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Yellow team vs blue team: A fully inclusive competition format

Inclusivity is a key value at England Athletics, so we champion initiatives sharing this ethos. Metros RC have created an inclusive competition structure to integrate members supported by local charities into a club athletics competition. We recently caught up with Marcus Weedon to find out more.

Yellow vs blue teams sprint race Metros RC

Every year Metros RC, a club currently on seven out of seven Club Standards, bring members of the community together for a fun and inclusive competition and social event. Two teams compete to win a trophy at the end of the evening. These teams are the yellow team formed from club members and the blue team made up of Sudbury Court Running Club runners, adults who have intellectual/learning difficulties from the Saracens Foundation and this year, participants from Special Olympics St Albans (SOSA). Children of the members from both running clubs also take part.




The two teams compete in six events across the evening (400m, one mile, 100m, 400m relay, shot put and long jump) for points based upon position to contribute towards a team score. This helps all involved to feel part of the team and add to the final score.

“The children and athletes from both charities all get medals, and this is obviously a great fun moment as we congratulate them for their efforts on the evening. We want them to feel the sense of belonging from the support throughout the evening and being part of the celebrations. Seeing their faces light up with such enjoyment is so special and so rewarding!”

As a club who pride themselves on being inclusive and welcoming, it is important to Metros RC to include the participants from SOSA and Saracens Foundation. The impact of this social event reached far beyond the club with over 70 people getting involved in the evening.

Metros RC volunteers

It takes lots of volunteers to put on an event like this one and ensure that everyone feels included. This was made possible as members of the club who regularly help out with the charities understand the needs of the young people and how to get them involved. Marcus described how all the work is worth it when you see the smiles it brings to the faces of those taking part.

“It’s very clear from the feedback we get that everyone enjoys the evening. So much positive feedback is given which means the work put into making sure everyone feels part of an amazing night is a part of something very special.”

“Of course, having the charity members/athletes taking part and sharing the trophy each year with their families and friends is incredible. Seeing social media posts and hearing stories of how this makes them feel when they get to show off what they have achieved is brilliant.

“The wider impact on the community is an area we are working on for next year, I think currently the impact is very small and only extends to the families of those who attend and take part.”

With this in mind, the organisers are always looking for ways to improve the experience for those taking part.

“The Harrow Online, a local news channel, said next year they will hopefully be in attendance, it would be nice if we could get some form of funding or sponsorship so that we can buy better medals for the children/charity athletes and, of course, better-winning trophies.”

Marcus’ advice to any other individual or group looking to setup a similar inclusive competition is,

“Ensure you have a backup date in the event of bad weather. In a previous year, we had torrential rain, which knocked back numbers attending and also played havoc with how we were recording times (on paper) - so this was a challenge. As we started later than scheduled, we ended up rushing some of the events through.

Saracens Foundation shot put throw

“Another bit of advice would be to make sure you have plenty of people involved, don’t leave it to one or two people to manage everything. After the first year, we decided it would be easier to have two captains for each team and let them organise the teams rather than us managing everything. This worked a dream and helped offload a load of work prior to the event.”

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