![Greyhound racing in Tamworth will get a new home, Greyhound Racing NSW has said. File picture by Gareth Gardner Greyhound racing in Tamworth will get a new home, Greyhound Racing NSW has said. File picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/89ecf004-c1fb-450e-b782-c1b650fde00e.jpg/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Tamworth and Moree's greyhound tracks are set to be closed as part of an industry shakeup that will leave the state with only one non-TAB facility.
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But while a new racing venue has been earmarked for Tamworth, the news for the Moree Greyhound Racing Club - a fellow non-TAB club - is decidedly grimmer.
In a statement to ACM on Thursday afternoon, May 30, Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) said that no closure date had been set for Tamworth.
"It will be a transition," it said.
GRNSW said a new straight-track racing facility would be established on a greenfield site in Tamworth, pursuant to the current memorandum of understanding between it and the Tamworth Greyhound Racing Club (TGRC).
![Tamworth Greyhound Racing Club president Robert Munn. File picture by Gareth Gardner Tamworth Greyhound Racing Club president Robert Munn. File picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/1e12edb2-0d1b-4231-97be-1ad6f26223dc.jpg/r0_0_1013_662_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
No further information regarding the site was revealed, including a construction start date.
TGRC president Robert Munn had thought that racing would continue at the existing facility until just before the new venue opened.
But now he fears that operations could cease at the end of the current financial year on June 30.
"But I don't know," he said, adding that the club was owned by TGRC members.
Moree Greyhound Racing Club secretary Helen Ayre said a GRNSW official contacted the club on Wednesday night, May 29, and said it would not be issued more race dates following the end of the current financial year.
All these people out here in the country, what are they supposed to do with their dogs?
- Helen Ayre, Moree Greyhound Racing Club secretary
"Look, they [GRNSW] promised the world and delivered nothing," said the greyhound trainer, who stressed that her comments were her personal opinion.
"We were told we would get 10 [race] dates - two of which were probably TAB race dates - so that the club would be self-sufficient," she said.
"Well, in the next breath they're shutting you down. I think it's because we're actually on crown land."
Ayre said the move made "no sense" to her.
"All these people out here in the country, what are they supposed to do with their dogs?" she said. "They're not gonna get a draw.
"So what are they gonna do? They're gonna be applying to rehome their dogs."
There will be a period of transition negotiated with clubs and communities to implement those changes.
- Rob Macaulay, Greyhound Racing NSW chief executive
Late on Thursday afternoon, GRNSW released a statement on its website in which it said that, with one exception, non-TAB racing would cease across the state.
It said the shutdowns were part of its "Track Safety and Welfare Strategy 2024". The three-year strategy includes the closures of the Coonamble and Young tracks.
GRNSW chief executive officer Rob Macaulay said the track cessations had "not been taken lightly".
"They have been arrived at after careful consideration of industry needs, intersecting with GRNSW's statutory obligations," he said.
Macaulay said the undertaking would "see many significant track improvements, but unfortunately also some closures".
"There will be a period of transition negotiated with clubs and communities to implement those changes," he said.
GRNSW's announcement followed 2GB radio host Ray Hadley claiming on Thursday that Tamworth and Moree were among several non-TAB tracks slated for cessation in the state.