Keighley & Craven AC welcomes all Junior athletes to our club. Our coaches are qualified in run, jump and throw disciplines and we encourage juniors to try all these activities. We train and compete on the track, road, fell and cross country. We have specialised coaches for field and sprint events.
We have different levels and capability for all our junior groups with all abilities welcome. We have a range varying from younger children who are new to athletics to experienced junior athletes who have represented their country at international level. Our club takes children from the age of 8 years old.
Training takes place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as below;
Training at Carlton Academy, Green Head Lane, Keighley, BD20 6EB and the cost is £2 per session
Tuesday 6.30pm – 7.30pm to 7.45pm
Thursday 6.30pm – 7.30pm to 7.45pm
Finish times vary slightly due to nature of session.
At the younger end, the emphasis is overwhelmingly on fun and trying all activities. It's not our philosophy to have children 8-11 years old specialising. As they get older and if they show aptitude for running at higher level, they may be invited into the next group up where they will encounter more specialised training which focuses on preparing them for particular events which we like to send a competitive team to. These vary depending on whether it is cross country, fell, road running or track season and we tend to target training based on local, regional and national championships.
We expect a level of dedication and behaviour from all our young athletes. Regular attendance is expected. Our Juniors have a lot of fun all the way through the age groups and we encourage this. It is great to see them secure friendships based on meeting others at the club. We do expect our Juniors to represent the club at least occasionally in competition whatever their ability as this is so important for their development - we often have an amazing team spirit which develops many life skills.
Please note that our junior groups have a waiting list although places frequently become available. Please get in touch by emailing matthewhouse96@yahoo.co.uk in the first instance to confirm whether spaces are available and to understand the expectations that we have of our juniors. Our Juniors compete at local, regional and in some cases national level. There is an expectation that all Juniors whatever their ability represent the club on occasion in local races. For events such as Northern and National Road Relays, we sometimes put on heavily subsidised coach travel so that we can have a fantastic team spirit whilst representing the club.
Please do not bring children to the club without first making contact to confirm when it is appropriate to come along.
