{"id":60,"date":"2018-09-18T20:27:47","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T19:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/?page_id=60"},"modified":"2024-03-21T16:16:10","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T16:16:10","slug":"news","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/","title":{"rendered":"News"},"content":{"rendered":"

This website used to feature a report on each weekly independent ‘flapping’ meeting.<\/p>\n

29 July 2023<\/strong>
\nAnd so, after more than ninety years of independent greyhound racing in Wales, that was that.
\nFlapping in the Principality was given a grand send off, too. A packed crowd saw some super performances and you certainly couldn\u2019t argue with a track record from the last independent Welsh Greyhound Derby champion.
\nGunsmoke (who usually runs under the name \u2018DTD\u2019) got the perfect draw in Trap 1 but he had co-favourite David\u2019s Fargo (David\u2019s Fredo) \u2013 who had produced some bullet starts from middle draws \u2013 directly outside him. The other likely contender, Gem, got a stinking draw out in Trap 5, which made it look like a two-dog race. David\u2019s Fargo came out well enough but turned right looking for his favoured middle ground. As all of the rest of the field were pushed towards the outside, Gunsmoke was given a completely open path to the bend. Once he had actually decided to face in the right direction, David\u2019s Fargo steamed into the bend and it looked like he might muscle his way back into contention. What we hadn\u2019t bargained for was a rollicking start from the unheralded Little Donkey on the outside. In fact, he actually led into the corner but tangled with David\u2019s Fargo, leaving Gunsmoke in the clear. Once the red jacket led into the back straight, the race was over and he strode away for a highly impressive win. Kudos goes to Ryan Collins\u2019s rank outsider, Snakebite, who came out of the chasing pack to take a completely unexpected second place at 10\/1. (You can watch a recording of the last independent Welsh Greyhound Derby final by visiting the Videos<\/a><\/span><\/strong> <\/span>section of this website).
\nSophie \u2013 who ended up on the floor in the Derby semi-finals last week \u2013 bounced back with a storming run in the supporting rounder.
\nBig White Warrior was a bit of a let down in the Derby semi-finals, but he bolted away to take the open sprint in a time that was only a quarter-of-a-length off the two-bend track record. The only greyhound who might have lived with him was Doll, who swept round the outside in the supporting sprint.
\nIt was good to see two Valley stalwarts, Liverpool and Iced Tea, win on flapping\u2019s closing night but the honour of being the last winner went to a relative youngster, Pandy Charlie, who can be expected to reappear on the strength as soon as the track becomes GBGB-licensed.<\/p>\n

Thousands sign petition to support greyhound racing in Wales<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

In a matter of weeks, more than 10,000 people signed the official petition supporting greyhound racing in Wales.
\nThe Welsh Government has accepted a Senedd (Welsh Parliament) committee report that recommends bringing in a ban on greyhound racing in Wales even though not a single member of the committee, let alone any member of the Welsh Government, had ever visited a greyhound track or trainer’s kennels. They ignored official, audited data and based their decision on the lies of animal rights extremists.
\nThe report had no legal bearing and did nothing to prevent professional greyhound racing beginning at The Valley in November 2023 (two months ahead of schedule). But it was still an awful, ill-informed decision and, if politicians ever bring in a ban in Wales in the future, you can be sure that it will be Scotland and England next.
\nThank you to the thousands who signed the official petition and help us to make the Welsh Government think again…then share the link through your social media.
\nhttps:\/\/petitions.senedd.wales\/petitions\/245373<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

GBGB\u00a0 start date announced.
\nValley to become licensed track in November 2023.<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Dave Barclay \u2013 since November 2021, the owner of the Valley Greyhound Stadium \u2013 has announced that he has struck a deal that will see the track aiming to become Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) licensed at the start of November 2023. The track continued to be leased back to the former owner, Malcolm Tams, to operate as an independent track while the stadium was upgraded to meet GBGB licensing standards. (Click here<\/a><\/span> to read more more about development of the stadium’s facilities).
\nThe Valley continued up until the of July 2023 as a \u2018flapping\u2019 track, licensed by the local authority, where amateur trainers ran their own greyhounds.
\nSpeaking when the sale of the Valley was agreed, Malcolm Tams said, \u201cI know that a lot of locals have been looking for some certainty about the future. I hope that the timetable will give people the confidence to invest in greyhounds to keep flapping right up to the end of next year.\u201d Amatuer owners and trainers responded by continuing to race their charges until the Valley was ready to turn professional.
\nLicensed racing will see professional trainers running dogs for appearance and prize money that is ultimately funded by high street bookmakers and media rights companies. Two main media rights companies, ARC and SIS, pay greyhound tracks for the right to broadcast their races live, not only into high street betting shops, but online around the world.
\nFour of the biggest greyhound stadiums that were affiliated to SIS announced that they would transfer to ARC by 2024 and a fifth SIS-affiliated track, Central Park, switched to ARC as early as 2023. This means that SIS, which has deals to provide live coverage of UK greyhound racing to many overseas markets, faced a shortage of races that they would be able to broadcast. Dave Barclay confirmed that he had signed a contract with SIS for The Valley to help plug the gap.
\n\u201cEventually, I\u2019d like to think we could race up to four times a week,\u201d said Dave Barclay, who is the owner and promoter of the highly-successful GBGB-licensed track at Harlow in Essex.
\nRichard Brankley, Head of Greyhound Operations for SIS, said, \u201cI\u2019ve been so impressed with Harlow, which is one of the best-managed tracks in the country and, if The Valley is run half as well as that, then it will be a fantastic addition.\u201d
\nThe project required significant development of the Valley Greyhound Stadium. When he bought the Valley, Dave Barclay said, \u201cWe need to build on-site kennels, as there are none at the moment, the racing office will be repositioned and then there is the hare to think about. It\u2019s an inside hare at the moment. I did consider leaving it as inside, but it would be the only one in the country and I think it\u2019s sensible to stick with what everyone else uses.\u201d
\nIn addition, both sets of traps were brought forward to shorten the run to the first bend, which meant that the standard four-bend distance was shortened from its original 515 yards (475 metres). The track was slightly remodelled to incorporate a sweeping first bend but the rest of the track layout remained largely unchanged, as there was more than sufficient room to accommodate an outside hare rail without redesigning the circuit.
\nDave Barclay asked Malcolm Tams to manage the planning and development issues and the timetable enabled independent greyhound racing to continue while the building work took place.
\n\u201cI put my money into Harlow to run it as a greyhound track and, thankfully, we\u2019ve been very successful in recent years and I\u2019m hoping for more of the same at The Valley,\u201d said Dave Barclay. \u201cI fell in love with it the minute I drove in. I told Malcolm that I\u2019d definitely buy it. We shook hands on a deal pretty quickly.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s been bought in my family name and my son Lee and his partner Katie will be involved in running it. There\u2019s a lot to do.\u201d
\nThe Welsh Government\u2019s Valleys Task Force Initiative has identified Caerphilly\/Ystrad Mynach as one of seven strategic hubs across the South Wales Valleys \u201cthat will act as a focus for public investment and business growth.\u201d
\nCaerphilly County Borough Council published its \u2018Ystrad Mynach Masterplan\u2019, which identifies the Valley Greyhound Stadium as being key to this strategy.
\nIt notes how the stadium is \u201cideally located to capitalise on the many visitors to the area and there is opportunity to expand and increase the potential of the site as a tourism destination. Furthermore, there is opportunity for spin-off between this site and potential hotel and restaurant development on adjacent land.\u201d
\nThe Masterplan states that GBGB licensing of the Valley Greyhound Stadium presents an opportunity to create \u201ca vibrant and accessible visitor destination\u201d and to improve Ystrad Mynach\u2019s status as a tourist destination. The plan highlights the prospects for job creation at the stadium with a knock-on effect for Ystrad Mynach town centre of increased footfall, bolstering the night-time economy.
\nWith plans to stage up to four meetings per week, around \u00a32 million per year could go directly into creating local jobs for local people and appearance money for local greyhound trainers to enable them to train and care for local greyhounds.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Dave Barclay has developed a reputation as one of the most progressive and successful promoters in the sport.<\/em>
\nA successful building contractor in partnership with his brother, Dean, Dave became a keen punter and greyhound owner at Harlow after the track opened in 1995. In 2005, he bought the track from the original owners, Leaside Leisure, and continued to invest in the site, which now includes a restaurant, function rooms and a social club famous for popular poker and darts tournaments.<\/em>
\nHarlow took off as a greyhound venue when Walthamstow closed in 2008. A raft of leading trainers moved to the Roydon Road stadium, including Mark Wallis who won the 2009 Greyhound Derby with Kinda Ready while attached to Harlow.<\/em>
\nCrowds grew and, within a few years, Harlow was hosting live televised meetings on Sky Sports. A deal with broadcaster SIS to beam pictures live to betting shops has enabled the expansion of racing to five times a week with the track’s races regularly featuring on live television.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This website used to feature a report on each weekly independent ‘flapping’ meeting. 29 July 2023 And so, after more than ninety years of independent greyhound racing in Wales, that was that. Flapping in the Principality was given a grand send off, too. A packed crowd saw some super performances and you certainly couldn\u2019t argue … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “News”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-60","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nNews - Valley Greyhounds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"News - Valley Greyhounds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This website used to feature a report on each weekly independent ‘flapping’ meeting. 29 July 2023 And so, after more than ninety years of independent greyhound racing in Wales, that was that. Flapping in the Principality was given a grand send off, too. A packed crowd saw some super performances and you certainly couldn\u2019t argue … Continue reading "News"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Valley Greyhounds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-21T16:16:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_20220816_124451205_HDR-232x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/\",\"name\":\"News - Valley Greyhounds\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_20220816_124451205_HDR-232x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-09-18T19:27:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-21T16:16:10+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valleygreyhounds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_20220816_124451205_HDR.jpg?fit=281%2C363&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valleygreyhounds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_20220816_124451205_HDR.jpg?fit=281%2C363&ssl=1\",\"width\":281,\"height\":363},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/\",\"name\":\"Valley Greyhounds\",\"description\":\"The greatest family fun night out in the valleys\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"News - Valley Greyhounds","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"News - Valley Greyhounds","og_description":"This website used to feature a report on each weekly independent ‘flapping’ meeting. 29 July 2023 And so, after more than ninety years of independent greyhound racing in Wales, that was that. Flapping in the Principality was given a grand send off, too. A packed crowd saw some super performances and you certainly couldn\u2019t argue … Continue reading \"News\"","og_url":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/","og_site_name":"Valley Greyhounds","article_modified_time":"2024-03-21T16:16:10+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_20220816_124451205_HDR-232x300.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/","url":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/","name":"News - Valley Greyhounds","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_20220816_124451205_HDR-232x300.jpg","datePublished":"2018-09-18T19:27:47+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-21T16:16:10+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valleygreyhounds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_20220816_124451205_HDR.jpg?fit=281%2C363&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valleygreyhounds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_20220816_124451205_HDR.jpg?fit=281%2C363&ssl=1","width":281,"height":363},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/news\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/","name":"Valley Greyhounds","description":"The greatest family fun night out in the valleys","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PahelE-Y","jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/60","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60"}],"version-history":[{"count":99,"href":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/60\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3789,"href":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/60\/revisions\/3789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valleygreyhounds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}