Racing 'full of opportunities' says Rio Ferdinand after Jockey Club partnership

Horseracing has plenty to offer as a career and sport according to former top footballer Rio Ferdinand, whose youth charity has linked up with the Jockey Club.

The initiative will be launched across the group's three London venues – Sandown, Epsom and Kempton – this summer and its aim is to help young people from some of Britain's most disadvantaged communities to learn about the industry and potentially find employment in it.

"I'm really excited we're going to be working with the Jockey Club to demonstrate to so many young people everything horseracing has to offer, both as a career path and a sport," said Ferdinand, a decorated defender for Manchester United and England during his career.

Rio Ferdinand is interviewed at Royal Ascot last weekCredit: Kirstin Sinclair (Getty Images)

"We've helped thousands of young people through education and employment, opening their eyes to the opportunities that are out there and helping them make the most of the skills and talent they have.

"Day in, day out we work with community centres, education providers and a whole host of industries with the goal of helping young people realise their true potential, and it's fantastic we're now able to do the same in horseracing through this collaboration with the Jockey Club."

The initiative could be rolled out nationwide to some of the Jockey Club's other racecourses at a later date, and the organisation's chief executive Nevin Truesdale cannot wait for the partnership to start.

"We want young people and people from all backgrounds to look on horseracing as a sport and an industry which is full of opportunities for them," he said.

"By working with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation we aim to introduce racing to a group of young people who have never previously considered it as a pastime or an industry to work in.

"My colleagues across the Jockey Club come from a significant range of backgrounds and this initiative will help highlight that it’s not essential to want to work directly with animals or to have a racing background to have a career in the sport."

More information about the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, which was founded in 2012 and has helped more than 10,000 young people, can be found .

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