Greyhound Racing NSW says the second phase of its Racing Footprint Optimisation initiative will begin on June 30<\/strong>, 2026, with the closure of the Muswellbrook and Broken Hill tracks on that date. The Wagga Wagga facility, originally flagged for closure in an independent review, will remain open until the upgrading of the Temora track is completed in late 2026 or early 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Optimisation was announced as a key part of the Industry Future Blueprint<\/strong> following discussion at a whole industry Summit held in May last year, where key stakeholders and trainers unanimously agreed to the decision to rationalise the number of racetracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The optimal footprint is based on supporting the current number of race meetings held across the state, ensuring that regions continue to have a track to support the demand in that region, and optimisation will allow the industry to have lower costs and maximise returns and profits to participants and clubs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n GRNSW has already stated that regardless of the reduction of tracks, the number of race meetings will remain the same<\/strong>, if not more, each year in NSW. Tranche one of Optimisation<\/strong> saw all NSW non-TAB racetracks – Coonamble, Kempsey, Moree, Potts Park, Tamworth, Wauchope, and Young – close by the end of 2025. There remains an opportunity for each to make a submission to GRNSW to become a trial track if desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deloitte recommended that stage two<\/strong> would see Wagga, Broken Hill and Maitland close, but after further investigation, and an evaluation of the cost of works required to bring Muswellbrook \u2013 scheduled for potential closure in tranche three – up to MTS, GRNSW\u2019s Board decided to expedite the closure of Muswellbrook, and retain Maitland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greyhound Clubs NSW (GCNSW) president Shayne Stiff<\/strong> said: \u201cOf course, it\u2019s a difficult time for the clubs which are impacted by these decisions, but it was a decision based on criteria which was formulated and unanimously agreed upon by all parties, including GCNSW, at the Industry Summit last May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe industry needs optimisation. We cannot continue to support the number of clubs we have. We cannot afford as an industry to upgrade every track we have had to Minimum Track Standards and one of the recommendations of the Drake Inquiry was that if GRNSW failed to implement a track rationalisation strategy involving the implementation of MTS, then racing should be suspended at all tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n GRNSW chief executive officer Steve Griffin<\/strong> said his organisation will remain focused on delivering a racing schedule that maximises the opportunities for the industry and participants. \u201cYou only need to look at our history to know that while making a decision for the industry as a whole, optimisation has been done before, actually following through and putting it into practice has been much more difficult,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Griffin said the right-sizing process was driven by data and long-term sustainability<\/a>, following consistent recommendations from independent reviews and industry consensus. He acknowledged the impact on affected regions but stressed that optimisation will not reduce racing in NSW, while allowing GRNSW to lower costs and improve returns for participants and clubs.<\/p>\n\r\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/82f0258e-6cb8-4e74-bbf5-89f55bc630e7-300x200.jpg\")
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