INTRODUCTION
This report covers the year from the 1st January to the end of December 2024.
2024 was something of a mixed year for the club’s junior section. While on balance it has been a good year the Section did not quite make the progress that was hoped for.
The Junior section has its own bank account and thanks to Harry Binyon the Section’s Treasurer and the efforts of the parents committee the Junior’s continues to maintain a good stable financial situation. The membership subscriptions were close to covering all the costs of hiring the facilities at Shildon which is by far and away our most significant outgoing.
TRAINING AND COACHING
The Junior Section Thursday night training continued to be the mainstay of our activities. Clare, Harry, Paul and Joe provided structured sessions tailored to suit all our young athletes. A typical Thursday training session would see between 25 and 30 athletes taking part. This is slightly down on 2023 numbers.
Our coaching team has been together for some time now and turn up at Shildon on a regular basis providing a consistent training routine for our young athletes. During the spring and summer of 2024 two of our coaches were unavailable due to injuries. This stretched the Sections ability to keep the regular training night going. It highlighted that the section lacks cover when coaches are on holiday or are unavailable for whatever reason.
MEMBERSHIP
Having built the membership up to pre-pandemic levels during 2023 there was a slight reduction in numbers during 2024. The number of athletes that can be safely accommodated at our Thursday night training sessions is limited by the number of coaches that we have available.The Section has a long waiting list but we are hesitant about excepting new members due to the limited number of coaches. At present the Section has a solid core group of young athletes that have been with the club for some time which means we have established training groups that are progressing and developing.
COMPETITIVE EVENT
Our young athletes took part in a variety of events during 2024.
- Parkruns
There were lots of good ‘parkrun’ performances during 2024. These were mainly at the junior ‘parkruns’ at Sedgefield and Durham but our young athletes have also done remarkably well when taking part in Senior ‘parkruns’.
- County Durham Athletics Network
The number of Crook juniors taking part in C.D.A.N. events was down on previous years although those who did take part put in some good performances.
- Cross Country Events
Cross country events are usually held in the winter between September and March of the following year so do not fit neatly into a report covering just one year. During 2024 we saw individual runners do well for Crook Juniors in the second half of the 2023/24 season. In the first half of the 2024/25 season there was a decline in the number of Crook Juniors taking part to the extent that we only had two Under 11 girls representing the Section in the Harrier League.
A thank you to the Senior Captain who has supported the juniors at cross countries at throughout 2024.
- Track & Field and Road Race
Crook juniors were well represented at the 2024 Junior Great North Run as well as several school athletics events. Two of our Under 13 Girls put in some impressive sprint and long jump performances during the summer.
PRESENTATIONS and CHRISTMAS PARTY
The Crook AC Juniors and their families turned out in force for their Presentation event at Bishop Auckland Football Club.
They all did really well during 2024, turning up to sessions come rain or shine.
A difficult job for the coaches when it came to choosing the award winners.
A big thank you to Laura, Cathy and the parents committee for staging such an enjoyable party.
THE YEAR AHEAD
Hopefully 2025 will see the Junior Section build on previous years. The key to the Sections progression will be trying to increase the number of coaches and assistant coaches that are actively involved in the Sections activities so we need to attract some new volunteers
11th February 2025