Birchfield Harriers - England Athletics x Athletics Weekly Club of the Month - January

As part of our new England Athletics x Athletics Weekly Club of the Month features, we took a look at life at Birchfield Harriers including the history of the club and its home, the Alexander Stadium, as well as speaking to the coach who introduced Matthew Hudson-Smith to athletics.

Birchfield Harriers are one of the biggest affiliated clubs in the country, with a rich history of Olympians such as Hudson-Smith, Denise Lewis, Adam Nelson, and Mark Lewis-Francis.

Their Club Chair, Tony Hadley, joined back in 1967 as a 14-year-old, before eventually becoming a coach, and he's now in his second term of his current role.

The importance of club links with schools

Tony puts the club's rich history of elite athletes down to the long-standing links Birchfield Harriers have with local schools:

"That history is based upon really good connections with the schools over many decades. From the present day of Matt Hudson-Smith and Elliot Giles, back to Denise Lewis, Mark Lewis-Francis, Phil Brown et cetera, they would have come through West Mids' Best Kids."

Nurturing world-class talent

Sharon Morris, UKA Level 3 Sprints and Combined Events Coach, spotted the talent of Matthew Hudson-Smith at a young age, and coached him for several years before he went on to become European champion and the fifth fastest athlete of all time over 400m.

Sharon has been with Birchfield Harriers for 20 years, and spoke about the athlete-centred approach the club take to help their youngsters achieve success.

"It's all about the athletes and getting them to be the best they can be. I've managed to spot some really good talent from a young age, and brought them through and passed them onto other coaches who have taken them further as well, and I take pride in that."

She remembers seeing Hudson-Smith run as a nine-year-old and speaking to his mum about his talent.

"He came here to Birchfield Academy, and I recall saying to his mum, 'I'd like to coach him because there's something special about him. He was my first athlete, I coached him for about four to five years and we still have a good bond, a mentorship sort of relationship - he never forgets me, and I'm his biggest supporter!"

You can watch the full mini-documentary via Athletics Weekly's AW+ Digital Membership.