The Horse Racing industry - "Racing for Change"

If you want to see sheer brilliance in sports commercial marketing and PR as a beacon for other sports then take a look at the racing for change website www.lovetheraces.com

The website and inititative is there to simplify and create a structure for Horse racing in the UK. Why? Because 90% of the UK population don't go to the races, and because quite frankly horse racing is very confusing. So confusing that consumers tend to stay away because of the horse racing language, betting, personal opinions, animal welfare, racing not seen as a family day out and the stomping ground of ageing men in tweed jackets etc. etc.

Personally I find horse racing extremely confusing which actually stops me from going to the races, (along with a young baby!) : Different age horses, flat, jump, hurdle, meeting, festival, series, etc; let alone the betting quagmire, odds and trying to understand the Racing Post! Racing seems like an unfriendly and closed sport because of the language, rites and rituals, and the complexity.

So in the words of the website: 
"Lovetheraces.com was created by Racing Enterprises Limited as part of the "Racing for Change" initiative. The site aims to appeal to new and infrequent racegoers by offering a wealth of engaging and interactive content"


Racing for Change is an initiative created by Racing Enterprises Ltd, the commercial arm of British horse racing. Racing Enterprises is a joint venture company whose shareholders are the racecourses and the Horsemen’s Group (owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders and stable staff). Our aim is to broaden the appeal of the sport with the objective of increasing participation and revenues and protecting the thousands of jobs that exist within British Horse racing."





However horse racing is the UK's second largest, spectator sport, employer in sport and contributor to GDP and has an economic impact of £2.4bn to the UK.

One major issue that the horse racing industry is facing is that it has a loyal fan base, but an ageing demographic, with seven out of ten customers aged 46 years or over. 
So what has Racing for Change, lovetheraces.com, (and the whole industry), achieved on less than £1m spend? 

• The Lovetheraces.com website, designed as an entry point for new racegoers, with a particular focus on a younger demographic, has attracted over 200,000 unique visitors in 2011, up from 60,000 in 2010.
• 28 student racing clubs have been set up with their own CEO and a project with St Martins School of Art produced some cool designs for silks.
• Racecourses offer family racing days as well as "kids go free" racing
• Racecourse attendance for 2011 is up by 6% to 6.1m
• and racecourse sponsorship, and terrestrial & broadcast revenue is at £16m with a new deal signed with Channel 4 of between £15 and £20 million. This is against a background of racing actually paying broadcasters for coverage, so a huge achievement.
• QIPCO, sponsors of the newly created Champions Series have renewed their deal for 5 years and Investec, sponsors of the Epsom Derby have renewed for 10 years.
• Frankie Dettori won yet another race at York, AP McCoy was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2010 and Frankel The Wonder Horse has won 13 out of 13 races!

Racing is truly holding its own in the currently tough commercial environment, has admitted to he world that innovation and change is the way forward and has shown that y working together that they are  racing ahead with impressive change.
Well done to Rod Street and the whole team at REL and Racing for Change.