2023 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year

The 2023 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 98th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Summary
Open race competitions increased again, in terms of prize money and frequency, with no less than ten UK events (not including the Derby) offering a first prize of £20,000 or more, including the returning Pall Mall Stakes at Oxford Stadium and a series of events sponsored by Premier Greyhound Racing. It equalled the Irish open race calendar in terms of number of races above £20,000 or €20,000.

A petition titled The Welsh Government should support greyhound racing in Wales was due to be debated by the Senedd because over 10,000 signatures were received in support. The petition was in response to the 2022 petition. A main subject of the debate was the Valley Greyhound Stadium and in August 2023, Valley received a licence from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain. The move from independent racing to GBG rules meant that only one track Thornton Stadium remained with independent status.

The long running saga over live broadcast rights continued and with Entain and ARC nearing the new 2024 deal, their rival SIS published a schedule. The schedule included Oxford, Towcester, Harlow, Suffolk Downs, Henlow, Doncaster and the Valley in addition to Askern Greyhound Stadium, which would require re-opening and a GBGB licence to be included in the schedule.

Mark Wallis won his 14th Greyhound Trainer of the Year title after recording 1591 points. The year ended with the death of former Northern Sports group manager Mick Wheble MBE.