Changes to the Little Athletics age groups will be implemented from the commencement of the 2018/2019 summer athletics season.

The anniversary date for determining the age group for athletes participating in Little Athletics will change in the 2018/19 season from 30 September to 31 December of each year.

INTRODUCTION

Traditionally, Little Athletics registration dates have aligned to the commencement of the summer athletics season. Essentially, the age that the athlete turns between 01 Oct and 30 Sep of any given registration year, determined the age group that the athlete was considered ‘Under’.

Across the sport of athletics in Australia the Little Athletics age grouping has been unique in that it is based upon the season rather than the calendar year, whereas national school sport and Athletics Australia determined age groups by year of birth. Consequently, the determination of age groups within Little Athletics has long been a subject of discussion.

SUMMARY

A summary of the changes and impacts is as follows

• The age group anniversary date will change in the 2018/19 season to 31 December
• Athletes born between October and December will increment two age groups in 2018/19
• Athletes born between January and September are unaffected by the change
• The age groups will align with national school sport competitions
• Athletes will remain in the same age group for the duration of the summer season
• The age groups will align with Athletics Australia for the first half of the summer season
• Event specifications will align with School Sport competitions except for U15-U17 boy’s hurdles
• The Board of Little Athletics Australia will develop a transition plan to ensure affected athletes are provided an opportunity for State Team selection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE AGE GROUP CHANGES CLICK HERE