It’s been well documented that greyhound racing’s return to Oxford Stadium is what has made our regeneration project possible – and in turn opened the door for other provisions.
Hosting Oxford Cheetahs and Oxford Chargers every Wednesday night from late spring until early autumn is possible because of greyhound racing. So too is the Frank Bruno Foundation’s Oxford facility and Blackbird Leys ABC’s custom-built gym.
It was therefore with great excitement we launched a new era for greyhound racing at Oxford Stadium on Friday, September 2, when hosting an eight-race all-open card in front of a bumper crowd.
Our team has and continues to work extraordinarily hard to engage as many new people possible to the sport in its modern era. That’s either as a regular spectator, as part of a greyhound syndicate, a sole owner or even as a member of our team in the racing office on race nights.
We are aware outdated stereotypes remain associated to greyhound racing such as the sport appealing to the older generation or groups of people in search of an alternative night out only.
What September 2 proved to us was greyhound racing in the UK is alive and kicking, and to see scores of youngsters trackside enjoying the action, having a bite to eat and reading the race card was wonderful to see.
Greyhound ownership and its affordability has fallen under the radar within the sport recently. As a venue, we understand owners want their greyhounds to run at socially friendly times which is why we’re committed to racing every Friday and Saturday night.
Our friends at Greyhound Trader hosted their first Oxford sale earlier this week, and we were encouraged by the response from the racing community as new and experienced owners searched for a potential superstar.
With training fees costing up to £70 per week, we’re seeing more groups of friends, colleagues and families club together and split the costs to enjoy the thrill of owning their own racing dog.
Best of all, you’ll have a happy, loving, pet to look after when your dog retires.
From this week, Thursday mornings will be added to our weekly fixture list with racing beginning at 10.46am. Our Joey Beauchamp Bar downstairs will be open for all Thursday fixtures with admission free for everyone.
A key driver behind the success of opening night was our much-valued sponsors and supporters StarSports. Their branding has been emblazed across our site and it was our pleasure to host owner Ben Keith and his team on opening night in our Collaborative Engineering Services sponsored executive suites.
Much like in the days building up to our first speedway fixture on April 13, every minute building up to the first race was used to ensure we could deliver the wow factor.
The TVs positioned in the windows of our Savana Bar and Restaurant were installed hours before gates opened, the Champs Bar launched shortly before trials started and our Tote system went in prior to receiving the green light from the GBGB.
With greyhound racing and trials now hosted at least four times a week, boxing happening downstairs in the Frank Bruno Foundation Centre and speedway running on Wednesday evening, our regeneration project is close to reaching its conclusion.
Christmas parties will be on the agenda of many offices right now, and this month we were pleased to launch our 2022 packages for colleagues in search of a great deal and a fantastic night out.
Check out the Christmas page on our website now to view the latest deals by clicking here. A massive thank you to everyone who has supported our regeneration project to date and if we haven’t welcomed you just yet we hope to see you very soon!
Lisa Hust, Commercial Operations Manager.
