For much of its history, greyhound racing in Britain has been associated with London. It’s no surprise. After all, the English Greyhound Derby spent much of its history being held at the iconic White City Stadium, and then Wembley, before moving outside of the capital to Towcester. While racing takes place throughout the country, and the Midlands in particular plays host to some magnificent events, there’s no doubt that London is the historic home of British greyhound betting.
Many of the sport’s most iconic tracks are based in the capital, and greyhound fans will be the first to explain that the track is a key feature of the race. Often historic venues, greyhound stadia have character and history, often connected to their local community in a way that other sports venues struggle to match. An evening at the track, taking in the atmosphere, studying the greyhound betting odds and watching as the favourite romps to victory, or an underdog steals the win, is an experience that’s hard to describe.
We’ve taken the opportunity to list some of the most iconic and historic London greyhound tracks, both past and present, below.
White City Stadium
There’s only one place to start, and that’s the spiritual home of British greyhound racing. Built for the 1908 Olympics, the stadium hosted a large number of events, including the finish of the first modern marathon. In 1927, it was repurposed for greyhound racing by the Greyhound Racing Association.
Although the stadium continued to see other uses throughout its history, it went on to be inextricably linked with the sport of greyhound racing, and it was the home of the English Greyhound Derby until the stadium was closed, in 1984.
Crayford Stadium
Located in in Bexley, Crayford Stadium is one of the premier stadia for greyhound racing in London and the South East. It has been hosting races since 1986, and continues to see greyhounds run the track more than once a week.
The stadium includes a number of facilities to make it as comfortable as possible for attendees, the highlight of which is a restaurant that overlooks the track, providing great views of the action.
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium was best known for its association with football, but it also had a strong relationship with greyhound racing. Wembley Stadium was in liquidation in the 1920s, before being bought by Arthur Elvin, and it was greyhound racing that provided the revenue to keep the stadium open.
Wembley has hosted a number of events, most famously the St Leger, and, although it never had the same relationship with greyhound racing that White City had, there’s no doubting that Wembley was one of London’s most iconic greyhound racing stadia.
Romford Stadium
Located in East London, Romford Stadium hold over 1,700 people. It has won several awards, twice picking up the British Greyhound Racing Board’s “Racecourse of the Year” award. The track plays host to six meetings a week.
Romford is a popular venue for major open racing events, including the Cesarewitch, the Champions Stakes, and the Essex Vase.
Walthamstow Stadium
Following the closure of White City in 1984, Walthamstow was considered by many to be the leading greyhound racing stadium in Britain. Much like White City it was a historic venue, built in 1933.
It played host to a number of competitions, including the Grand Prix, the Arc, the Test, and the Steward’s Cup.
