Central Park Stadium, formerly Sittingbourne Stadium, is a greyhound racing track, and former speedway track and football stadium located in Murston, Sittingbourne, Kent, England. Greyhound racing takes place Monday/Thursday Afternoons, Friday mornings and Tuesday/Saturday evenings. Meetings are broadcast onSIS.
Facilities The stadium was built to a capacity of approximately 6,000, with 2,000 seats available in the Main Stand, two end terraces and a large covered terrace opposite the Main Stand. There are also four private suites, a trackside restaurant, three bars and a fast food cafeteria.
History
Sittingbourne FC played at the Bull Ground in the town centre until 1990, when they sold the site for £4.5 million and built a new state of the art stadium on the outskirts of the town named Central Park Stadium. However, overspending on the new ground caused the club financial difficulties and they were forced to sell the ground to the local council and lease it back. The ground was eventually leased to a company that ran greyhound racing events, who allowed the football club to sign a seven-year lease (a requirement of the Southern League). The club found it hard to guarantee the availability of the stadium due to the racing, however, and agreed to start playing their games on part of the complex where they used to train. This was built in 2002 and named Bourne Park.
Speedway
In May 2013, National League speedway returned to the county of Kent, with the newly formed Kent Kings racing at the stadium.
Greyhound racing Competitions Cesarewitch Kent Derby Kent Plate Kent Silver Salver WJ & JE Cearns Invitation (discontinued) Springbok (discontinued) Grand National (discontinued) Juvenile (previously held at the track)
Opening The track was supposed to have opened during 1994 but following several trial sessions was put on hold due to problems surrounding the football club. These included debts of £1.1 million and a £680,000 repair to a structural design fault with the roof of the stadium.
Sittingbourne opened on Tuesday 3 October 1995, with a crowd 2,125; the new facilities included a track side restaurant, fast food outlets, three licensed bars and three private executive suites. The first ever race over 475 metres was won by Try My House for trainer Wayne Wilson. Wilson would also claim the first major win for the track when he won the 1995 Puppy Derby at Wimbledon Stadium with Corpo Election. The other trainers supplying runners on the opening night were Sonia Spiers, Derek Millen, Alison Ingram, Peter Galloway, Martin White, Ken Tester, Mick Mew & Tony Palmer. The general manager was John Aitken and the racing manager was Paul Nevett.
History Financial troubles surfaced again in 1996 and the track was forced to close and with no promoter available to run the stadium the future of the new venue was put into question. However, during 1996, Roger Cearns re-opened the stadium; Cearns was the grandson of W.J. 'Bill' Cearns the founder of Wimbledon Stadium way back in 1928. Cearns transformed the operation into a successful business and in the process negotiated a deal that brought the Trainers Championship to the track in 1998.
Cearns then introduced the Kent Derby as the track's principal event and managed to secure a second Trainers Championship in 2000. Cheryl Miller and Maxine Locke joined the training ranks soon after and Jess Packer was brought in as racing manager. Miller reached the 2002 English Greyhound Derby final with Windgap Java, a first for Sittingbourne; the fawn dog had won the Pall Mall Stakes earlier in the year. Another major event was introduced at the track, the Kent Silver Salver, revived after being shelved following the closure of Canterbury. In 2003, Sittingbourne staged a third Trainers Championship within a six-year period, and the track took over the running of the WJ Cearns Memorial) from Wimbledon. In 2006, the track agreed a deal with Betfair to stage 10 Sunday meetings that were screened on Eurosport.
Lenson Joker won the 2008 Greyhound of the Year and John Mullins won the 2011 TV Trophy on his home track with Knockies Hannah, the first time the event had been held at Sittingbourne. In 2012, the track was granted permission to host the original classic race for hurdlers the Grand National which moved from Wimbledon. It was a major coup for the track.
In 2017, following the closure of Wimbledon Stadium, the track received two more high-profile competitions called the Springbok and Juvenile. The Springbok was inaugurated in 1937 and is the leading competition for novice hurdlers. The Juvenile was inaugurated in 1957 and is an invitation competition for the best six greyhounds who still have a puppy status.
In 2018, the stadium signed a deal with SIS to race every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning and every Friday evening. Following the closure of Towcester in 2018, trainer Patrick Janssens joined the track and later won the 2020 Trainer of the Year title.
In April 2021, promoter Roger Cearns announced that the stadium had been sold to the Arena Racing Company. In 2022, the stadium owners ARC signed a long-term deal with Entain for media rights, starting in January 2024. In June 2023, the stadium underwent major track renovation costing £500,000, which resulted in new race distances. As a consequence the track stopped racing over hurdles.
Track records Current Metres Greyhound Time (sec) Date Notes/ref277 Romeo Steel 15.89 28 February 2026491 Scooby The Lady28.4028 March 2026Arena Racing Kent Plate Final664 Bluejig Outlaw 39.46 25 April 2026 731 Mongys Wild43.6424 January 2026Cesarewitch Final946 Droopys Samara 57.2527 June 2026
Previous
Metres Greyhound Time (sec) Date Notes265 Fast Ranger 16.20 24 November 1999 265 Westmead Shaw 16.13 20 May 2012265 Murlens Crash 16.00 16 March 2014265 Troy Bella 15.99 24 March 2019 Silver Salver semi-final277 Kevinsfort Duke 16.0526 November 2024277 Rioja Oisin16.0128 June 2025Silver Salver final277 King Presley15.996 September 2025450 Parking Flash 27.46 4 June 2006450 Jims Havana 27.35 17 June 2007 450 Citizen Skipper 27.26 24 May 2009 450 Jacks Back 27.10 8 July 2010 450 Farley Champ 27.0025 March 2015 450 Lenson Jed 26.93 26 January 2016450 My Mate Max 26.92 4 October 2016473Rebel Leader 28.73 473 Droopys Vieri 28.53 26 March 2000 Trainers championship meeting480 Reagrove Roe 29.09 4 June 2006 480 Lenson Joker 28.92 12 August 2007 Kent Derby heats480 Lenson Bolt 28.91 16 August 2009 Kent Derby heats480 Eye On the Flash 28.90 4 March 2010 480 Blonde Fletch 28.80 20 June 2010 480 Jazz Apollo 28.72 24 July 2011 480 Coolavanny Bert 28.50 20 November 2011500 Official Rebel 30.70 28 May 2006 500 Emporio Spitfire 30.60 4 June 2006 500 Macintosh Wonder 30.53 16 July 2006 500 Lenson Express 30.31 8 April 2007 WJ & JE Cearns Invitation 500 Lenson Earl 30.26 9 December 2007 500 Lenson Express 30.23 28 September 2008 500 Grayslands Tiger 30.14 24 May 2009 500 Lemon Maldini 29.97 24 July 2011 500 Toolatetosell 29.7510 August 2014 500 Jet Stream Duke 29.84 16 March 2014500 King Eden 29.46 3 October 2017642 Gormanstown Star 40.60 642 Domingo Dancer 40.33 17 April 1998 Trainers Championship meeting642 Lobo 39.96 7 October 1999 642 Droopys Zach 39.64 9 August 2009 642 Boomtown Polly 39.60 30 March 2014 642 Droopys Posh 39.58 11 May 2014 642 Touch Tackle 39.44 19 October 2014642 Affleck Bolt 39.33 24 March 2019664 Garfiney Blaze 40.128 March 2025664 Proper Dangeress 40.102 August 2025664 Burrows Charm 40.03 31 January 2026 708 Sumi Girl 44.32 27 November 1998 708 Brimardon Star 44.00 3 May 2009708 Brimardon Star 43.70 2 August 2009731 Garfiney Blaze44.0520 January 2024Cesarewitch final731 Droopys Flare43.874 January 2025Cesarewitch heat893 Redec Pride 59.62 22 October 2006 893 Slaneyside Demon 58.42 29 October 2006893 Slaneyside Demon 57.64 5 November 2006 893 Omega Wink 57.44 29 July 2007 893 Gas Hawk 57.20 2 August 2009 893 Seamies Gambler 57.19 9 August 2009 893 Matching Amy 56.91 20 June 2010 893 Droopys Djokovic 56.82 31 July 2011893 Buglys Billie 56.82 21 August 2011 893 Aayamzabella 56.49 17 October 2013893 Slick Strauss 56.24 3 October 2017916 Jodie With Flex 58.29 14 February 1999916 Ericas Equity 58.09 17 August 2003 943 Baliff Perry 62.14 15 October 2006943 Omega Wink 61.96 26 December 2006 943 Gaytime Beauty 60.74 12 August 2007 943 Omega Wink 60.69 15 August 2007943 Blonde Blitz 60.18 18 July 2010265 H Mystical Mick 16.66 16 March 2014265 H Barricane Jack 16.61 15 February 2019265 H Bockos Tiger 16.54 13 September 2019473 H Ballmac Keano 29.41 1 July 2001 480 H Borodale Hawk 31.02 26 November 2006 480 H Skippers Crew 30.58 3 December 2006 480 H Nickel Trader 30.53 9 March 2007 480 H Nickel Trader 30.40 18 March 2007 480 H Carnaree Honcho 30.067 April 2007480 H Westmead Vieri 29.90 19 May 2007 480 H Castledale Lad 29.71 19 August 2007 480 H Platinumlancelot 29.45 30 July 2009480 H Sizzlers Spirit 29.44 15 July 2010480 H Mash Mad Snowy 29.20 1 June 2014480 H Razldazl Raidio 29.18 11 September 2016480 H Ballymac Manix 29.17 18 September 2016480 H Razldazl Raidio 28.99 25 September 2016480 H Sober Call28.97 22 February 2017
References
External links Kent Kings official site