Athletics Clubs – the lifeblood of the sport in the UK
The club system is the lifeblood of track and field in the UK. Remember that there are no sports scholarships in the UK. Laura Muir studied Veterinary Science at Glasgow University, doing her training in the early morning or evening as the academic program cut her no slack. The way in which the rigidity of the ancient Cambridge University regime seemed to put every possible barrier in the way of Amy Hunt’s athletics career has been well documented. The US collegiate system, with elite coaches and training groups at universities, is unknown in the UK. Loughborough is the exception.
Clubs are where kids start athletics (as T&F is always called in the UK). Jade O’Dowda told me that she was about 7 when her parents took her to the local athletics club, Oxford City. She loved it and is still doing it. She told me that the kids’ program was a bit of jumping, some throwing, and running. As she says, it is no surprise that she became a heptathlete!
I checked the websites of two well-known clubs. Blackheath & Bromley Harriers, which includes Dina Asher-Smith among its members, describes itself as: “We are one of the oldest and most successful athletics clubs in the country with numerous international and Olympic athletes both on and off track. Blackheath and Bromley is run mainly by dedicated volunteers and support staff. We have training sessions for all track and field disciplines as well as cross-country, walking, and road running groups. See our training pages for more details. Our purpose is to create a sustainable and welcoming environment in which the pursuit of athletics, running, and other fitness activities by members of the Club and the community can thrive”.
Edinburgh Athletic Club, where it all began for Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr, is “the oldest and largest athletic club in Edinburgh. Based at Meadowbank Stadium, we offer training groups for ages 9-60+ with qualified coaches throughout the city, and we participate in competitions across the country. We are a club for all ages and disciplines, from track and field to cross country and road races”.
The website’s recent news section records good performances by the Under 12 Boys and Girls in a local competition and Jake Wightman being chosen as Athletics Weekly’s British Athlete of the Year, treating them as of equal importance.
There is a tradition of athletes competing in the club colors at the national championships. In the past, there has been prize money for the clubs whose athletes were most successful. These photos from the 2026 UK Champs illustrate the point.
Men’s 1500: Cameron Boyek, Morpeth Harriers; Arlo Ludewick, Herne Hill Harriers; Ted Higgins, Tonbridge AC; Thomas Keen, Cambridge & Coleridge; Jake Heyward, Cardiff AC
Women’s 100: Karen Mayindu, Be Fit Today Track Academy; Akaysha Ellis, Thames Valley Harriers; Oluwadamitan Showemimo, Medway & Maidstone AC.
Women’s 1500: Katie Snowden, Herne Hill Harriers; Sarah Calvert, Livingston; Laura Muir, Dundee Hawkhill Harriers.
Keely Hodgkinson, Leigh Harriers
Men’s 800 meters: Jake Wightman, Edinburgh AC; Jack Higgins, Tonbridge AC
