's what the "head" is supposed to do, but it isn't.

Every football code claims to be attending to the grassroots (most do, more or less) but they are not going to fork out top money to learners and second or third graders.

Some folk like the throaty roar and grunt of a V8 under the bonnet yet they are very expensive on fuel and therefore nobody is buying them any more. Manufacturers kept building them long past their use-by date and nearly went broke (well, Chrysler and GM actually did).

Perfectly good A380s and B747s are headed for the scrap heap because they simply lack efficiency or are no longer suited to the market.

So why should racing continue with what it did 20, 30, 40 or 50 years ago?

The answer is that the "head" does not understand the question.

Be willing to share facilities with
other clubs and community groups.

This reduces costs, provides
reciprocal benefits and enhances
the clubs community profile
Recruiting and
retaining volunteers
Clubs are run by a core group
of passionate volunteers who love
the sport and love being part of
a team. They donate considerable
time each week to ensure the club
continues to survive and grow.

A club
is only as good as the volunteers
that sustain it.
Strategies employed
by clubs to avoid burn-out and
attract new volunteers include:
getting to know members so that
people can be given tasks they
will enjoy;
acknowledging and rewarding work
done so members feel valued,
respected and want to stay involved;
recruiting more junior members
more parents around the club
increases the pool of potential
volunteers;
making jobs easier so they dont
become a burden, such as appointing
assistants to committee positions;
encouraging junior members to
take on responsible jobs around
the club; and
scheduling meetings and events
at family-friendly times.

Picnic Meetings always attracted a huge amount of family and friends and many today will still race dogs at these kinds of events but all Clubs have dropped these meetings .

The Core base of our Industry is US
THE small OTB MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS .....Regardless of the cost ..

Absolutely - your list should be put on a plaque and mounted in every committee room. It's worth its weight in gold.

All except the last line - but if they take up your suggestions there will never be a need to address that challenge.