The club is open to children of ages 4 and above to receive athletic coaching and compete in varied suitable events.
Athletics age groups are determined by your child's date of birth. Please see the table below for more details:
| Track & Field | Cross Country | |
|---|---|---|
| U7 | Reception and School Year 1 | - |
| U9 | School Years 2 and 3 | - |
| U11 | School Years 4 and 5 | At least 9 on day of competition and under 11 on 1st September prior to the fixture |
| U13 | School Years 6 and 7 | At least 11 on day of competition and under 13 on 1st September prior to the fixture |
| U15 | School Years 8 and 9 | At least 13 on day of competition and under 15 on 1st September prior to the fixture |
| U17 | School Years 10 and 11 | At least 15 on day of competition and under 17 on 1st September prior to the fixture |
| U20 | At least 17 on 31st August but under 20 on 31st December in year of competition | At least 17 on day of competition and under 20 on 1st September prior to the fixture |
The following is a summary of the different fees that apply when your child becomes a member:
| Fee Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Welsh Athletics Affiliation | £12/year (year 4 & above) £19.50/year (Seniors, at least 20 on 31st Dec) due by April 1st - payable by bank transfer |
| Annual Membership | £31/year (year 3 & below, includes insurance) or £19/year (year 4 & above) - payable by bank transfer |
| Training Fees | £15/month for 1 weekly session, £20/month for 2 weekly sessions or £25/month for 3 weekly sessions - payable by monthly standing order |
| Competition Fees | Extra depending on what events your child wants to do |
When you become a member you get:
Additional to our membership, there is a Welsh Athletics Affiliation fee (amount shown above) which is due by the 1st of April every year. Registering with Welsh Athletics opens up a wide range of competitions and activities organised by the national governing body and also enables the chance to be selected to represent Wales. There are many extra benefits to make sure you get the best out of your Athletics experience which include:
Note: the prices and discounts listed above are out of our control and are subject to change at any time so please check with the provider to confirm.
The majority of our training is done at Markham and District Sports Centre. Please see the times below for your child's age group:
| Monday | Invite only Multi Event Coach Anna | 18.00-19:00 |
|---|---|---|
| Event Squad Endurance coaches Deb, John and Gerwyn | 18.00-19.00 | |
| Tuesday | Event Squad Multi Events Coach Anna | 18:00-19:45 |
| Run jump throw U11 | 18.00-19.00 | |
| Development Multi Events | 18.00-19.00 | |
| Wednesday | Beginners and Development Mini's Training -Coach Andy | 18.00-19.00 |
| Thursday | Minis Training - Coach Neil & Gavin | 18.00-19.00 |
| Event Squad Sprinting - Coach Matt and Bryony | 18.00-19:00 | |
| Development Multi Events Coach Ken and Hillary | 18.00-19.00 | |
| Development Multi Events - Coach Ken and Hillary | 19.00-20.00 | |
| Event Squad Endurance coaches Deb,Chris, John and Gerwyn | 19.00-20.00 |
Arrangements should be made for your child to travel to and from training sessions and we also require that a parent, guardian or agreed responsible adult stay onsite in the event of an emergency. In the case of the latter, you need to let us know who this will be.
We also require parents to stay and support at competitions.
The club training kit consists of a red t-shirt, polo shirt and hoodie. They all feature the club badge and are available from Ruggerbug in Ystrad Mynach. Whilst it is not compulsory to wear the RVAC kit to training, we strongly encourage it as it promotes a feeling of unity and team spirit.
Children should wear appropriate running trainers to all sessions. Both Run and Become and Moti in Cardiff can assess your child's needs and recommend the most appropriate type of running shoe. They are reasonable priced and have many junior styles on offer and the 10% discount certainly makes them worth a visit.
The RVAC colours are red, white and blue and the club holds a stock of official RVAC vests for this purpose. Whilst trainers can be worn to competitions, we advise that running spikes are used as they noticebaly improve performance on the track. Spike lengths are 6mm for track and field events and 9mm for cross country.
All members of our coaching team are fully DBS checked and qualified by UK Athletics. Many of them have varied sporting backgrounds and also coach in other areas. Bio's of each coach can be viewed here.
This website, Facebook and Twitter are great ways of keeping in touch and all updates, news and events will be posted to each of these areas. We also use WhatsApp for real-time communication and you would be automatically added to the appropriate group on becoming a member.
If you would like to talk to someone at the club about any of this information or your child’s involvement with the club, please speak to any member of the team or contact us.
Joining is as simple as checking age group availablity and filling out an application form here. If we don't have space right now we'll even add you to our waiting list!
