by Anton Johan
Racing for Change, a UK horseracing industry body, has announced a
series of ten measures which it hopes will create an overhaul in the industry's
appeal to the younger generation.
One of the problems that Racing for Change pinpointed in the industry is the
negative publicity that it generates through the media.
It plans to tackle the "current reluctance of some of racing's stars to work
more closely with the media, which is having a detrimental affect on the
positive publicity that can be achieved."
Another area that Racing for Change will impact is the introduction of
decimal odds so that younger punters will be able to understand the odds more
easily.
This new odds system will be trialed over one racing weekend in the spring in
the hope of attracting more punters to the tracks.
The group is also hoping to appeal to younger punters, more importantly the
18 - 24 year age group, by creating a membership club for young adults and an
official website.
"British horse racing is the envy of the racing world with our abundance of
outstanding horses," said the Chairman of Racing for Change, Chris McFadden.
"Yet the sport needs to work harder to connect with a wider public. This is, no
doubt, a result of a significantly more competitive betting and leisure
environment - so we have to raise our game."
"Our recent consultations have delivered many more good ideas that we can
start to implement," he added. "We just need the courage to trial them and
measure the outcomes. Work to overhaul the Fixture List and develop racing's
prize assets is under way and we expect to make further announcements over the
next couple of months."
