Cymryd Rhan

Project 2030 aims to welcome 10,000 mini and junior participants to athletics by 2030. With 31% of children lacking confidence to try new sports, our current, competition-heavy model isn’t working, especially for children U9. Athletics must adapt to better reflect the changing wants and needs of today’s society.

What we’ve done so far?

• 3 months consultation with clubs, partners and members to understand the current landscape, challenges and opportunities within the sport of athletics
• Desk-based research and analysis of grassroots’ sports around the UK and abroad to recognise learning and potential development opportunities
• Engaged with and visited 25% of our Welsh clubs, listened to athletes, parents and volunteers’ experiences

What we found out:

• Only 23% of Welsh Athletics membership is made up of junior athletes (under 17)
• Although athletics is seen as a foundation sport, most clubs don’t welcome children until age 9
• Club volunteers are overstretched, with a small number of individuals fulfilling multiple roles
• Many athletics clubs place significant emphasis on talent identification and development
• There is strong demand from children, particularly those aged 5 to 9, to join athletics clubs, but many clubs have long-standing waiting lists that rarely clear

What are we going to do about it?

We are committed to supporting clubs in expanding their grassroots provision to welcome more children into their clubs with appropriate workforce, session content and competition structure, recognising that current club nights are tailored towards existing, competitive athletes:

• Develop a programme for recreational, grassroots athletics activities for ages 4+ outside of traditional athletics offering
• Develop regular, flexible and informal events for children to attend locally to introduce them to athletics environments
• Support entry level workforce to build confidence and learn basic athletics knowledge to facilitate sessions

Roadshow summary

Where are we now? 

We took to the road to share our vision with our community clubs and partner organisations during a fortnight of roadshows in October 2025. We welcomed approximately 50 coaches, committee members and sport development colleagues who had an interest in being a part of progressing junior athletics, whether within a club environment, or a community setting.  

We had plenty of Q&A with our attendees and were open and transparent in where our priorities are for this piece of work. We want to help open the doors to recreational participants between 4-12 to access our sport in a fun and informal way and will do all we can to support our clubs in making this a reality!  

What happens next? 

We are continuing to work hard behind the scenes to develop session plans, a new accredited Foundation Qualification for leaders, a new membership portal alongside the branding and marketing to build a new look and feel for this young audience.  

Our Expression of Interest is open now for clubs and community partners to sign up to be a part of the first implementation of grassroots athletics from Spring 2026!  

Get in touch if you would like to discuss the opportunity to be involved. Register your interest via our expression of interest form, or contact Katy.evans@welshathletics.org with any questions.  

Project 2030 FAQ's

Read the report [HERE]

If we get this new approach right, we’ll welcome thousands more into a sport where fun, belonging and progression work together!