Frequently Asked Questions

• Registrations usually open at the beginning of August each year
• We hold two registration collection days prior to the start of the season where you can collect the registration numbers and age patches for your athletes – these must be securely attached to the uniform top. Ideally, you should try and register at least 48 hours before one of the registration collection days so we have time to collate your registration kit.
• You may register at any time throughout the season. Fees do not typically reduce for very late registrations, but they may in extreme circumstances. Check with the club registrar if required.
• If you miss the registration collection days or register late – you may collect the registration kit from the club registrar at one of our Saturday morning carnivals.
• You should read our Registration page for full details about how to register.
• Check our Season Calendar for registration dates and registration collection days.

• Little Athletics is a summer sport, with the season starting mid-September and running through to March
• We have a break over the Christmas / New Year period starting in mid-December before resuming carnivals mid-January
• Our Season Calendar is kept up to date with all important dates for the season

• Please check our Registration page for up to date membership pricing.
• Northern Suburbs Little Athletics is entirely run by volunteers – which means we can keep our registration fees low, making Little Athletics one of the most cost effective participation sports available.
• In addition to the registration fee, each athlete must also wear a club uniform top which can be purchased from our online store. Uniform tops are either a tshirt, singlet or crop-top, which is to be worn with black shorts at our Saturday carnivals or at competition events
• Some optional championship events may have an additional cost associated with them – but costs are generally kept low or subsidised to encourage participation
• We run a canteen, BBQ and coffee van each Saturday morning – we are confident that our BBQ is the best you’ll get at any local weekend sporting event!

• Yes, Active Kids vouchers can be used towards NSLAC registration.
• If you have not already obtained the an Active Kids voucher for your child this year and wish to use one of them for registration, you will first need to apply for the voucher, before beginning the registration process.
• Once you have a voucher, you simply enter the specific voucher number allocated to the child that you are registering, into the appropriate box within the registration portal, and the registration fee payable will be reduced accordingly.

• Age groups are determined on a calendar year basis.
• All kids born in a specific year (1st Jan – 31st Dec) compete together in the same age group.
• Note that as of the 2024/25 season, there has been a slight change in the naming convention for age groups, dropping the “Under” from the group name. It will help to think age groups now as the age an athlete will turn in the year the season ends.
  • Previously the convention was to look at the age an athlete turns in the year the season starts and consider them “under” a certain age (eg you turn 7 the year the season starts, you’re in “U8” – this was to allow for combined age groups like the U17 which were kids turning 15 or 16 in the year the season starts – all of whom are “under 17” years old.
  • So for the 2024/25 season, an athlete who turns 8 in 2025, will be in the “8s” age group (previously known as U8)
  • Starting with the 2024/25 season, kids turning 16 in 2025 will be in a new “16s” age group – they will remain combined with the 17s at our club carnivals – but will now compete as a separate age group at championship events.
• Age groups remain the same throughout the season – so if your child is in the 8s age group in September, they will remain with that same group until the end of the season in March.
• Refer to the table on our registration page for the current season’s age groups based on year of birth.
• We verify ages for all new athlete registrations – passports or birth certificates must be presented to the club Registrar when registering or when collecting registration kits

• Yes, we offer Tots for kids who turn 4 years old in the year the season starts (ie born 2020 for the 2024/25 season)
• Important: we only allow Tots registrations for younger siblings of current registered athletes
• Tiny Tots will participate in games and activities designed to develop gross motor skills. They will not engage in competition.
• See our registration page for more information on our Tiny Tots program, including current costs.
• Note that the Tiny Tots program will only run if we have sufficient registrations.

• Yes, trial membership is available for a $30 fee.
• Trial membership is only open to athletes who have not previously been a member of a Little Athletics club
• We only accept trial athletes aged 11-16
• Athletes may trial the first two carnivals of the season.
• See our Try Athletics page for more information on trial memberships.

• To ensure athlete safety and maximise engagement for registered athletes, we will be capping registrations at approximately 40 athletes per age group and we re-assess these numbers each season.
• Most weeks, we’d expect numbers to be more around the 20-25 athletes per group for the larger groups.
• We rely heavily on parent assistance during the carnivals – the more parents who chip in to help run the group, the more efficiently everything will run, especially for large groups.

• Athletes must wear our club uniform to all Saturday carnivals and to any championship events they compete in.
• Athletes may choose a club tshirt, singlet or crop top – uniform items may be purchased from our online store.
  
• The athlete registration number must be firmly affixed to the front of the uniform top – and is season-specific, meaning that each season it must be replaced, even if the number remains the same.
• The supplied age patch must be affixed to the front left hand side of the uniform.
• If you have an older uniform that does not include the Coles sponsor logo printed on the front-right side, please contact the committee to request a Coles patch which is required for all competition purposes. All of our newer uniforms have the Coles logo printed directly on the top, so the patch is not required in most cases.
• Athletes should wear black shorts – we do have some branded shorts available for sale in our shop, but any black shorts, bike shorts or above-the-knee compression tights may be worn.
• Items ordered from our online store may be collected at our registration collection days or regular Saturday carnivals for the first half of this season. Orders after that time will need to be delivered directly to you at your own cost.
• Kids must wear shoes – no athlete may participate without appropriate footwear.
• Uniform is not required at Sunday coaching.

• Kids must wear shoes – no athlete may participate without appropriate footwear.
• No special footware is required to participate in Little Athletics other than enclosed running shoes or sneakers (no thongs, sandals or other open-toed shoes) – most kids just wear their normal sneakers.
• Keen runners often purchase “waffles” which are a lightweight running shoe with rubber lugs on the bottom (sometimes referred to as “spikeless” running shoes).
• There are a variety of event-specific athletics shoes on the market. It is not necessary for athletes to purchase specialised shoes, but keen athletes may choose to do so. Note that shoes with metal spikes are only permitted in some circumstances for older age groups. See spike FAQ section.
• If an athlete is in an age group permitted to wear spikes, they must not put them on until they are ready to compete in a specific event. This means that athletes should wear sneakers or waffles to the carnival and carry their spikes in a suitable bag.
• Football boots or cleats must not be worn and are not permitted at Rotary athletics field.

• Spiked shoes must not be worn by any athlete in the 6-10 age groups
• Athletes in the 11 and above age groups may wear spikes in certain events, but only at the discretion of the age manager and should not put them on until directed to by their age manager.
• Athletes in the 11 and 12 age groups may wear spikes in events run entirely in lanes (100m, 200m & 400m sprints, plus hurdles events), long jump, triple jump and high jump.
• Athletes in the 13-17 age groups may wear spikes in events run entirely in lanes, long jump, triple jump, high jump, javelin, 800m, 1500m and 3km.
• Athletes must not put on their spikes until they are ready to compete in each specific event, and must remove them immediately afterwards.
• Under no circumstances are athletes permitted to continue wearing spikes when not competing. These shoes can be very dangerous and are responsible for most of our athlete injuries – this rule is strictly policed. Athletes should wear regular running shoes for moving around the carnival or for events where spikes are not worn.
• Athletes must not wear spike shoes with the spikes removed.
• Football boots or cleats may not be worn under any circumstances and are not permitted to be used at Rotary athletics field
• We do not recommend the use of grass spikes due to the injury risk of longer spikes.
• Note that some championship venues (eg SOPAC or Narrabeen) have strict rules about the types of spikes that may be worn by athletes – this is policed at events and so be sure to check you have suitable spikes before competing at those venues.

• Our weekly carnivals are conducted on Saturday mornings at Rotary Athletics Field, Mowbray Road, Lane Cove West with most age groups starting by 8am
• Some age groups will have earlier events – be sure to check the timetable each week.
• Throughout the season there are Little Athletics NSW championship events that our athletes can choose to compete at. Some of these are run on Saturdays or Sundays and some events cover an entire weekend. Note that championship events are held at various locations around Sydney with some events held in regional NSW.
• If our weekly carnival is affected by a championship event – this will be noted in our season calendar.

• No, Little Athletics at NSLAC is not a drop-and-go activity – parents are expected to remain on site to supervise their children and help run the carnivals.
• It is a condition of registration that at least one parent for each family (or a relative or friend) be in attendance at every carnival to assist with the program for their child/ren’s age group/s. Please take this into consideration before you register as we do reserve the right to remove your child from carnivals if you are not contributing.
• Our Club is entirely run by volunteers and while we know this can be difficult sometimes, it is also not fair for other families to have to cover the load. Your cooperation is appreciated.

• The duration of a carnival is largely dependent on the program for the week and how many athletes an age group has in attendance. Typically, most larger age groups will be finished some time after 10:30am, but it does vary a lot.
• Tiny Tots program will run from 8:30-9:30am (to be confirmed)
• The Council has placed a condition on our booking of Rotary athletics field that all equipment must be packed away and the track cleared before midday each Saturday.

• Although we encourage attendance each week, it is not compulsory.
• Please note attendance at NSLAC carnivals may be a consideration when selecting representatives for championship events such as State Relays and Zone.
• The more carnivals athletes attend, the more opportunities they have to set Personal Best results and earn certificates and maybe even awards at the end of the season.

• If it is wet, the committee will evaluate the conditions down at Rotary and decide whether to continue with the scheduled carnival, cancel it, or run a modified wet-weather carnival.
• If it is very wet, the council may close Rotary athletics field, in which case we have no choice but to cancel our weekly carnival. Check the council Ground closures page for more information.
• When a carnival is cancelled, we will attempt to notify members by 7am on a Saturday morning – so assume it is on unless you hear from us.

Yes, the season typically starts mid-September and will run through the October school holidays.

We do break for Christmas in mid-December and then re-commence in mid-January, but this is independent of actual school holiday dates.

See our season calendar for more details.

We encourage our little athletes to participate in the full range of disciplines. Our weekly programs have a mix of running, jumping, throwing and walking events (age group dependent).

You never know what your child will do well at – and as they grow and develop in strength and skill, they may enjoy and excel at events they would not have normally considered!

Sprints (laned events)

• 50m (6-7)
• 70m (6-10)
• 100m (all age groups)
• 200m (all age groups)
• 400m (8-17)

Distance (pack start)

• 300m (6)
• 500m (7)
• 700m (8)
• 800m (9-17)
• 1500m (11-17)
• 3000m (13-17)

Hurdles

• 60m hurdles (8-10)
• 80m hurdles (11-12 + 13 girls)
• 90m hurdles (13 boys + 14-15 girls)
• 100m hurdles (14-15 boys + 16-17 girls)
• 110m hurdles (16-17 boys)
• 200m hurdles 5 flights (13)
• 300m hurdles 7 flights (14-15)
• 400m hurdles 10 flights (16-17)

Walks

• 700m (9)
• 1100m (10)
• 1500m (11-17)

Jumps

• High jump
  • scissor-kick (9-10)
  • scissor-kick or flop (11-17)
• Long jump (all age groups)
• Triple jump (11-17)

Throws

• Discus
  • 350g (6-7)
  • 500g (8-11)
  • 750g (12-13)
  • 1kg (14-15 + 16-17 girls)
  • 1.5kg (16-17 boys)
• Shotput
  • 500g (6)
  • 1kg (7)
  • 1.5kg (8)
  • 2kg (9-12)
  • 3kg (13 + 14-17 girls)
  • 4kg (14-15 boys)
  • 5kg (16-17 boys)
• Javelin (11-17)
  • 400g (11-12 + 13 girls)
  • 500g (14-17 girls)
  • 600g (13 boys)
  • 700g (14-17 boys)

• We run a five week program at NSLAC, with events spread across the program. The program is accessible via our website.
• Typically most age groups will do between 4 and 6 events each week, with some of the older age groups doing up to 7 events each week, split between throws, jumps, sprints, hurdles and distance running events.
• Some of the events for older age groups are considered optional and are run either early before the start of the carnival, or late, after the main program has completed.
• The general aim for the program is to have every age group do each of their events at least twice every 5 weeks. Some of the younger groups with fewer events will do some of those events 3 times every 5 weeks.
• We aim for around 20 carnivals for the season (although wet weather cancellations usually see us running fewer), so in an ideal season, we would get through up to 8 of each event.
• If a carnival is cancelled due to rain, the program will be moved to the following week. For example, if we were on “week B” but get cancelled due to rain, then we would do our “week B” program the following week.

• Little Athletics is a volunteer run sport – the club has no paid staff (other than some professional coaches) – we rely on parents to assist with the running of our weekly carnivals.
• Parents generally accompany the athletes around the field while they compete – it is expected that parents will contribute to running the events, under the instruction of the age manager. You don’t need to be an expert!
• We have a weekly parent duty roster published on TeamApp which lists the age groups that are expected to help with setup, pack up and BBQ duties.
• When your age group is on parent duty, you are expected to arrive no later than 7am to help set up and then remain behind after the carnival to help pack up. We spread the duties out so you don’t have to help every week – and the more people who show up to help, the quicker we get everything done!

• Weekly carnivals – we always welcome any help we can get to run our weekly carnivals – just turn up and ask a committee member what you can do to help!
• Age managers are parent volunteers who commit to organising their age group and managing their movement around the field on a Saturday morning. If you are interested in becoming an age manager or age manager’s assistant, please check with our Age Manager Coordinator or a committee member to see whether we are in need of someone in your age groups.
• Committee members are parent volunteers (and sometimes ex-parents!) who have committed to undertake various roles to help organise and run the club. We are always looking for new committee members to help – even if just in a general role. If you are interested, please speak to the club executive to express your interest and identify how you can help.
• Non-committee roles – if you have specific skills or expertise but don’t have the time to commit to joining the committee – we are always looking for people to help with specific tasks or events. Speak to the club executive to see how we might be able to use your expertise.

No – communication with members is via our mailing list and our members-only website.

• Results are published to the ResultsHQ system.
• Results from field events will be available immediately after they are entered by the volunteers on the day
• Results from track events will be available after the carnival has finished.
• Sometimes due to technical issues, it can take a day or two for all results to be uploaded
• If results seem to be missing or are incorrect (sometimes we get glitches with the timing gates and they trigger early – world record times are a good indication of a glitch!), please contact your child’s age manager to query. Your age manager will coordinate with the results officer to rectify data issues.

• All athletes must wear shoes when competing
• Spikes should not be worn except when competing and must immediately be removed after the race / event – see separate FAQ on shoes / spikes
• Football boots are never permitted at Rotary
• Ball sports are forbidden during Saturday carnivals
• No dogs permitted at Saturday carnivals
• A parent or guardian must be present at all times when your child is participating in our weekly carnivals

• Results are published to the ResultsHQ system.
• Results from field events will be available immediately after they are entered by the volunteers on the day
• Results from track events will be available after the carnival has finished.
• Sometimes due to technical issues, it can take a day or two for all results to be uploaded
• If results seem to be missing or are incorrect (sometimes we get glitches with the timing gates and they trigger early – world record times are a good indication of a glitch!), please contact your child’s age manager to query. Your age manager will coordinate with the results officer to rectify data issues.

• Please refer to our ResultsHQ Guide
• If you have difficulty accessing ResultsHQ, please contact our Results Officer

• Little Athletics NSW typically publishes results online for all championship events: Results

• NSLAC provides free coaching on Sunday afternoons at Rotary Athletics Field for registered NSLAC athletes in the U8 and above. 
• Training runs between 3pm and 5pm with two 55 minute sessions.
• Athletes are allowed to do both sessions but may not do back-to-back sessions in the same event. For their wellbeing, we recommend against U8 to U10 doing two sessions of training.
• All coaching will be advertised to members of the Club on TeamApp.
• Registration will be online through SignUp Genius and only athletes who register will be allowed to attend the training.
• Athletes who attend on the day without registering can only participate in sessions that are not already fully booked – and there is no guarantees that they will be slots available
• All NSLAC coaches are accredited through Athletics Australia or are experienced athletes who are in the process of obtaining accreditation. 
• See our Coaching page for more information

• Some of our more committed athletes do undertake additional training with a private coach outside of what they do with Little Athletics
• Our Coaching page has a list of Athletics Australia accredited coaches – some of whom are willing to have athletes join their squads
• You should contact the coaches directly to determine when and where their squad trains and how much it costs

• Yes, Little Athletics NSW runs championship events throughout the season – these are optional
• Our main championship series starts with Zone (for U7 age groups and above) in late Nov or early Dec at Barton Park in Parramatta, where we encourage as many athletes to compete as possible (within the athlete limits permitted)
• The best U8 and above athletes from Zone progress to our Regional championships in February – usually at Narrabeen or SOPAC (Olympic Park)
• The top U9 and above athletes from Regionals then get to compete at the Little Athletics State Championships in March or April
• The best U13 athletes from across the state are selected to represent NSW at the Australian Little Athletics Championships somewhere in Australia in April
• Other championship events include the very fun State Relay Championships in November at SOPAC – and the relaxed State Combined Events carnival in March somewhere in regional NSW.
• The best U15 athletes at the State Combined Events carnival from across the state are selected to represent NSW at the Australian Little Athletics Championships somewhere in Australia in April
• Our Championships page has more details about each event

• Yes! As of the 2024/25 season, all NSLAC athletes are able to access the entire range of Athletics NSW events, including Treloar Shield competitioins, specialist meets, relays, and championship events.
• Our Championships page has more details about events that are available

• It doesn’t – Little Athletics NSW is a separate organisation unrelated to the various school sporting events.
• NSW All Schools championships are run by Athletics NSW
  • being a member of NSLAC will get you discounted entry to NSW All Schools
• National All Schools championships are run by Athletics Australia

• As of the 2024/25 season, there is no longer any requirement for athletes to join UTS Norths to access Athletics NSW events. All NSLAC athletes can access all events across both Little Athletics NSW and/or Athletics NSW (age dependent)
• However, athletes in the 13s and above age groups are permitted to join multiple Athletics NSW affiliated clubs (but not multiple Little Athletics NSW affiliated clubs!). Any member wishing to join UTS Norths for competition at Athletics NSW events (Treloar Shield, State Relays, etc), is welcome to do so – UTS Norths are even waiving the fee for NSLAC members!
• NSLAC registered athletes wishing to join UTS Norths can do so by completing the ANSW Multi-Club Membership Application form.
• UTS Norths members wishing to join NSLAC can do so using the same form as above – the fee charged by NSLAC is $80 (or $120 for members of Athletics NSW clubs other than UTS Norths).

• By joining NSLAC, you are now fully registered with both Little Athletics NSW and with Athletics NSW, so you automatically have access to all benefits and events across both organisations (age dependent).
• Members who have multi-club membership can choose which club they compete for at Athletics NSW events.

• The species of grass used at Rotary naturally turns brown during winter and then progressively become more green during spring and into summer.

• During our Little Athletics season, we hold training sessions on Sunday afternoons from 3pm – 5pm
  • Qualified coaches are provided by the club
  • Bookings are essential – please keep an eye on TeamApp for details
  • We have exclusive use of Rotary during this time, so it is safe for our little athletes
  • See our Coaching page for more information
• UTS Norths Athletics Club has exclusive use of Rotary most Saturday afternoons from 12 noon, plus training sessions 5pm-7pm Mon, Tue, Thu – all year round
  • Please do not train during these periods unless you are also a member of UTS Norths.
• Occasionally Rotary is booked by other groups for their exclusive use – for example school carnivals. Please do not use Rotary while it is in use by booked groups.
• If the weather has been wet, the Willoughby Council may choose to close all turf sportsgrounds, including Rotary Athletics Field. Please check the council’s Ground Closures page and if the grounds are closed, do NOT train at Rotary. Doing so damages the grounds and could cause problems for our club.
• At all other times when the grounds have not been booked, they are open to be used by any member of the community for training or general exercise.
  • Please be cautious when doing throws or other activities which may impact on other people using the oval

When training or exercising on the track at Rotary, there is no priority or hierarchy – all runners, no matter their abilities or age, have equal ranking.

Still, please be respectful of other track users – we get some very high quality athletes training at Rotary, so be mindful that some people may be running very fast!

There are also times when senior throws training happens – so be careful of discus, javelin or hammer throws and keep well clear! We occasionally get Olympians like Mackenzie Little training at Rotary, and her PB is over 63m – so don’t be where her javelin will be!

The following list of track etiquette comes from UTS Norths, but applies equally to our members who might want to train at Rotary:

• Please contact the Willoughby Council to report the issue
• You may also contact the NSLAC committee and we will pass on information to the council

• The main carpark usually has plenty of spaces when there are no carnivals on.
• On Saturday mornings parking can fill up very quickly. You can also find parking on Avian Crescent if coming west down Mowbray Rd, or across the river on Magdala Rd if heading east down Epping Rd. Please see our Location page for more information and maps. Do not park on Mowbray Rd – council rangers will book you for illegal parking.
• Under no circumstances should you park through the gates next to the oval – only club administrators and coaches are permitted to park there. The gates are normally kept locked, but even if they are open, you should not park there.
• There are bicycle racks you can chain your bike to, next to the oval

• Rotary is not an off-leash dog area
• Dogs should not be allowed to run freely at Rotary – please ensure they are on a leash at all times when exercising at Rotary
• Please be sure to pick up all poo left by your dog
• Please do not bring your dog to Saturday carnivals – the grounds are crowded enough without having to deal with dogs