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England Athletics supporting the club community: Club Support round-up September 2025

Throughout September, England Athletics' Club Support team continued to provide a valuable and comprehensive service to our clubs: engaging in two-way conversation; acting upon club feedback; providing support and guidance; and ensuring that our affiliated clubs are well-placed to grow and thrive.

Each month our team is out and about, up and down the country, visiting clubs in-person as regularly as possible, alongside their ongoing digital communications with clubs. Here's a round-up of the team's activity in September:

The team made visits to clubs including Stamford Striders, London Heathside, Elswick Harriers, Dursley RC, Kingston upon Hull AC.

We also attended the following licensed competition and events - EYAL Final and a North East pilot of our funetics multi-challenge, our exciting new youth competition format, where we were able to meet some of the many volunteers who help our clubs to function and thrive. Some of them gave us an explanation of their roles, and an update on their club’s activities.

Find out more about how your club can get involved in funetics multi-challenge

Here is some of the other support our team have been giving to clubs up and down the country in the last month:

Advice and guidance

We've supported Dronfield RC with guidance around developing junior provision, ensuring the club are able to deliver safe and age appropriate provision as a road running club, and working with club to set up follow-up conversations.

At Stamford Striders, we've been supporting the club around developing the club's safeguarding practices.

We have also been working with Tipton Harriers and Sandwell Council. Sandwell Council are looking to work with National Governing Bodies and have encouraged an application to some community funds they have available.

Staying with Tipton Harriers, we've been working with the club to explore their club needs, and an application will be submitted to the council to apply for funds to support the development of a club vision, community training offer, and a schools outreach programme which is aspiring to help the club increase its membership.

Additionally, we've offered guidance to Haslemere Boarders AC on considerations around starting a junior road running section.

Then, we visited Lewes AC for a case study on how they recruit and retain young people in the club and what makes their youth section so strong.

We've been providing virtual support to East Cornwall Harriers. The club have been reviewing their health and safety practices in relation to the delivery of junior sessions. The club have now confirmed that they have updated their risk assessment and communicated updates to their members.

We've also been providing virtual support to a newly affiliated club - Avon Tempo. A meeting with the club took place and within it a review was completed of the club's requirements around Club Standards and safeguarding. The club are now working towards becoming fully compliant.

We attended a meeting with nine clubs from the Armada Network (Cornwall and Devon). The meeting explored clubs current planning around visions, their core offer and recruitment needs. A follow up meeting has been scheduled for January and this will be used to help with effective club management.

We also attended an Emerson Green RC club visit. This was used as an opportunity to touch base with the club and learn about their needs. The club are doing some fantastic work in the community space and are raising key funds for local charities.

We met with Beckenham RC to provide advice and guidance around a number of club matters. A follow up meeting for the wider club is being arranged to answer some questions around England Athletics membership.

We provided advice to Haxby Runners relating to the use of triathlon coaches within club sessions. This has helped them to increase their support to members.

We attended Kingston upon Hull AC's committee meeting and provided advice on membership apps and how these can be used to manage data and communicate with different groups across the club. This will reduce time on volunteers, increase data security and ensure all relevant people receive information.

On a club visit to Kingston Upon Hull AC, we met with two Club Welfare Officers and discussed the positive impact on growing the welfare team and the proactive work they are undertaking.

Provided advice to City of York AC on recognition of prior learning opportunities and coach education requirements which has given them the information needed to potentially engage a new volunteer in an appropriate role.

We held an in-person meeting with Sunderland Strollers to discuss governance matters.

We also held an in-person meeting with Liverpool Running Bugs, where we discussed coaching structures, qualifications, good practise and opportunities to enhance the clubs current offer by accessing the Club Improvement Fund.

Finally, we had an exploratory call with our friends at the Personal Best Foundation about potential activity in the Ellesmere Port area, which would include a local partnership with West Cheshire AC.

Facilities

At the Northgate Facility, we've supported Sporting Assets with information required ensure the future of the track used by Ipswich Harriers, Orwell Panthers & Ipswich JAFFA RC.

We've been supporting Playing Pitch Strategy meetings for Epping Forest, South Oxfordshire & Vale of White Horse, Buckinghamshire, Spelthorne Winchester and Lewes.

We attended both in person meetings and virtual meetings in regards to Whitehall Athletics track in Bristol. Sporting Assets have been appointed to produce a feasibility study for the track and discussions with Bristol & West AC, Bristol City Council and Cabbots Learning Federation have been part of this process. We're continuing to support in this area as the feasibility study is being developed to produce a series of recommendations to make the facility sustainable and improve community use.

We attended a Dursley RC training session and engaged with the volunteers and junior members. A site visit was also completed and we're continuing to advise over facility development opportunities. Following on from the visit, three club volunteers attended the South West Regional Club Forum.

Regional Councils

We've also attended an online meeting with Lincolnshire Athletics Association and Leicestershire Road Running League to engage with clubs and provide England Athletics updates including details of our Club Improvement Fund, and Club Standards.

In summary

As you can see from the above, we've been busy again last month supporting clubs up and down the country. September also saw the delivery of three of our Regional Volunteer Awards in Yorkshire & Humber, South West, and London, as well as Regional Club Forums on the same days in South West and London.

The aforementioned Club Improvement Fund is now open for applications, providing grants of up to £500 to support clubs with projects that aim to reduce some of the barriers they are facing, and we're starting to see a steady flow of applications.

We'd also like to take this chance to remind clubs that all seven Club Standards will be mandatory for clubs to affiliate with England Athletics from April 2026 - you can find out more about Club Standards here.

We also recently announced that Welfare Officer forums will be taking place in each region during November - you can register for a forum near you here.

Contact your Club Support Manager

Or get in touch with the England Athletics Member Engagement Team: 0121 347 6543

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