Future Fan Pathway
A project to engage with the Future Fan in horse racing, ensuring a pathway exists to introduce, engage and sustain to protect the future of British horse racing.
Racing to School do a phenomenal job of bringing 15,000 children a year to experience horse racing, and in 2021 celebrated the 200,000th child since they started! Once they have been enthused by their behind-the-scenes day at the races, there is currently nowhere for them to go to establish themselves as racing fans.
Discover Racing week is the second step of a Future Fan Pathway. By delivering an educational week of interactive race meetings through the summer holidays, we can invite those children to bring their parents or guardians to experience the same behind the scenes, view of our sport.
We are in the initial stages of developing a Young Person’s Racing Club. The Young Person’s Racing Club is the third step of the future Fan Pathway. Following a day with Racing to School and Discover Racing Week, The Young Person’s Racing Club is a place to continue the engagement of horse racing to young racegoers ages 11-18 years. This is the final step on the Future Fan Pathway to ensure that young people have somewhere where they can engage with our sport with people their age.
Discover Racing Week
Discover Racing Week is the second step of a Future Fan Pathway. Racing to School does the most phenomenal job putting the sport of racing in front of over 15,000 thousand school children every year. But there is no current pathway to further engage them in our sport. By delivering an educational group of interactive race meetings through the summer holidays, we can invite those children to bring their parents or guardians to experience the same behind the scenes view of our sport.
The race meetings are aimed to engage new families to come and see that horse racing is a fantastic option for a day out and also showcase horseracing as a career option for their children.
Families will get free entry to the course and will be given a VIP tour of the racecourse. Going to the weighing room, the start line, walking the course, the pre-parade and the parade ring, the judge’s box, the commentator’s box. All the places on the course that are normally only accessible to those lucky enough to work in horseracing! We will have guides on course throughout the day to answer any questions and help explain anything that guests may not understand. We will have a compere on the day explaining what to look for in the paddock, why some horses are front runners, how to read the racecard. All the information that you could possibly need to come back racing feeling ‘in the know’! There will be opportunities to meet a jockey and a trainer, ride a mechanical horse and see if you have what it takes to be the next Champion jockey!
Outputs and Outcomes to be Achieved
- Capitalising on the diverse communities Racing to School and Take the Reins are targeting
- Educate parents about the potential career options within the horse racing industry for their children. Careers in Racing to promote working in racing
- British Racing School, Scottish Racing Academy and the National Racing College to promote their courses
- Data capture of Parents & Guardians in accordance with GDPR and safeguarding practises
- Track children from Racing to School’s programme to monitor engagement rates
- Data insights help to shape programmes and are shared with all stakeholders, delivering a cohesive approach and data driven ROI
