With lockdown now a long way behind us, though with the cost-of-living crisis still very real, we don’t expect miracles in terms of racecourse attendance figures. Still, it was disappointing to see a year-on-year fall in attendances for the first quarter of 2025.
Though fewer people came through racing’s doors, the Racecourse Association is telling us that it is chiefly down to a later Easter than in 2024. We all hope that’s true and that things will improve.
Bank Holiday Timing a Factor
January to March of 2025 show a total attendance of 666,483, down by 2.3% versus 2024. Those are figures supplied by the Levy Board.
Average racecourse attendances were only 2,282. That is a figure 1.7% down on the previous year, but 3% higher than figures recorded in 2023.
In all, the Racecourse Association have reported that 2025’s first quarter has proven to be a consistent one. There are signs of growth, say the RCA, with various individual tracks reporting good attendance figures.
The figures could, in fact, have been much better. Easter fell outside of the quarter, while some 28 abandoned fixtures meant a lot of races were lost in the schedule.
Considering a busy bank holiday weekend fell outside of the January to March period, the figures are in fact quite positive. Both average and total attendances have increased since 2023. We will await with great interest the total figures for April, June and July with some major meetings to come.
Aside from the beautiful surroundings and high-class facilities of places such as Ascot, Cheltenham or Newmarket, are our racecourses doing enough to attract and keep racegoers?
A Real-Life Easter Racecourse Experience
Though this is in effect is a recent ‘eyewitness account’, it would be unfair for your faithful writer to say which bank holiday meeting they were at. It was however a busy, popular and televised one.
This visit was not, at all, a positive one. In all fairness, one always feels different about a race day when the weather’s bad or you’ve lost your money. Those things are not on the racecourse. They’re on us, and of course nature.
We can forgive almost anything when we leave a meeting with pockets and with the sun shining. But, when the weather is bad and you have lost that money, you begin focussing on what you’ve been offered for the large cost you’ve faced at the hands of the track.
In this case, I and my party could have gone into the local town for drinks on this bank holiday afternoon. There, we’d have paid around £5 – £6 for a pint, had nice glasses to drink from, some décor and of course no cover fee.
Going to the races meant upwards of £30 for a ticket to a reasonable area of the track. Then, we were charged well over £7 for a beer and more for other drink choices. We did that within tired facilities badly in need of a heavy upgrade featuring the same old queues, undertrained staff and all in a building that has a social club feel. Not a good one, either.
Had we been able to drink at a reasonable rate, considering the entry fee, and from a decent receptacle and not a flimsy one which led to everyone spilling, it might have felt different. We also may have preferred a modicum of decoration as this main stand gives vibes of a giant 1980’s betting shop. It was a depressing atmosphere.
What did we get for all the money spent? Well, we had the actual sport, right? Actually, when those who’ve paid half the price get closer to the finish line that irks. You begin to rely on the big screen and so, why not just stay home and watch?
The publication of this week’s attendance figures shows us that attendance through the gates remains crucial. Still half of revenue, give or take, comes from actual boots on the ground at racetracks. Courses rely heavily on us coming through the door, but what are they doing to get us there and more crucially, to keep us there?