Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to follow up on and support what Senator O'Neill said about attendances. Mr. Dempsey spoke from a breeding perspective. For the industry to thrive, one needs owners but also spectators and fans because without crowds, one does not have excitement. It has become a profound problem. It is not just the lack of numbers. It also relates to the profile of racing fans. As Senator O'Neill said, we do not, regrettably, see younger people going racing. While we are diverting slightly, the greyhound industry has been relatively successful. It is a different scale and it is probably easier to be impressed by 2,000 people in Shelbourne Park than 2,000 people at The Curragh, but greyhound racing certainly repackaged itself and people who never had an interest in it will now go along for a night's entertainment. The horseracing industry needs to look seriously at why people are not switching on.

I recall being at an awards function a number of years ago at which a recipient spoke about what he felt was the exclusive language used by racing people talking about their sport. He said that if one did not feel comfortable with that language or know the terminology, one did not feel part of the club. Anyone can go to a greyhound race and enjoy a small bet on a randomly chosen dog, but people who are not big fans of horse racing sometimes feel excluded. They do not know the language of the industry and feel the people at the races know all the secrets. It is hard to break into that. We must sell racing from a mental point of view to the broader public. If we do not bring additional people through the gates, we will not succeed.

I raise the issue of ownership and syndicates. During the Celtic tiger period, every pub and club at every crossroads had a racing syndicate. Economic reality then set in. We need to get syndicates up and running again and that probably requires a new policy on the rules on numbers to form a syndicate. I have been involved in a few myself and know that the concessions to syndicate members are modest. We should be a bit more generous. We need more owners. We cannot depend on the flagship owners, although we desperately need them to remain in situ. Good luck to them, but my great concern is about the people who do not go racing. Are we failing to knock down the mental wall surrounding the industry? When I use the word "exclusive", I am not talking about wealth but about the difficulty for people who do not understand racing. If one does not know the difference between national hunt and flat racing or all-weather and turf racing, one can feel uncomfortable and decide simply to not go along. We need a major marketing package.

The cost of going racing is also an issue. Race courses have made efforts in their special packages and Mr. Keeling might well point out that there are certain days when there is no entrance fee and it still does not enhance the attractiveness of the product. Perhaps two years ago, I went to the big Deauville racing festival in France in August where the admission was €2. It was not for the upper stand or the lower stand, it was just €2. That is the admission fee during the month of the racing festival. On entering the track, the facilities were top class. It was not a question of having massive stands, but of straightforward facilities such as enough seats and benches for people to sit on. That is difficult to find at Punchestown or Galway.

Some of the answers to our problem are probably simple while others require deeper responses. We need to get more people going racing. It is our sport and if it was an Olympic event, we would win all the gold medals. It is a pity we cannot get more young people involved. I am very worried at the lack of young people going racing. It must be addressed as a primary project by Horse Racing Ireland.