Sports

Gone to the dogs - iconic dog racing stadium closes for the last time

by Paul Conneally | August 18, 2008 at 12:48 am

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Greyhound racing has been a British working class insitution for many many years and also generates millions of pounds of betting revenue each year. Walthamstow Stadium or 'The Stow' has been at the heart of the sport but has now closed for the last time seeing many greyhounds now in search of new homes their original owners only keeping them to race at The Stow not as pets and so their fate now is to be put down or retired to a new home.

Long the haunt of gamblers and gangland criminals greyhound stadiums have over the last few years tried to improve their image with good restaurants and family friendly facilities. An old stadium like The Stow despite it's architectural and cultural heirtage just can't compete with the demands of modern sporting expectations. More and more old stadia will close, either because they are failing or because someone see's a better use for the land they are built on. There are now only 29 greyhound stadiums left in Britain and only one in London. Is the writing on the wall for this sport?

Wathamstow we salute you.

This is like a great birthday party,” said Richard Ahrens, a race-goer and dog-owner, “but you know it will be your last one ever.” As the greyhounds raced around Walthamstow Stadium, in northeast London, for the final time on Saturday night, excitement and sadness went neck-and-neck in the packed stands.

Long before the gates opened, hundreds of punters had queued outside the Art Deco frontage of the stadium, known as the Stow. Those gates were soon closed again, the Stow full to its 7,000 capacity.

After the final race several hundred fans ran on to the track, taking snapshots and souvenirs. Somebody doing a Kenneth Wolstenholme impression said: “Some people are on the track, they think it's all over. It is now ....”

One of those “pig sick” about the closure was Barrie Clegg, chairman of the local greyhound owners' association. When he met his wife, Debbie, 24 years ago his chat-up line was to ask how close she lived to the dog track