Parliament supports race subsidies
AFC Wimbledon’s plan to build a new stadium on the site of Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium in London have hit a roadblock. That means dog racing will continue at the site in Plough Lane for now, but fans of the sport know that situation could change in the months to come. According to SBC News, the Greyhound Derby and other high-profile races at Wimbledon “are likely safe until at least 2017.”
The plan was revoked after locals complained about the possible impact on their communities of a 20,000-seat stadium and leisure center, along with 602 new apartments. They said bringing football to the area would have a “serious and adverse” impact, especially on the Wandsworth neighborhood.
SBC called the latest reprieve “a rare piece of positive news for a sport which has been staring down the barrel for more years than its supporters would care to count.” London’s newly elected mayor, Sadiq Khan, will have a say in whether racing continues at the site.
Tom Kelly, chairman of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, said he hopes Khan will keep the sport in London. “Not only is it of great importance to preserve greyhound racing in the capital, but it is vital for the future of the sport and those who are employed or entertained by it that the home of the Derby should not be sacrificed in favor of a much riskier alternative.”
UK dog racing in recent years has been subsidized with contributions from the betting industry. But the contributions are strictly voluntary, and the amount has fallen from £14.8 million ($US21.7 million) in 2006 to about half that in 2014-15.
The sport has found some support in parliament, chiefly because animals are used, and the government is obligated to safeguard their well-being and right treatment. MP Neil Parish, chairman of the Select Committee for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said bookmakers should “contribute to welfare standards regardless of whether the profits are from high?street stores, online or overseas betting.”
