Statement
Northern Athletics are the competition providers for all Championship events in the North of England. We were established in 1879 and we were the world’s first governing body of athletics. In 2019 we had 35000 athletes affiliated to us across track and field, cross country and road.
We wish to express our severe concerns regarding developments within UK Athletics. The considerable number of resignations from senior posts over the past two years has led those within the grassroots of our sport to question the ability of UK Athletics to act as a national governing body as it is currently constituted. We do not criticise the work of many senior volunteers who gave us so many successful events such as the 2012 Olympics and the 2017 World Championships. We do however have grave reservations regarding those paid professionals that have been and are currently under so much adverse scrutiny.
Our Northern clubs, their officials and administrators are constantly under pressure to keep our sport going. They look after huge numbers of young athletes and are required to uphold the strict requirements of their governing body in terms of safeguarding and protecting the welfare of those they look after. It is therefore vital that those who make those rules at the highest level are beyond reproach. In turn we should then be able to say to our athletes and volunteers going forward that those running our sport are models of truth and trust to be followed and looked up to.
The current crisis and disharmony at national level is not one that our clubs and athletes can be proud of and we will ensure that maximum publicity is given to the wrongs that occurred and use our influence working with others to ensure they are corrected for the good of the sport we love.
Tony Wood
Northern Athletics Chairman
