The Tots program at Balmain Little Athletics is for children aged 4 years old. This program runs for an hour on Saturday morning from 8.30-9.30am. Kids have lots of fun developing skills in jumping, running and throwing.
On a Saturday morning at King George Park, the Club runs an athletics program for kids from 4 to 16 years old. Click here to view the Age Grid tables for the 2024/25 season.
Every athlete registering with Balmain Athletics Club for the 2024/25 season will have access to all Club events including Saturday morning programs and training sessions held at King George Oval, Manning street, Rozelle.
They will also be able to participate in a range of events including community races, fun runs, relays, State Combined Carnival, Treloar Shield (a series of team competition events), Zone-Region-State progression Championships, and other specialist events. These events take place at venues around Sydney and NSW.
We will keep you informed of these opportunities during the season.
Age groups are determined according to the child's year of birth. Click here to view the Age Grid for the 2024/25 season.
Note that a child stays in the same age group for the whole Summer Club Season - from October to March. They don't change age groups after their birthday or at the start of the year.
For example, a child born in 2020 is in the Tiny Tots for the whole 2024/25 season; a child born in 2019 is in the 6s for the whole 2024/25 season and so on.
No, athletes remain in their own age group. The online registration process allocates a child to their age group based on their date of birth. All new athletes must show a proof of identity document, eg birth certificate or passport (photos on mobile device are acceptable) when picking up their registration pack.
For any questions/requests regarding participation at Club level in another age group for health or wellbeing reasons, contact registrar@balmainlac.org.au
There are many opportunities for our athletes to compete against other Clubs at NSW Athletics Partnership events over the summer and winter athletics season.
You will receive emails with information about how athletes can participate in a range of events including community races, fun runs, relays, State Combined Carnival, Treloar Shield (a series of team competition events), Zone-Region-State progression Championships, and other specialist events.
The online registration platform is managed by the NSW Athletics Partnership. Registrations usually open early August. The link to register for Balmain Athletics is on our website - Register. It is also shared by email to all athletes that were registered in the preceding season and posted on our socials - Facebook and Instagram.
Click here for current registration information including registration fees. The registration cost is split between an association fee and the Club fee. The Club component is used to pay for equipment and operating costs including coaching for Saturday competitions and training sessions. The uniform cost is separate.
We do not maintain waiting lists prior to registration opening.
You need to pick up your Registration Pack that contains your athlete’s unique registration number, age group patch and sponsor patch (Coles patch). New registration numbers are issued every season.
Registration Packs can be collected before the start of the season on “Registration Pick Up Day”. This is usually held on a Saturday afternoon 3 weeks before the first Saturday competition day - for the 2024/25 season it will be Saturday 21 September from 1-3pm at King George Park, Manning street, Rozelle You also need to buy a competition singlet - Uniform.
After the start of season, Registration Packs and competition singlets are available in the Club Room prior to the start of competition on Saturday mornings.
Don't forget to sign up for a Canteen & BBQ volunteer shift!
7.15am: Equipment Set Up - Allocated to age groups on the rotational schedule
8.20am: Announcements - Athletes gather around their Age Group “flag” and check in with Age Managers
8.25am: Warm up - Junior coaches lead athletes on a warm up lap
8.30am - Events begin for all age groups
9.30am - Tots age group finish
9.45-10.00am - U6s and U7s finish
10.15am - U8 finish
10.30am - U9s and U10s finish
11am onwards - U11+ age groups finish
11.15am-12.00pm - Equipment pack up
The start of each season is very busy, with high attendance levels and large numbers of athletes learning new skills. During this time, we ask everyone to be extra patient as many athletes and parents/carers move around the oval and get familiar with competition processes and rules.
Over the season the Club cycles through a three weekly program of events for each age group. Click here to view the weekly programs. Note 6s to 8s will also undertake skill development sessions on Saturdays.
To find out more about the events, you can read the LANSW Event Fact Sheets or watch the LANSW "How to..." video series which is made for athletes.
If the grounds are closed by the Council, a notice will be posted on Facebook/Instagram on the Friday night prior to a Saturday morning competition. If the decision is based on weather conditions developing overnight/in the morning, notification of cancellation will be posted on Facebook/Instagram by 7.15am on Saturday morning. Our Facebook page is visible on the Club's homepage.
Age Managers are a group of up to 4 volunteers (parents/carers) who guide the age group and oversee the running of events on Saturday mornings. The role is to delegate tasks to other parent/carer volunteers, encourage and support athletes and liaise with Committee members.
The Club supports Age Managers by:
Complete this form if you are interested in being an Age Manager.
To get started we recommend you read the LANSW Event Fact Sheets or watch the "Hints and Tips for Age Managers and Volunteer Helpers" video series. There is also an LANSW "How to..." video series aimed at athletes.
The assistance of volunteer parents/carers is essential to the running of the Club, including setting up, packing up and the running of events on Saturday competition mornings, training sessions and at Championships.
Volunteering and assisting with your athlete’s age group is the best way to be close to the action and encourage all athletes to try their best. You can support the Age Managers by recording results at events, marshalling athletes either at the start or end of running events, collecting shots/discus, raking in the long jump pit, measuring any throwing events.
You can also help pack up equipment at the end of Saturday competition. Every family must volunteer for one shift per season in the Canteen or BBQ - sign up here.
The Club uniform consists of our special “Harbouring Cultures” singlet (or crop top) designed by local First Nations artist Blak Douglas, with black shorts or black compression active wear. This uniform is worn at all levels of competition.
For specified NSW Athletics Parnership events - the registration number (bib) must be sewn or pinned on the front in the centre (with the red border showing), age patch at the top left hand corner and a Coles patch at the top right corner. For crop tops, the age patch can be placed on the shorts. Click here for the Uniform Placement of Patches.
Singlets, hats & caps can be purchased from the Club Room during Saturday morning competition. Click here for a list of uniform items and prices - as at 2023/24.
Blak Douglas calls the design "Harbouring Cultures”.
Sourcing the rock carvings gallery at Callan Park (Wangal Country) I’ve created these designs to pay homage to both the Wangal and the artists responsible for the imagery upon the foreshore. The inherent colours of the Balmain Tigers are an apt fitting for such an aesthetic. Orange, white & black exist naturally within the Pirrima (Sandstone). The distorted concentric circle patterns represent the grain pattern found in the rock. The existing shark motif acts as a stark contrast to the Tall Ship also present. The fish motifs are in acknowledgement to the neighbour cousins of the Wangal and a connected dreaming.
Blak Douglas, 2021
Every Saturday morning each event site needs to be set up for the applicable weekly program. At King George Oval this includes:
During the season, parents/carers from each of the U6 to U17 age groups are allocated to set up on a Saturday to help distribute equipment and set-up the Oval from 7.30am. Committee members are present to allocate tasks. Email reminders are sent to the age group leading up to their set up duty.
Shoes are compulsory in every event for all ages.
Spikes are permitted in the U11 age group and above in events run entirely in lanes and during Long Jump, Triple Jump and High Jump. Athletes in U6 to U10 age groups must not wear spikes for any event. They can wear waffles.
Trial sessions of up to two Saturday competition mornings are available for age groups that are not closed. These are available after week 3 of a season. You must sign in at the Club room before participating in any events.
For further information, contact registrar@balmainlac.org.au
Club training is offered on Tuesday afternoons to all athletes in the U6-U17s age groups. The focus of these session is on skill development from beginners to intermediate level with our junior coaching team. All athletes start with our regular warm-up lap involving dynamic exercises and stretches before moving onto drills then break up into groups for skill training.
Specialist training is offered to athletes in the U11-U17 age groups on Thursday evenings. We are finalising specialist coaching availability and anticipate being able to offer hurdles, long & triple jump, middle distance, race walking, sprints and throws. These sessions offer more technical coaching to our older athletes who choose to undertake just one event group during the training session.
Training times for the 2024/25 season will be listed after confirmation of access to King George Oval from the Inner West Council.
Our team of junior coaches run skill building sessions for the 6s-8s age groups during field events on a Saturday morning at King George Oval. This enables technique development and keeps our athletes active.
Athletes in the 6s to 8s age groups can also attend Club Training sessions on Tuesday afternoons at KGO.
Athlete's results are entered into the Club database by parent/carer volunteers every Saturday afternoon after Club competition. The results are displayed on the Club website. Click on 'Results' to keep track of your PBs and watch your progress over the season.
Safety is a priority on Saturdays. Please follow these guidelines and any directions given by Age Managers, Coaches and Committee members.
The Club runs a Canteen and BBQ every Saturday. It plays a vital role in our fundraising and also offers an early lunch solution. Each family must volunteer to help with the BBQ/Canteen for two 2 hour shifts per season. Click here to sign up. You will receive a reminder email a few days before your nominated Saturday.
Track events on Track 1 (Oval track) must have at least two manual timing devices that have timed first place and both times are under, or equal to, the existing record. Stopwatches must not be deleted until a Committee member has viewed and verified the time. Track events with operational timing gates do not need a manual back timer.
If an athlete is close to a record distance in any throwing event, Age Managers must ensure a Committee member or accredited/nominated official is on hand to view any potential record breaking throw and verify the measurement.
In a jumping event, an Age Manager or accredited/nominated official must view the jump to determine fouls for any potential record. The Age Manager or accedited/nominated official must not be related to the athlete. Stop competition, do not rake over the sand and call a Committee member or accredited/nominated official to measure.
Age Managers: a small group of parent/carer volunteers who guide an age group and oversee the running of events on Saturday mornings with support from other parent/carer volunteers.
Backup timer: an assistant timekeeper with a second stopwatch.
Blocks: starting blocks used by older athletes.
Cage: the net or fence that protects us from a discus.
Circle: the area an athlete uses to throw a Shot or Discus from.
Committee member: a parent/carer volunteer who helps manage the club.
DQ: disqualification.
Flop: Fosbury Flop high jump technique that athletes lean in the U11 age group and can be applied in age groups from U11 and above.
Lane 1: The innermost lane on the main oval track.
Lifting: when an athlete loses contact with the ground in race walking.
Multi timer: a timing device/stopwatch used to time longer races that records multiple athletes and produces a printed record.
Pack start: when a group of athletes start from the same position on the oval track, usually used for long distance running in U6-U8 age groups and race walking for U9-U17 age groups.
PB: Personal Best - your best ever result in an event.
Scissors: the high jump technique that athletes learn in the U9 and U10 age groups.
Sector: the area between the lines that a throw in discus, javelin and shot put must land within.
Staggered start: the different starting positions when running a 200m, 400m and (for senior athletes) 800m race.
The Gun: a device used to start a race.
Timing Gates: the electronic timing poles.
“Track”: used to signal that a non-competing athlete or spectator has accidentally moved into the path of an on-coming athlete and must move quickly out of the way; for competing athletes in a middle distance race (800m, 1500m, 3000m or 1500m race walk), a request to move to lane 2 to clear lane 1 for another athlete to pass.
Waffles: sprinting shoes worn by junior athletes.
Zone: A competition for athletes in the U7-U17 age groups where the Club competes against six other Inner City clubs.
It is Club policy that Committee members, Club coaches (over 18 years old) and Age Managers must have a Working With Children Check. Click here to apply online at Service NSW.
