Our BRAT Juniors are having a fantastic season so far with eight athletes recently landing a clutch of national or world podium and top ten finishes.
We currently have 250 junior athletes from eight to 18-years-old, with its junior team currently leading division one of the four-division Heart of England League.
We are also actively supporting neurodiverse athletes and athletes with disability to reach their potential and welcomes anyone with a passion for track and field, cross country, road running, and triathlon.
Recent BRAT junior successes include:
- 48 recent county medals and division one top spot for BRAT junior team
- U15 female athlete selected for England national team
- 13 golds, 16 silvers and 19 bronze medals at the Warwickshire County Track and Field Championships in 2025
- 1st place for the U15 team at the National 5km Road Relay Championships
- 4th place for Araya Williams in 60m at the England Indoor Championships 2025, who is now placed second in the UK in her age group.
At the heart of BRAT’s success is its dedicated coaching team of volunteers, who run training sessions from the University of Birmingham Athletics Track. Now, the club is seeking new coaches who are ideally ex or current athletes, but with passion for the sport being the most important criteria. Christopher Davy, BRAT chair, said:
We’re passionate about being a welcoming and inclusive club with high aspirations for all of our athletes. The work of the volunteer coaches who guide the juniors in their training is truly remarkable. It’s incredible to see athletes of all abilities develop their passion and ability in the sport.
We’re really proud of the junior team’s commitment and their training efforts are paying off, with some podium and huge top 10 finishes so far this year from athletes as young as nine up to age 18.
The club runs on the dedication of its volunteers and parents who also support training sessions. This includes Sukhjinder Singh, dad of 10-year-old Avleen Kaur Chahal – an athlete diagnosed with ASD and a speech and language disorder. He said:
“Avleen joined BRAT a year ago and is flourishing in its inclusive, family-friendly environment. With the support of her coaches Cat and Matt, and a friendly group of athletes, BRAT has been a welcoming space where she feels included and empowered.”
The club is also working with the Para Athletics Co-ordination Team at England Athletics to remove barriers to success for athletes with disabilities. The U15 team’s Joseph Millward is a visually impaired athlete with a disability classification, who is currently training with BRAT to reach his full potential in a range of track and field disciplines.
Colin Bailey, BRAT junior athletics coordinator added:
In recent decades we’ve grown into one of the region’s most respected, successful clubs. We have over 30 qualified coaches delivering sessions to hundreds of junior athletes three times a week. Everyone at BRAT is a volunteer and it is to the credit of the coaching team that we have achieved so much recent success.
There is never a time of the year where something isn’t happening. From track & field in the summer to cross-country, road-running and sportshall athletics in the colder months, it’s a busy schedule but the successes we’ve seen in 2024 and 2025 so far are testament to the effort of both our volunteers and athletes.
We simply couldn’t run without the dedication of our volunteers, so if you have a passion for encouraging young people of all backgrounds into sport, we’d encourage you to get in touch.
To find out about volunteer opportunities, email juniors_marketing@bratclub.co.uk