SPORTSHALL ATHLETICS is an indoor form of track and field for children between the ages of 4 and 16. It was created by George Bunner MBE to provide a safe and warm environment for young athletes to train during the cold and dark winter months.
Following Sportshall Athletics introduction it quickly developed into a new form of team competition and the first ever Sportshall competition took place in 1976 with the annual
UK CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIPS being established in 1984.
Sportshall competitions are renowned for their ‘electric atmosphere’. Teams are cheered on while tackling exciting relay races and challenging field events.
Sportshall athletics training is where traditional events are introduced in adapted forms suitable for the indoor environment.
Typical adapted events can include running, relays and obstacle courses, shot put, speed bounce, standing long jump, standing triple jump and vertical jump, as well as anything else the coaches may choose to include. Often using specialised indoor equipment. The athletes often have great fun, without realising that they are still learning many of the principal movements used within athletics.
VoAAC enter u11, u13 and u15 teams into the annual county competitions with the opportunity for club athletes to be selected for regional competition squads with the chance if successful to reach national finals. Our u9’s are also given the chance to compete at county level.
Sportshall County Championships
Each year VoAAC enter teams into the Buckinghamshire County Championships. These are a standalone championship with athletes from clubs within Bucks competing against each other for individual event and overall competition winner medals.
The County Championships also aids selection of athletes for the Bucks County team who represent the Buckinghamshire at the Southeast Regional Sportshall in Sussex each year.
Sportshall Regional Finals
Sportshall Regional Finals provide an indoor multi-event competition helping budding athletes to develop athletics-based skills. Traditional events are introduced in adapted forms suitable for the indoor environment.
County teams from across England compete in Sportshall Regional finals, whilst finals are staged in Ulster and Wales. All teams are bidding for a place at the UK Final!
Sportshall UK Final
Held each year, the Sportshall UK Final is the flagship grassroots athletics development event of the year. Leading teams and individuals from across the UK gather to contest for national honours.
Previous Sportshall champions have included Morgan Lake, Mark Lewis-Francis and Kelly Sotherton. Whether an athlete, team manager, official or spectator, this event provides a fantastic occasion for all involved!