Where is our sport going
29/09/09 17:18 Filed in: Stories
As the topic header says “ Where is our sport going”!
Throughout this year I have heard many many people criticise the GBGB and in my opinion I honestly felt that they had been a bit hasty and that we really needed to be giving them the time they deserved, I wanted to see a bit more positivity in our sport as opposed the usual negative chat and was really hoping that we could drag ourselves up from the gutter, sadly, and it really does hurt me to say it, but I really feel worried at the direction our sport is taking, as owners run away in their droves, and we are hardly appealing to newcomers, we must ask ourselves what can be done to turn it around.
Firstly we need to concentrate on existing owners as we can ill afford them walking/running away, we need to make them feel that they are wanted and needed and not just seen as a provider of a product for others to gain money from, the promoters at tracks could be doing their bit by laying on certain things for owners, Trophy Nights, Discounted Meals, buffets etc etc, the list could be endless but just make them feel that they are respected.
We then need to be looking at ways of introducing new blood into our sport, not exactly easy but we really need to be trying otherwise we will be up the proverbial in the not too distant future, I personally would like to see tracks offer up free ownership of a dog for a night, this could be a free draw on a Saturday night and the winner gets to own a selected ( A trainer/owned 1 perhaps) dog the following week, perhaps give a table for 4 in their restaraunt for free and the winning connections get to speak to the trainer about the dog and go meet and get photographs with their dog, possibly could be offered to come visit the dog at the kennels, with 52 of these a year, at every track in the country, I am certain that a few new owners would be had through this idea.
We need to educate non owners on the different ways to get involved in the sport, syndicates being the ideal start with the view to possibly following up in time to own their own dog, each track should have a designated person to go speak to its patrons.
At this current moment our sport is a bit disjointed and a little split is occurring over Association rights for trainers, personally I feel that instead of people campaigning for the right to join the GTA, it may be more useful in campaigning for the abolishment of different licences and having EVERY trainer under the same title, after all how can they say that someone with say 4 dogs is not a professional and yet someone with 15 is, IMO 1 licence would put an end to split associations, obviously the formation of a new association would be welcomed and would have my backing, we need to have a sense of unity now and a voice for ALL concerned not just a few privy trainers although I can understand why the larger trainers would be a bit cautious as they have alot more to lose than your 1 man and his dog type and if for instance a strike was voted on it is the larger trainers that would suffer big time were as Joe Bloggs with his 2 dogs could swallow this type of action.
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