Track & Field
We have a strong tradition in track and field competition, which continues to this day at all levels. From age 8 upwards to the over 75 age group, we have athletes competing in local, regional, national and international competitions. This mostly happens in the summer season, though a small number of athletes also take part in indoor athletics. Our youngest athletes participate in Sportshall competitions in the winter and in Quadkids competitions in summer. If you are interested in competing in track and field then we are able to offer regular training sessions, coaching, and access to regular competition. Details of coaching, training and competition appear elsewhere on this website, but in brief, the main opportunities are as follows:
- The club has a variety of coaching groups, catering for runners of all abilities, jumpers, throwers and multi-eventers. Whether your interest is in sprinting, middle distance, long distance, throws or jumps, we think we probably have a coach who can help you gain more from the sport and improve. Take a look at our coaching pages for more information.
- Different groups have different training times and programmes. Typically our juniors and seniors train twice a week at club training sessions at the track, but many members train outside of club training times either at the track or elsewhere. Training will always be directed by a qualified coach who will devise appropriate activities for every athlete. All of our coaches are volunteers who give their time freely to the club.
- For all Senior and Junior Members of the club, membership includes the cost of your England Athletics Affiliation fee. The club will register you with England Athletics, which will then enable you to enter all EA accredited competitions. With your EA Membership number you will be eligible for discounts for certain road and other running events.
Competition
Senior and Junior Members are expected to compete in club teams. Each year we appoint Team Managers who are responsible for selecting teams for league events. We are currently members of the Southern Athletics League (Seniors), the Oxfordshire Track and Field League (u9-u17 age groups), the Wessex League (u9-u17 age groups) and the Southern Counties Veteran Athletics League (over 35s).
This is a league open to clubs in the South of England, with teams drawn from as far afield as Plymouth in the west, Maidstone in the East and Norwich to the north-east of London. The majority of clubs are from the Home Counties but all southern counties are represented – Dorset, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is made up of 6 divisions at present, and is still growing. The league offers 5 matches each summer for combined mens and womens teams, with a timetable which compresses all the Olympic athletic disciplines (with the exception of marathon, race walking, and 10,000m) into one day. Our senior team normally travels up to two hours by bus for these matches, but we also host a match at Horspath each season. Matches are generally held on Saturdays. Competition is for under 17s and older, and our team is usually made up of a mixture of under 17, senior and veteran athletes.
Oxfordshire Track and Field League
This league is for junior teams in Oxfordshire, although at present it also includes one team from Berkshire. The current members are – Oxford City AC, Bicester AC, Banbury AC, Witney Road Runners, Abingdon AC, White Horse Harriers, Great Milton AC, Radley AC, and Team Kennet (Newbury). The league offers three fixtures during the summer, with one or more usually being held at Horspath, the others being at Banbury or Tilsley Park. The fixtures, which are usually held on a Sunday, provide competition for male and female athletes aged u9 to u11 (quad kids) and for u13 to u17, with u20s also being able to compete non-scoring. Teams for the league are selected by Team Managers. The league awards team trophies at the end of the season to the overall winner of the league and to the winners of each age group. Vouchers are also presented to athletes of the match after each fixture.
This league attracts teams from Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. It has one division, and offers four fixtures every summer. We usually host one match at Horspath. The matches, held on a Sunday, provide competition for boys and girls u9 and u11 (quad kids), and for u13 to U17 Boys, U13 to U17 Girls. Teams for the league are selected by Team Managers. The League awards team trophies to the overall winner of the league and to each age group.
Southern Counties Veteran Athletics League
Oxford City is in the Western Division of this league, which spans the whole of the South of England. The league ensures four fixtures each summer, providing good track and field competition at four Monday evening matches normally held in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire. We generally host one match at Horspath each season. Competition is open to men and women in over 35, over 50 and over 60 age groups, although it often includes over 70s as well. There are limited slots for guest athletes who don’t make the team. The men have won this league many times in the past 20 years, while the women, whose team was re-founded in 2015, won the league at their second attempt and have been consistently highly placed in the league. The winners of the Western Division automatically go forward to the League Winners Final in September which we have also won on several occasions. Many of our veteran athletes also regularly go on to compete and win medals in area and national championships: http://www.scvac.org.uk/
Midweek Open Graded Meetings
The club has, for the past 8 years, hosted a series of very popular Midweek Open Graded Meetings during the summer months. These afford athletes of all abilities the opportunity to compete regularly and gain both experience of competition and, hopefully personal bests. Look out for more information on our competition pages
Other local and regional clubs host Open meetings throughout the season and many of our athletes travel regularly to compete at these meetings.
Representative Teams
Many of our best athletes are selected for Oxfordshire teams, South of England teams, and, for the very best, England and GB teams. This affords them the opportunity to enter higher competitions and compete for regional, national and international honours. This applies equally to juniors, seniors and veteran age groups; the club currently boasts three senior members who have been recent GB team members, one GB junior, a Senior England team member and several veterans who have represented England and GB in track and field and cross country running.
” I owe so much to Oxford City Athletics Club – not only did it give me a sense of purpose and achievement during adolescence, but it was also a chance to make new friends and, of course, to travel to various venues which I otherwise would not have seen…the club has a debt of gratitude to its stalwarts who quietly encouraged young athletes and acted as role models…[being] a member of the club also helped me in applying to teachers training college and, eventually, in teaching itself.”
Dennis Queralt (member in the 1960s, founder member of Abingdon AC)
