Liverpool Harriers & AC: England Athletics x Athletics Weekly Club of the Month

Liverpool Harriers & AC, having produced a myriad of Olympians during their 144-year history so far, are our England Athletics x Athletics Weekly Club of the Month.

The esteemed club, who recently received the Freedom Roll of Associations by the city council, Liverpool's highest civic honour, currently have waiting lists for children to join, owing to their strong relationship with local schools.

The famous yellow vest has been donned by stars such as Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Steve Smith, and Anyika Onoura over the years.

Each month, we will be selecting one affiliated club to celebrate with a mini-documentary, produced with our partners at Athletics Weekly, which captures some of the unique stories at our clubs.

Home from home

Kristina Van Steen was appointed president in 2025, the club's first ever female in the role, as well as being the youngest to be elected. She started off by volunteering in the tuck shop while bringing her daughter to train, before becoming team manager at the YDL (Youth Development League), then assistant treasurer, and now leads the club into future successes as president.

"This club is my home from home. I started here when my youngest daughter was nine, and now she's aged 25."

Like a family

Steve Carroll was president from 2019 to 2025, and the now vice president plays a key role in nurturing club relationships with schools to create a future athlete pathway, often attending inter-school competitions to help bring young talent into the club.

"We have always had the pathway with schools and actually have a waiting list now for members. We are definitely like a family here and other clubs who come to YDL competitions here always ask how we operate as a club."

Working through challenges

The club hosted the YDL finals last year, and will do so again this season, which Kristina says owes to the facilities the club has to offer, working with the local council. One of the challenges the club is facing currently is to recruit enough coaches to deal with the demand of the waiting lists for young members.

"We have great facilities, where we can put on events like the YDL final, but we do need more coaches. I think that is probably the case for other clubs around the country as well.

"The coaches are fantastic at picking up the next stars. We are slightly a victim of our own success. We have a good relationship with the schools in the area but we don't yet have the resources here to take everyone in."

Like every club, Liverpool Harriers & AC face challenges, but work to overcome them with the power of volunteers. Our upcoming Regional Club Forums are a great way of sharing the issues your club is facing, and working with other clubs to share ways of finding solutions.