New Families Handbook

Your first weeks

Trying before you join: the Trial Member Program

New families can register as a free Trial Member through the Little Athletics Victoria portal before committing to full registration — no uniform, no commitment, $0 cost. A trial gets you one Tuesday training session and one Friday competition night. You’ll still need to register as a trial member online first (via the Collingwood Little Athletics Centre page on the LAVic website) before your first session, and register your attendance at the front desk on the night. Print the bib attached to your trial registration email if you can, or ask at the desk for a spare.

Trialling runs alongside the main competition right through until the season’s usual registration cut-off in December — not just in the first few weeks. Full details are on the 26/27 Trial Program page.

Tuesday training

On Tuesdays, our coaches run training from 4–5pm at George Knott oval.

There’s no sign-in required for Tuesday training — just arrive and join in with your child’s age group.

Athletes should arrive and be ready for warm up which will commence shortly after 4pm. Look for the coaches in their bright blue Collingwood T-shirts.

Tuesday training is more informal — focusing on skill acquisition across a couple of events, there’s more time to practice and be shown the techniques by our coaches. It runs for an hour, and there are no formal rotations or measurement of results.
Tuesdays are generally quieter and a good introduction if your little athlete isn’t ready for a competition night yet.

Friday competitions

Competition runs 5:30–7:30pm most Fridays at George Knott Reserve.

In a typical week: warm up and volunteer registration from 5:30pm, events start at 5:45pm, and everyone finishes by 7:30pm.
All athletes compete in four rotations — 2 track (sprint, distance) and 2 field (jump and throw). U6–U7 athletes mix up their events with our “on track” program — a skills development program that takes a more play-based approach to activities.

How rotations work

At 5:30pm, athletes join their coaches (look for the blue shirts!) for warm up — about 15 minutes of runs and dynamic movement. They then move into their first rotation of the night.

Athletes rotate through the night with the same cohort all night (split by age and gender), with everyone in that cohort doing the same events together. Each rotation is announced, but it helps if athletes already know where they’re headed next — ask a coach or chaperone, or check the program, if unsure.

If an event finishes quickly — the 100m is a fast one! — athletes are welcome to come back to the stands for a drink or a break before the next rotation.

After each rotation, athletes move to the next event once the previous cohort has finished at that station. Athletes don’t need to rush off mid-event when the next rotation is announced — if they’re still waiting for their final discus throw, for example, they can finish that before moving on to high jump.

A printed copy of the program is kept on the whiteboard at the coordination booth, and we’d encourage parents to keep a copy on their phone too, to help their athlete navigate what’s next if needed. Coaches and chaperones are also out on the field to help athletes find their way to the next event.

You can see the planned program of events for Trial members here, or fully registered members here.

BBQ

One of the most popular parts of the evening is the Friday night BBQ. With sausages, kranskys, burgers, drinks and sweet treats available, it’s always a hit. Cash and card welcome.

Season Opening (October)

October is a little different. Keep in mind that the first weeks of the season have a lot of new starters — so give yourself extra time for any questions, bibs or uniforms to pick up.

• Week 1: Only has 3 rotations, to enable time for bib pick up, season welcomes etc.
• Week 2–4: Bibs will be available for pick up from 5pm ahead of warm-up commencing at 5:30 for registered members (5:45 for trials).
• The weekly program is published on the Competition Programs page.

Navigating a busy time

The first few weeks are busy. A general Friday night will easily have over 500 people at George Knott, including athletes and families.

During the early weeks, lots of families are learning the new routine and settling in. Ask as many questions as you need! But keep in mind that it can be quite overwhelming for new starters, especially those not used to crowds. Tips to help:

• Arrive early and make sure your little athlete knows where you are going to be sitting and cheering from, so they can find you easily in any breaks.
• Show them where the announcement station is, in case they get lost or need first aid (at the main door to the club house, near the BBQ).
• Your little athlete is welcome to sit out any rotations with you if they need time to recalibrate.
• If your little athlete needs a carer to be closer, please consider volunteering in a role that enables you to be closer to their age cohort. For example:
  • For younger age groups, this may be as a Chaperone: accompanying the age group and supporting coaches by helping keep the team coordinated and moving smoothly between events, keeping an eye on the whole group’s behaviour etc. (note, this is a whole-group role, not just looking after your own child).
  • Event support: every field event requires parent volunteers to ensure it runs smoothly — all families are asked to do 4 shifts over the season (you’ll have a coach and instructions, and nothing’s all that hard!). So we encourage you to have a look at which events your child is going to be doing, and sign up to support that event so you can see them close up! They generally love having someone they know watching… at least until a certain age 😉

How to read the weekly program

Every Friday, the program lists that night’s rotations by time down the left, and event stations across the top. Here’s a sample program so you know what you’re looking at:

The banner rows — Bib Collection, Warm Up and Finish — span the full width of the table and mark the shape of the evening: bibs from 5:00pm, warm up from 5:30pm, and everyone wrapped up by 7:30pm.

The columns are the event stations running that night (e.g. 70m, High Jump, Long Jump, Shot Put, Discus, Vortex). Where a column note appears — like “(Discus end)” or “(HJ end)” — it tells you which end of the field that station is set up at, so you know where to head. “(Temp)” means that station’s equipment is only set up for that one session. See Our Venue for a map of exactly where each one is.

Each rotation row (5:45, 6:15, 6:40 and 7:05 in the example) shows which age/gender cohort is doing which event at that time. Codes combine age and gender — e.g. 9B is 9-year-old Boys, 13+G is Girls aged 13 and over, and 7B/G is a combined Boys/Girls cohort for that younger age group. An asterisk against a code (e.g. 8G*) flags that cohort is running the shorter distance noted in the column header — 400m instead of 800m for U7–U8, in this example.

To find where your athlete needs to be: look for their age/gender code in each rotation row, then follow that column up to the event name at the top.

A few codes you’ll see across programs:

• HJ = High Jump; HJ Sm = High Jump, small/lower mat station for younger jumpers
• LJ = Long Jump
• TJ = Triple Jump
• SP = Shot Put
• (Temp) = temporary equipment set up for that session only

The current week’s program is published on the Competition Programs page.

What to bring / uniform

For a Trial, no uniform is needed — just comfortable sports clothes and joggers, a hat and sunscreen, and a labelled water bottle.

Once registered, you’ll need:

• Club singlet ($35, compulsory) — available to purchase after registering; can be worn with or without a plain white t-shirt underneath. Last season’s singlet can be reused if you already have one.
• Plain black shorts — plain black leggings are fine at weekly CLAC meets, but Regional and State competition require plain black shorts specifically (with only small logos, per LA Vic policy specifications). Available at the club or any sports/department store.
• Competition bib — shows the athlete’s name, age and registration number, with a barcode for electronic timing. Bibs are provided after registration and must be pinned to the front of the singlet every week; unpin before washing and re-attach carefully afterwards. A strip of clear tape or laminate over the pin corners stops it tearing over the season. Bibs aren’t easily replaced, so a replacement fee may apply at the club’s discretion.

Safety

• Little Athletics isn’t a drop-off sport. Children must always be in the care of a responsible adult while at CLAC — if you can’t stay, please arrange another adult to supervise and ensure your child knows who their point of contact is. In the case of injury or illness, we require an adult present that we can call upon. If we cannot find you, we may need to call emergency services.
• We ask all parents and observers to stay on the outfield rather than the infield: on a busy Friday night there can be several hundred athletes and family members on-site, and it’s critical that coaches and coordinators can see what’s happening at each event, and that track crossings stay to a minimum for safety. Watch from the bleachers or the hill, or go around the back of the straight via the outside of the track, not across it. Parents on the infield without a red volunteer bib will be asked to move back to the outfield.
• Please keep an eye on younger siblings: we know that it’s hard for the little ones to be on the sidelines all the time… but it’s dangerous if they’re left to roam and cross the track when the big kids are hurtling around the bend, or if they wander in front of a shot put or discus. We often try and run a “little kids race” when there’s time in the program to help keep them engaged (can’t promise every week!), or have a few books and colouring things for entertainment to borrow.
• No ball games: we use all areas of the track and field, so ask that there are no soccer/AFL kickarounds held on the sidelines — too often the ball goes a little wide and lands on the track, which at best is an unfair distraction for them to avoid, and at worst provides a dangerous obstacle they may trip over at full speed.
• Behaviour: CLAC follows LAVic’s good-sportsmanship and behaviour policy. Poor behaviour from an athlete, parent or spectator is addressed with a warning in the first instance; further issues can lead to removal from the venue for the night, and repeated or serious issues can lead to exclusion for the season. We’d rather this never comes up — most families never see it — but it’s there to keep the club welcoming for everyone.

  Reminder: everyone at CLAC — athletes, parents and spectators — agrees to Little Athletics Victoria’s formal Code of Conduct as part of registering your child each season. It sets out expected behaviour for athletes, parents, coaches and officials alike; if you’d like a refresher, it’s available via the LAVic website or by asking the committee.

• Dogs: no dogs are permitted anywhere on-site, per LAVic policy (assistance dogs excepted) — please leave the furry family members at home.
• Photos: feel free to photograph your own child at key moments. If posting to social media, please make sure your photos don’t include other identifiable athletes without their parent’s permission. When you register through LAVic, you’re asked for your photography consent preference; athletes whose parents have opted out wear a bib with a red marker — please be mindful of this when framing shots. To opt out (or back in), email [email protected] and your child will be issued a red-marker bib. Note that professional photographers are often present at Regional and State events and try to capture all athletes in their key moments.
• Weather: competition is called off if the Bureau of Meteorology temperature for Melbourne exceeds 38°C at the start of, or during, the program. In wet weather, competition usually proceeds (the program may switch to a Wet Weather format); sessions may be cancelled for lightning or other unsafe conditions at the Competition Manager’s call. Check Team App on the day if you’re unsure.

Volunteering

Little Athletics runs entirely on volunteers — around 30 are needed every week — and we can’t operate without parents pitching in. Each family is asked for 4 shifts across the season: escorting young groups (chaperoning), measuring throws, recording results, or running the start/finish. Coaches and experienced volunteers are on hand every week to walk you through any role — you don’t need to know anything about athletics to help.

This season we’re using ClubVolunteer for sign-ups — book your shifts in advance; shifts need to be booked before your child’s bib is issued. (The full sign-up window and process will be released via Team App; if you’re reading this before that’s live, check Team App or ask the volunteer coordinator on the night.)

Can’t volunteer on the night — young kids needing supervision, for example? Join the committee instead: there’s always a need for help with treasury, communications, sponsorship, uniforms, the website, social media, the Coles banana run, or as awards & medals coordinator.

Working with Children Check: all committee members, chief officials, coaches, and any volunteer without their own child at the Centre need a current Working with Children (WWC) Check. It’s free to apply at workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au.

Staying connected

There’s a lot of moving parts through the season, so we have a few ways of staying in touch with our families:

• TeamApp: Our main communication channel for time-critical messages. It’s where we post events, news, and critically — any last minute changes to events as a result of weather etc. Join at: clac10.teamapp.com
• Email: Our address is [email protected]. Both for questions from you, and occasional messages from us (critical messages, direct comms etc). Please make sure CLAC isn’t landing in your spam folder. You will also on occasion get invitations to participate in events from Little Athletics Victoria directly.
• ResultsHQ: Once members are registered for the season, ResultsHQ is the portal through which you can track their progress and watch their growth over the year – every event result, personal bests etc.
• GameDay: For registering at the start of the season (both trial and full members) and any Little Athletics Victoria events your athlete might participate in (e.g. registering for Regional, State level competitions). Not needed week-to-week.
• Our website: For the season calendar, FAQ, weekly competitions etc. www.clac10.org.au
• Facebook: We have a page for general socials, but not a primary communication channel and shouldn’t be relied on for weather updates etc.
• ClubVolunteer: An online portal we will be using to register parent volunteers.

Representing CLAC at Regional & State events

If your athlete is in the U9–U17 age group, they may be eligible to represent Collingwood at Regional and, from there, State competition. This is a great opportunity to test themselves against other clubs and on a larger stage. These events are run by Little Athletics Victoria across the Eastern Metro Region and beyond, on a separate calendar to our weekly Friday program — the committee will let eligible families know via Team App when entries open.

Awards

Everyone’s encouraged to chase their own personal bests rather than compete against each other. Age-champion and other key club awards are presented at season’s end, with a minimum of five weeks’ attendance to qualify — details are shared via Team App closer to the time. Participation awards are also given out at the end of the season.

Getting to the venue

CLAC competes at George Knott Reserve, Heidelberg Rd, Clifton Hill. Parking is limited — Heidelberg Rd runs clearways during peak hours on Friday nights and parking inspectors are often about, so please stick to designated spaces (including keeping off the grassy areas of local walkways). There’s ample parking across Heidelberg Road, along the Esplanade and on Fenwick St in Clifton Hill, with two sets of lights for a safe crossing.

Find out more

This handbook covers what’s most useful for your first few weeks — for everything else, check the rest of our website:

• Season calendar — key dates, competition nights and any special-format evenings.
• Competition Programs — the weekly program of events, published ahead of each Friday.
• FAQs — registration, fees, results and Cross Country in more detail.

All at clac10.org.au, or email [email protected] any time.