Strathalbyn Little Athletics Club on the brink of closure

The Strathalbyn and Districts Little Athletics Club is facing an ultimate hurdle, putting an emergency callout for volunteers.

As previously reported in The Southern Argus, Little Athletics is an exciting and family-friendly sports program, which encourages young people aged three to 17 to participate in weekly activity sessions, and strive towards their personal bests.

The club made its anticipated resurgence in November 2021 after being inactive since 2018, and was well-received by the community, prompting organisers to host another season.

However, it could be the last if organisers are unable to secure at least 10 volunteers and committee members by the season’s end.

“For next season, some of (the members’) kids are not going to do Little Athletics – they want to try other sports – which means they won’t be available for us anymore,” club Secretary, Fleur Gilliver, said.

“Then there’s a few key committee roles, where we’ve done our two-year stint, so it’s time for us to step down and for somebody else to step up and take the reins.

“We’ve worked hard for the last two seasons, and we’ve done so much – we’ve gotten all these community grants, we bought high jump mats, hurdles and all this amazing equipment, and we moved a free shed from the neighbourhood centre.

“It would be really devastating to see it finish.”

Volunteers’ and committee members’ responsibilities include attending a meeting once every four weeks during the season, which runs from term four to term one each year, co-ordinating the program and barbecue, organising registrations, rosters and uniform sales, marketing and communications, entering results into South Australian Little Athletics’ computerised system, and helping at weekly meets.

The club will hold a special purpose meeting next Thursday at 6.30pm at the Good Shepherd Hall to gauge community interest and support, and outline the club’s needs and expectations in further detail.

Interested participants are asked to contact the club via private Facebook message or email at (strathathletics@gmail.com) to register their attendance.

Gilliver encouraged interested people to come forward in order to save the club.

“It's so rewarding to volunteer for anything, and just to see the enjoyment the kids get out of doing little athletics,” she said.

“They can start from when they’re three in the Tiny Tots program, and it’s just great to see how much they all enjoy it and get out of it, and how much they’ve grown over the couple of years we’ve been going.

“Any parents who want the opportunity for any kids to be part of a club, it’s just fantastic to see it all come together and gives you that good feeling in your soul when you help out.”