- Romford Greyhound Stadium
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Greyhound Racing
Romford Greyhound Stadium is a dog track located in Romford in the London Borough of Havering in east London which is owned by the Gala Coral Group. The stadium has a capacity for over 4,300 people.
It is a greyhound racing stadium for the purposes of entertainment, usually including gambling on the outcome of a race. Romford Greyhound Stadium is one of the remaining dog tracks in London, along with Wimbledon and Crayford Stadiums, after Catford Stadium closed in 2003 and Walthamstow Stadium closed in 2008.
The stadium has won several awards including Winner of the British Greyhound Racing Board's 'Racecourse of the Year' award in 1998 and again in 2003.
Several Underworld tracks are named after greyhounds that ran at the stadium, including Born Slippy, Sappy's Curry, and Pearl's Girl.
Contents
Greyhound Racing
The track is 350 metres in circumference, and the distances raced are 225, 400, 575, 750 and 925 metres.
There are five race meetings each week, on Saturday mornings and Thursday afternoons and during the evening on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. At night the first race starts at 7:30pm and the last race starts at 10:40pm. Monday and Wednesday evening meetings have 12 races while the Friday and Saturday evening meetings have 13 races.[1]
During December racing is also held on Tuesday evenings.
Bets for each race can be placed either at the Tote or with the track-side Bookmakers.
A number of major open racing events take place at the stadium each year, these include the Golden Sprint, the Champion Stakes, which is broadcast live on Sky Sports, the Puppy Cup and the Essex Vase.
Stands, Bars and Restaurants
The stadium consists of two stands both containing a number of bars and restaurants, plus a separate restaurant called The Pavilion.
The Main stand is situated on the finishing line side of the race track and is split into two levels inside with staggered standing platforms outside. Inside on the ground floor there are two fast-food restaurants and two bars, the La Roc Bar and the Trappers Bar, while on the second floor there is the Chase Restaurant and the Laurie Panthers Bar which is the largest bar in the stadium.
The Chase Restaurant is a fully air-conditioned restaurant containing a bar with waiter service and table-side tote betting which is available for use by dining customers.
The Millennium Stand is situated on the opposite side of the racing track and is also made up of two levels with spectator platforms. Inside on the ground floor there is a seating area with large screen TV's, while on the second floor there is the Paddock Corner restaurant and two bars, the Paddock Bar and the New Century Bar.
The Pavilion Restaurant is situated along the track side overlooking the finishing line. It offers fully air-conditioned inside seating which can accommodate a large number of customers in separate parties, as well as outside terrace dining areas. It is popular with large events such as corporate outings, wedding functions and birthday celebrations. As well as tableside tote betting, there is also a bar with waiter service which can be used by dining customers. There is menu planning service available to create a specific menu for any event.
All bars offer a range of draught and bottled beers, wines and spirits along with soft drinks and snack food such as crisps and nuts.
During the summer months an outside waiter service for the ground floor bars in both stands is available and often an outside barbecue area operates where burgers and hot dogs can be purchased. An outside bottle bar is also available during the summer months which stocks bottled beers and other alcoholic products as well as bottled soft drinks and snacks.
Located inside both the Main Stand and the Millennium Stand on the ground floor is a Coral Bookmakers allowing bets to be placed on a range of other sports and events.
Tote booths are located in numerous places around the stadium both inside and outside each stand. While table-side tote betting is offered in all three restaurants.
Racing action can be seen from inside both stands, thanks to the large glass frontage, from outside both stands and from the Pavilion Restaurant. There are also a number of large screen TVs and projector screens which mean that where ever a person is seated in the stadium they can watch the racing. Other screens also show sporting events such as football, rugby and boxing matches as well as general entertainment programmes.
A soft children's play area is provided for use by people in either of the two stands and because of its position still allows the racing to be watched from the edge of the track.
The stadium is wheel chair accessible and both stands and the Pavilion Restaurant are wheel chair friendly as ramps, lifts and disabled toilets are provided. Many other services are provided in both stands including automated teller machines, interactive gaming machines, which can be played for fun or for betting and fruit machines.
Location
Romford Greyhound Stadium is located in Romford on the London Road near to the town centre. It can be accessed by car and three car parks are available, free of charge for customers. The stadium can also be reached by public transport with london buses route 86 coming from Romford Station and Stratford, which stop at bus stops situated very close to the stadium.
References
- ^ "Romford Greyhound Stadium". http://www.romfordgreyhoundstadium.co.uk/. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
External links
Greyhound stadiums in Great Britain Licensed Stadiums Belle Vue • Brighton & Hove • Coventry • Crayford • Doncaster (Stainforth) • Hall Green • Harlow • Henlow • Hull (Boulevard) • Kinsley • Mildenhall • Monmore Green • Newcastle • Nottingham • Oxford • Pelaw Grange • Perry Barr • Peterborough • Poole • Portsmouth • Romford • Shawfield • Sheffield (Owlerton) • Sittingbourne • Sunderland • Swindon • Wimbledon • YarmouthCategories:- Buildings and structures in Havering
- Greyhound racing
- Sports venues in London
- Visitor attractions in Havering
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