Case studies
Greyhound Racing UK: Building a Modern Digital Ecosystem
Building the infrastructure that redefined how greyhound racing operates and engages audiences.
The Challenge
Greyhound Racing UK (GRUK) was founded by investor Mike Davis to revitalise greyhound racing in the United Kingdom. Once a symbol of British leisure, the sport had suffered years of decline due to welfare concerns and outdated perceptions. GRUK set out to restore credibility, improve transparency and reintroduce the excitement of live racing to a modern audience through an ethical, data-driven approach.
To achieve this, Blue Tea designed and delivered a comprehensive digital ecosystem that positioned GRUK as the central communication and marketing body for the industry. The vision was to connect racetracks, trainers, welfare groups and fans under one cohesive digital strategy.
Brand Architecture
During the early planning stages, a clear brand framework was defined to address multiple audiences while preserving a unified voice across all platforms.
This clear architecture allowed GRUK to separate welfare from betting and entertainment while keeping all messages aligned under one unified identity.
Greyhound Racing UK
The central brand, representing the official voice of the sport and introducing new audiences through culture, entertainment and partnerships.
Greyhound News UK
A fast-paced media platform designed for industry followers, delivering daily racing updates, interviews and features.
Greyhound Homing UK
A welfare-focused platform supporting adoption and rehoming, showing compassion and transparency at the heart of the sport’s future.
Designing the Foundation
The project required an enterprise-grade technological infrastructure capable of managing content, automation and collaboration at scale. Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive were adopted for secure asset management, while Monday.com supported project workflows and approvals. These systems provided the foundation for efficient collaboration across a 35-person team. UX research, wireframes and prototypes were created in Figma, with documentation and workflows recorded in Confluence to align design and development.
Website Ecosystem and CMS Development
Multi-tenant CMS
At the core of GRUK’s digital transformation was the development of two Ruby on Rails content management systems. The shared multi-tenant CMS powers the Greyhound Racing UK and Greyhound News UK websites, allowing editors to manage both platforms through one dashboard.
Dedicated Homing Platform
A separate CMS was created for Greyhound Homing UK to serve as a national adoption network. The system supports multi-vendor management, letting individual centres operate independently while maintaining central oversight and data consistency.
Performance and Data Integration
Each CMS was built for high performance and long-term scalability. Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power BI and Google Analytics were integrated to provide real-time insight into audience engagement, content performance and operational efficiency across all three websites.
Greyhound Homing UK and Mobile App
The Homing platform connects more than 25 adoption centres across the UK, allowing each to upload and manage greyhound listings in real time. To enhance usability, Blue Tea also developed a companion mobile app for iOS and Android, enabling staff to update profiles and respond to adoption enquiries directly from their devices.
Data and Communications
Data Insights and Management
GRUK adopted Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to capture and analyse audience data securely. Power BI dashboards visualised behaviour trends across all digital channels, supporting strategic decisions and performance monitoring.
Social Media Strategy
Hootsuite became the core platform for social media management and sentiment tracking. Its tools for scheduling, monitoring and advocacy allowed GRUK to coordinate messaging and promote welfare stories effectively across multiple accounts.
Media Outreach
Professional PR platforms Muckrack and Roxhill were introduced to identify journalists, distribute press releases and secure national coverage. These integrations created a joined-up communication flow between GRUK’s websites, social media and the wider media landscape.
Testing and Management
Continuous Testing
All development followed Agile principles with short iteration cycles, regular testing and stakeholder feedback managed through Jira. Each stage was reviewed to confirm accuracy, stability and alignment with project goals.
Training and Handover
After completion, Blue Tea delivered live and recorded training sessions for GRUK’s editorial team. The sessions provided practical guidance on managing and updating content, helping the team maintain quality and independence across all three platforms.
Results and Impact
A Connected Digital Ecosystem
Within months, the GRUK digital infrastructure became the most comprehensive technological framework ever created for the greyhound racing industry. It unified racing, media and welfare under one strategy, bringing transparency, engagement and measurable progress.
Driving Welfare and Engagement
The Homing platform continues to help hundreds of retired dogs find new homes, while the Racing and News websites have brought the sport back into mainstream conversation.
Redefining a National Sport
Through technology, design and strategy, GRUK has shown how digital innovation can modernise tradition, rebuild trust and shape the future of an entire sport.
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