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THE call has gone out to all university students – British racing needs you.
As part of Racing For Change’s drive to bring new participants into the sport, a programme has been devised to recruit college-based racing fans as ambassadors, who will help to promote the sport on campus during the next academic year.
Six universities within an hour’s catchment area of 30 different racecourses are in the process of being selected for the initial pilot scheme, which is being conducted by the specialist London-based consultancy Capitalize.
In effect, the chosen ambassadors will act as salesreps for racing, after being professional hints on marketing and advice on how to set up a university racing society.
For Capitalize, Jonathon Bates explained: "There are 3.2 million students in the UK, who form an important future market for racing.
"We are looking for those who already have an interest in horseracing, and are ambitious and keen to gain invaluable experience in sports marketing."
Students accepted as ambassadors will be provided with a toolkit of support materials, and set a number of projects, including arranging regular trips to nearby racecourses, putting on themed race nights to explain the workings of the sport, and undertaking local stable visits.
Capitalize is experienced in this field, having set up similar exercises with such as Bacardi and leading outdoor clothing company Merrell.
Bates said: "These are global brands that have realised the benefit of being involved with students through a variety of measures. We believe a similar scheme can work for racing by working with ambassadors who can communicate with fellow fans in and around the campus."
Racing For Change spokesman Nick Attenborough added: "Most people discover the delights of horseracing in their teens or twenties, so the student sector is a very important audience for the sport.
"The student ambassadors will be hugely influential advocates within universities, and will take racing to a new generation who probably wouldn’t previously have considered the sport."
Bates said that although the initial target was limited to six, the scheme could be extended later in the year if the take-up proved successful.
Applications are being taken online, and inquiries for more information and an application form can be made by emailing studentsracingforchange@capitalize.co.uk.
Thoughts?
Do they get a free guide as to how Barney Curley trains his horses whilst in this role?
I’m definitely emailing for an application form for a good laugh at it all. I had the ATR comedy show at 12:20, I want something new to keep me entertained.
I’m going to Bath tomorrow night with some friends who will be going racing for the first time.
I’ll decide on the prospects of this ‘initiative’ afterwards. Having spent the past few years trying to show friends the joys of racing, I think the young ambassadors will be facing a similarly hopeless task. Or else they will be promoting racing for the wrong reasons – i.e. booze and casual gambling, thus creating some skewed picture of success for Racing For Change.
Are there still any universities with Turf Clubs?
Used to be something of a minor tradition and recall one or two sponsoring the occasional race
I think it is a good idea. I wish the initiative had been around when I was their age and mad keen on racing but with limited chance of indulging my passion other than standing forlornly in betting shops.
As somebody who graduated only a matter of weeks ago, I find it frustrating and naive about the Racing for Change initiative here, and their perspective on the issue.
First of all, why would a student (think of a stereotype) attend a day of racing? The expense of getting to, getting in, betting, drinking is not logical for a niche of people who are stereotypically stingy and put an emphasis on value for money, which is why many spending evenings filling up at home before hitting towns for example.
Racing is just too plain expensive for students, regardless of their interest in it or not. The main reason for going is if they have been brought up with it in the family. Me and the old man are into racing, its where he met my mother, who has worked in a small local bookies for 30 years.
For students, a day at the races is seen as an opportunity for celebration, i.e. stag do, birthdays etc, but you will not see 15 students attend Donny on a Wednesday evening, it just will not happen.
I went to UCLAN (Preston) and there are 120 societies, but nothing to do with racing unfortunately, and could not see them garnering much support as the casual student is not interested in the sport, apart from the ‘day out’ appeal.
Having read JJM’s comments i can only agree with his sentiments entirely.
Unfortunately as is the case with many of these initiatives, racing or otherwise, what they fail to and are basically unable to do is appreciate exactly how the intended target (in this case students) actually feel already about the subject.
You see these kind of things all the time and i cant help but feel, although i admire the effort, the money could be better put to use targetting more realistic and prosperous areas.
Isn’t the point of the initiative that RFC would give assistance in setting up a "Turf Club" and offer discounts for it once it has been established?
Students’ general indifference to the sport at present is not in dispute. It is a question of how realistic it is to attempt to change that attitude for some of their number. I am with RFC in believing it is well worth a try.
Give me the student when he is 19, and I will show you the anorak-wearing middle-aged racegoer who helps to underwrite the sport.
I too think this is a good idea; just because it emanates from RFC doesn’t mean it should be ridiculed out of hand, tempting though that is
My limited experience of fellow punters have included an unrepresentative number – demographics wise – of mathematically inclined graduates who if not particularly attracted to racing for its own sake (initially) are attracted by the odds, chances and probabilities associated with betting
I have two 18yo twin nephews who are likely to be embarking on Maths degrees in October next year and they are fascinated by their strange uncle’s collection of tissues, odds fractions and the whirring numbers on the exchanges: it is an attraction that comes naturally to the numerate
While in no way intending to do down those without degrees who follow the game, I do believe the intricacies of the race itself and form study in general, and that of betting in particular offers much to those with well-convoluted grey matter
The thinking man’s game
It’s getting them focussed and channelled whilst still undergraduates that’s important, as it is those youngsters from all backgrounds. Particularly the importance of extinguishing the received wisdom that racing is crooked and is a refuge for only chancers, guessers and wasters
In my all but futile googling to find extant university turf clubs I’ve discovered that Edward Gillespie was a member of York University’s when he was a lad.
From that to head honcho at Cheltenham: I await developments from this initiative with interest
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