Maitland has survived but Muswellbrook will fall as part of Greyhound Racing NSW’s (GRNSW) controversial Footprint Optimisation plan.

The decision follows extensive consultation, as well as recommendations from an independent Deloitte Australia report and the Drake Inquiry, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry.

It means the Upper Hunter racetrack, and one at Broken Hill, is slated to cease operations on 30 June.

However, the closure of Muswellbrook Greyhounds has left many people scratching their heads.

Less than three years ago, the facility underwent a much-needed $3 million redevelopment, including the remediation and re-profiling of the circuit and the turf surface, the installation of a safety rail, padding on the turns and in the catching pen, and a Safechase lure system.

Insulation and air-conditioning were also fitted in the kennels.

It’s understood Muswellbrook will now be utilised by the sector as a Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) resource for its welfare program.

“Of course, it’s a difficult time for the clubs, which are impacted by these decisions, but it was one based on criteria which was formulated and unanimously agreed upon by all parties at the Industry Summit last May,” Greyhound Clubs NSW (GCNSW) president Shayne Stiff said.

“That’s important here.

“This wasn’t my decision or Steve Griffin’s (GRNSW CEO) call.

“It was an industry ruling… and it needs optimisation.

“We cannot continue to support the number of clubs we have.

“We cannot afford, as an industry, to upgrade every track we have had to Minimum Track Standards (MTS).

“One of the recommendations of the Drake Inquiry was that if GRNSW failed to implement a track rationalisation strategy involving the implementation of MTS, then racing should be suspended at all tracks.

“So, if we want the industry to be around for another 10, 20 or 50 years, optimisation had to done now.”

Even though Deloitte suggested closing Wagga, Broken Hill and Maitland, GRNSW’s board opted to retain the latter.

The organisation received substantial feedback from stakeholders, regarding the proposed closure of it on the basis it would leave the Hunter without a one-turn circuit, which would be detrimental to trainers and the welfare of greyhounds in the region.

In conjunction with this, although Muswellbrook scored highly – as a result of the asset being owned, the track still required further investment to upgrade from grass to loam, as well as lighting, to bring it up to MTS.

“We’re pleased GRNSW has decided to retain Maitland,” Greyhound Breeders, Owners & Trainers Association (GBOTA) chairman Geoff Rose said.

“We presented our submission and reasoning why we believed it should remain a part of the racing footprint… and felt we presented a compelling case.

“Now that the future of Maitland has been confirmed, the GBOTA will work on making significant improvements to the track and facility to ensure the Hunter boasts one of the best and safest facilities to race at.

“We naturally feel for those clubs whose tracks will close.

“However, as everyone at last year’s Summit agreed, we have too many racetracks, we needed optimisation for the sustainable future of our industry, and we enlisted Deloitte to provide the recommendations.

“The GBOTA will, as always, offer its support to members who’ll be impacted by the latest changes.”

GRNSW chief executive officer Steve Griffin echoed those sentiments.

“You only need to look at our history to know that while making a decision for the industry as a whole, optimisation has been done before, actually following through and putting it into practice has been much more difficult,” he said.

“Sadly, the numbers don’t lie.

“For the future of our industry, we needed to right-size our racing footprint and, firstly, the Deloitte report confirmed this.

“Then the Drake Inquiry emphatically said the same.

“And, we should not forget that after being extensively discussed at the Future Summit in May, it was unanimously agreed that we had too many racetracks to be sustainable.”

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