Event Group

At event group level Athletics NI support coach-athlete pairs with initiatives including:

    • Youth Academy
    • Speed-Power Academy
    • Event Group Development Squads

The primary aim of these initiatives is to nurture the development of promising young athletes as they negotiate their teenage years and to provide development opportunities, networking and planning support for their coaches.

Athletics NI Event Group Training

As part of the ANI strategic mandate to improve standards in field & technical events we invite athletes to apply for the opportunity to participate in Event Groups which will practice indoors at UUJ during the off-season months Nov. 2025 – Feb. 2026.

Numbers will be restricted to 8-12 athletes in each event group and applicants should ideally be > 15 years old and have demonstrated some ability in the stated event or in a closely related discipline.

Selection guidance for application specific to each event group is as outlined below.

Commitment and payment will be required at the time of acceptance.

Fees are to cover the cost of facility hire; there is no fee for coaching provided.

All sessions will be held in UUJ indoor facility from 6-8 pm on the dates shown.

***Note all 2026 dates are provisional ***

  1. Pole Vault:

This is a unique event group aimed at training new PV coaches as well as athletes. The event group program will require commitment from 4 aspiring coaches and 8 athletes.

There will be 8 sessions each lasting 2 hours and lead by Jim Alexander, a highly experienced Pole Vault Coach.

  • Dates are :-
  • 2025: Oct 31st; Nov 14th & 28th; Dec 12th.
  • 2026: provisional dates [TBC; Jan 9th & 23rd; Feb 13th & 27th]
  • Total Cost £100 per athlete – There is no charge for trainee coaches however there is a requirement for commitment on their part.
  1. Long and Triple Jump:

This event group provides access to indoor jumping facility for 8 sessions, each lasting 2 hours.

There will be a maximum of 12 athletes who may be long and or triple jumpers

Dates are:-

  • 2025: Oct 31st; Nov 14th & 28th; Dec 12th
  • 2026: provisional dates [TBC; Jan 9th & 23rd; Feb 13th & 27th]
  • Consider applying Long Jump : Boys > 5.50m & Girls > 4.65m
  • Consider applying Triple Jump : Boys > 11.30m & Girls > 9.60m
  • Total cost is £50 per athlete
  1. High Jump

This event group will be lead by coaches Janet Boyle and Stephen Lewis and is an extension of the successful pilot run 2024 season.

It provides 8 sessions, each lasting 2 hours.

  • Dates are :-
  • 2025 : Nov 7th & 21st; Dec 5th & 19th.
  • 2026 : Provisional Dates [ TBC Jan 16th; Feb 6th & 20th; Mar 6th.]
  • Consider applying : Boys > 160m & Girls > 150m in 2025 season.
  • Total cost per athlete £50
  1. Hurdles

This event group will consist of 4 sessions each lasting 2 hours and will be coached by Tom Reynolds.

  • Dates are :-
  • 2025 : Nov 7th; Dec 5th
  • 2026 : Provisional dates [ TBC Jan 16th; Feb 20th ]
  • Consider applying : Boys 100m sprint: 11.99 & Girls 13.19 or Ulster Schools finalist in hurdles in 2024 or 2025
  • Total cost per athlete £ 25
  1. Shotput

This event group will consist of 4 sessions each lasting 2 hours and will be coached by James Douglas and Ian McMullan

  • Dates are :-
  • 2025 : Nov 21st ; Dec 19th
  • 2026 : Provisional dates [ TBC Feb 6th; Mar 6th ]
  • Consider applying : Boys > 10.60 m & Girls > 9.10 m
  • Total cost per athlete £25

Should any applicant have further questions regarding the event group training please contact coaching@athleticsni.org '

Link for applying here: https://forms.gle/5Rvz9QYHV4S7T6Wi9

Youth Academy

Youth Academy assists selected athletes and their coaches by providing targeted support and mentoring as they progress along the pathway to success. Youth Academy provides a ‘Hot House’, accelerating athletes to a higher technical standard and with higher levels of physical conditioning. It provides a stepping stone towards international representation and sustained senior success.

Athlete profiles and performance standards will monitor progress of athletes and of the programme. The programme is underpinned by a curriculum that follows the periodised year and aims to develop athletes in every aspect of their development.

Athletes selected into the Youth Academy will have achieved performance standards, show potential at event group stage and have competed well in the event group, at national standard within the last year. Performance is measured on competition results and Power of 10 rankings. Potential is measured against physical, technical and psycho-behavioural development.

To find out more about Youth Academy

Speed-Power Academy

The Open Academy gives aspiring athletes between the age of 14 & 21, and their coach, a chance to experience the core concepts behind the Youth Academy Programme. Open Academy sessions run approximately every eight weeks and give coach-athlete pairs exposure to movement screening, physical preparation sessions and athlete education seminars. Youth Academy coaches will introduce content similar to that delivered at the weekly Youth Academy and athlete –coach pairs can register to attend Open Academy without the need to have met a selection standard.

Talent identification research in athletics and other late specialisation sports suggests that it is very difficult to predict which young athletes will go on to achieve senior success. Indeed, at 14, 15 and 16 years of age, many future champions are often not the best in their clubs let alone their country or the world.

Many multi-medal winning Olympic/Paralympic and World Championship medallists often continue to play other sports into their late teens and early twenties. Since excellent youth performances do not seem to differentiate future champions from their peers, the research agenda is now shifting towards the psychological factors that determine long term success.

In line with this thinking Athletics NI wish to provide ambitious young athletes and personal coaches focused on long term athletic development with early exposure to the physical preparation and lifestyle planning that facilitates high performance training. Open Academy provides this opportunity.

To find out more about the Speed-Power Academy