Athletics is a sport people are hugely passionate about. There are a range of disciplines and events which come together to form our sport. Athletics involves a diverse mix of people who hold a range of aspirations, motivations and roles.
At the moment we are holding an important consultation which will shape how England Athletics serves our sport in the future. If you have not already completed our survey at www.englandathletics.org/consultation2013 I would encourage you to do so. In such a diverse sport is very important to us that your views are reflected and that we hear from as many people as possible. This is an essential opportunity for you to have your say on matters that are fundamental to the sport. Even if you are the type of person who normally keeps your views to yourself please take the time to have your say.
Members of the England Athletics Board, National Council, Regional Councils and staff have also been attending our series of consultation events where people within the sport have been able to tell us their views and discuss issues, particularly around affiliation and Governance. I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to get involved. It has been great to see people coming forward to tell us their thoughts.
You can find more information on our consultation at www.englandathletics.org/consultation.
Supporting Counties
Over recent years England Athletics has been working to develop the ways in which we can support and work with a range of organisations within the sport. Building these relationships and effective ways of working together takes time but we are fully committed to it.
Last week you may have seen our email or our news story giving information about this summer’s County Championships which was produced with the support of the UK Counties Athletic Union. This year these mostly take place on the last weekend of May and we would encourage as many athletes as possible to take part.
Across England a huge amount of good work is done by people involved in the County Athletic Associations. The competition opportunities they provide are an important part of our sport’s competition structure. This year England Athletics made funding available for county associations to apply for; and more than 25 counties and their championships are going to benefit from this. The funds are being used for a range of purposes including introducing electronic timing and distance measurement. We are also working to develop an online entry system which counties can benefit from too.
Aside from competition provision county associations contribute to our sport in a range of other ways, including many playing a key role in their local athletics networks or in supporting initiatives such as Sportshall that give many youngsters a route into our sport. Many of the people involved in county associations also give generous amounts of time to their local club or other organisations within the sport. So we at England Athletics are very appreciative of the enthusiasm and expertise they contribute to the sport.
How we work with counties and other organisations is one of the subjects we are considering in our consultation. So please, take the time to give your views on this and the other subjects raised in our online survey.
Yours in sport
Chris Jones
Chief Executive, England Athletics
Chris Jones
Chief Executive, England Athletics
