GBR pledges £1 million to under-18s campaign following levy funding revisions

The growth and development of Great British Racing's Under-18s Race Free campaign will be the primary benefactor of a £1.4 million funding commitment from the Levy Board, GBR's chief executive Rod Street revealed on Friday.

Around £1m will go to the national campaign – which focuses on providing free racedays for accompanied under-18s throughout the summer – while the remaining £400,000 will be primarily used to develop digital and data collection products.

The Levy Board was forced to revise its 2019 funding plans following the shock £17m fall in levy income and, in May, warned that expenditure this year would likely suffer a cut of around £5m, with most of the reduction likely to impact prize-money.

Street said: "We are incredibly grateful and thrilled with the HBLB support which is on the back of great support last year. This investment enables GBR to go to another level in terms of reaching new audiences and enacting new levels of customer activation.

"The under-18s race free campaign is entering its third year and is accountable for the bulk of the funding. We think it's really important as it's racing's only national campaign of the year to encourage the younger generation to come racing and help us future-proof the sport."

A recent study, commissioned by GBR, revealed that 83 per cent of parents in the UK believe there is not enough low-cost activities available to children over the summer holidays, while 86 per cent wish their children would spend more time outside.

GBR is focused on fostering racing interest within the younger generationCredit: Edward Whitaker

The 2019 campaign, which hopes to take advantage of these findings and boasts Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly as its ambassador this year, was launched last week.

Street said: "It's as relevant in Hamilton as it is in Brighton as it is in Chepstow as it is in Yarmouth and all points in between. If you're an unaccompanied under-18 you can come racing free of charge and we think that is a brilliant message. We think it has great appeal hence its in its third year and getting bigger every year.

"By the standards of national campaigns in other sports £1m is not a big number, but by racing standards it is really important. We are able to make that expenditure work well due to the support we get from all the participating racecourses. This is about reinforcing the awareness of the sport of racing."

On additional spending, Street added: "Every aspect of the funding has been accounted for and planned for in advance. An element will go to a fan engagement strategy which is the start of a redevelopment of our digital platforms.

"Our digital and social platforms are already very strong and we will continue to build on that making people's online journeys more relevant and dynamic.

"We will also continue to work with the Racecourse Association on the insight project which is concerned with the collection and analysis of consumer data from racecourses up and down the country.

"This gives us a better understanding of who our customers are, how frequently they attend racing and who we should look to promote to potentially increase our audiences."

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