Our People
Everyone in the industry has their own personal story of just how and why they got involved in the sport. Some were born into it, whilst others found themselves drawn in through family and friends. All were driven by their enthusiasm for greyhound racing and their love of the dogs.
You can read about some of the roles within our industry below.
Within GBGB
Welfare and Integrity Office
Our Welfare and Integrity Office is responsible for overseeing that our sport remains clean and safe and that it is run with greyhound welfare at its heart.
We have a number of full and part-time staff whose roles range from handling investigations and collecting data to developing important initiatives alongside industry partners, other welfare charities and external stakeholders.
As part of their ongoing work to further improve welfare standards across our sport, they also award a number of development and improvement grants to professional trainers to upgrade their facilities for the benefit of the greyhounds in their care.
Registration Office
As well as registering every greyhound that races on a GBGB track, our Registration Office is in charge of licensing all racecourses, trainers, kennelhands and local officials such as track vets and stewards.
GBGB oversees every licensed greyhound from registration to retirement, so our Registration Office keeps a close record of each greyhound during their racing career and at the point they retire. Through our Greyhound Commitment, we seek to find new homes for every greyhound when they leave racing so that they can enjoy a long and happy retirement, whether this is with their trainers or owners or in a new family home.
For more information about licensing, please see here
Stipendiary Steward
Our Stipendiary Stewards travel around 30,000 miles per year, visiting tracks and inspecting residential kennels throughout the country. They are responsible for upholding our Rules of Racing and work with trainers within their allocated areas to ensure that our canine athletes receive the highest level of care both at and away from track.
Stipendiary Stewards also investigate complaints of alleged breaches of the Rules of Racing. The results of investigations are either dealt with at a local level by the Stipendiary Steward themselves or examined by the Director of Regulation. They also work in conjunction with the registration department in vetting and preparing license applications for consideration by the Director of Regulation.
Read more in our Stipendiary Steward’s blog post here
Sampling Steward
As part of our field force, our Sampling Stewards travel the country taking random samples from dogs both at race and trial meetings. Obtaining samples for analysis is an essential way in which GBGB upholds the ongoing integrity of licensed greyhound racing.
Find more information about our integrity work here
You can also find current vacancies within the GBGB team here.
Across the sport
Trainer
Trainers raise racing greyhounds and bring out their very best. No greyhound will succeed on the track without developing a close bond with their trainer, whose job it is to raise happy dogs, developing their natural instinct to chase.
Some trainers have one or two dogs which may live in their homes, whilst others train full-time and have larger kennels with a team of staff. In this, some trainers own their own dogs whilst others care and train greyhounds on behalf of others.
Knowing each dog individually and keeping a watchful eye on their condition, temperament and weight at all times is an essential part of a trainer’s role. They tailor a bespoke training, nutrition and treatment programme for every dog so that they are in always in peak condition and are able to enjoy a long and happy career.
Please find our trainers list here
Veterinary Surgeon
Every greyhound stadium has a licensed track veterinarian on site during every trial and race meet. They have a duty of care for all greyhounds present at the track.
They examine every racing greyhound both before and after each race and have the final say – no greyhound will race if the vet decides that it shouldn’t on that day. As well as a pre-race examination, they watch each race and trial and examine the dogs as they return to the paddocks.
They are also on-hand to advise trainers and answer any questions regarding the health of their greyhound.
Kennelhand
Kennelhands work tirelessly to look after racing greyhounds’ every need. As well as feeding, cleaning, grooming and exercising the dogs, they assist their trainer to get each greyhound race-ready.
Working closely with their kennels’ trainer, these staff know each of the dogs in their care individually and work incredibly hard to bring out the best in them both on and off the track.
Owner
There are around 15,000 greyhound owners across our sport. Some own as individuals or couples whilst others come together with friends or family to form a syndicate. As any owner will tell you, there’s nothing quite like the excitement and pride of watching your own dog perform on the track.
Find out more about what it’s like to own a racing greyhound by reading our Owner’s Blog
More information about the process for registering as an owner is also available here
Racing Office
Every race day is a team effort and the Racing Office works closely with their associated trainers, owners and vets to make sure that every race and trial run at their track is run fairly and safely and that the spectators have an enjoyable and fun experience. The Racing Office is also responsible for arranging the programme of trials or races.
They grade the greyhounds so that they are placed in the correct race and are racing in their preferred position. They also work closely with the track preparation staff to ensure a safe and consistent running surface for their canine athletes.
Local Steward
Racing Stewards are present at kenneling alongside the track’s Paddock Steward, Security Officer and Veterinary Surgeon. They have overall responsibility for identifying, weighing, scanning and examining each greyhound before their race. Kenneling is a finely-tuned routine which takes places before and after every race to safeguard the security and wellbeing of the greyhounds.
Find out more about the processes involved in getting every greyhound ready to race with our ‘A Greyhound’s Race Day’ leaflet here
Greyhound Ambassadors
The Greyhound Ambassadors actively support and promote both racing and the successful retirement of greyhounds. They are a group of greyhound lovers and racing enthusiasts from all walks of life who are dedicating their time and energy for the good of our sport.
The Ambassadors were chosen from all areas of the industry and include owners, trainers, kennelhands, bookmakers and veterinary experts. Their role is to make more of the positives that greyhound racing delivers and to be champions for the greyhounds at the heart of our sport.
As well as a sounding board for various areas of the Greyhound Commitment, they have published a new ‘A Greyhound’s Race Day’ leaflet setting out how a greyhound is treated and cared for on race day. The Ambassadors have also created and launched a Greyhound Retirement Certificate to ensure that every owner of a retired greyhound can share our pride in its racing career and pedigree.
Greyhound Corporate Partners
Greyhound Corporate Partners is an exclusive entry-level corporate partnership opportunity for businesses looking to invest in greyhound racing.
As a Greyhound Corporate Partner, companies have partner status with GBGB and priority access to commercial, sponsorship and branding opportunities across 19 licensed stadia, as well as access to networking events.
Membership of the scheme costs £1,495 with £500 going directly towards sponsorship of a race and hospitality at the partner’s track of choice. The remainder goes towards welfare initiatives as set out in our Greyhound Commitment.
If you would like to discuss becoming a Greyhound Corporate Partner, please contact GBGB Commercial Director Mark Moisley at mark.moisley@gbgb.org.uk.
