Gone to the dogs: Crayford closure a stark reminder of the decline of a sport that could once attract royalty

Crayford, which staged its final meeting on Sunday evening, is the latest venue to join the long list of lost greyhound tracks, especially in the Greater London area, where the sport has now all but disappeared.

Owner Entain declared its intention to close Crayford in November. The stadium had been reopened in 1986 as part of the deal struck when a large chunk of the site of the former Crayford & Bexleyheath Stadium was sold by owners Ladbrokes to supermarket giant Sainsbury's in 1984.

"We're saddened to announce the intended closure of the Crayford greyhound track," said gambling giant Entain's UK communications director Simon Clare. "We've been exploring various avenues to avoid this decision for some time but, ultimately, it is no longer viable for us to continue operating the site."

The closure leaves Romford as the sole outlet for the sport in Greater London and extends the decline of a popular betting pastime that once owed much of its popularity to its urban setting relative to horseracing, but now has virtually no presence in England's capital.

After attracting huge audiences and royal visitors in the 20th century, three of the city's four tracks have been lost in the last 20 years.

Early boom

The sport grew rapidly in popularity in the late 1920s and for several decades it was a significant part of London's social scene, with booming attendances of mostly working-class punters.

It filled the gap left by horseracing, which under the 1879 Metropolitan Racecourse Act was not permitted to be conducted less than ten miles from the city centre, a restriction that did not apply to greyhound stadia.

Tracks flourished in a pre-betting shop age and by December 1926, London's premier track White City – a major arena created for the 1908 Olympics with a 150,000 capacity – averaged 40,000 racegoers per meeting. The Prince of Wales and Prince George, later King George VI, famously attended, while in 1936 a record 90,000 spectators witnessed Fine Jubilee's Derby triumph.

The sport's first superstar, Mick The Miller, became something of an icon. He is still credited with popularising greyhound racing in Britain following his back-to-back Derby victories in 1929 and 1930. Such was his fame that he appeared in a film, Wild Boy, in 1935. His photo regularly appeared in newspapers during his 19-race winning streak and his face was even embossed on ladies' vanity mirrors.

White City greyhounds track, circa 1968Credit: Chris Morphet (Getty Images)

Post-war era

In the immediate post-war years, greyhound racing attendances annually were in the region of 25 million, but by the end of the 1960s that number had more than halved to approximately ten million.

A contributing factor to this marked decline was the 1960 Betting and Gaming Act, which paved the way for alternatives to track betting by allowing the opening of bingo halls, casinos and betting shops.

Between 1966 and 1974 no fewer than eight of London's 17 tracks were lost, in no small part due to the value of the land they sat on. Wandsworth, which became a shopping centre, was the first to go in 1966, followed by Stamford Bridge after its redevelopment in 1968. Park Royal and New Cross closed in 1969, followed by Charlton (1971), West Ham and Hendon (1972), and Clapton (1974).

Despite many track closures, greyhound racing still retained some ability to draw big crowds and attention in the early 21st century. In 2006, Westmead Hawk became a dual winner of the Derby, and earned comparisons with Mick The Miller and Red Rum. He generated major interest and 18 years ago became the first animal to have a Madame Tussauds waxwork, before the likes of Desert Orchid.

Action from Crayford last yearCredit: Steve Nash

Recent times

When White City, the original host of the Greyhound Derby and for many the sport's spiritual home, was closed in 1984 to ultimately become the home of the BBC, Walthamstow came to be regarded as the sport's leading venue in Britain.

However, it suffered the same calamity in 2008, when it was bought by a development consortium, an all-too-familiar fate met by a number of tracks, particularly in London.

The decline has been less stark since the turn of the 21st century, with Catford (2003), Wimbledon (2017) and now Crayford the most significant casualties. That leaves Romford, itself a long way from the city's centre, as the last venue standing in the Greater London area, a far cry from the former glories of a sport that reached every corner of the capital.

The closure of Crayford, which first staged greyhound racing in 1937, is emblematic of the decline of the sport not only in the city, where it once provided entertainment for tens of thousands of people, but in Britain more broadly.

As it stands, there are now only 19 venues licensed by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, a figure that contrasts starkly with the 77 licensed tracks operating in the 1940s.

Read more...

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