The Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club (MGGRC) and Greyhound Racing SA (GRSA) are currently working together in a bid to increase local participation.
The MGGRC committee recently met in Mount Gambier with GRSA representatives Bodelle Francis (CEO) and David Lewis (Director) to discuss ideas that could be further developed to boost the sport’s participation rate in the region.
Lewis, the driving force behind the Participant Action Plan, is based in Adelaide. However, he grew up in Mount Gambier where he was involved in greyhound racing through his father Eric, a member of the inaugural 1972 South East Greyhound Racing Club committee.
He said he believed the assessment and approval process of trainers coming into the sport was in urgent need of an overhaul.
“There certainly needs to be a faster process which will allow for people to move into the sport after they’ve expressed interest in becoming actively involved. And registration for people returning to greyhound racing should also be fast tracked.
“Also, we need to make involvement easier for people from other codes with cross-over skills around animal husbandry who may wish to become greyhound trainers. I’m sure the Mount Gambier club would support a mentoring program to ensure new trainers have support.”
Lewis said a strategy needed to be developed that targeted groups of people who may be likely to move into greyhound racing.
“In other words, we need to identify groups such as past participants, people from other codes, recently retired people and interstate trainers. A seminar with a focus on ownership and training could introduce new participants to greyhound racing.
“And we could work with a couple of the bigger trainers in Mount Gambier to offer ownership of better performed greyhounds in order to entice new owners into the sport.
“Also, promotion of greyhound racing to new participants in Mount Gambier could be developed through quality promotional material and a series of self-help videos to introduce them to greyhound racing.”
According to Lewis, the Participant Action Plan would focus on a time frame from March to May 2023 which would line up with the Mount Gambier Cup.