BHA AGREE FUNDING WITH AJA FOR NEXT 3 YEARS
24-12-2013
THE BHA and Amateur Jockeys Association (AJA) have announced a three-year funding agreement to run from 2014 to give amateur riders better financial help. Under the deal a guaranteed £24,000 per annum will be provided for amateur riders’ training, while financial assistance will be offered towards riding overseas.
Under a previous 2011 deal a proportion of prize-money earned by amateur jockeys riding against professionals, money which until then went to the BHA, was handed to the AJA. However, funding fluctuated depending on how successful amateur jockeys were in any given season.
The new agreement guarantees a sum for training – which from 2014 will be administered by the BHA’s industry training strategy – and for the International Racing Grant, which helps with the cost of amateur riders racing abroad.
Amateur jockeys also receive support through the central insurance policy, one third of which is funded by riders’ licence fees, and from free physiotherapy at about 1,000 meetings.
BHA Media Manager Robin Mounsey said: “This commitment is designed to provide the AJA with a more consistent funding model and enables the organisation to plan further into the future, removing the uncertainty of the previous annual budgets.”
AJA Chief Executive Sarah Oliver added: “Guaranteeing training for amateur riders is greatly appreciated and is vital to the development of many of our members for both Flat and National Hunt racing.”
To read the full press release click here: