FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• At what age can my child join Little Athletics?
• What events will my child be competing in?
• What does it cost to join City North Little Athletics?
• What's required for parent help?
• When is competition held?
• My child won't be able to compete during some of the season. Is this a problem?
• 've been told that Little Athletics can involve some waiting around for events to start. Is this true?
• Who runs the Centre and how is it funded?
• How long is each competition session?
• Do I need to remain at the competition each week?
• To compete at the Regional Championships do I need to have competed at a minimum number of Centre level competitions?

At what age can my child join Little Athletics?

Athletes ages must be in the range of 5 (U6) to 16 (U17) years at 30 September of the registering year. Click here for more information. 

U16 and U17 athletes do not compete beyond Zone level and participate in Little Athletics as a recreational and social activity.

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What events will my child be competing in?

It depends on the age group, however events available at City North include sprints, middle distance, hurdles, racewalking, shotput, discus, javelin, long jump, triple jump and high jump. Full details of the events for each age group can be found here.

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What does it cost to join City North Little Athletics?

For a detailed explanation of the fee structure, please click here.

Also click here for information on Parent Help.

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What's required for parent help?

Please click here for information on Parent Help.

Note - All Parents have an obligation to assist with the running of competition days by helping to manage their child's age group or in more specific ways as described above. The levy should be regarded as an incentive, not an alternative to helping.

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When is competition held?

Competition is held on Saturday afternoons starting at 3.00pm. For full details refer to the  and Program Information.

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My child won't be able to compete during some of the season. Is this a problem?

We realise that sometimes other sports overlap the Athletics season and it may not be possible to complete an entire season. You can register a child at any time. Therefore if you can't compete at the beginning of the season it is best to delay registering until you are able to. Generally there are 20 - 22 competition days held in addition to special competition days for Regional and State events.

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I've been told that Little Athletics can involve some waiting around for events to start. Is this true?

Sometimes. Athletics is a series of individual events, unlike the team sports you may be accustomed to. With as many as 100+ Athletes scheduled to complete 5 events (that's over 500 individual throws, jumps, runs and walks!) some waiting is inevitable.

While every attempt is made to provide a program that runs smoothly, other factors, particularly the available parent help on the day, will affect the time it takes to get through all the events. It is also essential to ensure that age groups proceed to events in the order indicated in the program. Officials will always schedule a group as per the program.

This may at times mean a wait which could vary from only a few minutes to as much as 20 minutes - although delays of this magnitude should be infrequent. The Arena Manager is also watching over the overall progress of the competition to ensure there are no major delays. If you're in a situation where you think there is an unreasonable delay (greater than 20 minutes) please approach an Official or the Arena Manager and let them know. If it's possible to re-schedule your event it will be. If not, consider getting the children involved in a game or other activity while waiting.

The optimum size for the City North Centre is 100 -150 Athletes. This is based on the facilities available and the number of Parents prepared to become Officials. With the recent increase in the popularity of Athletics, the Centre can now have in excess of these numbers of Athletes registered. When this is the case, there may be delays exceeding those described above. Little Athletics has a policy of accepting all registrations at Centres. Please consider getting involved in the running of your Centre.

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Who runs the Centre and how is it funded?

The Athlete's Parents!

Little Athletics Centres are run under guidelines provided by the governing bodies - Queensland Little Athletics Association and Australian Little Athletics. The Centres have a degree of autonomy as to how they run within the guidelines and are generally self funded by a component of the registration fees, fund raising and the canteen. All equipment, for example, is purchased by the individual Centres.

At times, funds are sought from Government grants, and if successful, provide for major acquisitions, eg. shed extensions , high jump mats and long jump run-ups. Generally, all levels of Little Athletics are run by volunteers with the exception of a few essential full time positions at the State level.

At City North, all positions are filled by the parents of the athletes and, in some cases, ex-athletes. 

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How long is each competition session?

Expect to be at the regular weekly Athletics competition longer than you are for team sports. Typically, a five event program for 100-150 Athletes will take 2 1/2 hours to complete. This will depend on the amount of help available and the mix of events. Packing up all the equipment then takes a further 30 minutes to complete. We try to be away from Windsor Park by 6.00pm. Often we have finished earlier.

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Do I need to remain at the competition each week?

Yes. A Parent, Guardian or other responsible adult must be in attendance at all times.

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To compete at the Regional Championships do I need to have competed at a minimum number of Centre level competitions?

Yes. From the 2003/2004 season you need to have competed at a minimum of four Centre level competitions prior to nominations closing for the Regional Championships.

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