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Junior track & field season

Coach Jenny Brown has written a detailed explanation of the track and field season for junior athletes through the age groups for the season ahead.

Below are the main events for everyone, especially explaining the main leagues we compete in as a club. If you do well, you may enter, or be selected for, additional regional or national events. If you like to compete in multi-event competitions like heptathlon, there are a few other competitions not listed below. For a comprehensive list, see the fixtures page on our website or the Sussex summer fixture list (https://www.sussexathletics.net/take-part/events-information/)

Under 11s (school years 4 and 5, aged under 11 on midnight 31st Aug/1st Sept 2023): You can compete in the U13 league (see below) as a non-scorer. The Under 13 Sussex Champs has a Quad kids competition for you where you compete in 4 events and earn points. Top points scorer over all 4 events wins. Your school will probably have additional competitions. Look out for U11 events at Open Meetings (e.g. Worthing, Crawley, Tonbridge)

Under 13s (school years 6 and 7, aged under 13 on midnight 31st Aug/1st Sept 2023): We need you all for the U13 league (East) which has 3 fixtures over the summer and a final, including the West division, in September. You can do two events plus a relay. We did very well last season coming 3rd overall in most matches. You have two different Sussex county champs: U13 minithon (3 events) as part of the main Sussex champs in May, and then a separate U13 champs in July with all events). Your school will probably have additional competitions. Look out for U13 events at Open Meetings (e.g. Worthing, Crawley, Tonbridge).

Under 15s (school years 8 and 9, aged under 15 on midnight 31st Aug/1st Sept 2023): We need you all for the U15 league (4 fixtures) You can do 3 events plus a relay. As with U13s, we did very well last season coming 3rd overall in most matches. The Sussex county champs are in May, with all events. There is also a schools county champs – you can qualify for this by competing for your school in your region (e.g. South Downs) and if you do well, you will be put forward to the Sussex schools champs in June. Look out for U15 events at Open Meetings (e.g. Worthing, Crawley, Tonbridge).

U17s (school years 10 and 11, aged under 17 on midnight 31st Aug/1st Sept 2023): Your main competitions for the club in this age group are the Youth Development League – upper age group (YDL UAG), and the Southern Athletics League. In the YDL you form part of Team Sussex with a couple of other clubs (many of the others are Lewes athletes) and there are 4 fixtures. You compete in the U17 age group and there will also be U20 athletes at the matches. In the Southern Athletics League you form part of the Eastbourne Rovers team which is a whole mixture of U17, U20, Senior and Masters athletes. This team did fantastically well before Covid to get promoted to the first division and is now battling to stay there. But don’t worry, the standard is very mixed and there is no need to be put off by competing in a mixed age group. The main Sussex County Champs are in May. As for U15s, there is a schools county champs too, where you need to run for your school in your region first. Look out for U17 events and graded events (in track events you race people according to your time not your age) at Open Meetings (e.g. Worthing, Crawley, Tonbridge).

U20s (roughly college age, over 17 on 31st August within the competition year but under 20 on 31st December in the calendar year of the competition) Your main competitions for the club in this age group are the Youth Development League – upper age group (YDL UAG), and the Southern Athletics League (SAL). In the YDL you form part of Team Sussex with a couple of other clubs (many of the others are Lewes athletes) and there are 4 fixtures. You compete in the U20 age group and there will also be U17 athletes at the matches. In the Southern Athletics League you form part of the Eastbourne Rovers team which is a whole mixture of U17, U20, Senior and Masters athletes. (See further details above in U17 notes.) The main Sussex County Champs are in May. There is a schools county champs too in June, where you can compete as a Senior Girl or Boy – if you are at college, ask them to enter you.  There are many other competition opportunities at Open Meetings (e.g. Worthing, Crawley, Tonbridge).

After this, there are a few U23 competitions, but normally you will compete as a Senior, the main competitions for the club being the SAL as explained above. The Sussex Masters (or veterans) League is for men and women over 35 years of age (age for Masters events is the age on the day of competition).

The strongest athletes in each age group may have the opportunity to compete at the South of England championships in their age group. There are also National championships for different age groups and inter-county matches. Ask your coach about the entry requirements for these.