Junior Athletics
Welcome to our BRAT junior athletics page. We are a friendly and highly competitive club and it is our aim to maximise the potential of all our junior athletes in a safe, welcoming and positive environment. Please read all of the information below, and use the contact details at the bottom of the page if you are interested in pursuing athletics and being part of one of the greatest clubs in the area.
If you are interested in joining, please read below and complete this application form.
Please do not attend any sessions without prior contact as we operate a waiting list system. Any question can be directed to: juniors@bratclub.co.uk
Ethos
BRAT club enters competitions to compete with the best clubs, with the best athletes all over the country. There is no doubt that we are a friendly and welcoming club, but we strive to be the best that we can be. It is an honour to represent BRAT, and as athletes, you should be giving your all so that you are selected to have the privilege of wearing the BRAT club vest.
What does that mean for you, as parents / athletes? What this means is that we have an expectation for commitment to competition and commitment to training. Our dedicated and experienced coaching team are only permitted (and indeed only have time) to coach a specific number of athletes. If athletes are not committed to both training and competing for BRAT, we may need to politely ask you to step aside to make way for others that are!
The fixtures for league matches are typically provided several months in advance, and we expect all our junior team to compete in all matches except where unavoidable circumstances prevent doing so. This applies to track & field, cross country and sportshall.
Competing for the club
It is the expectation of the club that you take part in regular competition throughout the year.
Read here for a full explanation of the various types of competition.
For fixtures, see league here, championships here and open meetings here.
Parental Responsibility
BRAT club is run entirely by volunteers. The volunteers give their valuable time in order to support the club and the sport as a whole. The activities carried out by the volunteers may be easily visible (coaching for example), but there is so much that goes on behind the scene. The wider our volunteer base is, the better we can make the club.
With that in mind, we actively encourage parents to:
1: Get involved with coaching. BRAT club is happy to support sending people on coaching courses. It isn’t a daunting task, and you will be fully supported by the experienced coaches at the club whilst you learn.
2: Become a ‘parent volunteer’. This may be as simple as grabbing a rake and raking the sandpit at training, setting out cones around the track…or even getting involved in team leading at competitions.
3: Get an ‘officiating’ qualification. At league matches, we are awarded points based on the number of officials we are able to provide.
These opportunities would genuinely make a huge difference to the club, e-mail juniors@bratclub.co.uk or simply grab one of the existing coaches, we’d love you to get involved!
Team manager contacts
Click here.
Fees
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE
£35.00 for u13s and older (school years 6+) and £15 for years 4 & 5.
Membership runs from 1st April – 31st March.
Monthly Training Fees
Direct debit of £15 per month for 1 session per week and £20 per month for as many sessions per week as you like.
The BRAT juniors Coaching Team
Coaching Leads
Role: BRAT Junior Coordinator / HoE League Team Manager / Coach (Varied events / across all age groups)
Bio: I am responsible for the BRAT junior team as a whole and I am held to account by the BRAT executive team. This means that I must ensure that our junior athletes are able to achieve their full potential in a safe and organised environment.
I am involved in coaching the BRAT juniors and I bring a wealth of athletics experience and have a genuine passion for the sport. I competed as a decathlete in my years as a senior, but I began running cross-country and middle distance on the track as a 9 year old. In the years between, I won many county, regional and national medals in combined events and individual events alike. I strongly encourage all junior athletes to get involved with as many athletics disciplines as they can, especially in their younger years.
Role: Cross country team manager / Lead Endurance Coach
Bio: Level 3 UKA Performance Coach (Endurance)
Level 3 Official (Endurance)
Nick started coaching junior athletes in 1997 from club level up to the European Junior Championships. He has been involved in endurance sport for over 48 years; competing in athletics, cross country, road racing, triathlons and cycle time trials.
In setting his BRAT club marathon record in London 1990 (a record that this stands!), a imperious time of 2:19.42, Nick obtained an England vest. Prior to that, Nick set a then British record in the Roth Avia Ironman Challenge in 1998 with a time of 9:18:49.
For contact details of the coaching leads, please click here.
Safeguarding
Please refer to the follow for details of our coaching team’s relevant details:
https://www.englandathletics.org/clubs-and-facilities/club-support-services/club-welfare/safeguarding-checks-and-dbs-processes/ or e-mail us here: welfare@bratclub.co.uk
Contact
E-mail us at: juniors@bratclub.co.uk for further information. If you are interested in joining, please complete this application form.
