Tim Banfield Appointed Executive Director of Doncaster Racecourse

DONCASTER, U.K. - Nov. 22, 2016 - PRLog -- Arena Racing Company ("ARC") is delighted to announce Tim Banfield has been appointed Executive Director of Doncaster Racecourse.

Tim takes over from Kieran Gallagher who becomes ARC's Catering and Events Director.  Kieran will oversee the food and beverages served to customers across ARC racecourses as well as the music acts booked to perform each year.

Tim joins ARC from the ACC Liverpool Group where he was Commercial Director for the last five years having joined the company as General Manager to open the Echo Arena in 2008.  Before that Tim has worked at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and the NEC Birmingham.

Tim said: "I am really pleased to join ARC and lead the team at Doncaster Racecourse. As a sports fan it is exciting to be working in horseracing which is a great sport and a fantastic day out. Doncaster Racecourse has a wonderful history and heritage and I am really looking forward to continuing to grow and develop the business in the years ahead."

Tim joins at an exciting time for Doncaster Racecourse with the start of the National Hunt Season.  As an avid sports fan Tim, along with other visitors, will be able to enjoy seven featured races for the Ice Cream Direct Race Day which opens the 2016/2017Jumps season this Friday, 25^th November.

ARC Director of Operations Mark Spincer said: "We are delighted to welcome Tim to the team. With his years of experience I think he has the skills and qualities to lead the team at Doncaster, one of our flagship racecourses.  It's also great news that Kieran Gallagher will remain a central part of the operations team and utilise his skills in overseeing our catering offering to customers across our racecourses."

For more information about racing and events at Doncaster visit www.doncaster-racecourse.co.uk

Editors Note:

Doncaster Racecourse

Doncaster is one of the oldest established centres for horse racing in Britain, with records of regular race meetings going back to the 16th century.  Doncaster has the distinction of both starting and ending the flat season on turf and is home to the prestigious four day St. leger Festival which is acclaimed as the premier sporting occasion of the Autumn Calendar.

Each year Doncaster Racecourse hosts Music Live which includes a range of live music acts donning the stage following a full day or evening of racing.  Acts to grace the stage in 2016 at Doncaster Racecourse included Will Young, Level 42, Craig Charles, Vernon Kay, Tom Jones and Simply Red.

About ARC:

Arena Racing Company ("ARC") is the largest racecourse operator in the UK. In 2016 ARC racecourses will host over 500 fixtures with total prize money of over £28 million. Each year 1.2 million people attend racing at one of ARC's racecourses.

ARC is made up of the following sixteen racecourses: Bath, Brighton, Chepstow, Doncaster, Ffos Las, Fontwell Park, Great Yarmouth, Hereford, Lingfield Park, Newcastle, Royal Windsor, Sedgefield, Southwell, Uttoxeter, Wolverhampton and Worcester.

ARC runs four of the six all-weather racecourses in the UK offering three different types of surface for horses to run on: Polytrack at Lingfield Park, fibresand at Southwell Racecourse and tapeta at Newcastle and Wolverhampton Racecourses – the only tapeta racing surfaces in Europe.

In 2013 ARC pioneered the All-Weather Championships which see horses compete throughout the winter for the chance of qualifying for a £1 million Finals Day on Good Friday at Lingfield Park. This initiative is helping raise the profile and prestige of all-weather racing in Great Britain.

ARC hosts racing at all levels of the sport from Class 7 through to Group 1s. Doncaster Racecourse is home to the world's oldest Classic, the St Leger, run each year in September as part of the four-day St Leger Festival. Feature jumps races include the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle Racecourse, the Welsh National at Chepstow Racecourse and Midlands National at Uttoxeter Racecourse.

As well as racing, ARC also operates a hotel at Wolverhampton Racecourse, a hotel, spa resort and golf course at Lingfield Park and The Border Minstrel public house at Newcastle Racecourse in the grounds of Gosforth Park.

ARC is the majority shareholder in the horseracing TV channel At The Races which is broadcast on the Sky platform to c.14 million homes, and a JV partner with Racing UK in GBI Racing which sells UK and Irish Racing to betting shop operators around the world.

ARC plays a pivotal role in British Racing. It is a shareholder in British Champions Series and Racecourse Data Company; a signatory to a British Horseracing Authority's and Horsemen's Group Prize Money Agreement; and on the boards of the Racecourse Association ("RCA"), Racing Enterprises Limited ("REL") and Great British Racing ("GBR").

ARC employs over 500 permanent staff and engages with 3,500 casual staff for racing and events across its racecourses.  Further information about ARC can be found at www.arenaracingcompany.co.uk.