Racegoers Consultative Forum Report Launched Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O´Donoghue, T.D., yesterday launched the Report of the Racegoer's Consultative Forum at a reception in Killarney Racecourse. The report published by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), is of the work of the Racegoer's Consultative Forum (RCF), which was established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 to 'consult with and report to Horse Racing Ireland regarding any aspects of the racegoers experience'. Its function is to act as a conduit between racegoers and the Board of Horse Racing Ireland. The report identifies a number of key criteria and sets out a series of recommendations for HRI and Irish Racecourses to consider in the development of the racing product: Admission Attendance Facilities at racecourses Catering Quality of racing Racecards Media coverage of Irish racing Betting. In welcoming the report Minister John O'Donoghue said: 'The intention of the Act was to give the racegoer a means of direct communication with the Board of Horse Racing Ireland. It is always a very difficult exercise for any body to claim to represent the opinion of a large class of people, however, this Forum has worked tirelessly to collect the opinions of racegoers throughout Ireland by holding a series of six regional meetings to which the public was invited. They also made themselves available to the race-going public at all times, referring their views back to HRI through regular meetings at their Headquarters in Kildare. This report sets out the notion of a Racegoers' Charter which will establish minimum standards of facilities for all racegoers. It is demanding and challenging, as a report of this nature should be, and I am confident that HRI and the racecourses will rise to the challenge.'Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland said: 'This report is an important development for Irish racing and was welcomed by the Board of HRI and I urge the racecourses to consider its recommendations carefully, as it contains the considered opinions of experienced and dedicated racegoers and many insights which will serve to improve the quality of the racing product and the raceday experience. I would like to thank the Forum members for their dedication to this task and look forward to working with them in coming years'. Declan McCormack, presenting the report on behalf of the Forum, said: 'The Forum is pleased to have this opportunity to feedback the opinions, ideas and suggestions of the racegoer to the Board and the Minister. Whilst there have been many notable improvements in the quality of the Irish racing product it is important to recognize that the future prosperity of the industry depends, in many respects, on the participation and loyalty of those paying through the turnstiles. We are most hopeful that the key recommendations listed in this report will be acted upon by the various stakeholders.'
