Counties braced for buzz of their Championships
This weekend across the country, both experienced heads and newcomers to athletics will be sharing in the buzz of excitement for the 2023 County Athletics Championships.
It’s always a much-anticipated weekend in the track and field calendar and with tens of thousands of athletes vying for medals, aiming for PBs, or just relishing the opportunity to compete, we wish everyone involved all the best.
England Athletics CEO Chris Jones offers his best wishes to everyone involved ahead of this weekend’s County Athletics Championships.
A stepping stone to stardom.
For those competing at their first County Championships, it’s a chance to acknowledge that they’re following in the footsteps of countless true greats of athletics for whom their County Championships were an important stepping stone to stardom.
For the counties themselves, these championships are an important landmark in providing opportunities for grassroots athletics as well as being a great opportunity for technical officials to share their passion for the sport, make their mark, and continue their officiating journey. The County Championships also act as a further reminder of the inspirational volunteers who are the bedrock upon which our sport is built.
England Athletics continue to support County Associations
All this is why England Athletics is proud to be supporting County Associations for a 10th consecutive year to improve track and field championships as part of our continued investment programme into grassroots athletics. County Associations can apply for a grant of £500 towards the costs of enhancing the technology provision at their track and field championships. Events that qualify for this funding will include: online entry, online results, photo finish, and the use of electronic distance measuring (EDM) devices on long throws.
- Application for these grants opened on 1 April 2023 via an online process and will close on 1 June 2023.
Nichola Skedgel, Competition Partnerships and Innovation Manager at England Athletics, said:
“Counties are an important part of the athlete pathway and provide the first championship opportunity of the season. For an athlete, competing at a county track and field championships and being awarded a county medal is as prestigious now as it ever was, and we want that experience to be a special and meaningful one for everyone taking part.”
All County Associations affiliated with England Athletics can get full free of charge access to the Roster Athletics system after the two organisations partnered in 2021 to provide an online entry and results programme. This means, therefore, that the grant from England Athletics doesn’t have to be spent on event entry, as Roster can provide this to our partners for free, so the £500 funding can go further.