Helensvale Little Athletics needs your support for a new home ground!

Helensvale Little Athletics needs your support for a new home ground!

Started
8 October 2022
Signatures: 310Next goal: 500
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Why this petition matters

Helensvale Little Athletics is affiliated to Little Athletics Queensland and has operated for over 26 years, running out of Helensvale State High School, utilising the track and field facilities onsite, as well as amenities, canteen, and storage sheds. 

The Club runs during the summer season from September to March and runs the competition nights on a Friday evening. Athletes do a weekly rotation of 4-5 events during this evening. The Club also provides coaching to interested athletes each Wednesday afternoon. Participation is divided into age groups from Tiny Tots aged under 5 years, up to under 17 years, where Little Athletics phases out and interested athletes then graduate and move to Queensland Athletics.

Little Athletics is very inclusive, and family focused. We have parents as age managers and always receive a great contribution from parents with measuring, timing, and recording results. The Club operates under the Little Athletics Queensland (LAQ) rules and systems, which gives strong grounding in policies to promote positive values and inclusion of disadvantaged children. The Club operates with no paid employees and a one hundred percent volunteer input.

The club has a strong core of young athletes that participate in regional competition and from this we get a significant number who will qualify for the State Competition, which is an achievement that is proudly carried by the young athletes. Under 13 and under 15 athletes can qualify for national competition and the club also support athletes that go on to feature in national competitions based on the schools and Queensland Athletics. The Club also supports athletes in the under 14 & 15 age groups who are eligible to go to New Zealand for a 10-day development tour, representing Queensland.

The catchment area for the club is quite extensive and overlaps those of surrounding clubs when the Friday night is a families preferred time slot. The club has had an average of 350 registered athletes for the last 7 seasons. Prior to that, they have had over 400 registered athletes most years and have previously had more than 600 in Olympic and Commonwealth Games years. 

Unfortunately, at the completion of the 19/20 season and prior to the 20/21 season beginning, the long-standing lease between Helensvale State High School and Helensvale Little Athletics was terminated due to the conditions of the agreement not being met with regards to the upkeep of facilities. 

Permission was granted by LAQ to use the facilities at the Gold Coast Performance Centre for the 20/21 season only, and this was accepted. Unfortunately, this came at a significant cost to the Club to hire these facilities, as well as the Club not being able to generate any funding throughout the season from canteen sales. The Club had to purchase a shipping container to store all the equipment, uniforms, office supplies, barbecue and canteen supplies.

There was still no progress in finding a home ground when it came time for the 21/22 season but fortunately, Gold Coast Little Athletics down at Pizzey Park, Miami were kind enough to invite the Club to run with them the entire season. Helensvale were grateful for the support and made a donation to Gold Coast Little Athletics as a thank you. 

Unfortunately for the 22/23 current season, there was still no home ground available for the Club to use and we had to go into hiatus. The Olympics are only 10 years away so we need a new facility on the Northern Gold Coast for the up and coming Olympic athletes! This is where we need your signatures to show the Council that we have the support of local community, families and businesses to provide an sporting facility for everyone. 

If there’s any questions please feel free to email our cub at helensvaleathletics@gmail.com

 

Support now
Signatures: 310Next goal: 500
Support now
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