The Flat Earth Society strikes again!

[Triple V]

Well outside the Metro area? Geeze, I don't know if I agree with that Dot.
Have you taken a drive out Campbelltown/Camden/Picton/ Menangle way of late? The Metro area doesn't knock it off until you get to the other side of Menangle Rd and it won't be long before that gets opened up & built on as well. More houses and residential developments have gone in and are going in out that way than you can poke a stick at. I was out in Camden on ANZAC Day and it looks nothing like it did even as recently as 10 years ago. Suburbia is spreading towards Menangle in double quick time.
In another 40 or 50 years they'll be right in the slot to pull another HP and sell the site off for development & move elsewhere. I just hope I am around to see it.

[Tangles]

What made it great for me was seeing it up close and personal and from a very young age.
Today's kids peering through or just over the outside fence are tomorrow's participants, fans & punters. I don't think that we as an Industry currently do anywhere near enough to foster that demographic, nowhere near enough.

You are right VVV. If we all agree that it was that up close and personal experience that bought us into the game why then are our administrators hell bent on chasing the electronic punters dollar and neglecting the drama and theatre of the sport.

This is fine once we have experienced the excitement of the sport but if we keep removing it from the people away from population centre's then you will be left with a dwindling consumer group who will be just as likely to play Keno or lotto as they do not have thosse early memories. The MARKETING of the product is so poorly handled.

[Triple V]

You are right VVV. If we all agree that it was that up close and personal experience that bought us into the game why then are our administrators hell bent on chasing the electronic punters dollar and neglecting the drama and theatre of the sport.

This is fine once we have experienced the excitement of the sport but if we keep removing it from the people away from population centre's then you will be left with a dwindling consumer group who will be just as likely to play Keno or lotto as they do not have thosse early memories. The MARKETING of the product is so poorly handled.

[VVV] That's a good point Tangles.
By far & away the biggest impact thing that we could do on the weekend race days when families are present on-course is to find some avenue for the kids to safely get up close to the horses.
I see kids walking to school every day as part of what our local primary school refers to as 'The Walking Bus'. There are adults at either end of a train of kids, all of them have those lime green/yellow high visability thingos on...and off they go.
Surely there'd be some way we could do something similar with the kids on a big race day at Menangle or wherever? Groups of half a dozen or so, all high vis gear, walk into the stabling area and have a look around, the people officiating explaining stuff and answering questions along the way. It doesn't take much to get them keen but ignore them now and they'll likely never be. I'd do it for free...well, maybe the cost of a steak sandwich & a coke afterwards. I think that'd be a real buzz.

[Tangles]

Good idea. Also the greatest marketing tool at our disposal our mini trotting ponies. The galloping code has nothing like it. The clubs need to embrace this with open arms. Free family nights, twin seater drives given by adult with child between races.

Employ drivers to tour the schools with giveaways and free passes much like the football codes.

For later in the night Bands that kick off after the last. Advertise in the uni's free gig venue for you to play at. Beer first one free. Just get the people there.

[dizzy]

VVV I'm well acquainted with the Menangle /Camden region, in fact most of Sydney's outskirts. Suburbia is spreading on all of Sydneys outskirts and there is a population increase of 200,000 planned for the southwest. However Menangle was earmarked for development some years ago but this was put on hold due to the coal resources underneath it and the developers moved to the north and northwest of Camden instead-Oran Park, Gregory Hills etc. It will be quite sometime before there is further development in Menangle if at all. If Sydneys second airport goes to Wilton (I doubt very very much it will go to Badgeries Creek) then all the southwest development will need to be rethought.

Given that Menangle Park is adjacent the river and flood affected I'd have doubts about its future worth for development.

Heres an excercise for you VVV try taking public transport from your place to Menangle and back and see how you go? Would you let your kids do it?

[Thevoiceofreason]

VVV I'm well acquainted with the Menangle /Camden region, in fact most of Sydney's outskirts. Suburbia is spreading on all of Sydneys outskirts and there is a population increase of 200,000 planned for the southwest. However Menangle was earmarked for development some years ago but this was put on hold due to the coal resources underneath it and the developers moved to the north and northwest of Camden instead-Oran Park, Gregory Hills etc. It will be quite sometime before there is further development in Menangle if at all. If Sydneys second airport goes to Wilton (I doubt very very much it will go to Badgeries Creek) then all the southwest development will need to be rethought.

Given that Menangle Park is adjacent the river and flood affected I'd have doubts about its future worth for development.

Heres an excercise for you VVV try taking public transport from your place to Menangle and back and see how you go? Would you let your kids do it?

Not real sure I want to be on the Train platform at Bankstown after the last at a night meeting either DOT.... me or my kids

[Mitch]

I don't have anywhere near the experience and knowledge of the industry that most who post on this forum do. I was born in 1980 and have only been involved in racing horses in NSW for a couple of years. My induction into the sport was back in the 80's attending most of the trotting meets in NE Victoria with my grandparents on school holidays. Between the ages of 5 & 14 I reckon I attended as many as 50 trot meets at Shepparton alone + many others at Wangaratta, Echuca, Benalla, Albury etc. I vividly remember how packed the betting ring would get on a midweek night in the middle of winter at Shep.It was always a great night and the people were you met and interacted with were just good people.

What made the trots great back then is not what will make the trots great today, tomorrow & in the next 10 years. Just like what made rugby league great back in 1970 is not the same as what makes it great today. Same with the AFL and any other sport.

I got the shock of my life last year when we took Gamechanger to Shepparton for a race. It had been a good 15 years since my last visit and boy had things changed! I was actually quite taken back at how few people where there. This is the same at every harness track across the country.

The point I would like to make is that I don't think harness racing evolves as sport anywhere near as quickly as what it needs to. In my opinion the key reason for this is due to administrators & participants being caught up in the past and not willing to embrace change and try new things. The lack of professionalism in this sport is a serious problem and what frustrates me is that it doesn't cost 1 cent more to be professional!

Jaimie (Triple V), I really enjoy reading your posts as you consistenly challenge the status quo in search of a better outcome for the industry and that doesn't happen enough. Whether your ideas are wrong or right doesn't matter to me, what matters is that you recognise that doing what we have always done will only deliver us what we have always had and that ain't enough anymore!

Harness racing has to evolve through innovation and change, it is the only way forward. This will mean tinkering with tradition at times and people just have to get used to that! I fully support a move away from Bankstown, the sooner that place is demolished the better! We desperately need another modern facility in metro Sydney with a 1000m+ track that provides fast, competitive, safe and dynamic racing! I am happy for Penrith to stay it has it's place in NSW.

[Danno]

I don't have anywhere near the experience and knowledge of the industry that most who post on this forum do. I was born in 1980 and have only been involved in racing horses in NSW for a couple of years. My induction into the sport was back in the 80's attending most of the trotting meets in NE Victoria with my grandparents on school holidays. Between the ages of 5 & 14 I reckon I attended as many as 50 trot meets at Shepparton alone + many others at Wangaratta, Echuca, Benalla, Albury etc. I vividly remember how packed the betting ring would get on a midweek night in the middle of winter at Shep.It was always a great night and the people were you met and interacted with were just good people.

What made the trots great back then is not what will make the trots great today, tomorrow & in the next 10 years. Just like what made rugby league great back in 1970 is not the same as what makes it great today. Same with the AFL and any other sport.

I got the shock of my life last year when we took Gamechanger to Shepparton for a race. It had been a good 15 years since my last visit and boy had things changed! I was actually quite taken back at how few people where there. This is the same at every harness track across the country.

The point I would like to make is that I don't think harness racing evolves as sport anywhere near as quickly as what it needs to. In my opinion the key reason for this is due to administrators & participants being caught up in the past and not willing to embrace change and try new things. The lack of professionalism in this sport is a serious problem and what frustrates me is that it doesn't cost 1 cent more to be professional!

Jaimie (Triple V), I really enjoy reading your posts as you consistenly challenge the status quo in search of a better outcome for the industry and that doesn't happen enough. Whether your ideas are wrong or right doesn't matter to me, what matters is that you recognise that doing what we have always done will only deliver us what we have always had and that ain't enough anymore!

Harness racing has to evolve through innovation and change, it is the only way forward. This will mean tinkering with tradition at times and people just have to get used to that! I fully support a move away from Bankstown, the sooner that place is demolished the better! We desperately need another modern facility in metro Sydney with a 1000m+ track that provides fast, competitive, safe and dynamic racing! I am happy for Penrith to stay it has it's place in NSW.

Thats a well constructed post Mitch with many valid points, in order to get the best outcomes the game needs input from all perspectives.
I believe one weapon we need to employ far better than we have is marketing..we are getting left behind in that department big time! People are not going to participate in any fashion if they're not given a reason/incentive, we get very little exposure in the general media except when it's something crook for the game. Turning that around alone would make a massive difference.

We will keep on getting the same if we keep on doing the same is exactly right! We need a balance of what works now and what will work into the future. When I was a kid, many moons ago the off course betting had just started to get a hold on the game, but years later it has pretty much over ran it to the point that we are looking almost completely at the punting dollar to fund prizemoney. I have always believed in not putting all your eggs in one basket and this is showing through now as younger people come through.... unless the family are horse people or punters they have no idea or desire to have any idea about horse racing! Our marketing is letting us down because for too long we have focussed on the off course punter and not remembering to project ourselves to a broader audience.

Like you say Jamie is always looking for different ways to do things, he can spit the bit out, go a bit iffy in his gear and want to run around a bit every now and then, but like all the people who contribute on this forum he wants to see the game prosper.

We need listen to every angle Mitch, new ideas and old lessons combine to get the best results if we've all got our ears on!

Cheers,
Dan

[The Form Student]

After reading all the comments........I suggest there needs to be an industry forum established to collect ideas for going forward, and allow any contributor to have their say about the future direction.........then a vote is taken or Cost/Benefit Analysis undertaken to ensure the viability of the selected direction
At the moment.....it would appear that direction is absolutley towards Menangle as everything "Harness Racing"..........they have the money, and that's that!
IMO Eastern Creek is not on, Menagle provides everything that EC can, so why would it even be contemplated......no point!....If Bankstown and Fairfield could not survive even with their local populations, EC has no infrastructure to attract patrons..........does any club really care about patrons through the gate?.....I don't think so, not genuinely I think...........some of the country clubs are doing a great job....my hat is off to them totally! Penrith is the club that's location is superior as you could walk there from the station if you wanted, it has rural close by, and you get horses coming from the west regularly, and it is far enough away from Menangle, to create a need..........also the standard of horses they cater for is paramount! I have put my head on the chopping board.......come and cut it off!

[Triple V]

Employ drivers to tour the schools with giveaways and free passes much like the football codes.

[VVV] That's a belter of an idea Tangles. Nice one.