Crayford Greyhounds Race for the Final Time on January 19
Crayford Stadium will race for the final time this Sunday, bringing down the curtain on over 90 years of greyhound racing in the town.
Crayford’s doors will shut for good on Sunday. © Getty Images
Key Facts:
- Ladbrokes took control of the stadium back in 1974
- The last day of racing will be held on Sunday, January 19
- Alternatives have been considered and discussed, but with no success
In November 2024, Ladbrokes, owners of Crayford Greyhound Stadium, announced it was closing the venue that it built in 1986. The track’s final meeting date was only confirmed on Wednesday. The hare will make its final lap of the circuit on Sunday, January 19.
On Easter Monday, 1932, greyhounds raced around an oval track at Crayford for the first time at the original Crayford & Bexleyheath Stadium. Ladbrokes took control of this circuit – which featured a covered track and peat surface – in 1974.
A decade later, all but five acres of the 20-acre site was sold and redeveloped as a Sainsbury’s Superstore and smaller Texas Homecare DIY Store (a company Ladbrokes owned). The remaining acreage was set aside for a new compact greyhound stadium, which opened on September 1, 1986.
Dead Ends Lead to Crayford Closure
Almost four decades later, in an official statement issued before Christmas, the famous bookmaking company, now part of the FTSE100 company Entain, declared its intention to close the Southeast London track.
“We are saddened to announce the intended closure of the Crayford greyhound track. We have been exploring various avenues to avoid this decision for some time, but ultimately, it is no longer viable for us to continue operating the site.”
“The dwindling support for the venue has led to insufficient trainer interest to fulfil our schedules, fewer competitive race days, and, therefore, lower attendance, which has sadly driven our decision to close.”
The statement added: “Ladbrokes have a long history in greyhound racing, helping to build and open the Crayford venue in 1986, so the decision has not been taken lightly.”
In 1984 Ladbrokes announced that racing would cease at the Crayford & Bexleyheath Stadium. The 20 acre site was redeveloped with just 5 acres of it being converted into a new greyhound venue and sports stadium. The tiny new track opened in 1986 to the delight of all bookmakers pic.twitter.com/1xo5bNoqW6
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) October 1, 2020
Room for Two Racing Arenas in Wolverhampton?
Ladbrokes, now best known as an online gambling site, will continue to operate greyhound racing at Monmore Green. However, that track’s future has been subject to speculation since the stadium’s owner announced speedway would cease at the venue at the end of 2023.
The Wolverhampton Wolves had raced at Monmore Green since 1928, making it the oldest speedway track in the country and one of the oldest in the world. The team is currently homeless.
In 2022, Entain signed a long-term deal, giving the Arena Racing Company the media rights to Monmore races. The deal started in January 2024. However, in late 2023, Arena Racing Company announced permission to build a new greyhound racing track at Wolverhampton Racecourse – which it owns – had been granted. Geographically, Monmore Green and Wolverhampton Racecourse are just three miles apart.
Monmore Green in the 1970s pic.twitter.com/o87aT6cxz9
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) April 19, 2023
Hove and Romford – Past and Future
Entain also owns the Coral brand, the name over the entrance turnstiles at Hove and Romford Greyhound Stadiums. Coral, under the stewardship of founder Joe Coral, acquired the tracks in the 1970s. At the time, both tracks featured two grandstands; now, they have just one.
Hove sits on valuable real estate, and anti-greyhound-racing campaigners have long called for the track’s closure. In 2020, almost 7,000 people signed a petition presented to a full council meeting seeking the cessation of greyhound racing at the stadium.
Romford was renovated in 2019 at a cost of £10 million, suggesting if sold by Entain, it would be the last to go. As all three tracks are financially profitable, it could be questioned why their parent company would sell these assets that are closely related to its core gambling business.
No Viable Interests or Alternatives
On January 15, Entain issued a second press release regarding Crayford’s closure, which stated: “It is with great sadness that we are announcing today the confirmation of the closure of Crayford greyhound track with the last day of racing to be Sunday, January 19.”
“Since announcing our intention to close the venue, several parties have expressed interest in exploring alternatives. We held discussions with these parties and carefully reviewed and evaluated their proposals. Regrettably, none of the options put forward were viable.”
Therein, it is unclear what Ladbrokes or Entain intend to do with Crayford Stadium after greyhound racing departs. Suggesting its plot is not overly valuable, one former track promoter, Roger Cearns, recently stated: “No disrespect to Crayford, but it’s not Park Lane, sandwiched between a supermarket and an electricity substation.”
Entain’s Motives Questioned
Talking to the Greyhound Star publication, Cearns, who previously promoted greyhound racing at Central Park and is from the family that built Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium, pulled no punches when stating his feelings on the impending closure.
“They [Entain] are giving the impression that greyhound racing is unpopular, and that surely impacts on the three other stadiums they own – and they couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Cearns.
“I’ve been [to Crayford] on most Sundays since they started, and the place is busy. This Sunday was rammed, and there’s just a sense of disbelief everywhere. Why close a stadium that is a key part and heart of the community in the first place – and then say it’s because it’s not popular.”
“Why are they [Entain] not selling it as a going concern? Is that company – an absolute giant – in that much trouble that they need to offload such a relatively small piece of land?”– Roger Cearns , former track promoter,Greyhound Star
Fines and Share Price Slump
Entain has endured a turbulent few years. In December 2023, the company agreed to pay a £585 million financial penalty, to make a charitable donation of £20 million and to pay a contribution of £10 million to the Crown Prosecution Service and HMRC costs for alleged bribery offences that occurred primarily in Turkey during the mid-2010s.
Last month, federal court documents filed in Australian courts allege that Entain accepted AUD $152 million (£77.4 million) in bets from 17 high-risk customers with “suspected criminal profiles and associations.” Resultantly, it committed “serious and systemic non-compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.”
Confirming the Australian regulator is suing Entain, the company posted a notice on the London Stock Exchange stating that the civil proceedings “may result in a penalty being levied which could be potentially material.”
The company’s share price has fallen by 34 percent during the past year – 25 percent since the Australian legal action was announced in December 2024 – and its current share price is roughly one-third of what it was in January 2022.
