Eastern Young Athletes’ League (EYAL) 2026 – Match 3

As a club, we enter teams into 2 Track and Field league competitions – Eastern Young Athletes League (EYAL – Y7-Y12) and Southern Athletics League (SAL – Y11 and above)

EYAL – The EYAL is open to all athletes from Y7 to Y12 and we compete against a range of other athletic clubs in the region. We strive to get the maximum points that we can for the club, but above all, we want all the athletes to enjoy their experience of competing. You need to be a current, paid-up member of the athletics club. You will also need your EA number Click here to look up your EAN (England Athletics Number). You will only have an EAN if you are a fully paid up member of St Albans Athletic Club
Athletes compete in their own age groups:

• U14 (Y7&8)
• U16 (Y9&10)
• U18 (Y11&12)

with the scores for all age-groups totalled for our final team result. We enter two point scoring athletes into each event in an age-group. The athletes are designated ‘A’ and ‘B’ competitors according to their ability. All ‘A’ and ‘B’ competitors score points for our team. Non-scoring (NS) athletes compete in the same events, at the same times, will get their event times, and are allowed in most events. They are a great opportunity for new or less confident athletes to get a time for future team selection or to build confidence. We often switch athletes from NS to cover athletes who have to drop out. Competition events are: 100m, 200m, 3/400m (no U14s), 800m, 1500m, Hurdles, Long-jump, High-jump, Triple-jump (no U14s), Pole-vault, Shot, Discus, Javelin, Hammer, 4 x 100m relays.
All athletes (A/B/NS) will get their results on Power of 10, which is the British Athletics ranking database. thepowerof10.info.

As a club, we encourage ALL athletes to sign up for competitions, and then select the A/B/NS athletes for the team. Sign up sheets, and Timetables are available on our Fixtures page.

If you have ANY questions at all about competing, please speak to any of the coaches at the track. Over the next few weeks, we would encourage any athletes who would like to have a go at a different event – maybe try a Throwing or Long Jump session? Every time we don’t have a full team, we are losing points, so we really do want to encourage everyone to take part. Above all, it becomes a fun, social day for many of the athletes, who have a chance to watch other athletes compete, as well as spend the day with friends!

We have put together some FAQs at the bottom of this sheet.

There are also many roles for parents – officiating, team registration, photography etc. Please do consider volunteering – don’t wait to be asked.

FAQs

What do I need to bring?

• A club vest (please order here https://www.stalbansac.co.uk/kit-orders/) is mandatory
• Whatever you usually wear to run / jump / throw
• Jacket / warm clothes, depending on weather!
• Suncream
• Water, lunch and snacks
• Folding chair / blanket to sit on
• Small pop up type tent for shelter (optional)

Do you provide transport?

• It isn’t economical for us to provide coaches for these events this year, so we would encourage car sharing as much as possible.

What happens on the day?

• You should arrive an hour before your event start time, so you know where to go.
• You must find the St Albans tent / flag and register. You’ll be given your competitor number and told of any last minute changes.
• Athletes / parents are responsible for getting to the event on time! They won’t hold up a race etc if not all of the athletes are there.
• You will need to be at your event location 20 minutes before the start time, in order to warm up.
• If you get to an event and it’s running late, please let the team managers know, as it may affect you taking part in another event.
• You’ll chat to other athletes, watch and support each other, relax and enjoy a day out!

How do I know which events I’ll be doing?

• The EYAL team managers will post teams sheets on WhatsApp and Facebook before the competition to confirm which events you a doing, so please look out for updates (https://www.facebook.com/groups/stalbanstrackandfield) or https://chat.whatsapp.com/JXBZ6ASkX2RLnzXQssY7DZ?mode=gi_t
• Please email the team managers with any questions ()
• You can only compete in 3 events and a relay

What time do I need to be there?

• An hour before your 1st event, to give time to warm up, find your event and for us to be certain you are coming!

How do team managers choose A/B/ Non Scoring athletes and who’s doing which event?

• The fastest / highest or longest jumpers or throwers are A, 2nd fastest etc B and others will go as non scoring. We are limited in some events (Throws and Jumps) to 2 non scoring, so sometimes we will need to pick different non scoring athletes each time.
• They will try their best to accommodate the choices you’ve made on your signup form
• There are often timetable clashes, which mean it may not be possible to do the events that you have selected for your athlete, Please check the timetable when you sign your athlete up and bear in mind you will need to allow time to warm up or have practise throws / jumps before event start time.

What if I can no longer attend?

Please let us know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. We can juggle the teams around a little, but the sooner we know, the easier it is. Even if you find out on the day, please contact us, rather just not turning up.  or message on Facebook / WhatsApp

What happens after the competition?

• Approximately 7-10 days after the competition, you should be able to look up your times on The Power of 10 https://www.thepowerof10.info/
• We will confirm the club’s final points score and position!