Age Group changes: consultation

Age Group changes process timeline

How did the consultation process work?

An overview of how the consultation process into the age group changes worked, how it was conducted and what the outcomes were.

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Athlete and parent feedback

"We've heard from a lot of athletes and their parents, advocating for these changes": a summary of the feedback that we have received from age group athletes themselves.

"Last year, when my daughter - who was an U17 athlete - needed to have her throws recorded in an U18 category to be considered for the Youth Commonwealth Games, it would have been a lot easier if competitions were actually for the U18 age group that were required.

With the competitions being for U17 and U20 we were having to contact organisers of the competitions to ask if they would allow her to compete in an U18 category to have her throws recorded correctly."

What about those against the changes?

Dean Hardman explains the reasons that some people have given for opposing the changes, and outlines our commitment to working alongside everyone within the sport to ensure effective implementation.

"We recognise that these changes haven't received universal approval, and will cause some issues. We're committed to working with everyone across our sport to implement these changes as smoothly as we can. The bottom line is, we wouldn't be doing this if there wasn't a strong belief that it is in the best, long-term interests of the sport."
Dean Hardman

Consultation webinars

"We have challenges around recruiting and retaining young athletes": an overview of our plans to tackle the issue of participation drop-off among young athletes.

We hosted three webinars in March 2024 which addressed specific topics relating to the change. Each webinar focused on a different stakeholder group: athletes and parents; coaches; club officers, competition providers and officials.

Watch recordings of the webinars