Irish Sports
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I'd be an occasional dogs goer but I thought this track was doing alright and am surprised at this.
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Harold’s Cross greyhound stadium is to close next year and will be sold by the Irish Greyhound Board in an effort to clear debts of over €20 million.
Board chairman Phil Meaney announced the decision on the Dublin track at an Oireachtas Agriculture Committee meeting yesterday.
“The notion of poorly performing tracks having financial subsidy and support in perpetuity is gone," said Mr Meaney.
"Individual stadia will have to stand on their own two feet and be able to demonstrate a capacity to perform under certain headings.”
“There is likely to be rationalisation of tracks over a period and Harold Cross will be sold at the appropriate time,” he said.
IGB chief executive Geraldine Larkin said that land in Cork and Limerick would also be sold.
“The Irish Greyhound Board cannot keep funding tracks which are not giving a return on money spent. Any decision on future funding will take into account the multiplicity of factors impacting on a stadium’s performance,” she said
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Harold’s Cross greyhound stadium is to close next year and will be sold by the Irish Greyhound Board in an effort to clear debts of over €20 million.
Board chairman Phil Meaney announced the decision on the Dublin track at an Oireachtas Agriculture Committee meeting yesterday.
“The notion of poorly performing tracks having financial subsidy and support in perpetuity is gone," said Mr Meaney.
"Individual stadia will have to stand on their own two feet and be able to demonstrate a capacity to perform under certain headings.”
“There is likely to be rationalisation of tracks over a period and Harold Cross will be sold at the appropriate time,” he said.
IGB chief executive Geraldine Larkin said that land in Cork and Limerick would also be sold.
“The Irish Greyhound Board cannot keep funding tracks which are not giving a return on money spent. Any decision on future funding will take into account the multiplicity of factors impacting on a stadium’s performance,” she said
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Replies: 63
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It will be a sad day for Greyhound racing if Harolds Cross is sold off.
They will have to spend a right few quid to spruce up Shelbourne Park for 5 nights racing every week. |
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Went to it once about 5 years ago.....not a nice place at all with an intimidating atmosphere.....low grade racing with a low grade clientele.....
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ud be more at home in royal ascot paulie?!?!
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Thought it was a bit of a Shelbourne Park "light" but a huge improvement on what it was before they put a few quid into it.
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Very sad news for all involved in dog racing , a part of Dublin life is been eroded by its sale .A night at the H.X. track was part of my life , I'm proud to have trained bred and owned winners at this smashing track ..IGB have a lot to answer for IMO , they forgot the life blood of greyhound racing , the small trainer , people like myself who had a deep love of the game and were willing to put their in their hand pocket , yet Management decided they knew best and looked after the big yards to the detrement of small trainers like myself and others ..I take no enjoyment from their predicament and worry about those who might lose their livelihoods ...A sad day for Greyhound racing...
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It's an awful blow for the Dublin greyhound man, some lads who race there were just getting back into the game since things started to pick up.
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Went there once a week when I was working in Dublin in the 60's . Preferred Shelbourne , but HX was a good track .
The greyhound industry going the way it has in the north ( where it all started in Ireland )? Celtic and Dunmore were bigger than HX , but have been closed for 25 and 15 years approx . Sad to see it , my father was a dog owner until the fifties , during the glory days when attendances were in the thousands , every meeting , having peaked in the thirties and forties . Alternative outlets nowadays for sporting enthusiasts , in the old days there was essentially only horse , dogs , and football ( in various guises ) . Changed times now . |
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https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=PHOTOS+OF+CELTIC+PARK+GREYHOUND+ST&biw=1024&bih=645&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=9ypIVKHuLOWV7Aa6q4H4Cw&ved=0CCAQsAQ
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Nice post, never give up, I had many a good night in H/X, Also a very unfair post by Paulie .
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First 4 tracks in Ireland were : Celtic , Shelbourne , HX , Dunmore .
Only one going to be left soon is Shelbourne . Sad . But bear in mind there is hardly a greyhound stadium in London these days . |
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Its sad to see another greyhound track close,its sad greyhound racing is in decline.
I used to go greyhound racing in The White City years ago,crowds of 40 thousand with sixty odd bookmakers great atmosphere sadly those days are gone. I've never been to Harold's Cross but ye dog men should go to its last meeting,give her a decent send off. |
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Good post Workrider,sad for the dogmen to see your sport going down the drain, a 20m debt though is very big,i'd imagine the real estate value would knock a fair whack off that.
IGB seem to have been stuck between a rock and a hard place. |
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Pa , they had a killing from H.C.during the Celtic Tiger ,built house's on it and made huge money , just as they did with Shelbourne , squandered that as well it seems , and nobody to answer to , a shocking state of affairs IMO...
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Ah, didn't know that,just went on the basis of the opening post and had a bit of sympathy for IGB,that's a different matter.
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Gant would be more up to date on this than me Pa , I would be interested in his take on it...
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I was at Harold's Cross many times in the mid 80s but not for the dog racing. Went to watch League of Ireland matches there when Shelbourne were tenants as I lived locally. I expect the recent increases in Dublin property valuations has something to do with the timing of the decision.
Lots of questions should be asked and answers demanded but, this is Ireland, so that's unlikely to happen. |
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i'm tempted to visit HX before it closes based on pauli's "TripAdvisor"....a hoodie, two days beard, twenty cigs and a can of dutch gold?
I know nothing of the dogs apart from the vile smell that used to emanate from a neighbour's house down the street as he was cooking some vile concoctions for his dogs more than a few years ago. seriously!? , a €20m debt? how on earth could this happen in the sport? 20% of the annual handout (about 10m) seems very generous to me and I'm surprised the sport is flagging with this support. hopefully someone will fill me in. |
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Didn't they mess about with building fancy offices etc somewhere ? Limerick ?
Actually running the sport isn't rocket science . Most of the tracks are well organised via locals who care about dogs and the sport . The old days of slightly hooky practices has long gone I suspect , too much video evidence etc nowadays compared with the past when reportage was minimal . Slightly surprised by the news , maybe its the debt thing . Know a few of the younger element of family circle and friends have gone to occasional dog meetings and thoroughly enjoyed them , admittedly not from a punting perspective , purely as a social activity . Good night out . Personally my measure of a good night out at the dogs was largely financial . And the craic down in the ring if you knew some of the characters / bookies involved . |
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IGB seem to have been stuck between a rock and a hard place.
with respect Pa that's absolute bollox, the IGB caused this mess with all their actions down the years and then capped it all off by spending a fortune on a new track in Limerick that they even managed to make a mess of the track |
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 should have read on, see it was already said |
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It is Premier,tbf Workrider gave me more insight after that post,quite shocked they have sold off estate and are still so in debt,how has it gone so wrong? Is it wages, administration,pure bad management or what that caused the debt.Ignorant enough with greyhound racing and for anyone(neutral or not that into greyhound racing) reading the opening post the statement was sympathetic to IGB without any explanation of how it has come to this.
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The spend/overspend on Limerick tack and head office has the finances in a mess.
Then again in good times the whole industry lost the run of itself. If they do what the FAI did and pleaded with the banks for some of the debt to be written off, Harolds Cross could be saved. They should get a good team to have a chat with AIB. One thing is for sure, getting the whole industry to unite will be next to impossible, too many little camps with different agendas. |
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20m in debt Gant, i cant see it happening, but i hope im wrong m8.
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FAI got €12 million off a €60 million debt.
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the igb are involved in to many cover ups
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Cover ups by the IGB and the ICC are going on for donkeys years.
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i know that but it wasnt in the general public years ago like it is now
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Have they answered that question Ferris asked them yet about the Control Committee members owning dogs with high profile trainers who have had positive tests??
 the squirming was unreal, the twats must know that we all know anyway |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhKzkc0KXzc
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Sure I hear having positive tests is like a badge of honour.
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Sad news.
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Sad news,havent been to Harold Cross in years,will have to make a visit and bring back some good memories before its closed down,was looking at the returns at shelbourne park last night,really shocking carry on by the bookies,premier as a matter of interest would there be many bookies standing there last night?,the 9:00 race the sp returned was 2/1 co fav of 5 runners,
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Read in the Post earlier in year there were 23 tracks in London in the 1970's/today there is one.Wimbledon.
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huddys • October 23, 2014 8:10 PM BST
Sad news,havent been to Harold Cross in years,will have to make a visit and bring back some good memories before its closed down,was looking at the returns at shelbourne park last night,really shocking carry on by the bookies,premier as a matter of interest would there be many bookies standing there last night?,the 9:00 race the sp returned was 2/1 co fav of 5 runners, probably just the one book there on a wednesday night |
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Thanks Never give up,
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looks like only 2 books there tonight
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http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/committeetakes/AGJ2014102100004?opendocument
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If the premier track in Ireland can only attract 2 bookies there is very little hope for the sport. Some of the horse racing tracks in England only have 4 or 5 bookies there on occasions , but they are being subsidised by the TV coverage etc . That does not apply to Shelbourne .
No bookies , no punters , no crowd ,--- inevitably no dogs . No answers here ! |
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Pointless spending money on facilities etc if the sport is not able to go forward ( which seems unlikely ) . Time maybe to circle the wagons and concentrate on tracks which are low maintenance but still healthy crowd and dog wise .
Very few would go to the dogs if they could not have a bet on the outcome of a race , whereas some will go horse racing without having a bet ( went to racing abroad , did not have a bet myself , just took in the occasion --but it was inexpensive , think I paid 4 Aussie ( 2.50 ) to get in and it included program and other side options ) . TAB have OZ sewn up though . As have Jockey Club in Hong Kong , other track I visited --Sha Tin . |