Academy Update - Changes

Following recent changes by UK Athletics to align age groups with international standards, we have been working with Sussex Athletics to understand what this means at a local level and how it affects opportunities for younger athletes.

Previously, our Academy programme was open to athletes in school years 4 and 5 (Under 11). However, from the 2026/27 season, competitive opportunities within Sussex will be limited to Under 12 athletes (school years 5 and 6), with very limited or no provision for younger age groups.

As a club, we believe it is important that children attending the Academy have the opportunity to participate in appropriate competitions alongside their training. In light of this, and after careful consideration, we have taken the difficult decision to align our Academy intake with the available competition structure. This means we will now only be able to accept athletes from school year 5 onwards.

We fully appreciate that this will be disappointing, particularly for those who were hoping to join at a younger age, and we are sorry for the uncertainty while these decisions were being finalised.

Thank you for your understanding and continued interest in the club.