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October
2007
Dear squad
member,
British Athletics League – Push For Promotion.
Whether we had survived in Division One
or not this year, it is clear that we need to make some changes in the
way that we operate at Senior level at the Club. With both the men and
women being at the same level in their respective National Leagues it is
time to put together plans to, in the short term, gain promotion for
both teams next year, and, in the medium term to win promotion to the
top divisions of the National League.
To do so we
will need not just the support of all Senior athletes but also the Club
as a whole. The vision of us being a top Club has to be shared by all.
As a start
a group is being put together to co-ordinate an action plan. Myself,
Bridget Benneworth, Mike Skinner, Liz Hughes and David McKinlay have all
agreed to be part of this section and we would be delighted to hear from
any others who would like to be part of it. Alternatively, if you are
unable to be contribute to this group on an ongoing basis, but have
ideas that you feel could be of use to the Club, then please get in
touch. Don’t hold back.
We have so
far had a couple of informal meetings and have thrown around a lot of
good ideas and will now concentrate on their development and
implementation, but it will take a little time. These have included a
team bonding weekend away; Athlete Of The Match Awards; unique Senior
National League kit; and travelling to National Championships as a team.
Further details will be sent to you soon.
The Club
website and regular e-mail/snail mail will be used more extensively to
keep you updated and to keep the rest of the Club informed of our
progress. I will be aiming to send a monthly letter to the BAL squad and
the website will be updated on an ongoing basis. We are aiming to have
an expanded area of the website for Seniors, and one of the first
improvements you will see will be a gallery of squad members with best
performances and profiles. You are very welcome to submit your own
profiles.
In order to
facilitate communication your up to date e-mail address is important. If
you receive this letter by snail mail, please send your e-mail address
to me as I haven’t got it.
Returning
to the season just gone, it was obviously a big disappointment to get
relegated. We actually beat six of the other teams in the Division at
various times, didn’t finish bottom in any match and came 6th
in the Cup Final, having knocked out Premier Division teams on the way.
We have a good squad but it counts for nothing if athletes are not
available for matches.
As I have
said elsewhere the last time that we were relegated to the third
division of the National League we responded by being promoted two years
in a row. We are good enough to do it again.
There can
be no complacency, however, as both Edinburgh and Bedford who went down
last year went down again this. I cannot see there being a big drop in
the standard of competition. For example, Cardiff came down with us and
they have good athletes across the disciplines. In 2007 there were eight
athletes in one match over 50 metres in the Hammer and the standard over
the season was better than Division One.
The teams
we will be up against are Cardiff, Basingstoke, Derby, Herne Hill,
Southend, Notts AC and Swansea all of whom have some strong events. We
can expect two trips away.
The BAL AGM
will be around soon and I will keep you updated of anything which may be
of interest.
As you know
David McKinlay has stepped down as Southern League team a manager, which
is a great shame as he has done a very good job. Richard Hall has said
he is prepared to help look after the team but doesn’t want to do it on
his own so… any volunteers?
Best wishes
for your Winter training
Pat Calnan
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