Greyhound Racing: Laurels sponsorship extended to five years

Jimmy Barry-Murphy receiving his Hall of Fame Award from Greyhound Racing Ireland Chairman Frank Nyhan at the National Greyhound Racing Awards.

The Friends and Supporters of Cork Greyhound Racing have announced that they have extended their sponsorship of the Laurels from the initial four-year period to five, to include the 2023 renewal also.

Having had a surplus after the initial sponsorship, the fundraising committee, led by Tony Winters and Jimmy Barry-Murphy, approached the board of Greyhound Racing Ireland and welcomed further financial support from them to make up the shortfall which would cover the cost of a fifth year of sponsorship.

Winters said: “We got over €110,000 in a period of three weeks, so we sponsored the Laurels for four years. It showed the goodwill that was there for greyhound racing and, from start to finish, it was a huge success.

“We approached the board, told them we had the surplus but were short a sum of money, and asked if they would make up the shortfall.

“There is great credit due to all sides – great credit to the board, who gave us the required money, and to the track management, who gave us all the help we needed, but all the credit goes to the people who gave us the money. None of it could have happened without them.”

Barry-Murphy, a recent inductee to the Greyhound Racing Hall of Fame, said: “It’s great that we came to an arrangement. It just ties up everything.

“We’re looking forward to the crowds hopefully returning over the next few months as the pandemic starts to ease. We also have to put on record that the board has done a great job steering us through the pandemic and introducing the welfare aspect of the game. That is taking a huge part of the whole sport – and rightly so.

“And we have to recognise that we have a huge part to play, all of us. Every one of us who owns a greyhound, from the minute you breed them or buy them, you’re responsible for their welfare, their maintenance through their racing career, and if they don’t make it as a racing dog, then you’ve got the responsibility of finding them a proper home and that’s the way it should be. There should never be a situation where a dog does not have a home to go to.”