Jockeys Respond Positively to Latest Ambassador Training

A new cohort of eight jockeys has taken advantage of the latest workshop, hosted at The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket on Thursday 26th February, to form part of the ongoing Jockey Ambassador training programme provided by JETS (Jockeys Education & Training Scheme).

Now in its fourth year, the training involved a combination of practical skills workshops, presentations and discussion groups in which jockeys were able to develop new skills and gain knowledge to enhance their profile on social media and engage successfully with a range of media and maximise commercial opportunities.

Specialist speakers from Lucky Socks Media, experts in engaging young audiences, focused on the importance of storytelling and how jockeys can optimise content to develop new followers and create commercial opportunities. In the afternoon, jockeys were able to explore different audiences with practical Media Training sessions with Racing TV presenter Alex Steedman and TalkSport presenter Faye Carruthers with a focus on adapting language and tone depending on the profile and knowledge of the audience.

As an addition to the Newmarket workshop, attendees also have the opportunity to attend a media introduction day with Racing TV so jockeys develop their skills and knowledge further either in the Ealing Broadcast Centre in London or a day shadowing presenters and pundits on course.

Senior Flat Jockey Kieran O’Neill said:

“To be honest I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this sort of day as I’m not one to sit down for very long but actually it was really interesting and not boring at all. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have, you can always learn more and I found the social media session really helpful in how we can promote ourselves more and the sport. I’ll definitely be encouraging others to do it, I really enjoyed it.”

JETS Manager, Rachel Jones said:

“It’s been great to see the jockeys really engage with today’s training and taking advantage of this opportunity to push themselves out of their comfort zone to raise their profile and share their unique perspective as jockeys. We hope that this sort of training not only benefits the sport as a whole but it will also enhance jockeys’ own value to potential new sponsors and brand partnerships.”

Stu Rowson, from Lucky Socks Media said:

“Jockeys are the key to the growth of horseracing. This generation of jockeys have the opportunity to raise their profile in a way that has not been possible before through social media and can help enlighten new audiences about their lives as athletes. It’s really important for jockeys to realise they live out of the ordinary lives compared to most people and you really want to give people an insight into that.”