*** League News ***

February 2024: Cheltenham & County Harriers will be joining the League for 2024.

October 2023: The League AGM was held on Monday October 16th, 7.00pm., at YOSC. With the dissolution of 2023 member club SGS College, there will need to be some changes for 2024, which will be announced shortly.

May 2023: The age group rules for U13 Boys & Girls are: "Under 13 but not Under 11 at midnight on 31.08.2023". Under 11s are required to seek selection for the Quadkids competition teams.

February 2023: The 2023 League AGM was held on Friday 24th February, by Zoom.

September 2022: Following dialogue between the League Officers and the member clubs, it was decided to arrange a replacement Round 4 fixture for the Weekend of 24th/25th September. Neither date was completely satisfactory, but the Sunday date provided more problems (including: no Starter, no Quadkids lead organiser, loss of activists to the Great Bristol 10km / Half Marathon), so the fixture was arranged for the Saturday (the first Saturday fixture for some time -- or ever?), at Yate.

Inevitably, the meeting suffered from a severe shortage of athletes and officials (the clash with the Midland Counties Road Relays, and regular Saturday commitments, didn't help), but the League is grateful to the volunteers, qualified and unqualified, who put in extra effort to allow the meeting to go ahead in some form.

September 2022: The Round 4 match (Sunday September 11th, Gloucester) was called off.

The League's official announcement:

• HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
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• We are deeply saddened at the news of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this very difficult time.
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• The official guidance from Government is that there can be respectful continuation of sport at all levels this weekend.
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• Whilst there is a strong appetite from the local athletics community to come together and stand united in our grief, we must also be mindful and respectful of the wishes of the local communities in which our facilities are located.
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• Given these wishes we have taken the difficult decision that the Avon Track & Field meeting at Gloucester on Sunday 11th September will no longer take place.
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• Avon Track & Field League

August 2022: "Unavailable due to Injury" usually applies to athletes. But for Round 3, it was Results Processor Paul Thomas unavailable for the match. He was knocked off his bike while commuting to work, and broke his collar-bone, making the necessary keyboard work difficult if not impossible.

June 2022: The Round 1 match scheduled for Sunday June 12th was cancelled because of an occupation of an adjoining field by a sizeable group of Travellers, some of whom had indulged in threatening and other anti-social behaviour to Centre volunteers and other centre users.

April 2022: The AGM of the League was held on Friday April 8th, as a virtual meeting, startng at 7.00pm. Among the decisions:

• South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) have been admitted to the League
• There will be a 4x100m Relay for Under 13s (2 Boys, 2 Girls) at each meeting

August 2021: Will all Team Managers please note that Under-13's, whether boys or girls, are not permitted under UKA Rules to compete on Triple Jump. See Page 104 of the 2020 UKA Rules for competition. Although League rules allow athletes to compete one age group above their actual age group, this cannot be used to side-step the Triple Jump ban.

July 2021: The League is planning to return to its pre-Covid format for Rounds 3 and 4 (the Government and EA permitting). But please note:

• The Quadkids events will start at 9.00am as in Rounds 1 and 2.
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• For all events other than the Long Throws, each club will be allowed three competitore per age group per event (with the best two to score). For the Long Throws, only two competitors per age group (both to score) will be permitted.

May 2021: The AGM was held on Friday April 30th. Notes (not the official Minutes):

• Dates (subject to bookings /licences / First Aid availability etc.): 13th June at Yate; 4th July at Yate; 1st August at Gloucester; 12th September at Yate.
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• We are operating modified timetables assuming that Covid restrictions will still be in place. The timetables will be re-considered after Round 2.
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• For 2021 only, teams will be restricted to two athletes per age group on each event. Also, there will be no Relays.
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• South Glos AC are taking a year out from the League.

June 2020: With Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2020 League already cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the member clubs agreed in mid-June that there were too many issues over Social Distancing, potential shortage of officials, and other factors, for the remaining meetings to go ahead as we would like, so have agreed that the whole season should be abandoned.

May 2020: Rounds 1 and 2 have been cancelled due to CoronaVirus restrictions. The remaining rounds have been provisionally set for 16th August (at Yate) and 13th September (at Yate), but rescheduling of fixtures at national level may force us to change these dates.

March 2020: The Round 1 Fixture scheduled for Sunday May 3rd has been cancelled.

The EA statement of March 17th 2020 advised against any communal athletic activity until the end of April. Even if the CoronaVirus situation had cleared up by then (could you guarantee that?), Team Managers would have had a formidable job trying to assemble teams (particularly for Quadkids), and ensuring that athletes had had sufficient coaching for the technical events. Also, some regular meeting officials (maybe ones who are, let's say, not as young as they used to be) could still be under self-isolation.

February 2020: The AGM of the League was held at the YOSC Clubhouse on Friday 7th February. Among the items agreed:

• Fixture Dates: May 3rd at Gloucester, June 28th at Yate [venue changes made after AGM]; August 16th at Yate; September 13th at Yate.
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• Under-13 Boys and Girls will now each compete over 100m, 200m, 800m and 1200m at the appropriate meetings
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• There may be limited provision for extra trials on Field events (e.g. if attendance at an event is particularly low, or if an athlete is seeking qualifying performances for a higher-level meeting), but these will be at the discretion of the Field Referee, and will depend on the availability of officials and the need to provide them with adequate breaks during the competition day. In any case, match results on LJ/TJ/Throws will be decided on the basis of the first three trials.
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• There will be a competition to provide an improved logo for the League.
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• NOTE: these are the Webmaster's recollections of the meeting, not the official Minutes.

November 2019: Yate & District AC sadly announce the passing of Mike Smith, their founder and first Chairman. As well as his involvement with Yate & District AC, Westbury Harriers and the Avon AA, he was one of the principal founders of the Avon Track and Field League.

September 2019: At the end of this season, Hilary Nash will be stepping down as the organiser of the Quadkids events in the League. There's nothing sinister: he's simply trying to ease his overload of athletic and non-athletic commitments. Volunteers to take on the job for 2020 (either solo or in cooperation with others) will be most welcome.

September 2019: Field Events: Please note that is is the responsibility of the athlete themselves to register with the event officials for their event. Team-mates or Team Managers can put in a provisional registration, but the athlete needs to confirm this at the earliest opportunity. Once the competition has started, no athlete may take practice run-ups or trials (UKA Rules).

August 2019: Round 3 fixture: the Pole Vault was abandoned shortly after it started because of deteriorating weather conditions: all competitors who had reported (whether or not they had been able to take a trial) were declared as first equal in their respective age / gender categories. There will be a non-scoring Pole Vault at the Round 4 fixture, for which Yate & District AC has undertaken to provide the required officials.

March 2019: Bitton Road Runners has withdrawn from the League. Because of this, the remaining clubs will now be allowed up to six Quadkids competitors per gender.

August 2018: The league congratulates "Team Avon" (the composite team of Bristol & West, Team Bath AC, North Somerset AC, Yate & District AC and Mendip AC) on qualifying for the National Final of the YDL Upper Age Group competition. Unfortunately for our League, this event clashes with the final round of the Avon League, and many of our regular officials and competitors will be at that meeting (we have already had to replace the Starts team).

We will need to call on extra officials in all disciplines to ensure that the main events can go ahead properly. The non-scoring Pole Vault has been cancelled on this occasion.

August 2018: The League has had claims of distracting or disrespectful behaviour from some athletes towards athletes of another club at the Round 2 meeting. This sort of situation is unacceptable. Meeting officials have been instructed to report any such situation to the Track Referee or Field Referee as appropriate (via their event Leader or Chief Official where appropriate).

July 2018: A couple of timetable reminders:

• Round 3: U15G / U17W / SW Triple Jump has been put back to 3.20pm.
• Round 4: U13 Girls Shot is at 1.20pm., Long Jump at 2.10pm. U15 Girls Long Jump is at 1.20pm., Shot is at 2.10pm.

And a reminder to the clubs: you need to provide your complement of Quadkids as well as officials for the main meeting, without being chased!

June 2018: UKA Safety Runings on Hammer / Discus Cages: the situation for our League is:

• Yate / Bristol: Hammer and Discus events can go ahead with the normal levels of vigilance;
• Gloucester: the events can go ahead but we will need to take extra precautions for left-handed Hammer throwers.

June 2018: Rich Cook has tendered his resignation as League Secretary, as a new job is taking him away from the West Country. The Avon League community would like to thank him for all his work for the League over the years, and wishes him all good fortune in the future. John Deaton is prepared to act as Interim Secretary until the 2018-9 AGM, but is not prepared to continue beyond that event.

February 2018: The AGM of the League was held on Friday 16th February. Among the matters agreed:

• Admission of South Glos AC to the League on a one-year trial basis
• Inclusion of U15 Girls Hammer and Triple Jump (the League programme is now gender-equal)
• On all the Long Throws, all clubs are limited to two competitors per age group

November 2017: Team Bath AC sadly reports the passing away of Melvyn Potter. Melvyn was a regular on the League's Timekeepers' stands for many years, although his appearances in recent seasons had been limited by ill health. Melvyn was also a past Secretary of the League.

March 2017: The AGM date was held on Thursday 23rd March. Among the matters agreed:

• Fixture dates will be 9th July (Yate), 30th July (Yate), 13th August (Yate), 10th September (Gloucester), all to start at 11.00am. (corrected June 2017)
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• There will be two Wheelchair 100m races (subject to demand) on each timetable (confirmed June 2017)
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• Quadkids: The rule about a maximum of five athletes per club per gender will be strictly enforced. Note to Quadkids Team Managers: if you have brought more than five athletes per gender: you got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out of it.
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• Quadkids: there may be two 600m races per gender, depending on turnout. If that happens, Team Managers need to be realistic about assigning their stronger 600m runners to the first heat.
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• A new set of Age Group / Overall Team Trophies will be bought: these will be smaller than the current shields but for permanent retention. It is hoped to "retire" the existing trophies to a cabinet, possibly at Yate.
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• (Please note that these are the Webmaster's recollections of the meeting, not the official Minutes).

July 2016: The following items regarding Field events need to be noted:

• Javelin: Member clubs are reminded of League rule 7 which reads in part: "Team Managers must ensure that all their entrants have previously achieved in competition or training a valid throw of at least 12.00m (males) or 10.00 (females)". Please note that this rule applies to all age groups. In Round 1 it was clear that some participants had simply not been prepared in any way for the competitions: this is not fair to the event officials and not fair to those athletes genuinely committed to their Javelin throwing.
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• Quadkids Standing Long Jump: the Standing Long Jump event is to be "what it says on the tin" -- i.e. no preliminary bounces!
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• High Jump: (stated rule now amended)

June 2016: As Severn AC has disbanded, the team formerly known as Gloucester / Severn will now be simply Gloucester AC. [Subsequent note: Severn AC has re-formed, but as an adult Endurance-only club].

League AGM 2016: this was held on Thursday 14th January at Yate. Among the decisions were:

• Dates for 2016: July 10th at Yate, July 31st at Gloucester, August 21st at Yate, September 11th at Yate.
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• Meetings will start at 11.00am, with the meeting timings being all moved an hour forward (minor adjustments may still be made)
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• There will be an investigation of possible new Results software [in the end it was decided to go with an upgraded version of the current software].
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• There will be separate Seniors and Masters categories in the Men's 1500m (as already happens in the Women's 1500m)
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• Yate & District AC are planning to hold a barbecue and social event at the end of the Round 4 fixture.
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• (these are the webmaster's notes of the meeting, not the official Minutes)

September 2015: Thanks to all Athletes, Officials, Team Managers and helpers for another successful League season. If you have any thoughts about how the League could be improved, please discuss them with your team managers and/or club officers so that your club can present a coordinated case at the League AGM.

A few points to note:

• Injured official Ron Freeman (Gloucester AC) was taken to the Yate Minor Injuries Clinic: he was given the okay to drive home but was advised to go for x-rays.
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• Being a long-serving Official, Ron knew the need to sign in as an official, and did so (at Yate, the signing-in sheets are normally on the tables outside the Announcer's Room) -- but there must have been a number of Officials and helpers who didn't. Officials and helpers, whether qualified or not, regular or roped-in volunteer, should always do this.
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• Quadkids: Two clubs exceeded the limit of 5 athletes per gender. On this occasion we allowed the sixth athletes to compete, but this is not a precedent! Yes, we know that team selection in any sport can be a fraught issue, but managers sometimes have to make tough decisions: meeting officials should not have to do it for you.
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• Users of the website must realise that your webmaster is not always in a position to update all aspects of the site immediately after a fixture. To expect the Quadkids ranking lists, for example, to be updated inside 24 hours of the end of the fixture is just not on!

July 2015: Team Managers: it is essential that names and numbers of competitors are submitted to the results teams in the required spreadsheet format by the Friday evening before each meeting. Some Team Managers did not do this before Round 2, so the Results Teams were caused extra work, and errors crept into the Quadkids ranking lists .

June 2015: A reminder that the Round 2 fixture on July 12th will be at Gloucester. A couple of points to note:

• There will be no non-scoring Pole Vault at this meeting
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• Quadkids: There was a record turnout (29 girls, 25 boys) at Round 1. Because Gloucester's track has only one jumps pit, it is vital that the Girls Standing Long Jump starts competing (not just assembling) at 12.00pm,and that the boys (and their officials) are ready to start as soon as the girls competition finishes.

April 2015: The meeting Timetables are now ready: please throw away (sorry, recycle!) those from previous seasons. Some changes to note:

• Horizontal Jumps: for 2015, Male TJ / Female LJ will be held at Rounds 1 and 3, and Male LJ / Female TJ at Rounds 2 and 4
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• Quadkids at Gloucester (12th July): Under-11 Girls will go first, with Under-11 Boys competing immediately afterwards.
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• Timetable A: please note that the Under-13 and Under 15 Boys Relays are at 4.00 and 4.10, not at the end of the programme!

January 2015: The AGM was held on Wednesday 28th January: the decisions included:

• Dates for 2015 are: May 10th at Yate; 12th July at Gloucester; 2nd August at Yate; 13th September at Yate.
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• Stroud AC will not be competing in 2015, although they may be taking part in a joint team with Bitton Road Runners.
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• The 3000m (one race per meeting) will be re-introduced [note: decision later rescinded, as it was felt that including the event extended the timetable too much]
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• Quadkids: due to time constraints, the jumps event will be a Standing Long Jump. Extra time may be scheduled for the 600m races to reduce the possibility of pile-ups.
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• Photography / Video: The League will be more active in enforcing the UKA Rule that all those intending to use still / video cameras of any sort at League meetings are required to sign the photographers' form in the administration area.

September 2014: Thanks to all those who helped in whatever way during the summer to produce another season of enjoyable Avon League athletics. Doubtless there will some gathering of club representatives in the Autumn or early Spring to discuss what changes (if any) to make for the 2015 season.

July 2014: Round 3 of the 2014 League will be held at the recently refurbished track at Gloucester on Sunday August 10th. Notes:

• Due to a massive non-response to the suggestion of a 3000m race at this meeting, there will not be one, and so the Track timetable will be the same as for Round 1.
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• Because Gloucester has a single Long Jump / Triple Jump pit, the Quadkids event will incorporate a Standing Long Jump, onto a Sportshall-type mat if conditions allow, into sand otherwise.
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• Some points about the venue: there may be parking problems for early arrivals because of a nearby car boot sale; also, there is no shelter.

May 2014: Please note that no-one other than the League's results team is authorised to send results to PowerOf10.

March 2014: Following the major timetable overruns in 2013 (one factor being the unexpectedly high turnouts in the younger age groups), a major redesign of the competition was needed. Inevitably, some athletes will lose competitive opportunities, and the League regrets this.

Among the changes for the 2014 season:

• Clubs will only be allowed three athletes (two will score, one will not) per age group per event.

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• Under-11's will take part in a separate Quadkids-style competition, but integrated into the main timetable. We will have a core of experienced officials available, but the main load of the officiating will need to be done by parents and friends.
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• The flat Track race distances for Under-13 Girls have been brought into line with those provided in the YDL Lower Age Group competitions, i.e. 75m, 150m, 800m, 1200m (at the appropriate meeting). The Under-15 Boys will run 300m, not 400m, in Programme A.
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• Only 4x100m relays will be on offer: for Boys/Men only on Programme A, and for Girls/Women only on Programme B.
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• All competitors on Javelin must have previously achieved, either in competition or in training, a valid throw of 12 metres (Boys/Men) or 10 metres (Girls/Women). All competitors on the other Field events must have received some basic coaching in their event.
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• All athletes (including Seniors now) are restricted to three individual events at a meeting. In future any athlete competing in more than three individual events at a meeting will lose their best score(s).

All Field event athletes and officials are reminded of the League rule "Guests of the opposite gender to the programmed event are not allowed in field events with the sole exception of Pole Vault". There can be no exceptions to this rule.

Since Creation of This Website: The lack of any contact details for the League on this website is deliberate. Any member of one of the participant clubs who wishes to raise any matter concerning the League should raise it via the appropriate Team Manager.