LITTLE ATHLETICS faqs 

IS MY CHILD OLD ENOUGH TO REGISTER?
For the 2024-25 season children who are born between (and including) 2008-2020 are eligible to register with GUNLAC.  The Age calculator to the right will confirm your child's eligibility to register. 

GUNLAC AGE Group Calculator

Select your child's year of birth

=

 WHAT AGE GROUP WILL MY CHILD BE IN?
For the 2024-25 season the age group for an athlete is the age they will be turning in 2025. For example, if your child is turning 7 in 2025 they will participate in the Under 7 age group.  Please refer to the above Age Calculator to determine your child's Age Group.

When registering you do not need to nominate your child's age group as this will be done automatically when you enter their birthdate. You will be required to provide proof of age, either by scanning and attaching a copy of their birth certificate or Passport or by showing the original when picking up your registration pack. Note: GUNLAC do not retain a copy of this documentation, documents loaded onto the system will be deleted after they have been approved.

​WHEN DOES THE LITTLE ATHLETICS SEASON START?
Our first meet of the 2024-25 season will be 19 October 2024 and will run for up to 18 weeks with a break over the Christmas/New Year period. Our key season dates from 2024-25 including carnivals, are available on our CALENDAR page.

We provide a COME AND TRY LITTLE ATHLETICS opportunity for athletes interested in trying out Little Athletics before they register.

WHEN ARE THE WEEKLY MEETS?
Our meets are held every Saturday morning during the season.

8.20am - TINY TOTS SESSION - Under 5 boys and girls.
Expected finish time 9.15am.  Tiny Tots will undertake up to 5 stations of game based activities.  Race times and placings are not recorded as the program is designed for skill development. 

8.20am - JUNIOR SESSION - Under 6, Under 7 and Under 8 boys and girls.
Expected finish time 9.45am. Four events each age group. 

9.50am - SENIOR SESSION - Under 9 - Under 17 boys and girls.
Expected finish time 11.30am. 

From week 2 onwards we also run a 1500m race (Under 11 and older) and race walks (Under 9 and older) in between the two sessions, commencing at 9.45am (after Junior Session). Marshalling for these races will be at the round track at 9.40am.

WHERE ARE MEETS HELD?
Our training and Saturday morning meets are held at Amaroo Playing fields, off Horse Park Drive in Amaroo (behind the Amaroo School).  Check out our map for details on where to meet and the location of the events.

WHAT IS THE COST OF REGISTRATION?
For the 2024-25 season the registration fees start from $90 for a Tiny Tot (U5) and $165 for athletes in U6-17.  Discounts apply for registering more than 1 athlete.  The REGISTRATION page has more information about the fees and how to register.

We provide a COME AND TRY LITTLE ATHLETICS opportunity for athletes interested in trying out Little Athletics before they register.

CAN I PAY IN CASH?
Our Club is 100% CASHLESS which means no cash for registration, uniforms or at the canteen.  Registrations are all done online and you can pay with a credit card or PayPal.

DO I NEED TO STAY WITH MY CHILD AT LITTLE ATHLETICS?
Yes! It is an insurance requirement that all children are accompanied by an adult. Little athletics is run by parent volunteers and we need parents to help out each week to run our meets. Volunteers include Age Group Managers, parents helping Age Group Managers on events, track helpers and canteen helpers.

DO I NEED TO HELP AT MEETS?
GUNLAC is run solely by volunteers and we do ask parents to assist at meets, though it is often not a requirement to help each weekend. Each season as part of registration we are asking families to sign up to a Duty Roster, where they nominate specific jobs or tasks they can help with. Often parents help out more regularly and it's greatly appreciated!

​All athletes benefit when our meets run smoothly with lots of parent support - it helps to reduce the time taken to complete events and makes everyone's morning more enjoyable!

WHAT EVENTS WILL MY CHILD DO?
At GUNLAC we offer the full range of events (running, throws, jumps etc) for our athletes, however we do progressively add events as athletes move into older age groups to ensure that the events are age appropriate (for example, hurdles are offered from Under 8s and older, High Jump from Under 9s, and javelin and triple jump are offered from Under 11s).

Our Under 6 athletes participate in a special program called On Track, which offers a combination of track races (always the most exciting!) and games and activities designed to develop the core skills children will use for events as they get older (jumping, throwing, starts etc). This table sets out the events that each age group competes in.

Our Tiny Tots (Under 5) participate in a modified introductory program designed to develop their fundamental movement skills of running, walking, jumping and throwing through fun and enjoyable activities. The aim of the program is to improve the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of children through an age appropriate, active and free play-based approach that is engaging and stimulating.

We run a rotating program for our weekly meets. Programs for the forthcoming weekend are published onto the WEEKLY MEET PROGRAM  and the GUNLAC Facebook page.

IS THERE A UNIFORM?
We have club shirts, singlets, crop tops and hats which are available for purchase through the registration process and every Saturday, prices start at $29.00. It is compulsory to wear the GUNLAC Uniform at our Saturday meets for registered athletes (this does not include those undertaking a trial).  Tiny Tots have the option of wearing either a GUNLAC shirt or a plain red shirt.  Second hand uniforms (shirts and running shoes) can also be purchased at club meets.  

All athletes must wear their registration number and age patch on their shirt at each meet to ensure we can record all results accurately. You will receive these in your registration pack at the start of the season.  They can be attached in various ways such as, safety pins, iron on hemming tape, or sewn on.

Athletes who choose to compete in Capital Athletics carnivals, championships or other events are required to have a GUNLAC shirt, singlet or crop top and wear black shorts or pants when competing.​

DOES GUNLAC OFFER COACHING?
GUNLAC has some qualified coaches at the club who volunteer their time to coordinate our TRAINING sessions on Thursday evenings throughout the season. The GUNLAC training sessions are included in the registration fee so there is no extra cost for athletes who attend. On the TRAINING page you can find more information about what is offered each week.  If you would like to hire a personal coach we suggest you can use the coachathletics.com.au/find-a-coach page to locate an accredited coach.  You can also speak with various committee members about what might best suit your circumstances.