Signs of encouragement in 2021 racecourse attendance figures
Attendance returns collated by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) show signs of encouragement as the British public returned to racecourses following the gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.
Both average and total attendance figures have risen YOY from 2018 (image courtesy Newbury Racecourse)
Figures from 19th July, the date whereby all Covid-19 restrictions in England were lifted and both Wales and Scotland eased restrictions, to 31st December demonstrate in real terms the popularity of horseracing in Britain.
In a year which was once again punctuated by the global pandemic, total attendance figures for the period when crowds were permitted at British racecourses saw an inevitable overall fall from 2019 levels. However, within that wider figure there were signs of real positivity up until the emergence of the Omicron variant in November, which will have had an undoubted impact on confidence levels among many racegoers across the final part of the year, particularly December.
The total attendance figure between 19th July-31st December 2021 was 2,102,762 compared with 2,460,761 across the same period in 2019 – a fall of 14%. During this period, only racecourses in England were able to operate with no enforced restrictions and, understandably, a certain proportion of regular racegoers may not have felt comfortable making all the same trips they previously did.
Despite these challenges, it is encouraging that following steady growth from August to October, total attendance figures had returned to 2019 levels by October 2021. Indeed, October 2021 exceeded October 2019 in terms of a total attendance figure by more than 16%, albeit with five more fixtures.
| Attendance | Total Fixtures | |||||
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2019 | 2021 | |
| July *from 19th – 31st | 388,723 | 401,537 | 404,254 | 296,100 | 62 | 63 |
| August | 853,785 | 817,008 | 803,021 | 585,818 | 151 | 142 |
| September | 442,985 | 438,403 | 379,071 | 354,469 | 121 | 124 |
| October | 362,650 | 335,109 | 291,887 | 340,259 | 118 | 123 |
| November | 316,978 | 305,098 | 275,560 | 256,387 | 107 | 103 |
| December | 334,038 | 359,217 | 306,968 | 269,729 | 96 | 101 |
| TOTAL | 2,699,159 | 2,656,372 | 2,460,761 | 2,102,762 | 655 | 656 |
As the Omicron variant emerged and spread across Britain in December, Plan B restrictions were applied in the middle of the month which had a significant impact on the sports and leisure sectors. In December the decline versus 2019 was 12.1% compared to an increase across October and November combined of 5.1%.
Other major sports in Britain were also affected by the challenging operating environment and saw similar impacts on attendances to horse racing: for example Premiership Rugby saw an attendance decrease of 15% when compared with the 2018/19 season.
Changes to recording process 2022
As we see the removal of Plan B restrictions this week it is hoped that a subsequent impact on racegoer confidence levels will see us return to 2019 levels across the board in terms of overall attendance figures as we move through the early part of the year.
For 2022 all British racecourses will implement a new methodology in collating attendances following a trial in 2019. The key changes to this methodology are listed below and will provide a more consistent approach amongst racecourses as well as aligning with how other major sports operate:
- record an accurate count of exactly how many annual members are in attendance on the day of a fixture
- record an accurate count of all Under 18s in attendance on the day of a fixture
The RCA team will be assisting racecourses as they adjust to this new system.
