Competition and Open meeting guide
Entering competitions for you as an athlete or as a parent can be a bit of a minefield. Which one do I enter? What age group? What is the England athletics affiliation number? Where do I go to find the competitions?.
All the Burton Athletics Club track and field league and cross country fixtures are displayed on our website with dates and venues of the competitions and can found at www.burtonac.co.uk they are also displayed on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. We urge all our athletes to make league and cross-country fixtures a priority at the start of the season as we are a competing club and the more athletes we have compete in the league fixtures the better chance we have of gaining higher league positions and promotions.
When it comes to open meetings, there are various meetings across the uk and these tend to be hosted by athletic clubs and area athletic bodies. A majority of open meetings are designed for athletes to improve distances and times and a way of gaining entry standards for championships and other competitions. There are competitions that give the chance for athletes to win medals and trophies and this will normally be stated on the entry forms or online entry.
Most competitions and open meetings normally have two ways on entry, online and paper entry form. Some still operate a pay on the day but this is very rare. Once you are entered you will receive confirmation via email or the post with your numbers and a timetable. Most competitions advise you must be at your event at least 1 hour before event start time and most advise you to sign in and make them aware you have arrived.
In most cases you will be advised you must wear club colours (Vest) and have numbers pinned on the front and back of the vest in competition (with safety pins to make number secure) . Vests can be purchased at the club on training nights. Club hoodies and t-shirts can also be ordered via the club.
When entering you will be asked all your vital details, Name, age, address, contact number, date of birth. You will also in most cases be asked for your Club name (Burton Athletics Club) and England athletics affiliation number , this is your unique athlete ID number and if you are unsure of where you can find this it can be found at the following web address:
https://myathletics.englandathletics.org/licencecheck/
If you can’t find it with the above address, please email burtonathleticsclub@outlook.com and we will send you this.
You will also be asked for your personal best performance, if you are unsure of this. It can be found on the power 10 website. This is a website which records all performances of every athlete and at what competition they have entered. This will also show the UK rankings:
General Age-Group Guidance on Power of 10
On power 10 you can also look for any competitions and open meetings that are taking place.
Another great source for open meetings is :
http://www.openmeetings.co.uk/ which you look at open meetings throughout the UK.
Facebook and twitter are another great source of ways to find open meetings. Most athletics clubs and county athletics have pages on Facebook and most of the competitions are shared on these pages.
County athletic championships and cross country championships details will be shared on the county pages and normally have sufficient time to enter:
Leicestershire and Rutland Athletics
The following Links are always good to find open meetings
https://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2024/#0
UK Entry4Sports | office@entry4sports.com
http://www.runbritain.com/races
The City of Stoke AC open, Midland opens, Tipton games, DADA (Derby), Nuneaton and the Charnwood opens are always well attended by burton athletes and web address can be found below:
http://www.stokeac.org.uk/open-meeting/
http://www.midlandathletics.org.uk/index.html
https://www.tiptonharriers.co.uk/
https://www.charnwoodac.co.uk/open-meetings
Nuneaton Open Events (google.com)
During the winter months besides the cross country races there are indoor open meetings and can be found at:
http://www.northernathletics.org.uk/
http://www.midlandathletics.org.uk/index.html
As we regularly like to promote the club and like to acknowledge our athletes performances. We have a full write up of all the championships and league matches in the local burton mail and on our social media pages. So if you or your son/daughter/ family member has competed in a competition, please let us know so we are aware of your/their performance email us at burtonathleticsclub@outlook.com I would also advise your coach regarding entering open meetings as they maybe able to advise you of the ones to enter based on your training programme.
All athletes must wear a club Vest /Club Colours with numbers on the front and back of the vest , Normally these numbers come via the post or are collected on the day of the competition. It is advisable that you are at the competition at least an hour before your event and go and sign in at the venue or advise your team manager you are present. Club vest can be purchased on club nights
What should I carry in my bag on competition day?
- Your spikes/ Throwing shoes
- A plastic bag (This is to put your trainers in just in case it rains and the contents of your bag dry)
- A towel, to wipe any throwing equipment or the bottom of throws shoes.
- A warm coat/ Waterproof coat
- A drink, to keep yourself hydrated during competition.
- An umbrella
- Safety pins, (at least 8) to pin your numbers on your vest)
- Your club Vest
If you would any further information regarding open meetings and competitions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Competition Guide