Racing Foundations offers £20,000 for Racecourse Sustainability Award at RCA Showcase

11 Jul 2022

• Racecourse industry awards return after two-year hiatus to celebrate excellence and innovation amongst British racecourses
• Showcase Seminar to be staged and provides ideal platform for sharing best practice amongst the sport and beyond
• Nine awards available plus overall Champion Racecourse and Groundstaff Champion
• New award celebrating environmental sustainability carries up to £20k Racing Foundation grant for winner

The Racecourse Association (RCA) is delighted to launch the 2022 Showcase & Awards, partnered by Great British Racing, Racing Post, The Racing Foundation and Racing Together.

The Showcase & Awards is the RCA’s marquee event, celebrating excellence and innovation at British racecourses. After a two-year hiatus, this year’s event will take place at the home of the reigning Champion Racecourse, Pontefract, on Thursday 10^th November.

The RCA took the opportunity presented by the enforced break to the event to conduct a comprehensive consultation on the Showcase & Awards. Following this, a number of changes have been made to ensure that it continues to deliver maximum value. These include:

• Streamlined number of awards across racecourse operation
• New award to celebrate environmental sustainability
• New pathway to Champion Racecourse
• Half-day conference to minimise business disruption to racecourses

There are nine Showcase Awards that cover all aspects of the raceday experience to be won. New for 2022, the Racing Foundation Green Award celebrates environmental sustainability, a topic pertinent to the sport following the recent independent study by White Griffin. The Racing Foundation will welcome a grant bid of up to £20,000 from the winning racecourse to help secure the legacy of their initiative.

Other new awards include the Raceday Award which celebrates superb raceday events and Best Non-raceday Event which recognises that racecourses are year-round, multi-purpose venues. The Racing Connection award showcases initiatives that enrich and extend the reach of the sport to customers whilst the Marketing Award recognises excellence in the sphere of campaign execution and results.  

Returning awards include Diversity & Inclusion, The Racing Together Community Award, Food & Beverage, and the Racing Post Readers’ Award which allows racing’s loyal fanbase to have their say. The evening will culminate in the crowning of our Champion Racecourse.

Submissions for the nine awards are now being accepted. Given the unusual build-up to the 2022 event, initiatives that have taken place from July 2021-September 2022 will be considered, rather than the usual 12-month time frame. Each entry will be judged by an expert, independent judging panel which this year is comprised of:

• Ann-Marie Blake (Managing Director, Verdayne Communications)
• George Foster (Managing Director UK Services & Products, Two Circles)
• Louise Norman (Head of Ownership, Racehorse Owners Association)
• Lee Mottershead (Senior Writer, Racing Post)
• Martin Dalby (Chairman, Center Parcs UK & Ireland)

Raceday Experience & Communications Manager Paul Swain said: “The RCA is delighted that the Showcase & Awards is returning after a two-year hiatus, and that we’re able to take the awards to our reigning Champion Racecourse, Pontefract.

“The past two-years have been challenging for racecourses and the wider sports and leisure industries, but this event will give us the perfect opportunity to learn from each other, share best practice and celebrate the best of British racecourses.

“We are grateful from the support of our partners Great British Racing, Racing Post, The Racing Foundation and Racing Together, and we look forward to welcoming the industry to Pontefract Racecourse on Thursday 10^th November.”

Norman Gundill, Managing Director at Pontefract Racecourse said: “We were stunned to be crowned Showcase Champion at Hamilton Park in 2019 and we are honoured and delighted to be welcoming everyone to Pontefract for this year’s Awards.”

Booking information for the event will be released later this year.