We are sad to announce that athletics stalwart Barry Parker, died last week after a long illness. He was very supportive of England Athletics, including being an officiating tutor, a long-standing and very involved member of Regional Council including a stint as Chair for the East Midlands Region and on England Council with the officiating portfolio.

September sees the return of the Regional Volunteer Awards for 2025 - beginning with the Yorkshire and Humber region.

England Athletics CEO Chris Jones looks back on another successful track and field season and also forward to future plans for England Athletics, whilst sharing updates on our programmes and competitions.

To support clubs in recruiting, training, and recognising their technical officials, England Athletics is hosting a series of quarterly drop-in / Q&A sessions. These sessions are designed to help clubs understand how to develop their officials and stay informed about national efforts in officials’ recruitment, development, and integration within the club setting.

Volunteers are an integral part of our sport and athletes would not be able compete without officials giving their time. We caught up with Amy, a Level 2 Field Judge from Yeovil Olympiads AC, at the South West Championships to find out more about her officiating journey so far, the role clubs can play in encouraging volunteers and her advice to aspiring officials.

England Athletics is saddened to hear of the passing of Pat Green, former chair of North of England AA and life vice-president of the AAA of England, aged 93.

On behalf of everyone at England Athletics I would like to wish all those competing in this summer’s England Athletics outdoor track and field championship programme the very best of success and enjoyment. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our hard-working volunteer Technical Officials and Event Staff, without whom this event programme would not take place and to whom we are deeply grateful for their commitment, focus, and dedication. I would like to also thank our host venues, particularly Birmingham Alexander Stadium but also partners at the Manchester Athletics Arena.

Coreen Beckford has chaired the Officials Education Management Group for the past 18 months, during which time they have made significant progress in advancing officiating qualifications, overcoming challenges, and establishing a clear plan for the year ahead.

At the beginning of each month, the number of under 11s registered by clubs are monitored by England Athletics, and for every 30 x U11s registered, clubs receive a free place on our Coaching Assistant course. This scheme is in place to offer support and benefits to each club that chooses to register their under 11 athletes as a commitment to supporting clubs in need of more volunteers and coaches. To see the real impact of this initiative, we recently caught up with Ian Jennings, Quad Kids and multi-event coach at Aldershot Farnham & District. We explored how registering their under 11s has led to parents and older athletes stepping up into volunteering and leadership roles within their club.

Athletics has a set of Rules for Competition and a series of official notification periods for proposed changes to them. The invitation to make proposals for changes to the UKA rules for the UKA Rule Book for 2026/28 went out at the beginning of April 2025 and we remind you that the process is open until 25 June 2025. Guidance on the process and the form for submission of proposals are contained in the Rules of Competition page on the UKA website.