The backbone of Dacorum & Tring AC is its track and field section, which boasts over 300 active members, from 9 years of age through to veteran athletes in the 60+ category. There are 24 track and field coaches, of whom 5 are ex-international athletes. Children progress through the U11 and U13 groups into the development squad or into the event specific squads. However, new members can be placed accordingly and are welcome to join at any time of the year.
Please use the ‘Contact’ section of our website, if you have an enquiry about joining us. Alternatively, if you are enquiring about a year 2-7, please contact Petra Carroll: petra.carroll@hotmail.co.uk or for older athletes, please contact Deborah Keenleyside: deborahk@dacorumandtringac.org.uk
All athletes joining the club are expected to attend training regularly and compete for the club on at least 2 occasions during the year; this can include doing the Club Championships or the Club Pentathlon.
We have a range of event-specific training squads which are detailed below. In addition to specialist coaching athletes are encouraged to compete in league matches and other appropriate events and competitions.
This group caters for athletes who have progressed through from the U13 group or who are just starting athletics. Athletes are taught the techniques involved in hurdling, HJ, LJ, Shot, Discus, Javelin and relay running. An athlete who displays a particular competence will move from this group to an event specific squad.
Athletes in this group have the opportunity to compete in the Eastern Young Athletes League and Club Champs.
Paul is the President of Dacorum & Tring AC and was an athletics presenter for the BBC. Paul coaches at Jarman Park every Tuesday. On Thursdays, the group at Jarman Park is led by Seb. Both coaches work on developing the athletes’ strength, speed and technical performance.
Athletes in this group compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional and National Championships.
Paul is currently coaching Amy Wright (16th at English Schools) and Jake Norris (the top U20 thrower in the UK).
John coaches two groups of high jumpers on Tuesday evenings. The 6.45-8.15pm group is for those athletes who have cleared more than 1.40m and the 6.30-8.15pm group consists of those who have a pb in the range of 1.20-1.39m. This allows for coaching to be directed to the level of ability of the athletes. Sessions involve technical work on run-ups, take-off and flight.
Athletes in this group compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional and National Championships.
John is currently coaching Tom Wright (7th at English Schools) and Amy Thurgood (13th at English Schools) and Edward Hopper (6th at Southern Inter-counties)..
Coaches: Deborah Keenleyside, assisted by Alison Parker.Contact: deborahk@dacorumandtringac.uk
The sprint hurdlers (70m, 75m, 80m, 100m, 110m) train with the sprinters on Tuesdays and Thursdays but do specialist hurdling sessions on Sunday mornings. They engage in hurdling drills, block work and technical sessions over the hurdles, developing both speed and efficiency.
The 300m and 400m hurdlers train with the 300/400m squad on Tuesdays and Thursdays and work on their competition event on Sundays.
Athletes in this group compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional and National Championships.
Deb presently coaches Mia McIntosh (English Schools Champion and British Record holder: indoors and outdoors), Milly Gall (bronze medallist at English Schools) and Arya Ariasi-Surrey (6th at English Schools).
Deb previously coached Amelia Woodnick (English Schools semi-finalist).
Coaches: Trevor Ratcliffe and Charlie Rowlands.
Trevor (World Masters Indoor Champion) and Charlie coach the young aspiring javelin throwers. Sessions involve the youngsters in the technical aspects of the event and develop their ability to throw from short/full run-ups.
Athletes in these groups compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional and National Championships.
Coach: Rob Wright
Rob coaches two groups of horizontal jumpers. The Tuesday group is mainly for U15s who are learning the basic technical aspects of the event. The older athletes work with Rob on Thursdays; concentrating on the finer details of the run-up, take-off, flight and landing.
Rob is supported by Ian Roberts, a National coach, who comes to Jarman Park to do sessions with the jumpers from time to time.
Athletes in this group compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional and National Championships.
Rob currently coaches Hannah Booth (13th at English Schools).
This group comprises some 40 members, who are organised into five different sub-groups, designed to target differing abilities and age groups. Training sessions are aimed at developing 800m, 1500m, 3000m and cross-country runners, and a commitment to training and competing is required.
Athletes from this age group compete in the Chiltern Cross- Country League, the North West London Cross-Country League, the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional and National Championships.
Mike presently coaches a number of athletes who have competed at the National X-C/English Schools X-C/English Schools Track & Field Champs: Sam Burnell, Joseph Chamberlain, Olivia Edwards, Brooke Evans, Tim Fryer, Tom Gaunce, Amy Lane, Milla Walsh, Stella Whitlum, and Freddie Truman-Williams.
Athletes formerly coached by Mike include Hannah Walker (International) and Kristian Imroth (National Cross-Country Champion).
Sessions involve work on run-ups and technique over the bar.
Andy has coached numerous vaulters to county, regional, national and international success, including Natasha Brunning (V35 World, European and British champion), James Weller (3rd UK Champs), Michael Fryer (bronze medallist English Schools).
Andy was named Community Coach of the Year at the 2015 Dacorum Sports Awards.
Athletes in this group compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional and National Championships.
Shaun works on the various techniques of shot putting: this incorporates standing throws and shifts.
Athletes in this group compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional and National Championships.
Danielle’s squad is made up of our best performing sprinters who compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional, National and International Championships.
Training sessions are designed to develop speed and speed endurance, effective use of blocks, acceleration and maximum velocity running. Conditioning work, resistance training and plyometrics are also included.
Danielle presently coaches Destiny Ogali (Gold medallist at English Schools and GB Junior for 4 x 100m), Lily Norwood (6th at English Schools) and Esme O’Connell (World Champion T20). Gavin previously coached Dominic Ashwell (GB International), Chenna Okah (Silver medallist at English Schools) and Mitchell Camp (gold, silver & bronze medallist, Special Olympics).
Coach: Cathie Woolfrey
This group is made up of developing sprinters (100m & 200m). They follow similar sessions to that of Group 1 but with a little less intensity. Conditioning work, resistance training, plyometrics, speed work, sprint starts and speed endurance work are all covered.
Athletes in this group compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club and County Championships.
Coaches: Deborah Keenleyside, assisted by Peter Stansbury.Contact: deborahk@dacorumandtringac.uk
This group is made up of athletes preparing to compete in 300m or 400m races. Training includes some endurance running, conditioning, track sessions, block work, hills, plyometrics, core work and resistance work.
Athletes in this group compete in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, the Youth Development League, the Southern Athletics League, Club, County, Regional, National and International Championships.
Deb presently coaches Phillipa Lowe (GB international/Silver medallist in European Indoor 4 x 400m Champs) and Abbie Parker (Eastern Counties U15G Indoor 300m Champion and 8th at English Schools). Deb previously coached Olive Coles (4th at British U20 Indoor Champs).
Coaches: Petra Carroll & Shaun Wall, assisted by Zoe Carroll. Contact: pcarroll@dacorumandtringac.uk.
These sessions focus on the England Athletic programmes of 365 and ABC (Agility, Balance and Co-ordination). We try to deliver sessions that are fun and teach the basics of all movements needed for the athletic events.
A number of these youngsters annually take the opportunity to participate in the Minithon (3 events) held at Lee Valley over the winter.
Coaches: Petra Carroll, Lauren Leach, Mark Whyte, Zoe Carroll. Contact: pcarroll@dacorumandtringac.uk
Athletes of all abilities participate in a variety of sessions aimed at introducing them to all aspects of track and field athletics. Our structured programme is based on the England Athletics scheme ‘365’, and develops both skills and fitness. It incorporates many competitive opportunities in which the children strive to reach their potential.
Athletes from this age group compete in the Chiltern Cross- Country League, the Eastern Young Athletes’ League, Club and County (Cross-country and Track and Field) Championships. A significant number are selected every year to represent Hertfordshire at the Annual U13 Inter-Counties match.
At Dacorum and Tring we currently compete in 3 Track and Field leagues in the summer season. Click on the tabs below to find out more.
Officials play a key part in making these competitions happen and as we grow as a club we might be able to enter other competitions but cannot do this without enough officials. If you are interested in becoming an official please get in contact.
The Eastern Young Athletes League (EYAL) provides a good level of competion for 11-16 year old athletes.
There are currently about 25 clubs that are competing in the EYAL. Clubs play in a round-robin system at 5 different fixtures throughout the summer with a Cup and Plate final for the top clubs (finishing 1-6 and 7-12). Scoring is points based rather than medal based. Athletes score points for each event (1st=6, 2nd=5, 3rd=4, 4th=3, 5th=2, 6th=1, no athlete entered=0) and scores are added up to decide the winner of the match. So it is a combination of athletes doing well and ensuring we enter every single event. For each event and age group (u13, u15, and u17 Boys and Girls) there is an A and a B competition and we can enter 1 athlete for each. There are also non-scoring competitions where athletes compete but do not score points for the club (a great way to get experience!).
If you would like to take part and haven’t already spoken with the team manager do get in touch with them (details on contact page).
The Southern Athletics League (SAL) provides a good level competition for Senior, U20, and U17 Men and Ladies. Only senior weight (throws) and heights (hurdles) are used.
There are currently over 100 teams that are competing in SAL. The league is split into three tiers. We are currently in Division 2 West, 16 clubs meet each other once in a round-robin system at 5 different fixtures throughout the summer. In Division 2W there are 4 teams (men and women) competing in each match. Scoring is points based rather than medal based. Athletes score points for each event (1st=4, 2nd=3, 3rd=2, 4th=1, no athlete entered=0) and scores are added up to decide the winner of the match. So it is a combination of athletes doing well and ensuring we enter every single event. For each event, there is an A and a B competition and we can enter 1 athlete for each. There are also non-scoring competitions where athletes compete but do not score points for the club (a great way to get experience!).
If you would like to take part and haven’t already spoken with the team manager do get in touch with them (details on contact page).
All clubs need to provide Timekeepers, Track Judges and Field Officials for every match. Each official scores two points per match. If you are interested in becoming an official or a volunteer for the team please contact us.
Age is no barrier when it comes to athletics!!
Once you reach the age of 35 there are leagues allowing you to compete with athletes of a similar age (5-year bands). These range from local to international competitions (the term Masters rather then Vets is used at the national and international level).
As a club we compete in the Southern Vets league with matches on Monday nights.
We are planning to enter a team in the 2020 Youth Development League (Upper Age Group).
Updates to follow soon.
| Date | Venue | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd May 2020 | tbc | tbc |
| 28th June 2020 | tbc | tbc |
| 25th July 2020 | tbc | tbc |
| 23rd August 2020 | tbc | tbc |
| tbc Final | tbc | tbc |
| Date | Venue | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| 19th April | Brighton | tbc |
| 24th May | Winchester | tbc |
| 21st June | Uxbridge | tbc |
| 26th July | Bournemouth | tbc |
| Date | Venue | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday April 25th | MILE END E14 7TW | Ryston Victoria Park & TH Woodford GwE |
| Sunday May 17th | HEMEL - JARMAN PARK | Crawley Havering London Heathside |
| Sunday June 7th | CROYDON SE25 4QL | Croydon Ealing S&M Stevenage & NH |
| Sunday July 12th | ERITH DA8 3AT | Bexley Ipswich and Colchester & T (C) Thurrock |
| Saturday 15th August | BRIGHTON BN1 5JD | Ashford Basildon Brighton & Hove |
| Date | Venue | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Club | Match Points | League Points |
|---|---|---|
| Havering | 35 | 4,255 |
| Dacorum and Tring | 33 | 3,955.5 |
| Shaftesbury Barnet | 33 | 3,855 |
| Norwich | 32 | 4,023.5 |
| Chelmsford | 32 | 3,854.5 |
| Thurrock | 30 | 3,686.5 |
| Basildon | 28 | 3,620 |
| Ipswich | 28 | 3,381.5 |
| Bedford | 26 | 3,028.5 |
| Colchester Harriers | 26 | 2,965 |
| Cambridge and Coleridge | 25 | |
| Watford | 23 | |
| St Albans | 23 | |
| Stevenage | 22 | |
| Nene Valley | 21 | |
| Bedfordshire Lions | 18 | |
| Herts Phoenix | 18 | |
| Peterborough | 14 | |
| Harlow | 13 | |
| Colchester and Tendring | 13 | |
| Team Norfolk | 12 | |
| Braintree | 12 | |
| North Suffolk | 11 | |
| HAWCS / Enfield and Haringey | 9 | |
| West Suffolk | 8 |
| Club | League Points | Match Points |
|---|---|---|
| City of Salisbury | 18 | 1,119.5 |
| Marshall Milton Keynes | 18 | 1,092.5 |
| Basingstoke and Mid Hants | 17 | 1,094.5 |
| Dacorum and Tring | 15 | 996.5 |
| Radley | 13 | 981 |
| Epsom and Ewell | 13 | 965 |
| Newbury | 13 | 949.5 |
| Croydon Harriers | 13 | 921 |
| Aldershot, Farnham and District | 12 | 931 |
| South London Harriers | 12 | 917.5 |
| Hillingdon | 11 | 877 |
| Kingston AC and Polytechnic | 11 | 858 |
| Yeovil Olympiad | 11 | 822.5 |
| Bedford and County | 9 | 854 |
| Walton | 7 | 815.5 |
| St Albans | 7 | 799 |
tbc
We have an active Facebook site, scroll through the recent activity below or click on the header to visit Facebook.
In addition to the competitions, many clubs hold meetings that anyone can join, chase that PB, build the match experience, try a different event and so on. A few places you can look include
Our club rankings can be found on the Powerof10 website – we have embedded this below – if you click on one the links you will be taken to their website:
Dacorum and Tring AC places a strong emphasis on competition for all.
We compete in several team competitions and ask all athletes (and parents and carers) to make a concerted effort to be available for their relevant club matches. Competing to the best of your ability is doing a great service to the club. Failing to attend without good reason is putting extra pressure on your team-mates, manager, captain and coaches. Even non-scoring athletes have a role to play, not just in the building of competitive skills, but also as a back-up team in case of injury, illness, etc.
In summary we expect the following of athletes: