What should racing do to attract younger fans to the sport? Three (young) Racing Post reporters have their say

It is one of the various soul-searching questions racing is always asking itself: how can the sport engage younger fans and attract them to the track? The BHA's Youth Collaboration Group (YCG) has been attempting to solve the problem and the group, which consists of 22 members aged between 14 and 22, is celebrating its second anniversary. Here, we have asked some of the Racing Post's more fresh-faced reporters how they would attract the next generation of racegoers . . .

Offer small incentives on student nights

By Matt Rennie, 23

Whether you like it or not, many young people over the age of 18 – especially those who may not follow racing as keenly as us – love a good day out at the races for two key reasons: to have a few drinks and spend time with their friends, and to have a bet and possibly win a little bit of money.

Companies such as Invades have done a solid job in getting university students through racecourse turnstiles, but rarely would they come to just watch horses walk around the paddock and run.

On designated racedays for young people – student nights are a great concept – why not include a free bet, with a maximum stake of £5, on a certain race that night in their ticket package?

If we wanted to go a bit further too, we could even include a free Placepot bet. I went with my girlfriend and a group of friends to York's Dante meeting in May and once the concept of the bet was explained to them they were working their way through the racecard looking for their selections. I lost my Racing Post to them for a good half-hour. 

If a sensible small betting incentive was marketed and organised properly, it could be a real winner.

Racing needs to compete and offer subsidised tickets

By Charlie Huggins, 23

My passion for racing developed from going to various racecourses around the country with my dad from a young age. Because of the excellent policy of allowing under-18s into tracks for free, my dad was able to take me and my brother racing regularly at no extra cost to his own ticket, which gave us the exposure we needed to become life-long fans of the sport.

It is disappointing that once you turn 18 there are largely no subsidised tickets to individual meetings and those who are in the university age bracket of 18-21 are forced to pay full adult prices. Jockey Club tracks such as Cheltenham and Newmarket do a great job with their 18-28 and Bunbury Club (18-24) memberships, but these are designed for more seasoned racegoers.

Matt has referenced Invades and, as I reported in my feature on that events company mixing with the students on Grand Sefton day at Aintree in November, most attendees had been incentivised with free admission or subsidised tickets.

There are concession price bands for students or under-22s at football grounds at all levels across the country, while myself and four schoolmates have been tempted to the quarter-final of the Vitality Blast T20 cricket between Birmingham Bears and Essex Eagles at Edgbaston due to £10 tickets in the iconic Hollies Stand being pushed via social media and email.

Racing is competing with these popular spectator sports offering a high-quality product at cheaper rates. There has to be cheaper tickets after people turn 18 to make it an easier sport to promote to younger markets and to not undo all the good work done by the free entry for under-18s policy.

Start them young – many of us don't discover racing until we get older

By Harry Wilson, 23

We need to introduce horseracing properly to people from a much younger age. I didn't start to take an interest until I was 19 purely because I never got to experience it before that point. I had no family ties to the sport and no knowledge even of its existence.

Racing to School does a fantastic job, and the events put on by Careers In Racing are a good start, but I'm still not sure that many schools even know the options that are out there. People within the industry heading into schools with riding simulators and jockey silks for some fun to get kids involved, and also taking part in things like careers days at local schools, could have an impact.

I remember being taken to a variety of museums, castles, rivers and beaches on school trips, so why couldn't pupils be taken on a tour of a local stable? Opening their doors during National Racehorse Week is a great initiative, but it would be brilliant if we could make it more viable for schools to visit local yards throughout the year.

If we can expose them to what life is like for the people who look after our well-loved animals, it could make a whole new generation want to be grooms, work riders, jockeys or even trainers – essential parts of the industry – but could first ensure they would be fans for life.

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'The more we can get the word out there the better' - Youth Collaboration Group marks two-year anniversary 

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