County Championships: growing the grassroots of the sport

Last weekend marked the start of the summer track and field season for many - the chance to pit themselves against their peers in the region on their journey to national-level events, or simply to get their first taste of a competitive weekend.

Members of our Club Support Team and other England Athletics staff attended their local events across the country to see the grassroots of the sport at its best. Watch our video roundup to see how the Somerset, Herts and Beds, Worcestershire, Merseyside and Yorkshire County Championships went.

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As competition providers, County Associations have a particular role to play in providing opportunities for new technical officials to hone their skills and gain experience, but also for our youngest participants and senior athletes to compete. This is particularly relevant at present with the new age groups coming into place from 1 April this year, and it was great to see so many run, jump, and throw competitions delivered across the counties for Under 10s and 12s

England Athletics CEO Chris Jones said:

“Congratulations to everyone involved in this year’s county championships. County competitions are a very important component of the domestic sport at a local level, and have a critical role to play, arguably as much as ever, in presenting our sport to communities and in providing what people want and need to fit in with their busy lifestyles."

"County Associations provide opportunities for a broad range of participants and across a wide range of events, whether through a championship format, midweek leagues, festivals between clubs or at open events. Masters’ athletics is in great health at present with more senior athletes competing for longer in what is truly a lifelong sport and activity and as we know a late development sport too."

Club Coordinator and Coach for Worcester AC, Andy Cresswell, reflected on his County Championships day and summarised what many people were saying throughout the country during their weekend of athletics:

"We've had a good day so far; we've won four or five gold medals in the high jump, and the rest of the disciplines have done well too with a couple of PBs. Everyone's having fun, we've got the music on in the background, the sun is shining, everyone's safe, and they all want to come back again."

Chris Jones added:

"It has been great to learn that many counties are adapting to the trends around them, innovating and testing new competition approaches that put participants at the heart of the action. Thank you to all those hardworking volunteers involved in organising and delivering these very important competitions to athletes."

Recognising our volunteers

Events like the county championships can't take place without the dedication of our volunteers - whether they are coaches supporting their athletes, officials ensuring the competitions run smoothly and are fair to all, club volunteers organising the logistics or those ensuring everyone is kept fed and hydrated throughout the day.

The England Athletics 2026 Regional Volunteer Awards nomination window is open, so why not take the opportunity to thank those who help make the sport happen? This year we have just four categories:

• Club of the Year
• Unsung Hero of the Year
• Unsung Project of the Year
• Services to Athletics and Running

Highlight their hard work. Celebrate their dedication. Help us recognise the volunteers who make athletics and running possible. Nominate now - the closing date for nominations is Friday 5 June 2026.