A grant of £2.3 million from the Racing Foundation was secured by the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), the Jockeys Education and Training Scheme (JETS) and the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) it was announced on Wednesday. The five-year grant sees the three organisations unite under the long-term goal of positioning jockeys as elite athletes, benefitting the industry as a whole. The grant proposal is referred to as the 'Jockey Athlete', with three areas prioritised: the Jockey Coaching Programme (JCP), Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health and Nutrition, and Jockey Athlete Ambassadors.
“We are delighted to have been able to collaborate together and are incredibly grateful to the Racing Foundation,” said JETS Manager Lisa Delany. “We look forward to expanding and improving the Jockey Training and Development Programme, further enabling jockeys to truly recognise themselves as elite athletes and fulfil their role as ambassadors for the whole racing industry.”
“The life of a jockey is a tough one and over 100 jockeys have accessed our mental health support services,” noted PJA Chief Executive Paul Struthers. “Whilst we are pleased that more jockeys are coming forward to utilise the services on offer it has placed significant pressure on our budgets. We are therefore delighted that this new grant from the Racing Foundation will be enable us to continue to meet current demands, offer more pro-active, preventative services and expand our provision to incorporate retired jockeys.”
For more details on the grant and 'Jockey Athlete' proposal, go to www.racingfoundation.co.uk.
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