Under 11s athletics in clubs
The first experience a young athlete has is so important to ensure their long-term enjoyment, engagement and participation in our sport. The junior section of any club provides a great opportunity to increase club members and inspire young people.
The funetics programme is aimed at introducing U11s to Athletics in a fun, safe and welcoming environment.
We believe that for track and field athletics clubs funetics offers a versatile approach to help launch, expand, and sustain junior sections for children of primary school age.
How to get involved
As an England Athletics affiliated club, your junior section team could secure a free funetics licence and in doing so, help support your members' children and help to attract new children from within your local community; as well as helping to build the profile of athletics and running.
Get in touch using our Contact Us form to find out more.
Track and field clubs with existing junior sections
For clubs who need to bolster their junior sections, reduce waiting lists, or even want to establish a new age range, a funetics junior section enables you to create a progressive pathway into your club membership system. By developing a funetics junior offer, you can select an age range that directly meets the needs of your club. Using the funetics competency framework you can prepare this new generation of juniors in readiness to join track and field training.
Better still, we have removed the need for an Athletics Coach to supervise. Our new funetics Club and Community Activator award will enable Assistant Coaches and Leaders to lead funetics as part of your club offer. In addition, the Leading funetics certificate encourages athletes (14+) parents, and volunteers to start their leadership journey and provide a much needed and wider workforce offer.
Holiday camps for clubs
funetics holiday camps can be hosted by clubs during school holidays, and mirror our full funetics programme, which is designed to develop the fundamental movement skills, Clubs in ‘priority’ areas may be able to secure grant aid to cover the costs of delivering their holiday camps – for further information on grant aid see our funding toolkit HAF.
funetics holiday camps encourage fun, interaction, play, and some competition where it is age-appropriate.
The benefits and opportunities include:
- Our holiday camps offer a safe, supportive environment with qualified and experienced coaches.
- They provide a great opportunity to make new friends or have fun with current ones.
- They are a chance to enjoy learn and develop during the holidays.
- funetics holiday camps create moments that your child will want to share.
- Holiday camps are a great taster of the full funetics programme.
For those clubs wishing to extend their holiday camp offer to 11 years and over children, they can use the Athletics 365 programme to complement the funetics offer.
Training for club coaches and leaders
funetics believes it is important for clubs to have coaches specifically trained to coach 4-11-year-old children.
Our funetics Coaching Workshop course:
- Introduces the funetics programme, including brand values, guiding principles and key programme requirements
- Introduces a coach to the development of young athlete’s physical, psychological, social and emotional competencies
- Looks at applying development principles to the developing child and your coaching practice
- Introduces coaches to age appropriate activities, as well as cognitive considerations for coaching 4-11 year olds and understanding the importance of the growing child.
- Provides an opportunity to experience the funetics assessment platform and how it can be applied.
Club and Community Activator
A new coach education course bridging the gap between funetics Athletic Coach and funetics leaders certificate
Open to Assistant Coaches and Volunteers who wish to lead funetics within a club environment.
This new course enables you to confidently and competently activate run, jump, and throw as part of your junior offer through a funetics satellite centre based within your junior offer.
This course enables you to deliver funetics without the need of supervision of an Athletics Coach.
funetics Leaders Certificate
Through the leading funetics certificate, anyone aged 14 years plus can become qualified and help to support the delivery of fun and inclusive athletics in their club environment.
The course is a great opportunity for club volunteers looking to further support their club to develop general leadership and communication skills.
Junior Coach and Leader support
Coach App
The Funetics Coach app is simple and quick to use and to navigate.
A coach can view the content of activities, see how they should be set up, check what equipment is required, be aware of the relevant health and safety points, and watch a video of the activity taking place.
A coach can record performance assessments for each child on each type of activity swiftly and simply, meaning that progress can be viewed easily before, during and after sessions.
If contact needs to be made with parents/guardians, this can be done through the app. Messages can be sent to individuals or the multiple people, therefore if a change is made to a time or venue or the session needs to be cancelled, it is straightforward to inform everyone.
The information displayed on the app’s register reflects the bookings made on the funetics website and is live, meaning any last-minute bookings update the list of children expected to attend. The coach can mark as ‘attended’ each child who participates in the session.
Coaches can award badges via the app to children, for positive behaviour (being helpful, attentive, etc) and other similar contributions.
We'd love to hear from you
Contact our friendly support team by completing the form below and we will respond to your query about funetics.