There comes a time when buttons have to be pressed and individuals brought to account. I am talking permit racing and the failure of GBGB to consider re-introducing it.
For those who have read the ranting of this madman before –feel free to skip the next few paragraphs though please don’t leave the page without considering contributing.
We are talking permit racing – a scheme first introduced by the NGRC in 1972 to enable flapping people to prop up the falling numbers of professional and owner-trainers registered with it.
It was a huge success. Tens of thousands of ‘one man’ (or woman) and his/her dogs signed up over the following 30 years. In the early 1990s there were still around 2,500 active permit holders.
The idea was very simple. You could train up to four greyhounds, all owned by yourself, and race them on permit tracks (Yarmouth, Henlow, Rye House, Kinsley, Peterborough etc etc).
The key element was the opportunity to race without having to build a kennel. The Stipe turned up, maybe gave a bit of advice on patching up garden fences, checked there were no sharp or pointy things, and you were away.
It is not too grand a statement to say that greyhound racing would probably not exist today – at last in the form that we know it – but for permit racing.
It was an inexpensive introduction to greyhound racing. If it transpired that amateur training wasn’t for you, or your hound, he could be back with his former trainer, or a new handler sourced, within a few days or weeks.
That was it really. Simple, amateur, risk free, fun, cheap, and a simple first step on the ladder.
Needless to say, many permit trainers decided that they loved it, expanded and learned. Former permit trainers run some of the most successful kennels in the country – champion trainer Mark Wallis among them.
But – the NGRC thought the industry should be ‘more professional’, so they decided that anyone who didn’t build a kennel could no longer train. On the grounds of ‘security’ and ‘welfare’.
Some permit trainers couldn’t afford kennels, had no space for them, or could never get planning permission. They were simply thrown out of the industry.
Only shortage of space prevents me further expanding on what a snobby, ignorant and short-signed bunch of cretins the NGRC really were!
Permit racing worked. It wasn’t broken, so why break it?
This plan is to gauge the level of demand for people who would like to see permit racing return, updated and tweaked if necessary.
This is not a Floyd Amphlett or Greyhound Star project, if anybody else wants to take it over, I will be glad to support them but somebody needs to do something – and sharpish.
So basically, I am looking for confirmation from 200 would-be permit trainers who would be prepared to commit to a new licence.
If we get the 200 signatures, I will forward them to the Racing Committee of GBGB and get the debate on the table. I have already spoken to many tracks, and all have so far agreed that they would consider allowing permit runners.
BUT if we fall short – I won’t raise the subject again.
So if you feel as passionate about this as I do, sign up and please share through social media with everyone you feel might benefit. This is your chance to make a difference.
What next?
Choose this link and fill in the form to the right – In the ‘News Subject’ box type – PERMIT SCHEME. Please also include any views you have in the ‘news summary’ box below. No personal details will be passed on to any other third party, though they will be needed as confirmation of legitimate identity.
