Origins and opening Perry Barr had been without greyhound racing since 1984 following the surprise sale by
Ladbrokes and subsequent demolition of the old Perry Barr stadium on Walsall Road, and known latterly as the
Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium. However during 1990 negotiations started with the aim to re-introduce the sport at the Alexander Sports Ground across the other side of the A34. The stadium was no longer used for athletics because the new
Alexander Stadium Stadium in Perry Park was serving this purpose. Maurice Buckland a former trainer and head of a consortium called the Perry Barr Greyhound Racing Club suggested the idea of greyhound racing at the venue it was given planning permission. The new build was completed quickly and the new stadium opened on 16 October attracting trainers the calibre of Geoff DeMulder who guided Fearless Mustang to the 1991
English Greyhound Derby final as a Perry Barr trainer during the first Derby tilt for the new track. The circumference of the track was 435 metres with wide straights and bends and race distances of 275, 460, 500, 660, 710 and 895 metres. An 'Outside Sumner' hare was used on Tuesday and Thursday race nights overseen by Racing Manager Gary Woodward. There were kennels for 82 hounds on site. A former trainer from the previous Perry Barr called Frank Baldwin took over as Racing Manager in 1991.
Recent history and GRA takeover A major race called the
Birmingham Cup was held at Perry Barr until 2009 and it also hosted the original classic race the
Scurry Gold Cup from 2005 to 2008. Another Perry Barr hound called Heres Seanie (trained by Pat Ryan) reached the
1995 English Greyhound Derby final and Racing Managers included Ian Hillis and Tim Hales. The
Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) under their parent company Wembley plc planned to build a track in Liverpool and acquire Perry Barr. The former did not materialise but in May 2005 a £4.2 million takeover was agreed with the Perry Barr Greyhound Racing Club. Stephen Rea and Gary Woodward were brought in as the General and Racing Manager. After initial investment into the stadium the GRA brought the former classic race the
Scurry Gold Cup to the track following the closure of
Catford Stadium. The stadium hosted two
trainers championships in 2005 and 2012 and inbetween the Scurry was moved to sister track
Belle Vue Stadium but the rekindled Birmingham Cup was discontinued in 2009 leaving Perry Barr with no major event of note. The track used an 'Outside Swaffham' hare and was a regular on the Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS) overseen by Racing Manager Martin Seal. The GRA, under new parent company Risk Capital, ran into financial difficulties and unpaid loans resulted in NAMA (Ireland's National Asset Management Agency) taking control of the GRA. In 2013 an agreement was brokered securing the use of the stadium by the GRA until at least 2026 from parent company NAMA. In 2017 the stadium was awarded the prestigious
St Leger after it switched from sister track Wimbledon. One year later in 2018 the stadium signed a deal with ARC to race on Monday, Thursday and Saturday lunchtimes and Sunday afternoon.
ARC takeover In October 2019 GRA Acquisition sold the lease to the
Arena Racing Company In 2021 the stadium was given the prestigious
Laurels and
Oaks, resulting in the track holding four of the original classic races, the St Leger, Laurels, Oaks and Scurry Gold Cup. In 2022, the stadium owners ARC signed a long term deal with
Entain for media rights, starting in January 2024. == Closure ==