COMPETITIONS AVAILABLE TO SUTHERLAND ATHLETES
CENTRE CHAMPIONSHIPS
In the last month of competition, we hold the SLA Centre Championships. Athletes can enter in up to 4 events and medals are presented to 1st, 2nd and 3rd placegetters.
GALA DAYS
Gala days are held by some Centres throughout NSW. These Gala days are great fun and are a way of meeting other families involved in Little Athletics. Notification of, and entry to, these Gala Days can be found under the “notification” tab in your Resultshq login.
LITTLE ATHLETICS NSW (LANSW) EVENTS (dates can be found in the SLA calendar)
Little Athletics centres in NSW are divided into zones and regions. Sutherland is in the Southern Metropolitan Zone. There are 7 centres in our Zone – Bundeena, Helensburgh, Illawong, Port Hacking, Revesby, St George, and Sutherland
There are 8 regions: 4 metropolitan and 4 country. The Southern Metro Zone is part of Region 8
To be eligible to compete at Zone, the following guidelines will be used:
- The athlete must be a registered athlete
- The athlete must have competed in their nominated events at least 3 times they were offered at weekly SLA competition.
- Parents must be available to carry out an allocated duty.
Exception will be made to No.2 above if:
- If the entry cut-off requires nominations to be lodged before the events are held more than twice at the weekly competition.
- The event quota has not been filled from eligible entries.
It is important to ensure we get the right balance between maximising participation and giving as many interested athletes as possible a chance to compete in their chosen events, as well as providing the opportunity for the best performing athletes per event to compete. Final selections will be made by the Team Managers and will be based on an athlete’s best result at the time of the entry cut-off.
PARENT PARTICIPATION AT LANSW CARNIVALS
Should your child be selected, or qualify, to compete at any of the LANSW championships, you will be required to carry out an allocated duty, as a parent helper or official. SLA Team Managers will allocate duties to all families of competing athletes. Failure to assist in this area could disadvantage your child and bring discredit to our centre.
ZONE
Zone Championships are the first qualifying stage to Regional and State championships. Athletes from the 7-17’s age groups from centres in our Zone are eligible to compete at the Southern Metro Zone Championships.
In the 7-11’s (junior) age groups, athletes can nominate to compete in up to 4 events. However, each centre is limited to 5 athletes in each event, and the final selection of athletes for each event will be made by the Sutherland Team Managers.
In the 12-17’s (senior) age groups, athletes can compete in up to 6 events. There are no restrictions on the number of senior athletes.
NOTE: As the State Championships now follow a 2-day program, please check the State events listing for possible event clashes before nominating for Zone.
7’s placegetters are awarded medals as they do not progress to Region.
There is an entry fee of $20 per athlete for entry to Zone.
REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Region Championships are the next qualifying stage to the State Championships. These championships are for the U8-U17 athletes who qualified through the Zone competition, and for any multi-class athletes. Placegetters are awarded medals. The Centre pays the entry fees for all Region athletes.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
For those athletes who have qualified through the Region Championships, the State Track & Field Championships are the culmination of the track & field competition season. State is held in March at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre (SOPAC), Homebush.
Note that for the 2024/25 season, older age groups (16’s and 17’s) will no longer qualify for State through Region championships. All entries at these ages to State will be by Direct Entry only.
AUSTRALIAN LITTLE ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
At the completion of the NSW State Track & Field Championships, State selectors will nominate a team of 32 athletes from the 13’s to compete against similar athletes from other States. The team will represent NSW at the Australian Little Athletics Championships
In addition, four competitors from the 15’s-17’s boys combined, and four competitors from the 15’s-17’s girls combined, will be selected to represent NSW at the Australian Little Athletics Championships to compete against similar athletes from other states. Selections for this event are based on performances at the Little Athletics NSW State Multi Event.
STATE COMBINED EVENTS CHAMPIONSHIP (previously named State Multi-Event)
The State Combined Events Championship is for all age groups from 7-17’s and is held on the first full weekend in March at a regional centre. Athletes compete in their age group in the same events and receive points for their performances. Placegetters are awarded medals after all points are tallied.
STATE RELAYS
State Relays are comprised entirely of relay events, for both track and field events. The relays are held in November each year at SOPAC. SLA Team Managers and Committee select team members based on performance at the weekly SLA competition.