WELCOME Welcome to Illawong Little Athletics Centre (ILAC)! From all of us, we want to welcome returning members and especially new members for 2024-2025. We are looking forward to an exciting season where everyone has a great time running, jumping, throwing and volunteering. Returning members know a little more about ILAC than new members but this information will hopefully bridge some of this gap. Firstly, we encourage ALL members and visitors to read this as it sets out who we are, how we operate, what to expect each Saturday, expectations for everyone, what pathways are there for our children and who to contact for what. VOLUNTEERING ILAC exists solely because of volunteers. Everyone from the President of this club to a helper are not paid. ILAC does not operate without volunteers. When you think about it, a registration cost of $150 + Uniform ($45) = $195 for about 20 weeks = is less than $10 a week. This would be IMPOSSIBLE without volunteers so to this point, it is an expectation that we, as parents, help at every opportunity. What does it mean to volunteer? One of our goals at ILAC is to create an atmosphere of fun and volunteering. There are rosters that will be run to help set up the track and pack up the track as well as help in the canteen. It does not end there however. It also means that we need help measuring throws, returning a shot put back, raking the sand pit etc. There is plenty to do and if you are unsure of what you can do, just ask one of our age managers or committee members. We have all been new at some point so we totally understand if someone is nervous about measuring. Let us all reassure you, you are not alone and we are more than happy to guide you. We value and rely on volunteering that much that if a child does not have a parent present and volunteering, they cannot compete and unfortunately it is them that miss out. It is unfortunate that this would happen and thankfully, it is a minority that fall into this camp but it is not safe for a child to be at a carnival/meet without an accompanying guardian in case there is a health emergency. We also realise there may be some extenuating circumstances on a particular week so arrangements can be made in these circumstances. If you are the sort of parent or guardian that does not like to volunteer, then we encourage you to find another club as Illawong Little Athletics is not the club for your family. PATHWAYS Before you say, “my child is not special, they won’t win anything so they will not enjoy this”, welcome to most of us! We have such a varied group of children and abilities, we cater for everyone. You never know, your son or daughter who was slow when they were 8 could be extremely fast in 2 years. We have seen children grow in their skill and enthusiasm within the space of a few months and this is extremely rewarding. Just as rewarding is seeing a child’s confidence grow because they can run in a lane or they can jump in some sand or throw a discus. For those of you who have children that excel in athletics, we are well equipped to cater to their need as well. We have coaches for most events and can be found here. These coaches train up at the track on different days during the week. If you are interested in this, they can be contacted from this website. You may also notice on the calendar tab on this website meets such as zone, regional, state, state relays, cross country and Trans-Tasman. These meets are opportunities for our athletes to compete with others in the area, in our general region, NSW and on a national level. All information about these meets can be found when you head over to the calendar and click on each event. Illawong Little Athletics is also very privileged to be a “feeder” club for Illawong Revesby Workers Senior Club. What this basically means is that every athlete from the age of 12 can compete with others at the senior club. It also provides opportunities to join their events and their meets as well. MISSION The mission of Illawong Little Athletics Centre is FAMILY FUN AND FITNESS. It is also to promote the sport of Track and Field Athletics for the benefit of participants no matter what level of skill. We hope this goes some way in introducing you to ILAC and bridging any gap that may be there. Athletics is fun and your children and you will have a fantastic time being part of our community. For more information, check out the FAQs