‘Ffos Las is very different to Goodwood’ – Why horse racing needs to invest in local areas

A new season of The Paddock is under way!

Matcham, who was speaking on the latest episode of The Paddock podcast, spoke passionately about the future of racing, and why funding should go into the local area around racecourses.

Joined by Oli Bell, Rishi Persad, Nick Luck and Tom Stanley on episode 1 of the second season of The Paddock, Mathcham's Invades focuses on bringing the party experience to race meets, appealing to a younger audience.

"I think within racing there is a lot of negativity," he said. "If you speak to the man at the street and ask if they want a day at the races, they'll say: 'Yeah, sounds fun!'

"It's simple. Within the sport there is so much in-fighting, so much politics. None of it matters!

The Paddock is a show hosted by Oli Bell, with weekly episodes with the best tips, news, talking points and special guests from the world of horse racing. Catch The Paddock on YouTube, or listen on podcast – wherever you get your podcasts.

"When you say: 'Racing' it just annoys me slightly, because it's like the big 'They'. Who is that you are talking about? There's too much of that in racing. Everyone blaming each other.

"It doesn't need to be overcomplicated. I'm really positive on the sport, and I'm going to build a business within it, and we're committed to the sport long term."

Asked what he would do with the money coming into the sport and where it needs to be invested most, he said: "I would invest locally, if I was in charge of a national budget [for racing].

"Because each racecourse, community and catchment area around a racecourse is different. You have to market to that group in a different way.

"Groups are really untapped in horse racing. We focused on the university community, but there are plenty of other communities around racecourses, care homes, other sporting groups.

"Racing, as you like to call it, from a top perspective, should help racecourses invest locally into their community. The local catchment area in Ffos Las is very different to Goodwood. And understanding the difference in those customer bases is key.

"That's what we've done: created a segment, and taken a product and marketing strategy that is relevant to that group. It's not rocket science, we're technically a bus company."

The Paddock is a show hosted by Oli Bell, with weekly episodes with the best tips, news, talking points and special guests from the world of horse racing. Catch The Paddock on YouTube, or listen on podcast – wherever you get your podcasts.