Introducing Swindon Harriers
We have over 400 members, aged 7 and upwards (in some cases a very long way upwards!). Within our membership there are many different types of people, who are involved in the sport for many different reasons.
Our History
We started out as Swindon Harriers in 1996. Prior to that there were two major athletics clubs in Swindon - the Swindon Road Runners and Swindon AC. We decided to amalgamate the two clubs because we shared so many common interests. Swindon AC was the older of the two Clubs and had the greater involvement with Track & Field events. Swindon Road Runners was founded in the 1980’s as a club primarily for those interested in Road Running. However, many Swindon AC members trained and raced on the roads, and many Swindon Road Runners members wanted to do some Track & Field events. So, here we are today,a combined club with some people who specialize in their preferred area of the sport and some who have a go at anything!
What do we do?
We are involved in Track & Field, Cross Country and Road Running. Many of us are involved in all three at different times of the year. Generally, the Track & Field season runs from April to September, with Cross Country taking over from October to March. Road Running events take place throughout the year.
Where do we meet?
We have various training locations, please see the Club Training Sessions page for full details.
If you are looking for directions to the County Ground Track, have a look at the Swindon Council site, or visit the excellent RunTrackDir.
How is the club organised?
One very important point about our club, and indeed the vast majority of athletics clubs, is that we are organised completely by volunteers. Our coaches, committee members, team managers, officials and helpers are all working for the club in their spare time. All of the money that comes into the club is used to cover our expenses, including hire of facilities, transport, purchase of equipment, training of coaches and officials and general administration.
Why join us?
As a club member you would benefit from discounts at local shops, plus cheaper race entries and opportunities to take part in team events.
IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM ENGLAND ATHLETICS
The club has recently received a letter from England Athletics relating to annual affiliation fees, the following is an excerpt from this letter;
_'if the affiliation fee for any athlete (who has competed in a competition under UKA rules in the current season) were not paid by 30th July, that athlete would not be permitted to renew their competition licence as a member of the club for the next 12 months'_
Effectively this means that anyone who has not paid their affiliation fee by 30th July would be unable to compete under UKA rules for the next 12 months,
Please check that you have paid your club membership and EA affiliation fee for the current year, starting 1st April 2010, we would not like to see anyone prevented from competing for the next 12 months.
If in doubt please check with Tess Osman.