Tweed Heads Greyhounds Set To Move Over The Border To Qld
Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW), Racing Queensland Limited (RQL) and the Tweed Heads Coursing Club have agreed to investigate a proposal for greyhound racing at Border Park to be transferred to Queensland's racing jurisdiction.
Border Park, managed by Tweed Heads Coursing Club, is located one and a half hours from Brisbane on the Queensland and NSW border and is utilised by industry participants from both states.
At present, the Tweed Heads Coursing Club is in negotiations for the sale of a large portion of its land at Border Park, which will provide the club with the funds to redevelop its greyhound racing facilities with a stateof- the-art track plus a brand new kennel block and patron amenities.
Despite the venue upgrade, the capacity of GRNSW to fund TAB racing at the Border Park venue would be extremely limited without major structural reform in the Northern Rivers region.
Under the proposal currently being investigated, a transfer to Queensland's racing jurisdiction could result in two weekly TAB race meetings – a potential for 104 race meetings a year.
Tweed Heads Coursing Club Secretary Manager Stephen McGrath said the club was keen to progress the proposal.
“Anything that leads to greater use of what will be an outstanding new racing facility at Border Park is a win for Tweed Heads as well as a win for participants and supporters of greyhound racing in this region,” Mr McGrath said.
“We have already met with the NSW Member for Tweed Mr Geoff Provest and welcome his support for the proposal.”
GRNSW Chief Executive Brent Hogan said the proposal could see great outcomes for participants in both NSW and Queensland.
“If Border Park remained a GRNSW controlled track, the number of TAB meetings that could be held at the venue would fall well short of what RQL could potentially provide,” Mr Hogan said.
“GRNSW see this proposal as an ideal opportunity to benefit participants and to grow greyhound racing in the Tweed, no matter which side of the border they live on.”
RQL Chairman Kevin Dixon believes the proposal shows substantial merit and is worthy of further investigation.
“Greyhound racing on the Gold Coast was lost several years ago and it seems only logical to investigate a proposal on the nearby Border Park facility,” Mr Dixon said.