It was former Ladbrokes Head of Stadia Gordon Bissett who summed up the challenges of running a greyhound stadium in one word – ‘relentless’.
The increasingly wide global betting market demands ‘product’. You either supply it or someone else will. It is to that background that Romford Stadium is the busiest track in Britain. In terms of fixtures, only Monmore matches their six meetings. As far as attendance is concerned, nowhere is busier.
But in some ways, having responsibility for the bars, restaurant, grandstand, Pavilion, paddock, toilets, track preparation, paraders, carpark, tote, kitchens, snack bars, security, marketing, promotions, reservations, and all associated staff . . . . . . might just be the easy bit.
If you have ever visited a West End show and questioned how the cast can raise their game for an evening performance so soon after a matinee – picture that six times a week, 52 weeks of the year!
Romford’s Stadium Manager Karen McMillian doesn’t have a stand-in. Although she isn’t in attendance for all six meetings, her commitment to ‘her teams’ is unquestioned. That concept of never being completely off-duty has been the source of some banter with her boss Ian Smyth.
She said: “For a while we didn’t really have it organised and sometimes Ian would phone me on a day off without realising. So we set up a roster so he knows which days to call me. More than once he has phoned me on a day off knowing I can’t help myself but answer. He then says ‘Why are you picking the phone up? It’s your day off.'”
This is a woman who seldom takes the opportunity to work from home and sets aside the 90 minute drive home to Clacton as ‘thinking time’. ‘What did we get right, and what could we have done better?’
The appointment of an attractive, enthusiastic, and extremely able former betting shop manager was clearly a masterstroke by the multi billion pound gambling entity that is Entain.
While greyhound folk will always want to picture a gambling collossus run by ruthless half-men-half sharks, Karen represents a softer, kinder, more approachable front of house. But with a major bookmaker as her employer, she knows she is under permanent scrutiny.
She said:”Most people are lovely which is why I enjoy my job so much. But it can get a bit unpleasant at times.
“I can remember one night we had to cancel a meeting just before racing and social media was giving us a terrible time. It had been a cold day, but I was quite convinced that we could race. But as the afternoon wore on, the temperatues dropped. By then the dogs had arrived but I walked the track with Mark Arkell and we realised it would probably get worse.
“I phoned Ian and he told me it was my call. So I cancelled the meeting. Unfortunatley one of the owners was already at the track and was giving us a terrible time on our Facebook Page. He then went on to Greyhoundscene and was abusing us on there too. I made a point of confronting him and told him straight. We were doing our level best to keep the dogs safe. That was our priority, not staging the meeting. We blocked him on Facebook. He has since asked to be unblocked but I have refused.
“We also had an incident not so long ago where an owner was badly abusive to me personally. He was clearly very drunk and it was quite upsetting. I told him that I wanted a meeting a few days later and he was devastated. He explained that he had had too much to drink and had had a big bet on his dog who was beaten. He begged me not to bar him from the stadium. That was never on my mind but I accepted his apology and we moved on.
“I found out later that a couple of the trainers who he has dogs with, had heard about the incident, and really laid into him. I don’t need looking after, but I did find that very touching.
“But I must stress, there is much more positivity than negativity. The only thing I have noticed is that when things are going well . . . . ‘Great job Karen’ ‘Well done Karen’. When things go wrong, it is Ian (Smyth) who always gets the stick.”
Leadership qualities come in various flavours. Former England Rugby Captain Will Carling reckoned the key was convincing ‘the team’ that the leader had their best interests at heart.
For Karen, ‘team’ is everything. That night be having the confidence of a member of staff with personal issues, or simply being available to hear a grievance.
She said: “I’ll chat to anyone. I’ll have a coffee with the cleaners or the track staff, and unless I am in a meeting or on the phone, my office door is always open. Sometimes, it is the small things that make a difference.
“A few weeks ago, one of the kennel staff was unhappy about the food they are served. Don’t get me wrong, it is good quality. Monday was always a roast. There was a chicken curry on another night and so on. But I was asked if we could add some more healthy options including salads. Why not? So we made the changes to the menu and it has gone down really well.”
One of the most common leadership tests is ‘would you ask your staff to do anything that you wouldn’t do yourself?’
Karen said: “I’ll have a go at anything. I’ve been known to be up to my elbow unblocking a toilet, usually the men’s, or serving pints if we are short staffed. I went to catering college when I left school and when one of the chefs was off sick, I helped out in the kitchens, carving the meat. They insisted on taking a picture of me in a uniform that would fit a 25 stone chef.
“On another night, the kennel cleaner was off sick and with five volunteers we cleaned the kennels, finishing at 2am.”
A royal presence for the Platinum Jubilee
It will be three years in September since Romford re-opened as a one-sided stadium and Karen was actively involved in every aspect the new development. But it hasn’t been a smooth ride since.
She said: “There was so much work involved in getting the stadium operational. We missed our first opening date which turned out to be a blessing because I knew things weren’t really ready but from the time we opened up, until March 2020, we were booked absolutely solid throughout the stadium.
“Then came Covid and all the uncertainty that followed. We have recently made some very good progress but it hasn’t been easy. Even after we were able to get crowds back, a lot of people were saying ‘is it really a good idea to go somewhere with so many people?'”
But Karen and her team have responsed with a series of initiatives, some of which have worked, others haven’t.
For Platinum Jubilee Weekend weekend, they kicked off with afternoon tea on the Thursday, Her Majesty’s Dinner on the Friday and a Royal Raceday on the Saturday.
The place was festooned with bunting, balloons and royal paraphernalia.
Karen said: “The afternoon tea was a big success. We had 138 people take up the offer and we have five bookings in the future, each for over 100 people.
“The Friday didn’t really work, we had a normal Friday crowd, though that might have been because it was the day when most street parties took place.
“But Saturday was also a big success with a much bigger attendance. We also had a very good turnout for our 93rd birthday party including a lot of faces we haven’t seen here for a while. We plan to run a birthday meeting every year going forward.”
The next big event is the re-opening of the Pavilion Restaurant which will have been closed for five weeks for a complete refurb.
Karen said: “Most people don’t realise that it hasn’t seen any major upgrade since 2004 and it was beginning to get tatty. The staff were certainly aware of it. I approached Ian with a proposal, and had to be able to justify the cost. Even though we haven’t opened yet, I am confident that it was the correct decision. It re-opens on July 8th/9th and was booked out within hours of us taking bookings.
“We sent Sarah Boyce on an events management course – which she passed with flying colours – and she is now managing the Pavilion bookings. She has been in touch with various local companies and already have several event bookings at a price based on the improved facilities.”
The other outstanding issue has been the installation of the new video camera. Contrary to a recent social media post ‘it isn’t as bad as the old one’. The new one hasn’t been fitted yet.
Karen said: “We had problems sourcing some of the materials but we are very nearly there. I don’t have a confirmed date, but it should be before the end of July. Virtually everything is in place, but we want to test it first, and run it alongside the existing camera to make sure everything is operating correctly,”
When is a rosette not a rosette? When it is a Romford rosette!
Karen said: “We put a lot of thought into them and they have become collector’s items. We get requests from owners to keep up the set if they haven’t had a winner.
“Nathan Hunt won two at our St.George’s Day meeting and as a proud Welshman, he was a bit reluctant to show them off. But whenever I spot him in the van I insist that he still has them on display.
“I’m very keen on trophies too; we have a trophy meeting every month. But I make Mark Burridge’s life a misery by always insisting that we get any new model first. I also haggle over the price. He must dread me phoning.”
