On a Saturday morning at King George Park, the Club runs an Athletics program for children aged from 4 to 16 years old. Click here to view the Age Grid tables for the 2026/27 season. Every athlete registering with Balmain Athletics Club for the 2026/27 season will have access to all Club events including Saturday morning programs and training sessions held at King George Oval, Rozelle.

They will also be able to participate in a range of events including community races, fun runs, relays, State Combined Carnival, Treloar Shield (a series of team competition events), Zone-Region-State progression Championships, and other specialist events. These events take place at venues around Sydney and NSW.

We will keep you informed of these opportunities during the season.

Age groups are determined according to the child's year of birth. Click here to view the Age Grid for the 2026/27 season.

Note that a child stays in the same age group for the whole Summer Club Season - from October to March. They don't change age groups after their birthday or at the start of the year.

For example, a child born in 2022 is in the Tiny Tots for the whole 2026/27 season; a child born in 2020 is in the 7s for the whole 2026/27 season and so on.

No, athletes remain in their own age group. The online registration process allocates a child to their age group based on their date of birth. All new athletes must show a proof of identity document, eg birth certificate or passport (photos on mobile device are acceptable) when picking up their registration pack. 

For any questions/requests regarding participation at Club level in another age group for health or wellbeing reasons, contact registrar@balmainlac.org.au

There are many opportunities for our athletes to compete against other Clubs at NSW Athletics Partnership events over the summer and winter athletics season. 

You will receive emails with information about how athletes can participate in a range of events including community races, fun runs, relays, State Combined Carnival, Treloar Shield (a series of team competition events), Zone-Region-State progression Championships, and other specialist events. 

The online registration platform is managed by NSW Athletics. Registration opens early August.  The link to register for Balmain Athletics is on our website - Register. It is also shared by email to all athletes that were registered in the preceding season and posted on our socials - Facebook and Instagram.

Click here for current registration information including registration fees.  The registration cost is split between an association fee and the  Club fee. The Club component is used to pay for equipment and operating costs including coaching for Saturday competitions and training sessions. The uniform cost is separate. 

We do not maintain waiting lists prior to registration opening.

You need to pick up your Registration Pack that contains your athlete’s unique registration number and their age group / sponsors patch. New registration numbers are issued every season.

Registration Packs can be collected before the start of the season on “Registration Pick Up Day” on a Saturday 12th September from 1-3pm at King George Park, Manning street, Rozelle You also need to buy a competition singlet - Uniform.

After the start of season, Registration Packs will be available at the Club Room prior to the start of competition on Saturday mornings.

Don't forget to sign up for a Canteen & BBQ volunteer shift!

7.15am: Equipment Set Up - Allocated to age groups on the rotational schedule
8.20am: Announcements - Athletes gather at their Age Group flag and check in with their Age Managers
8.25am: Warm up - Junior coaches lead athletes on a warm up lap
8.30am - Events begin for all age groups
9.30am - Tots age group finish
9.45-10.00am - 6s and 7s finish
10.15am - 8s finish
10.30am - 9s and 10s finish
11am onwards - 11s+ age groups finish
11.15am-12.00pm - Equipment pack up

The start of each season is very busy, with high attendance levels and large numbers of athletes learning new skills. During this time, we ask everyone to be extra patient as many athletes and parents/carers move around the oval and get familiar with competition processes and rules.

Over the season the Club cycles through a three weekly program of events for each age group. Click here to view the weekly programs. Note 6s to 8s will also undertake skill development sessions on Saturdays.

LANSW fact sheets on each event are found here

If the grounds are closed by the Council, a notice will be posted on both Facebook  and Instagram on the Friday night prior to a Saturday morning competition. If any cancellation is due to developing weather conditions notification of cancellation will be posted on both Facebook and Instagram by 7.15am on a Saturday morning or 3:30pm for weekday training. 

Please follow both our Facebook and Instagram pages, which are also visible on the Club's homepage.

Age Managers are a group of up to 4 volunteers (parents/carers) per age group who guide the athletes and oversee the running of events on Saturday mornings. The role is to delegate tasks to other parents and carers, to encourage and support athletes and liaise with Committee members. 

The Club supports Age Managers by:

• running a briefing session;
• sending weekly emails prior to Saturday competition;
• preparing Age Manager folders with Event Sheets and other useful information for Saturday morning competitions.

Complete this form if you are interested in being an Age Manager.

Tips on events and skills are contained in LANSW Youtube Skills Videos

The assistance of parents and carers is essential to the running of our Club. We always require assistance to set up equipment, pack up equipment, run the events for their age group on Saturday mornings, as well as at training sessions and at Championships.

Volunteering and assisting with your athlete’s age group is the best way to be close to the action and encourage all athletes to try their best. You can support your Age Managers by recording results at events, marshalling athletes either at the start or end of running events, collecting shots/discus, raking the long jump pit, or measuring any throwing events.

You can also help pack up equipment at the end of Saturday morning competition. Every family must volunteer for one shift per season in the Canteen or BBQ - sign up here.

The Club uniform consists of our special “Harbouring Cultures” singlet and crop top designed by local First Nations artist Blak Douglas, with black shorts or black compression active wear. This uniform is worn at all levels of competition.

For specified NSW Athletics events - the registration number (bib) must be sewn or pinned on the front in the centre (with the red border showing) with the age/sponor patch at the top left hand corner. Click here for the Uniform Placement of Patches. 

Singlets and crop tops will be avialable on-site at Registration Pick-up Day on 12th Sept 2026, then available online only after that date. 

To complete an online order go to Sports Magic's dedicated Balmain Page

Hats, caps and Club supporter gear can be purchased from the Club Room during Saturday morning competition. Click here for a list of uniform items and prices - as at 2026/27. 

Blak Douglas calls the design "Harbouring Cultures”.
"Sourcing the rock carvings gallery at Callan Park (Wangal Country) I’ve created these designs to pay homage to both the Wangal and the artists responsible for the imagery upon the foreshore. The inherent colours of the Balmain Tigers are an apt fitting for such an aesthetic. Orange, white & black exist naturally within the Pirrima (Sandstone). The distorted concentric circle patterns represent the grain pattern found in the rock. The existing shark motif acts as a stark contrast to the Tall Ship also present. The fish motifs are in acknowledgement to the neighbour cousins of the Wangal and a connected dreaming".
Blak Douglas, 2021

Every Saturday morning each event site needs to be set up for the applicable weekly program. At King George Oval this includes:

• Four Discus circles, 

• Six Shot Put rinks,     

• Three Javelin areas, 

• Eight Long Jump run ups, 

• Four High Jump areas,  

• Three Tracks; and 

• the Canteen and BBQ area.

During the season, parents/carers from each of the 6s to 17s age groups are allocated to set up on a Saturday to help distribute equipment and set-up the Oval from 7.15am on a rotational basis. Committee members are present to allocate tasks. Email reminders are sent to the age group leading up to their set up duty. 

Shoes are compulsory in every event for all ages. 

Spikes are permitted in the 11s age group and above in events run entirely in lanes and during Long Jump, Triple Jump and High Jump. Athletes in 6s to 10s age groups must not wear spikes for any event. They can wear waffles.

General "joggers" are the recommended footwear for all athletes

Trial sessions of up to two Saturday competition mornings are available for age groups that are not closed, or are likely to be closed before the trial period. Trials are available after week 3 of the season. You must sign in at the Club room before participating in any events.

For further information, contact registrar@balmainlac.org.au

Club training is offered on Tuesday afternoons to all athletes in the 6s-17s age groups.  The focus of these sessions is skill development from beginners to intermediate level with our coaching team. All athletes start with our regular warm-up involving dynamic exercises and stretches before moving onto drills, then breaking up into groups for skill training.

Specialist training is offered to athletes in the 11s-17s age groups on Thursday afternoons. More specialist coaching can be offered across hurdles, long & triple jump, middle distance, race walking, sprints and throws. These sessions offer more technical coaching to our older athletes who choose to undertake just one event group during the training session. 

Our team of junior coaches run skill building sessions for the 6s-8s age groups during field events on a Saturday morning at King George Oval. This enables technique development and keeps our athletes active. 

Athletes in the 6s to 8s age groups can also attend Club Training sessions on Tuesday afternoons at KGO.

Athlete's results are entered into the Club database by parent and carer volunteers every Saturday after Club competition. The results are displayed on the Club website. Click on 'Results' to keep track of your PBs and watch your progress over the season.

Safety is a priority on Saturdays. Please follow these guidelines and any directions given by Age Managers, Coaches and Committee members.

• WHEREVER POSSIBLE KEEP TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE 400M OVAL TRACK.  

  • Inside the 400m track there are two sprinting tracks, four high-jump areas and the javelin throwing area. It is very busy and does not function as a thoroughfare. Only enter the area within the 400m track if you are competing or assisting with an event. 

  • If you are heading to a competition area within the 400m track, cross at designated crossing points only. You must check for any approaching athletes on the main track.

• KEEP FLAGGED AREAS CLEAR - Much of the area within the 400m track is bordered with flags to signal that they should not be used as pathways or crossing points. Please ensure your children are aware of this and model safe behaviour by crossing only at designated points

• BUNTING/FLAGS/ROPES MEAN “BE AWARE” - Throwing areas are roped off to keep spectators at a safe distance. Be mindful that some of our younger athletes throw the discus 20m+  and the javelin 30m+. Some of our senior athletes are throwing almost 50m.

• WHEN YOU HEAR SOMEONE CALL “TRACK"

  • Non-competing athletes and spectators – it means someone has wandered onto the track and is probably in the path of an on-coming athlete. LOOK AROUND and move off the track as fast as you can. 

  • Competing athletes in a middle distance race (800m, 1500m, 3000m or 1500m race walk) - it is a request to move to lane 2 to clear lane 1 for another athlete to pass.

•  KEEP SMALL PEOPLE CLOSE AT ALL TIMES - Please keep toddlers within sight and away from flags, finish line poles, ropes, etc at all times. 

• PLEASE KEEP DOGS AT HOME, AND ALL STROLLERS AND BALL GAMES TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE 400M TRACK

The Club runs a Canteen and BBQ every Saturday. It plays a vital role in our fundraising and also offers an early lunch solution. Each family must volunteer to help with the BBQ or Canteen for two 2 hour shifts per season. Click here to sign up. You will receive a reminder email a few days before your nominated Saturday.  

The following procedures must have been undertaken for a new record to be set during Saturday club competition:

MAIN TRACK: two adults using Club supplied stopwatches must time first place, with BOTH times being under, or equal to, the existing record.  Stopwatches must not be deleted until a Committee member has viewed and verified the time. Track events with operational timing gates do not need any manual timing.

THROWS: If an athlete is close to a record distance in any throwing event, Age Managers must ensure a Committee member or nominated official is on hand to view any potential record breaking throw and verify the measurement.

JUMPS: In any jumping event, an Age Manager or nominated official must view the jump to determine fouls for any potential record. The Age Manager or nominated official must not be related to the athlete. Stop competition, do not rake over the sand and call a Committee member or nominated official to measure. For High Jump an official must measure the height of the bar BEFORE every record attempt.

Records may only be set by athletes competing in their age group and within their sex. For the avoidance of doubt, a girl cannot set a record whilst competing against a boy. The only exception is when the Competition Manager has required a distance event to be a "combined event".

Age Managers: a small group of parent and carer volunteers who guide an age group and oversee the running of events on Saturday mornings with support from other parents and carers.
Backup timer: an assistant timekeeper using a second stopwatch to time a race.
Blocks: starting blocks used by older athletes.
Cage: the net or fence that protects us from a discus.
Circle: the area an athlete uses to throw a Shot or Discus from.
Committee member: a volunteer who helps manage and administer the club.
DQ: disqualification.
Flop: Fosbury Flop high jump technique that athletes learn in the 11s age group and can be applied in age groups from 11s and above.
Lane 1: The innermost lane on the main circular track.
Lifting: when an athlete loses contact with the ground in racewalking.
Multitimer: a timing device used to time longer races that records multiple athletes and produces a printed record.
Pack start: when a group of athletes start from the same position on the circular track, usually used for long distance running in 6s-8s age groups and race walking for 9s-17s age groups.
PB: Personal Best - your best ever result in an event.
Scissors: the high jump technique that athletes learn and are required to use in the 9 and 10 age groups.
Sector: the area between the lines that a throw in discus, javelin and shot put must land within.
Staggered start: the different starting positions when running a 200m, 400m and, for senior athletes, the 800m race.
The Gun: a device used to start a race.
Timing Gates: the electronic timing poles.
“Track”: used to signal that a non-competing athlete or spectator has accidentally moved into the path of an on-coming athlete and must move quickly out of the way; for competing athletes in a middle distance race (800m, 1500m, 3000m or 1500m race walk), a request to move to lane 2 to clear lane 1 for another athlete to pass.
Waffles: sprinting shoes worn by junior athletes.
Zone: A competition for athletes in the 7s-17s age groups where the Club competes against six other Inner City clubs.

It is policy of Little Athletics NSW that ALL Committee members, Club coaches over 18 years old and Age Managers must have a Working With Children Check. Click here to apply online at Service NSW.