2027 England and Regional Council nominations to open in January

The nominations process to elect new Regional Councillors across all nine of England Athletics’ regional councils, and the Chair of England Council, will open on 27 January 2027.

We are looking for a diverse range of candidates from across all aspects of the sport and from all backgrounds.

In total, there are 33 positions up for election across our nine Regional Councils, including eight Regional Council Chair positions.

The position of Chair of England Council is also up for election.

Regional roles

A region-by-region breakdown of the roles up for election is here:

• East - 3 (including Chair)
• East Midlands - 5 (including Chair)
• London - 3 (including Chair)
• North East - 4 (including Chair)
• North West - 3 (including Chair)
• South East - 2
• South West - 5 (including Chair)
• West Midlands - 4 (including Chair)
• Yorkshire & Humber - 4 (including Chair)

Regional Councils are a crucial part of our structure, and act as the local representative bodies of athletics and running in England. Elected councillors within each region therefore have the opportunity to help shape the sport for benefit of their clubs and members, both now and in the future.

It is vital, therefore, that our Regional Councils are made up of councillors with passion and enthusiasm for the sport, boasting good communication and engagement skills, along with the ability and knowledge to fairly represent the athletics and running community within their region.

Here’s England Council and Eastern Region Chair, Matthew Dalton, on the requirements for Regional Councillors:

Play Video

England Council role

A key strength of England Athletics is how we bring together our core staff and the elected volunteer councils in our regions. The elected regional chairs from each elected council come together to form the England Council, a body which evaluates the needs and requirements of the sport in formulating proposals for consideration and action by the Board of England Athletics Ltd.

The England Council includes the Regional Council chairs, The Chair of the Board and the England Council Diversity Champion and is an advisory and best practice sharing group which works to help shape national strategy and direction. 

The chair of the England Council is elected by the members of the England Council. Two members of England Council sit on the Board of England Athletics.

Interested in applying?

You can download the files below:

• Regional Councillor role description (DOC 37kB)
• Regional Council Terms of Reference (DOC 46kB)
• Regional Council Code of Conduct (DOC 39kB)
• Regional Council Chair role description (DOC 43kB)
• England Council Code of Conduct (DOC 38kB)
• England Council Terms of Reference (DOC 41kB)
• England Council Chair role description (DOC 39 kB)

The elections will open on 27 January 2027, and close on 24 February 2027.