Greyhound Racing NSW Renews Mark Hughes Foundation Charity Partnership for 2026

Greyhound Racing NSW has announced the renewal of its partnership with the Mark Hughes Foundation for the 2026 calendar year. 

The contract extension follows a highly successful inaugural campaign in 2025, which saw Greyhound Racing NSW and the wider state greyhound racing industry generate a total of $120,000 for the charity.

The partnership acts as a key corporate social responsibility asset for the governing body, utilising its extensive state-wide track network and race-day broadcasting infrastructure to deliver direct community impact.

Commenting on the partnership renewal, Foundation Founder, Mark Hughes, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have Greyhound Racing NSW continuing their support of the Mark Hughes Foundation throughout 2026 for a second consecutive year.”

“After the enormous success of last year’s campaign, which raised an incredible $120,000, it means so much to have the industry once again standing beside us in the fight against brain cancer,” Hughes said.

Expressing his enthusiasm, Greyhound Racing NSW acting CEO, Brian Charman, added: “It’s an honour for Greyhound Racing NSW and all in our industry to be able to partner with and support the Mark Hughes Foundation in a small way to help raise awareness and funds to fight this insidious disease.”

“Our objective when entering the partnership with the Mark Hughes Foundation was to in some small way contribute financially but also to help bring the battle against brain cancer to the attention of many more people around NSW,” Charman noted.

Targeted Fundraising Frameworks and Operational Assets

The financial vehicle of the partnership remains the highly successful ‘Red & Blue All November Through’ campaign, which is officially locked in to return for its second iteration in November 2026.

The custom-built operational mechanic incorporates specific racing variables to drive corporate donations:

• Rug-Based Injections: For every race won across all NSW tracks by a greyhound wearing the red (number 1) or blue (number 4) racing rugs, Greyhound Racing NSW commits a direct cash donation of $161 to the Mark Hughes Foundation.
• Alignment: The designated colours pay direct homage to the traditional jersey tones of the Newcastle Knights, while the $161 figure represents the total number of National Rugby League (NRL) games Mark Hughes played during his first-grade career.
• Revenue Streams: In addition to the trackside performance bonuses, the partnership activates secondary industry touchpoints, including specialised Calcutta auctions, dedicated sports luncheons, and targeted distributions from the sale of the foundation’s highly recognisable winter beanies.

The cumulative 2025 financial pool was further supplemented by individual club contributions, participant donations, and a dedicated $10,000 corporate pledge generated via the auction of the winning post at the final Dapto race meeting last September.

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