About us
Camberley and District athletic club is administered by a committee which meets on a regular basis. This committee has a good cross section of skills and abilities which cover a diverse range of club functions. Within the committee there are a number of designated roles. The committee is re-elected on an annual basis at the AGM held in November. All members of the club and the parents of Junior members are invited to attend the AGM. We are always looking for new members who can enhance the skills we currently have on the committee.

If serving on the main committee is not for you there are other sub-committees which you can join. There is the Events Committee, which is responsible for putting on the two club fund-raising events, the Camberley 10K Julian Farrell Memorial race and the Camberley open Cross Country. There is also the Events Promotion Committee that is responsible for promoting and advertising these two events along with attracting sponsorship for these events.

Other volunteering opportunities
There are many other ways in which you help the club, these include coaching, officiating at matches, catering at matches we host and assisting the officials at matches we host.

Club History
The current Club was formed in March 1953, as the result of a meeting between three individuals, in a cafe on the Osnaburgh Parade. It was situated between Over's old departmental store and the cinema opposite Yorktown Primary School. Bert Oten (the proprietor) George Hemsley (a builder) and Ewen Stephens (deputy head of the Yorktown School) decided to start the Club that traces its origins back to the 1930's, when it met in Watchett's Park behind the Grammar School, which is now South Camberley Junior School, Redwood Campus.

Later the Club's Head Quarters was the cricket pavilion in the London Road Recreation Centre, now behind the Arena Leisure Centre. The Club stayed at that location for a number of years using a concrete garage as its equipment store. In the 1970's the then local authority, Frimley and Camberley UDC, persuaded the Club to move to the old council rubbish dump behind the current refuse collection site in Wilton Road. The authority had planned a more elaborate athletics stadium, but the World Bank made the Labour government of the time pull the plug on such schemes and eventually we were returned all our monies given to the scheme and forced to pay corporation tax on our surpluses. The track was laid out as a near circle and due to the location we suffered interference and burglary. Eventually we were forced to move to France Hill School, now King's International College, in Watchetts Road and were made most welcome by the then headmaster Ken Sadler. While at the school a movable classroom became vacant and the Club rented it from Surrey County Council. Head Teachers at the school accepted the title of Club Vice President and have all made us most welcome ever since. We use the outside facilities provided by the school for its pupils, so we are never involved in the expense of setting up the field for track or field, we merely hire the facility. The Club has boasted many fine athletes with Jonathon Dennis gaining in one season, as an Under 17, all major national cross-country titles, Inter-Counties, English Schools and National individual titles. Many of our athletes have represented both Surrey Schools and clubs in national events.

In September 2006 we became only the second Athletic Club in Surrey to achieve the 'Clubmark' accreditation from England Athletics in recognition of commitment to excellence in Club organisational policies and procedures. This accreditation was renewed in August 2019.

In recent years with club growing in size we have procured the use of the athletics facilities at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. This gives our athletes the opportunity to train on and use facilities that will prepare them for the seasons competitions.

Awards
There are many opportunities for athletes to compete and achieve recognition for their participation in the various Summer and Winter season events.

To recognise the achievements of our athletes we hold two awards evenings within the year. One celebrates the achievements of all athletes who have competed during the summer track & field season. This is held in November and all athletes and parents are welcome to attend. The second of these evenings is held in April and covers the achievements of the athletes who have taken part in the Cross Country events and the Sportshall matches.











© Camberley & District Athletic Club 2024