Derry Greyhound Stadium also known as the Brandywell Greyhound Track is the greyhound racing operation held at the Brandywell Showgrounds next to the new

Brandywell Stadium The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium ( ga, Tobar an Fhíoruisce ) is a municipal football stadium with an adjoining greyhound racing track in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of League of Ireland team Derry City F.C. and (temporari ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The track was relocated from around the football pitch to next door to it, opening in 2018. Racing takes place every Monday evening.

History

Northern Irish greyhound tracks are unusual in the sport of greyhound racing within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

due to the fact that they do not fall within the jurisdiction of the

Greyhound Board of Great Britain The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) is the organisation that governs licensed greyhound racing in Great Britain. It does not govern independent tracks or Northern Irish tracks and therefore has no jurisdiction over them. History It was f ...

. Instead, the ''

Bord na gCon Greyhound Racing Ireland ( ga, Rásaíocht Con Éireann, formerly ga, Bord na gCon) is an Irish semi-state body charged with regulating and promoting Greyhound racing in Ireland. The organisation has been active in developing the sport in Irela ...

'' (the Irish Greyhound Board) oversee proceedings. The track in Derry raced for the first time on 29 July 1932 under the leadership of Hugh Duffy. The track was constructed around the

football stadium, home of Derry City. The original track was regarded as being one of the smallest in Ireland. The Brandywell Greyhound Racing Company were responsible for ensuring that racing continued over the years, even during the period from 1971 until 1985 when the football was cancelled here due to the unrest in Northern Ireland. The greyhound racing was fortunate to experience just one short closure which took place in 1971 following the loss of 20 fixtures previously. There was a dispute between Derry FC and the greyhound management in 1968 when the weekly rent was increased from £12-6 to £20 per week. The track hosts an

Irish Greyhound Derby The Irish Greyhound Derby held at Shelbourne Park, is the premier greyhound racing competition in Ireland. First held at Harold's Cross in 1928, the event was unofficial until 1932 and called the National Derby. The first winner in 1928 was Tip ...

trial stake every year and major events have included the James Corry Marathon, Festival Derby and Ulster 500.

New track

The greyhound race track closed on Saturday 3 December 2016. The stadium was demolished, with plans announced for a new stadium and a stand-alone greyhound track. The new stand-alone greyhound track was part of the 2018 £7m development for a new state-of-the-art stadium. The facility, funded by Derry City and Strabane District Council in conjunction with the Executive Office, included the track, which was opened for trials by the Brandywell Greyhound Racing Company on 9 February 2018. Racing continues every Monday evening.

Track records

New track (current) New track (former) Old track

References

{{Greyhound stadiums in Ireland Greyhound racing in Ireland Sports venues completed in 1932 Greyhound racing venues in the United Kingdom 1932 establishments in Northern Ireland