Membership

If you are interested in joining an athletics club, we would love for you to try us out! We are always keen for people to experience our club and the club acknowledges that it has a key role to play in ensuring that athletics is accessible.

We are committed to providing an environment that is welcoming to all, is a fun, positive environment for athletes, volunteers & parents and we support the physical, emotional and social development of all our members. This is driven by the chairman Nick Pearson, who you can read about here.

We are a competitive athletic club, (across track & field, road running and cross country). Our expectations for being a member are:

• 1.  Athletes to train regularly, which will mean twice a week at club training nights (Tuesday & Thursday evenings, from 6pm*). Some of the specialist training groups have additional sessions on other days, which athletes will be expected to attend as well.
• NB: if your child has other sporting/recreational commitments which clash with athletics training, you will need to consider this when thinking about joining, as regular attendance at our training sessions is expected.
• 2. Athletes to compete for the club. Matches are on Saturdays or Sundays, from 11am.
• NB: with regard to competing in league matches, our teams are selected based on the group that can collect the most amount of points for the team. We view athletics as a team sport and strongly encourage versatility and adaptability, so like to see athletes competing for the club in additional events that they are capable of doing, as well as just their specialist ones.

Individual development of athletes is very important to us and we use trials to find the most appropriate training group for the athlete.  The process for joining starts initially with a general trial. The purpose of an initial general trial is two-fold:

• 1. For parents/athletes to ‘get a feel’ for the club, the environment, the training, etc, to see if they like it.
• 2. For the club to assess ability / potential, fitness levels and their attitude & receptiveness to coaching/training.

New members are always welcome. If you would like to register your interest in joining, or if you have a child who would like to come along for a trial, please send an email to membership-enquiries@wseh.co.uk and someone from the club will contact you. Please see here.

Read Clemmie’s story here.

Read Lilianne’s story here.

Read Jess Hatch’s story here.

Read Rachel’s story here.

Read Luke’s story here.

Read Jodie’s story here.

Read about Michael here.

Read Otis’ story here.

Read Ava’s story here.

Read about our up and coming under 15s here.

Read about our up and coming under 17s here.

Read about our summer 2024 track & field team success here.

Read about our summer 2024 elite athlete success here.

Read about our up and coming under 20s here.

“We were really impressed with the set-up, the friendliness of you all and the professionalism that we saw at the club”

A parent

“Our daughter enormously enjoyed the session yesterday. Came away really enthusiastic. I was impressed not only with the facility but also with your ethos and the energy and passion that is clearly put into the club”

A parent

“We have been really impressed with the support and attention that you have given to our daughter so far and really look forward to seeing her progression”

A parent

“My son is thoroughly enjoying his sessions. Everyone has made him feel very welcome and the standard of coaching is exceptional. He has already learned a lot in just a short time with you, thank you so much”

A parent

“He is absolutely loving it. He doesn’t talk about anything else. Thank you so much for giving him this opportunity“

A parent

“She’s loving it! She was buzzing when she came home on Thursday and is excited for tomorrow’s event. It’s such a great atmosphere at the club, thanks for your support and amazing welcome”

A parent

“I thought the club was fantastic and a great bunch of coaches, my daughter really enjoyed the session”

A parent

“The club as a whole is fantastic. All the coaches come across very well, loads of enthusiasm, I am really impressed”

A parent

“Thanks so much for seeing my daughter on Tuesday night, she/we loved the club and thought it was so professional and fun, looking around at various athletes was also inspiring, so she would love to join”

A parent

“Thank you very much for the session yesterday. We were very impressed by the venue, your coaching and the children in the club with how well behaved they are and motivated”

A parent

“He is almost fully recovered from his injury, thanks to his coach’s help. He loves the atmosphere at the club and really enjoys the training sessions“

A parent

“He absolutely loves the training, he is very happy with his coaches, the club and all those he trains with. He’s enjoyed this season and all the opportunities to compete. Thank you!“

A parent

“Thank you, he is definitely making progress and his coach is great and the whole group is really supportive – he loves going”

A parent

“Thank you, really appreciate all the encouragement from his coaches, he has come a long way under your guidance”

A parent

“My son joined one of the sprint squads in the summer of 2022, having previously run for a local running club. I cannot speak highly enough of this athletics club, he has grown in confidence over the last 6 months and has fallen in love with athletics again. This is all down to the superb coaching and fantastic atmosphere at the club“

A parent

“He is having a great time. He was ill last week and was desperate to return. I am really pleased with the coaching he is getting. He gets along with his team mates and is really encouraged to do his best in the environment“

A parent

“I was so impressed, from the very first moment when you welcomed us we felt in very good hands, then the warm up and the training, it looked really good. The discipline and professionalism, was incredible, all the athletes behaved so greatly and to see so many with such great skills. My son was really happy and he mentioned how some of the athletes were so sociable with him and let him feel welcome. I am also pleased to see that my son will be surrounded by athletes with such great skills and capabilities so he can set his mind to learn the techniques and improve“

A parent

How much does it cost?

To continue to operate to such a high standard and to offer athletes an opportunity to train and compete regularly there are a number of pre-defined financial commitments that we must meet. These include venue hire fees, league fees, match fees and insurance costs.

We cover these costs by members paying an Annual Membership Fee. The subscription year is from 1st March to 28th February.

Being a member means that an athlete is covered by the Club Insurance Policy and can compete in competitions.

All members will receive England Athletics affiliation which all athletes need to be able to compete.

Current Annual Membership Fee and England Athletics affiliation are:

• Annual Membership Fee – £135
• England Athletics Affiliation Fee – £19
• Total £154

There is also a joining fee of £65, which includes the cost of a club vest, as all athletes will need to wear one when competing.

For athletes joining from 1st September, the membership fee shall be half the fee for the subscription year (so £67.50).

For athletes joining from 1st January, there will be no membership fee to pay until the start of the new subscription year (1st March).

Like many other athletics tracks, there are also track fees to pay, which is separate to the Athletic Club (i.e. charged by Thames Valley Athletic Centre). There is a discounted track card, which will also give free parking. The cost for children up to 17 years old is £81.50 and it lasts for a year. There is also a monthly direct debit option.