Racecourse Attendances Stand Firm in 2009
Racecourse attendance figures for 2009, published today by the Racecourse Association Ltd, have revealed that despite a precarious economic climate, British racing has retained its popularity and continued to appeal to the public.
The total attendance for the year of 5,718,729 was slightly up on 2008, and saw racing's attendance weigh in at over 5.7 million visits for the seventh consecutive year.
Commenting Stephen Atkin, Chief Executive of the RCA, said:
'These figures demonstrate an excellent performance from our racecourses in trying times brought about by the current economic climate. They confirm the continuing appeal of British racing as a leisure activity and that the sport can meet people's ever increasing desire for value.
"The figures would have been even better but for December suffering abandonments during the cold snap, which has continued to make January a very testing time for courses. However, the all-weather tracks have done a magnificent job to keep the show on the road and hopefully things will be back to normal soon to build on last year's success".
For further information please contact
Stephen Atkin on 07884 068258,
John Phillips on 01344 625912 or the RCA office on 01344 873538
info@racecourseassociation.co.uk
Month by Month Comparison
2009 |
2008 |
|||||
Month |
Attendance |
Actual Fixtures |
Ave. Daily |
Attendance |
Actual Fixtures |
Ave. Daily |
January |
156,895 |
85 |
1,846 |
157,268 |
97 |
1,621 |
February |
138,366 |
88 |
1,572 |
169,622 |
99 |
1,713 |
March |
407,138 |
112 |
3,635 |
395,317 |
109 |
3,627 |
April |
496,748 |
128 |
3,881 |
472,968 |
127 |
3,724 |
May |
678,498 |
159 |
4,267 |
697,050 |
157 |
4,440 |
June |
879,102 |
143 |
6,148 |
948,731 |
139 |
6,825 |
July |
895,782 |
148 |
6,053 |
858,570 |
149 |
5,762 |
August |
774,506 |
141 |
5,493 |
702,164 |
128 |
5,486 |
September |
419,738 |
111 |
3,781 |
385,602 |
101 |
3,818 |
October |
359,498 |
120 |
2,996 |
321,566 |
116 |
2,772 |
November |
293,355 |
108 |
2,716 |
318,626 |
106 |
3,006 |
December |
219,103 |
84 |
2,608 |
289,172 |
95 |
3,044 |
Total |
5,718,729 |
1,427 |
4,008 |
5,716,656 |
1,423 |
4,017 |
(+0.04%) |
(+0.28%) |
(-0.22%) |
Day by Day Comparison
Day |
Total Attendance |
Actual Fixtures |
Average |
|||
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
|
Monday |
414,863 |
385,316 |
180 |
175 |
2,305 |
2,202 |
Tuesday |
380,752 |
407,278 |
168 |
173 |
2,266 |
2,354 |
Wednesday |
532,180 |
482,651 |
208 |
210 |
2,559 |
2,298 |
Thursday |
713,486 |
716,475 |
227 |
223 |
3,143 |
3,213 |
Friday |
1,080,461 |
1,232,238 |
233 |
235 |
4,637 |
5,244 |
Saturday |
1,995,807 |
1,950,919 |
269 |
272 |
7,419 |
7,172 |
Sunday |
601,180 |
541,779 |
142 |
135 |
4,234 |
4,013 |
National Hunt and Flat Comparison
Total Attendance |
Actual Fixtures |
Average |
||||
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
|
National Hunt |
2,037,488 |
2,061,507 |
506 |
505 |
4,027 |
4,082 |
Flat Turf |
3,391,562 |
3,264,327 |
595 |
556 |
5,700 |
5,871 |
Flat AWT |
267,318 |
361,272 |
324 |
359 |
825 |
1,006 |
Mixed |
22,361 |
29,550 |
2 |
3 |
11,181 |
9,850 |
Afternoon and Evening Comparisons
Total Attendance |
Actual Fixtures |
Average |
||||
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
|
Afternoon |
4,664,664 |
4,559,980 |
1,082 |
1,059 |
4,311 |
4,306 |
Evening |
1,054,065 |
1,156,676 |
345 |
364 |
3,055 |
3,178 |
Total Attendance |
Actual Fixtures |
Average |
||||
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
|
NH Afternoons |
1,844,403 |
1,853,919 |
446 |
444 |
4,135 |
4,175 |
Flat Turf Aft. |
2,630,905 |
2,478,768 |
433 |
407 |
6,076 |
6,090 |
AWT Afternoons |
166,995 |
197,743 |
201 |
205 |
831 |
965 |
Mixed Afternoons |
22,361 |
29,550 |
2 |
3 |
11,181 |
9,850 |
Bank Holidays
Total Attendance |
Actual Fixtures |
Average |
||||
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
2009 |
2008 |
|
Bank Holidays |
171,285 |
195,586 |
29 |
30 |
5,906 |
6,520 |