The appointment today of Tom Kelly as the new chairman of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain is a bit like Sir Alex Ferguson coming out of retirement to manage Liverpool writes Floyd Amphlett.
The former journalist who was the scourge of the greyhound industry for many years, is actually completing a transition that has been in progress over the last decade. Originally appointed Director General of the Bookmakers Offcourse Licencees Association (BOLA – which later became the ABB) in 1983, Kelly was the bookmakers’ representative in a financial battle with the greyhound industry that was already two decades old.
Greyhound racing wanted the equivalent to the Horserace Levy Board, and Kelly argued with Government that it wasn’t necessary or desirable.
He once told the Star: “My early meetings with the greyhound people came as a bit of a shock to me to be honest. They were very confrontational and everything was steeped in politics.”
Over 20 years, Kelly saw off a series of greyhound administrators: Fred Underhill, Archie Newhouse, and latterly Geoffrey Thomas culminating with the battles of New Deal in 2003.
New Deal was a plan for the British Greyhound Racing Board (BGRB) to control its own data and force the betting industry to pay for it via a licensing system.
Industrial action failed when the bookmakers used a tablespoon of financial clout – and a spoonful of intimidation – to keep the all-important BAGS fixtures intact. The meltdown of the BGRB strategy, and the arrival of Lord Lipsey as chairman later in 2003, saw peace break out, Kelly describing the peer as “a man I can do business with”.
By the following year, the bookmakers had agreed to increase their voluntary contributions to the British Greyhound Racing Fund to 0.44% (from 0.25%) though Kelly’s involvement with the greyhound industry seemed over when he retired from his ABB role in 2008.
But in late 2010, there was a surprise announcement when Kelly was floated to take over as temporary chairman of the BGRF. A situation that would have seemed unimaginable a mere ten years earlier saw the BGRB enthusiastically endorse Kelly’s appointment and then ask him to take the job on a permanent basis.
It was an inspired appointment with the chairman developing a reputation for being tough but even handed with internal wrangling being almost unknown – or certainly kept within house.
However very few greyhound folk would have suspected that the ‘best leader the greyhound industry never had’ would make a return to front line politics following his second retirement from BAGS in December last year.
Kelly said: “I was a late entrant in the (GBGB chairmanship) race. I was attempting to become a retired old gentleman until I saw the consultation document for the racing right and realised it was flawed. It stated that horse racing was in a ‘unique position’ which clearly is not true. I found myself being drawn back into something. I had not considered applying for the GBGB job, until I was asked whether I would consider myself for the position, and I found myself saying ‘yes’.”
Kelly has informed the BGRF of developments and is awaiting a response as to whether they wish him to continue as chairman.
He said: “There is a Fund committee meeting due and if they feel there is a conflict of interest, I will of course step down.”
So what of the future?
Kelly said: “It is not in my nature to promise that I will deliver because you make yourself a hostage of fortune. But I do believe there are grounds to believe something can be done.
“Greyhound racing needs to put previous issues aside and work together. We also need to persuade the betting industry to back a scheme which is of greatest advantage to everyone.”
GBGB’s practitioner director John Haynes said: “I have worked with Tom on both the GBGB and BGRF boards and cannot think of a better chairman. He is extremely able, understands the difficulties facing this industry, and if anyone can deliver the extra revenue that this industry so desperately needs, it is him.”
