Founded: 1900
President: G.J. Williams, Esq
London Schools’ Track & Field Athletics - Summer Term2017
Dear Colleagues
I am writing to clarify details about some of the various Track & Field athletics competitions that will be taking place this Summer Term so that you are aware of them and that you know how to enable your pupils to take part, and possibly gain selection for the London Schools’ team at the prestigious English Schools’ Athletic Association (ESAA) Track & Field Championships which take place at Birmingham on 7th and 8th July 2017.
One main difference between the London Schools’ Cross-Country and Track & Field Championships is that the former is run as an inter-school competition (from which the leading athletes in each race are selected for the London cross-country team) whereas the Track & Field Championships are organised on a Borough basis. You will have the opportunity to enter teams, or individual pupils, in your Borough Track & Field championships which will take place in April or May. The borough organiser will then select a team of athletes to compete at our main Track & Field championships, which will take place on Saturday 10thJune at Battersea, with one proviso – only pupils at schools which have affiliated to LSAA (London Schools Athletic Association) can compete in our championships and be considered for selection for the London team to compete at the ESAA championships in July. More than 50 schools have still to pay their affiliation fee, despite several reminders having been sent since the original information was emailed to all schools in mid-November. Please make sure you have paid your affiliation fee – otherwise your pupils will not be eligible to compete in any LSAA championships this summer or the ESAA championships. The affiliation form is downloadable from LSAA website.
The ESAA organises three main competitions during the summer. The same terms (Junior and Intermediate) are used in all three to define age-groups BUT it can be very confusing because the school years which make up these age-groups vary between the competitions! I will give details first of the two competitions which our LSAA championships link into:
1. ESAA Track & Field Championships
This is the prestigious competition held in July between county teams. Athletes have to achieve a very high standard to stand a chance of being selected for their County team and the competition is a recognised pathway to international honours for outstanding athletes. The age groups for this competition are:
Junior – yr 8&9; Intermediate – Yr 10 & 11; Senior – Yr 12 & 13.
‘London’ is the County Association for schools in the 12 inner London boroughs and as stated above each borough is invited to send teams to the LSAA Track & Field Championships and Team Managers will need to declare those teams by 18th May 2017. Performances at our championships on 10th June are used by the selectors when choosing a team of up to 70 outstanding athletes to represent ‘London’ at the ESAA Track & Field championships although performances at other recognised meetings MAY also be taken into consideration. We are not able to offer any steeplechase races on 10th June but if you have any keen steeplechasers in your school (in Intermediate or Senior age-group)who are aiming at selection for the London team in that event then please make them aware of the following opportunity:
- Iain Presnell, the organiser of the Kent Schools track & field championships has kindly offered steeplechasers from London the opportunity to compete as guests at their championships at the Julie Rose Stadium, Ashford on Saturday 10th June 2017. Entries must be received by Iain by 15th May at the latest. You can contact him on:
The LSAA also organises an Inter Borough Year 7&8 Track & Field championship to give athletes (particularly those in Year 7) the experience of competing for a team other than their school. Again schools must be affiliated to LSAA in order for their athletes to be in the borough team.As for the LSAA main Track & Field championships borough teams will be selected primarily on the basis of performances at the borough schools championships.
As the teams for these competitions are Borough based, please follow this link to find a list of borough contacts and the dates of the Borough Championships:
Age Groups and events for London Schools’ Championships:
Main Champs – Sat 10th June @ Battersea Park:Juniors (yr 8 & 9) Intermediates (yr 10 & 11)
Junior Boys: 100m, 200m, 300m, 800m, 1500m, 80m Hurdles, 4 x 100m relay
High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault,
Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Hammer
Inter Boys: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m,
100m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles, 4 x 100m relay
High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault,
Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Hammer
Junior Girls: 100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m, 75m Hurdles, 4 x 100m relay
High Jump, Long Jump, Pole Vault
Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Hammer
Inter Girls: 100m, 200m, 300m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m,
80m Hurdles, 300m Hurdles, 4 x 100m relay
High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault,
Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Hammer
For further details on these events e.g height of hurdles / weights for throws, please check the ESAA website:
N. B Steeplechase events will not be held at the London Championships so please see the note earlier in this letter for information about an event where athletes can compete.
Seniors (yr 12 & 13)who wish to be considered for selection for the London team MUST enter the South of England Under 20 Championships which take place on 10th and 11th June (unless they are aiming at selection for steeplechase in which case they must enter the Kent Schools championships, as explained earlier in this letter) . They must also
contact Bridget Yule on nd request an ‘Application for Selection Form’ and return it to her by 10th June at the very latest.
Year 7 & 8 Championships – Tues 13th June @ Mile End
Same events for all of these age groups:
Hurdles - 70m (yr 7), 75m (yr 8),
100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m, 4 x 100m relay
Shot, Discus, Javelin, Long Jump, High Jump
Borough Team Managers will shortly be sent the entry details for their Borough Team – so if you are interested in entering your athletes, make sure you contact them – details on the LSAA website:
2. ESAA Combined Events championships
The National Finals take place in September. The age-groups are the same as for the Track & Field championships. There are two rounds through which athletes qualify for these finals:
- First of all your school can enter individuals or teams of up to 6 athletes per age-group in the LSAA Combined Events championships which will be held at Lee Valley on Wednesday 24th May 2017. Full details and entry forms will be sent out to all London Schools at the start of the summer term and must be returned to the organiser by 10th May at the latest. In this competition each athlete will compete in five events on the one day (details in the letter) and some leading athletes MAY be selected to represent London Schools at the
- South East Regional competition which will be held on 24th and 25th June 2017 – this year being held at Kingsmeadow Stadium, near Kingston, Surrey.
3. ESAA Track and Field Cup competition
This is organised directly through ESAA – ie LSAA are not involved at all. It is an inter-school team competition and entry is on-line only, with entry fees paid directly to ESAA, with a closing date at the end of February- so if you did not enter you will not be able to do so now.
All schools that entered will be allocated their venue and will be competing in the first round at either Battersea Park on 8th Mayor at Croydon Arena or Mile End on 16th May.
Age groups for this competition are slightly different:
Juniors – yr 7&8; Intermediate – Yr 9&10
Only schools that completed their online entry by the end of February will be able to compete – no late entries are permitted – and information is all sent out through the website. Athletes must do two events (1 track + 1 field or 1 track + relay or 1 field + relay) and athletes will score points according to their performance rather than it being purely on position in a particular race/event. As well as the entry fee to ESAA, schools will be required to pay a contribution to the organiser to cover costs such as track hireand they will also be expected to provide staff to help on the day (either on the track, or on a field event). Leading schools from the first round competitions go through to regional rounds which are held in the 2nd or 3rd week in June from which schools are selected to compete in the National Final on Saturday 1stJuly.
There is also an ESAA cross-country Cup competition. The closing date for this is Thursday 15th June and entry is via the ESAA website.
I do hope this has clarified any questions you may have but if not please feel free to contact
me: or Bridget on
Thanks,
Marilyn Walker