Aldershot, Farnham and District Athletics Club

Aldershot, Farnham and District Athletics Club is an athletics club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. It is based at the Aldershot Military Stadium in Aldershot, Hampshire.^[1] The club competes in the Youth Development League (YDL),^[2] Hampshire and Surrey Leagues,^[3][4] various relay events including the Southern Road Relays^[5] and National Road^[6] and Cross Country Relays.^[7][8] The club has been known to intake youth products from Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow Athletic Club and has links with Uusimaa Juoksee Athletics Club of Porvoo, Finland.

AFD AC logo

The current president is Steve Smith and the current chairman is Michael Neighbour.^[9]

The middle/long distance coaching is currently led by former international athlete Mick Woods and the club trains its middle and long distance athletes at various locations including the polo fields opposite the Military Stadium on Queen's Avenue and The Wellington Statue, Aldershot.^[10]

The sprint section is led by various coaches and the race walking teams are run and trained by former Commonwealth Games athlete Verity Snook-Larby.^[11]

History

The founding of Aldershot, Farnham & District Athletic Club on 7 August 1966.^[12] Formally known as Aldershot and District A.C., the club eventually merged with Farnham A.C. The negotiations between Farnham, Guildford and Godalming A.C. stumbled over the inclusion of Godalming in the name. As the Guildford and Godalming clubs had previously merged about a decade before, they wished to include their name in full while Farnham thought the name in full would be 'too much of a mouthful'.

At the time, the Aldershot Club, whose colours were white with green hoops (the same as existing colours of AFD, minus the red of Farnham^[13]), were mainly a very strong ladies club with a newly emerging boys and youths section, which had just competed with distinction for the first time in the ECCU National at Graves Park, Sheffield.^[14] The ladies through Sheena Fitzmaurice, Pat Card and Margaret Bram had made an effective climb to the top of women’s cross country. At the time the club had just received permission to organise its Sunday morning training at the Mons track at the back of the Military Stadium. Aldershot, for the first time, got permission to put on the annual Trophies Meetings at the Military Stadium and used the grass track at Aldershot Park for other matches.

Much of the club foundation came with the magnificent organisation of events for youngsters. In the early days of the club, AFD (as they are more commonly known) organised a Track and Field League and a Cross Country League for local school boys which was a great recruiting basis. They had indoor training at North Camp for the girls and St Michael’s School for the boys under the superb direction of Tim Carroll. Visits from men who were to become world-famous but were AAA National coaches at the time – Ron Pickering, Tom McNab and John Anderson to name but a few were made.

AFD organised womens and youths and boys road relays in Aldershot which attracted huge entries and were the most popular in the country. As well as the schools they got great help from, the Army helped and the club used Army Junior Units as venues for the Cross Country Leagues. In conjunction with the former Aldershot Borough Council, evening sports meeting were arranged which was often the introduction for young school children and young servicemen to the sport. The Aldershot Council also helped to buy an old Army hut which we re-erected in Aldershot Park as the club headquarters at the new grass track. The Aldershot Club was very much on the up and one of the most talked about clubs in the country.

The Farnham Club, whose colours were red, were mainly a harriers club based at the Memorial Ground in Farnham with its unique grass 300 yards track. The club organised a very popular Paarlauf each year, which always attracted International athletes. They also organised a very popular Cross Country Relay in Farnham Park which had a very good entry. The club was made up mainly of seniors with most of the administration undertaken by Alan Mason, who was one of the first coaches to go through the Loughborough Summer School under the legendary founder of the coaching system in Britain, Geoff Dyson. The leading athlete was Ron Stonehouse, who had the misfortune to be a contemporary of Brasher, Shirley, Disley, Chataway, Norris, Pirie and Driver and would in any other era have been one of the greats of the sport.^[15] Ron ran in the curtain up to the legendary Kuts/Chataway race which was run at White City.

Aldershot Military Stadium, Aldershot

The marriage was perfect with the merging of the young and enthusiastic Aldershot lads with the experienced Farnham seniors and in middle distance running our record in Southern Cross Country and Road Running since 1966 speaks for itself. AFD were probably the first club in the South to be equally strong in both women’s and men’s athletics. In the sixties and seventies the club developed an enormous amount of talent and with the founding of the League system, were soon to become a force in track and field as well as cross country and road running.

With the formation of the Rushmoor Borough Council from the former Aldershot and Farnborough Councils, they were later to get the financial support which enabled them to use the Military Stadium for training. In 1966 it cost committee members 2 shillings (10 pence) per week to keep the club going, and the members also paid 1 shilling (5 pence) for training. It was not unusual for AFD AC to fill a coach on a Sunday morning to visit Elvetham or Frensham for organised training.

Competition placings

National Cross Country Championships

Winners

Senior men - 1983, 1984, 1985, 2010

Junior men - 1972, 1988, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013

Under 17 men - 1994, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012

Under 15 boys - 2003, 2009, 2013

Senior women - 1979, 1984, 2013, 2014, 2015

Junior women - 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Under 17 women - 1994, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015

Under 15 girls - 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015

Under 13 girls - 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009

European Club Champions Cup Cross Country

Men - 1984 ( ), 1985 ( ), 1986 ( )

Women - 1980 ( ), 1985 ( ), 2015 ( )

National Cross Country Relays

Winners

Senior men - 2013

Under 20 men - 2010

Under 17 men - 2014

Under 15 boys - 2007

Under 13 boys - 2007

Senior women - 2013, 2014

Under 20 women - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014

Under 17 women - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Under 15 girls - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Under 13 girls - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

National Road Relays

Winners

Senior men (12 stage) - 1982, 2004

Senior women (6 stage) - 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Senior men (6 stage) - 1981, 2011, 2014

Senior women (4 stage) - 1971, 1972, 1981, 1986, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Under 17 women - 1971, 1972, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015

Under 15 girls - 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2011

Under 13 girls - 1972, 1974, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009

Under 15 boys - 2001

Under 13 boys - 1999, 2000, 2001

Race Walking Champions Cup 20km

Winners

Senior Ladies - 2013

Notable athletes

Olympians

Zola Budd competing at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

Athlete	Country	Events	Olympics	Positions
Barbara Inkpen[16]		High jump	1968, 1972[17]	13th, 4th
Bernard Ford[18]		10,000 metres	1976, 1980[19]	8th, DNF
Roger Hackney[20]		3000 metres steeplechase	1980, 1984, 1988[21]	7th (heat), 10th, DNF (heat)
Christina Boxer[22]		1500 metres	1980, 1984, 1988[23]	8th (heat), 6th, 4th
Zola Budd[24]		3000 metres	1984, 1992[25]	7th, 9th (heat)
Steph Twell[26]		1500 metres	2008[27]	6th (heat)
Chris Thompson[28]		10,000 metres	2012[29]	25th

Commonwealth Games

Athlete	Country	Events	Year(s)	Medals
Barbara Inkpen[16]		High Jump	1974	1974[30]
Christina Boxer[22]		1500 metres	1978, 1982, 1986	1982, 1990[31]
Roger Hackney[20]		3000 metres steeplechase	1982, 1986, 1990	1986[32]
Ruth Partridge (née Smeeth)[33]		3000 metres	1990
Verity Snook-Larby[34]		10km walk	1994
Ben Moreau[35]		Marathon	2010, 2014
Charlotte Purdue[36]		10,000 metres	2010
Steph Twell[26]		1500 metres, 5000 metres	2010, 2014	2010[37]
Aaron Harris[38]		Triathlon	2014
Andy Vernon[39]		5000 metres	2010
Isobel Pooley[40]		High jump	2014	2014[41]
Lennie Waite[42]		3000 metres steeplechase	2010, 2014
Harvey Dixon[43]		1500 metres	2014
Emelia Górecka[44]		5000 metres	2014

References

External links

• Official club website
• Thames Valley Athletics Centre