Greyhound Racing

In 1928, the White City site took on a form that many local people will remember today. After sitting derelict for over a decade, and occasionally being used for mechanical sales, ballroom dancing and dog shows, the White City Greyhound Track opened on 28 May 1928.

The construction of the stadium was met with much controversy. In 1924, Stretford Urban District Council had earmarked the plot for housing. In direct contravention of the council’s town-planning order — and despite vocal opposition from the councillors and those worried about the ‘demoralising influences’ of the sport — the share-holders of the White City Greyhound Association, led and encouraged by Lord Askwith, voted to defy the ban and to commence with the build. There were objections from many local groups, but for unemployed men in the area this was welcome news, as the construction offered valuable employment opportunities.

The Stretford Council’s difficulties with regard to the White City greyhound track were fully explained for the first time on Saturday . . . [the Council] had met with legal difficulties in their attempts to restrain them from carrying out the work. They were first advised by eminent lawyers in London that they could go to the courts and obtain an injunction. Before doing so, however, they had to get permission from the Government lawyers, and when these were approached by the Council, they stated that they had no case for an injunction. The reason for this was that though the White City site was scheduled under the Town-Planning Act, and the Inter-development Order had been approved by the Ministry of Health, the scheme was not complete, and therefore the Council did not possess the power to oust the greyhound company from the site.

- The Manchester Guardian, 21 May 1928

Despite the opposition, greyhound racing proved very popular. According to Professor Keith Laybourn ‘Greyhound racing offered the working class a sport which provided them with a cheap legal gambling thrill’. Some significant greyhound racing events were held on the track, such as the Manchester Cup, the Mancunian Cup and the Cock of the North.

Over the course of fifty years, the stadium was used for many purposes besides dog racing. During its early years, the track doubled up as a dirt track speedway and on 16 August 1939 it hosted a 'Ladies International Football Match' between England and Belgium. Several other athletics tournaments were held there in the years that followed and, by the 1970s, the track was even used for stock car races.  

After a gradual decline in the popularity of greyhound racing, the stadium closed in the early 1980s. 

Sources

Architects of Greater Manchester 1800-1940, 'Greyhound Racing Track, White City, Old Trafford', <https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/buildings/greyhound-racing-track-white-city-old-trafford> [accessed 28 January 2020]

Greyhound Racing Times, 'Manchester (White City)' <https://greyhoundracingtimes.co.uk/2018/12/18/manchester-white-city/> [accessed 28 January 2020>

Lancashire Evening Post, Wednesday 03 November 1920

Keith Laybourn, Going to the dogs: A history of greyhound racing in Britain, 1926-2017, (Manchester University Press, 2019)

Manchester Evening News, Thursday 05 May 1921

Manchester Evening News, Saturday 12 August 1939

Manchester Guardian, 21 October 1927

Manchester Guardian, 23 November 1927

Manchester Guardian, 9 December 1927

Manchester Guardian, 18 January 1928

Manchester Guardian, 26 January 1928

Manchester Guardian, 28 April 1928

Manchester Guardian, 21 May 1928

Manchester Guardian, 5 September 1928

Manchester Guardian, 14 July 1933

Manchester Guardian, 11 May 1935

Manchester Guardian, 10 July 1953