Sportshall Activity in Cornwall

Sportshall Athletics is a UK Athletes event sponsored by Aviva which introduces younger athletes to the full range of competitive, athletic events but in a simplified format. It offers real variety through a series of local, regional and national events.

Until 2008 there had been a Sportshall League in Cornwall providing competition for clubs and schools over the winter culminating in a County Championships. Unfortunately, a number of different factors caused this to finish.

However, over the past two years a small group of coaches and helpers have provided training and competition for the four clubs in the County that work with the U15 and below age group and the County Championships have led to teams being selected to compete in the Regional Festivals and Championships at Torbay.

Hopefully, with the new Duchy Athletics Network being funded, both schools and clubs will be part of the competitions next winter.

Sportshall is an exciting and fun athletics team game:

• A child-friendly format that uses brightly-coloured equipment specially designed with safety in mind.
• A competition focus for budding athltetes who have learend skills when taking part in Aviva Startrack and Aviva Shine Awards.
• An effective first step into the world of traditional track & field athletics. Many of the current track & field stars started their careers in Aviva Sportshall including Olympic Bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton.

There are three Aviva Sportshall National Programmes:

1. Aviva Fun in Athletics for 9 - 11 year-olds (Primary schools ages)

• The emphasis is on fun, enjoyment and giving one's best for the good of the team;
• Teams of 15 boys and girls are raised from counties or districts to take part in Regional Festivals of Fun.

2. Aviva Sportshall "Team Challenge" for under-13s

• An exciting competition requiring competitors to have a multi-skilled approach to athletics.
• Each county or district is invited to aise a team of 12 boys and 12 girls to take part in a regional Final.

3. Aviva Sportshall "Team Challenge" for under-15s

• ... as described for under-13s above.

At each competition level there is a range of events available, as detailed below. The Under-11 competition is team-based, whilst the Under-13 and Under-15 events have both team and individual competition programmes.

The available events which form the Sportshall competition structure are as follows:

Aviva Fun in Athletics - Under-11 (school years 5 and 6)

Aviva Sportshall 11- to 15-years group (school years 7 to 10)

Why get involved in Aviva Sportshall?

Aviva Sportshall is a world-leading athletics development programme that packs the action of track and field into your local Leisure Centre.

It provides a competition focus for the skills learned during the Aviva Startrack programme; it has it's own section in the Aviva Shine Awards and - above all - people will tell you that it's enjoyable and fun! It is an integral part of the Aviva UKA Academy.

Sportshall enquiries should be sent to the general secretary here.