Little athletics is available for all boys and girls aged 5 to 15 years of age. Age groups are designated as U/6 and so on up to U/16. A child may register and start to compete once they turn 5 years of age at any time during the season, but not before this time. A child may start and are most welcome to start Little Athletics at any age between.

The age of an athlete on the 1st October each year is used to determine the applicable age group. So for example if a child is 8 years of age on the 1st October then that child will compete in the U/9 age group for the forthcoming season. A copy of a birth certificate or other proof of age document should be made available when registering for the first time.

The Summer Track & Field Season typically runs from the start of October to the end of March. Competition is held on a Saturday morning with warm-up starting at 8.30am. Finish time is typically about 12.00 noon. There are also usually one or two twilight meetings held on a Friday from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. A Winter Cross Country Season also runs from April until September.

The regular weekly track and field competition is held at the same venue for each week of the season at Edithvale Reserve, Edithvale Road, Edithvale - Melway Map 93 C9. Competition is on a grass track which is very beneficial in preventing injuries particularly in younger athletes as opposed to a harder synthetic track. Additionally various Centres around the State hold Open Day events where athletes may compete at the host Centre. Regional and State Championship competitions are also held for U/9 – U/15 age groups at various locations around the State.

Little Athletics is a comparatively cheap sport to join. For Season 2009/10 the fees are $90 for the first child with reductions for additional children. This caters for up to typically 17 weeks of competition and entry into the Chelsea Open Day and Medallion Day which would typically cost around $25 separately. The Centre does not make any profit from the season fees as these go towards affiliation with the Victorian Little Athletics Association (VLAA) covering insurance and the like, as well as allowing for costs towards end of year awards. The Centre makes most of it’s proceeds from fundraising, sponsorship, and canteen/bbq facilities.

Of the $90 registration fee, the approximate break-up is as follows: VLAA affiliation - $40, End of Year Award - $15, Chelsea Open Day and Medallion Day Entry - $25, Centre Funded Events (e.g. Mentone Open Relay/Southern Metro Region Relay/State Relay Championships) - $6. The Centre also pays lease fees on the building and grounds to the Kingston City Council of approximately $3 per athlete. As you can see the Centre effectively does not profit from the registration fee, and in particular when the 2nd and subsequent child in a family is charged a discounted fee.

At the start of each season (typically in the first month), “Bring A Friend” days are held where children can compete in events held on that day at no cost, and then decide if they wish to join.

Generally no, genders are separated for reasons of competition. At times however boys and girls events may be run simultaneously for streamlining the day’s program, but will be judged separately.

The U/6 and U/7 age groups generally compete in 3 events each week and also learn skills required in a non-competitive fun “On-Track” program conducted each week. The U/8 age groups and above compete in 5 events each week in a 3 week rotating program. See the Weekly Program to find out what events each age group performs.

The foundation of Little Athletics was built upon involvement of the family. Unlike many other sports, parents do and are expected to take an active part in the running of the events. This provides for great interaction with and enjoyment for children who really appreciate Mum or Dad or even Grandparents being out there with them. Little Athletics should not be considered as “child minding”. You’ll find that it does not take much expertise to use a measuring tape or rake a sand-pit!

The Working With Children Act 2005 applies to Little Athletics. All volunteers in Executive Committee Positions at Club and Centre Level, and additionally those who are directly involved in a support role such as Coaches, Team Managers,  and On-Track Coordinators have been through the WWC process. Refer to the WWC Handout for further information.

Every athlete that competes, given a minimum number of competitions attended, receives an award at the end of the season.

There are uniforms available for sale from member Clubs in the clubrooms uniform shop, see the Uniforms page for details, however these are not compulsory and a coloured T-shirt will suffice. The most important part of the uniform though is ensuring that the VLAA registration/sponsorship patch is attached. Comfortable running shoes and black shorts are also required. When athletes compete at Regional or State Championships a specific Chelsea uniform is required, these are available for hire or purchase.

Our most commonly asked unusual question. As permanently marked positions are not possible on a grass track, it was first proposed by VLAA Life Governor and CLAC Life Member John Ellem, that the 80m Hurdles event should be modified to 81m to reduce set-up time when changing from the 60m Hurdles event. The answer is found in the difference between these two events. In every other respect, apart from the distance run and number of flights; with regard to the height of the hurdles, the run-in (distance from start to first hurdle - 12m), and the spacing of the hurdles (7m), these events have the same specification. The run-out (distance from last hurdle to finish line) differs from 13m for the 60m event and 12m for the 80m event. John cleverly surmised that if the 80m event was modified to an 81m event, the flights of hurdles could remain in the same position for the two events. Thus the only difference from the VLAA standard event is an increased run-out and therefore the athlete's running pattern and technique would not have to modify in any way apart from an additional 1m distance after the last hurdle flight is cleared.

Just contact one of our Committee members, they’re all friendly!