Competing is great fun and all club members are expected to make themselves available for selection by completing the availability form. The competition structure Club, School, County and Open can be a little bewildering for those new to competing. If you are still unsure after reading through please email our Track and Field Manager tmtf@teambathac.org
The competition season can be busy and finding the right balance between too much competition and not enough can be difficult. Your coach will be able to guide you to the best balance to gain the best performances whilst remaining injury free.
OPEN COMPETITIONS
Enter as an individual
There are many open competitions both indoors and outdoors during the year and you can enter these as an individual. All the information can be found on our calendar or via our useful links page. Please remember to enter using your URN and TEAM BATH AC. You will be expected to wear your TEAM BATH AC vest (blue with yellow side panels).
Open competitions are a vital part of building your reputation as a competing athlete and a great way to gain experience. Selection for many of our teams is based on these performances. All performances that are sufficiently licensed will appear on your personal profile on the Power of 10 website.
The annual Team Bath AC hosted open meetings are the Field Fest and the Team Bath Open.
COMPETING FOR TEAM BATH AC
Selection by the club Team Manager
The club compete as a team in the Avon League and Lower Age Group YDL and are selected by the Team Bath Team Managers.
For Lower Age Group U13 & U15 (LAG) YDL and all age group Avon League the team is selected by the Team Bath AC Team Manager. Availability forms can be found here.
To clarify (hopefully!) U13 & U15 definition :
U13 = Not 13 or over before the 31st August.
U15 = Not 15 or over before the 31st August.
So if your birthday is 27th July and you are 12 at the start of the outdoor season (April/May), you would actually have to compete as an U15. This general rule applies to all age group categories until you become a U20, when it reverts to calendar years!
Teams are selected based on the Selection Policy
For the Upper Age Group YDL Team Bath compete as part of the composite Team Avon. Selection for Team Avon is by the Team Avon Team Managers.
Complete the availability form and send to the team manager as soon as possible.
Athletes compete in the following age groups
| Age / School Year | EA Age Category | Schools Age Category | Avon Track & Field League | Youth Development League / YDL | Kit Colours |
| Yr 4 & 5 | U11 | Quad Kids | Blue & Yellow | ||
| Yr 6 & 7 | U13 | Minor (yr 7 only) | yes | Lower Age Group | Blue & Yellow |
| Yr 8 & 9 | U15 | Junior | yes | Lower Age Group | Blue & Yellow |
| Yr 10 & 11 | U17 | Inter | yes | Upper Age Group Composite Team Avon |
Burgundy & Yellow stripes |
| Yr 12, 13 & still 20 on 31/12 | U20 | Senior | yes | Upper Age Group Composite Team Avon |
Burgundy & Yellow stripes |
| Under 35 | Senior | yes | Blue & Yellow | ||
| Over 35 | Masters | Limited events, may compete as Senior | Blue & Yellow |
COMPETE FOR MY COUNTY
Enter as an individual athlete
County Championships are held every year and to be eligible you need to have been born or be resident in that county. See county websites for selection criteria and our competition calendar for details. You will need to enter these competitions as an individual. The counties will run the competitions on the same weekend in May. The main local authority websites are as follows, Wiltshire AA, Somerset AA, and Avon AA. At these meetings you should wear your Team Bath AC kit.
Once you have competed at the County Championships you may then be selected to compete at the Inter County Championships held in August but if you meet the standards you can also enter Inter Counties as an individual. If selected to represent the county you will be expected to wear your county kit.
COMPETE FOR MY SCHOOL
Selected by the School
The English Schools Athletics Association (ESAA) championships start at a local level and result in national (and international) level competition in both Track & Field and Combined Events.
Each school in each county will have trials where you will compete for your school. This is not necessarily the same county that you live in as not all will go to school in their home county.
Following the trials, your districts will select Minors (year 7), Juniors (year 8 & 9) Inters (year 10&11) and Seniors (year 12 & 13) teams to compete at county schools.
If successful, and achieve a county standard performance, you may be selected at your county schools competition you will compete at the South West Track & Field Championships generally held in Exeter. If you achieve the entry standard here you may be selected to represent your school and county at English Schools National Final.
English Schools Track & Field National Final
For more information visit ESAA
English Athletics Regional & National Competitions
English Athletics is subdivided into three regions of North, Midlands and South and each have their own Athletics Associations who will run the Competitions in the various counties. The counties will also have online entry for their local competitions as will the clubs working in those counties
The Southwest region including the main counties of Avon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset are covered by the Midlands Athletics Association. The Southwest England Indoor Championships is also included in the Welsh Athletics Association due to the proximity of the NIAC facilities
We are pleased to support the three Area Competition providers in the North, Midlands and South and encourage athletes to enter their championships, but please note that under UKA rules it is only permissible to enter one regional area Championship (i.e. you can enter the Midland Championships, but cannot compete in the Northern or Southern Championships in the same year) unless those championships have guest or open entry. Entry qualification to these championships is normally via residence in the member counties or birth, with some having minimum performance standard. Please see our fixtures list for details and links for the regional and national competitions.
