The Little Athletics year is made up of two seasons – the summer season and the winter season.

The summer season runs from October through until March, with a break over the Christmas holidays. A weekly track and field competition is held through the summer season at Fortitude Drive Athletics Track, Truganina.

The winter season runs from April through until August and has a weekly cross country competition held at various locations in the western suburbs of Melbourne on Saturday mornings

Fees for U6 - U17 athletes are $195 for the year. This fee covers the track and field season, cross country season and all general training. Uniform tops are $35.00. Additional non mandatory events such as regional and state competitions & Centre Open Days have an additional fees. For Tiny Tot participants the fee is $120. This program is only run in the Track & Field Session

Track and Field is run in the Summer Months, starting in October and finishing in March each year.

Cross Country starts in April and concludes in August each year.

Tiny Tots is an activity based session for children aged 3 - 5 years old where parents are required to assist in the running of the program.

• Little Athletics Victoria Affiliation

• Insurance

• First Aid

• Centre Championships

• Medals & Trophies

Competition is predominately held on a Saturday morning, with first events called at 8:15am. We will start the morning with warm ups run by the Centre Captains at 8:00am on the grass on the infield. There is occasional Friday Twilight meets held during the season. Dates and times are advertised on the calendar.

There will be various training opportunities provided on Week nights between 4:30pm and 6:30pm. Sessions are advertised in our newsletter and in our facebook group each week.

Athletes are to wear the approved WLAC uniform which can be purchased. This is a WLAC tshirt/singlet/crop top and plain black shorts with no pockets. These are easily sourced from stores such as Best and Less and Kmart. If athletes wish to wear a t-shirt under their singlet it needs to be white. If athletes wish to wear leggings, they need to be plain black.

Please note: leggings with logos are not allowed (eg. 2XU, adidas stripes, Nike Pro Waist Band).

Athletes must have the Coles membership bib correctly attached to the Centre uniform.

Athletes in U11-U12 are permitted to wear spikes for laned track events and the jump events. Athletes U13-U17 are permitted to wear spikes for all track events (except the walks) and all jump events. If the athletes do wish to wear spikes please note that it is recommended that they start off in distance spikes as kids feet are still growing and the distance spikes provide greater support.

Athletes are asked to bring a hat, sunscreen, runners and a labelled drink bottle filled up ready to go. There is not seating at the venue. Please bring your own chairs and/or picnic blankets.

No, you can’t drop off your child.

A parent or guardian must be in attendance at the Centre during all competition days and training sessions. Any child without supervision may be withdrawn from competition until the adult returns.

Volunteering is compulsory for all families. Our centre is run by volunteers and each parent/guardian is required to assist to ensure our sport remains affordable for families.

A PB is a personal best performance. Athlete’s results for each event are recorded in the Little Athletics Results system. When an athlete runs faster, jumps further or throws further, then they have achieved a personal best (PB) performance.

First Aid is of paramount importance at all Little Athletic Events. A professional first aid company will be present at all centre competition rounds during our summer season.

Insurance is provided by LAVIC at all sanctioned events for all Little Athletics participants, volunteers, coaches, officials and spectators. Coverage is arranged through Honan. Cover includes Public, Products and Professional Liability.

Claim forms are available from the WLAC Secretary.

Policy conditions apply.

Lost property should be handed to a Committee Member.

The Centre holds onto lost property and donates it at the Christmas Break and end of summer season. At these times any property not claimed is given to a charity organisation.

The Centre Committee reserves the right to modify or cancel a program to suit the weather of the day.

If a program is cancelled due to rain a message will be posted on the Facebook pages and if possible communicated via email.

Centre Championships are held on the last day of the season.

Athletes from Under 6 to Under 17 compete in Centre Championships. Medals are awarded to the first three place getters for each event. Further details regarding Centre Championships will be emailed out in February.

Yes!

WLAC is run entirely by dedicated volunteers, with the majority of these being parents and guardians. The success of our weekly competition relies on every family contributing throughout the season.

Parents are expected to assist with the running of events by volunteering in a variety of roles. Many duties involve supporting an age group at field events, allowing parents to follow and support their child throughout the day, while other roles contribute to the overall operation of the Centre.

Seasonal Participation Requirement

Each family is required to earn the following minimum number of Parent Duty Points during the season:

• 👨‍👩‍👧 Families with 1 athlete:10 points

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families with 2 athletes:16 points

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families with 3 or more athletes:20 points

Points can be accumulated through a combination of volunteer duties throughout the season.

Parent Duty Points System

The following points apply to volunteer roles:

Assisting at a field event (raking, measuring, retrieving, spiking, recording, etc.) - 1 Point

Assisting at Tiny Tots - 1 Point

Stepping in as an Age Group Coordinator for one round - 2 Points

Assisting at the BBQ - 2 Points

Assisting with Set Up - 2 Points

Assisting with Pack Up - 2 Points

Assisting at the Uniform/Information Table - 2 Points

Scanner at the Finish Line - 2 Points

Officiating for an entire competition day - 3 Points

Parents are encouraged to volunteer in a variety of roles throughout the season to meet their required points. Failure to meet the required number of points for their family will result in athletes being ineligible to participate in Centre Championships.

Parents are also required to complete a duty at all region and state events if their child is participating.

Failure to complete the duty at region or state events will result in athlete missing out on a normal week of competition and ineligible to participate in Centre Championships.

Parent involvement during Tiny Tots program is mandatory. This also counts towards your required parent duties.

WLAC is always looking for more volunteers to officiate events and become members of the Committee. The committee meets on the 2nd Monday of every month to plan for the current and upcoming seasons. Our aim is to provide a sustainable centre for many generations to come.