RCA announces access audit programme for racecourses

Steps are being taken to improve the raceday experience for disabled racegoers at British tracks.

The Racecourse Association has commissioned access audits to identify areas where a day out at a meeting can be enhanced to support disabled racegoers.

Racecourses that have opted into the project will receive an audit of the raceday experience in its current form plus a detailed site audit to identify areas which can be developed to support racegoer accessibility.

Following these audits, the RCA will work closely with racecourses to implement the findings whilst disseminating best practice from other relevant sectors to maintain British racing’s commitment as a sport for all. The assessments will run over three years.

The project has been funded with a grant of more than £200,000 from the Racing Foundation plus contributions from the participating racecourses, demonstrating their commitment to enhancing accessibility.

Following a detailed tender process, the RCA selected Level Playing Field and LiveTourism to conduct the audits. Level Playing Field is a leading organisation in customer accessibility in sport having worked extensively with football, cricket and both rugby codes in Britain.

Paul Swain, raceday experience and communications manager at the RCA, said: “The RCA is delighted to share news of this exciting project which will help racecourses to offer the best experience possible for all racegoers. We are grateful for the unwavering support of the Racing Foundation and our member racecourses in making it happen.

“The RCA has been working to deliver this for some time and it represents a significant project as part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We will work closely with Level Playing Field and LiveTourism over the duration of this long-term project to enhance racecourse accessibility and ensure that racing remains a fantastic day out for all customers.”