How Houghton Harriers and AC have turned around their junior athletics
Like many athletics clubs, Houghton Harriers and Athletics Club had started to struggle for junior members over the past few years, but have found a way to recruit and retain young athletes.
The club tried a number of initiatives to try and get involved with the local schools, but what they tended to find was by the club’s minimum entry age of 8, children were already committed to other sports. The club needed to get the children interested in athletics, and so they developed a short taster course that ran once a term.
Steve Johnson, a coach at the club, explained:
"It's just great fun to see a child who perhaps at the start of the evening can't run over a hurdle. And by the end of it, they're absolutely flying with a big smile on their face, running full pelt over some little hurdles! It's heart warming to see."
funetics graduate parent, Leah McAllister, appreciates what the sport has done for her ‘pocket rocket’ daughter:
“Eden's quite a shy child, but they take her under their wing, the coaches know how to speak to her on her level, they're fantastic.”
The club now have a thriving youth section. The athletes continue to pass up through the ages and they have also brought older siblings and parents. Links with local schools have improved with the introduction of young assistant coaches, and teachers are seeing the benefit of introducing athletics via the funetics programme as well as having somewhere to signpost talented young athletes.
Daniel Mariner is one of the young leaders who has gained some fantastic coaching experience:
“It gives you a great taste of everything that athletics offers, and you can meet new people that have the same interest as you.”
Alice Kirk-Harding started at the club as an 8-year-old and is now a Coaching Assistant using the funetics programme:
“It's nice to see them start from such a young age because you get to see their journey - like building their progress, building their confidence, the friendships that they get to make. You see where all of your hard work goes because they learn so fast at that age; it’s really rewarding.”
The rewards are not only for the club membership, but the youngsters have a fun introduction to athletics and the coaches find it very fulfilling. Often, the parents and young adults who coach remember why they started doing athletics in the first place, just to enjoy running, jumping, and throwing.
Liz Page, Houghton Harriers Lead Junior Coach, concluded:
“It's like an extended family, really. Parents are really helpful and the kids give you a buzz when they come and they start improving and wanting to come back. It is just very rewarding.”