Athletics Officiating - News - Feltham SSP and Isleworth & Syon SSP

Athletics Officiating

Earlier this year it was reported eleven students had attended a UKA (United Kingdom Athletics) Level 1 Officiating Course.  To complete the award the students have to officiate in at least two competitions in a variety of roles which will give them a greater variety of experience and knowledge.  The majority have now completed the award and have been issued with their license from UKA.

Tom, from Isleworth & Syon received £96 from Official Sports London and has completed both his Level 1 Officiating Award and the 15 hours of volunteering for the bursary.

'Officiating in the borough has enabled me to further understand the sport of athletics, knowing why certain rules are in place and how important they are.  It has allowed me to get further involved in the athletics, taking responsibility in a role which is often overlooked but is a one of the most important roles in the sport.  In particular, I have now been given the confidence to take a role in both track and field events, knowing how to correctly judge records for the athletes.

The bursary enabled me to officiate more often, and gave me the incentive to start and continue to volunteer.  It means I did not have to pay my own money for equipment and travel, but the bursary allowed me to spend that money, which started the ball rolling on my officiating hours. And having an extra £96 in my bank is not a bad thing for doing something I enjoy doing.

In the future it will help me keep involved in a sport which offers great skill and variety as well as gaining a greater respect for officials in sport. I will look to continue to officiate, looking to gain a Level Two qualification so I can officiate in larger competitions.’

The officials helped to run two Super8 competitions earlier this Summer which were held for Year 7 and 8 students.  Schools entered five girls teams and seven boys teams, with approximately 15 athletes in each team.  This shows the valuable contribution the officials have made to athletics, school competition and athletes already in a short space of time.  Photos featuring the young officials in action can be found at the bottom of the page.

A further 15 students from Feltham Community College also attended a Level 1 Officiating Course and will begin to gain experience in the next school year.

For further information about the Official Sports London bursary please visit www.officialsports.org

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