Cross Country Competition Pathways
At Waverley AC, we encourage our athletes to participate in competitions throughout the year and there are a wide-variety of competitions for the athletes to take part in. During the winter season there is plenty of opportunity for cross country races.
Club Led Cross Country League.
In the winter months, we compete in the Surrey Cross Country League from U13 to senior athletes. The League is a great opportunity for our athletes to compete individually and also as part of a team, as all scoring results are combined to determine the overall team score.
It takes part over 4 matches in the winter months months, with the U13-U17 running at the same venue as the division 1 men and women and currently our senior men are running in division 4. The league consists of around 49 athletics clubs across Surrey.
Clubs can be promoted and relegated within the league depending on their season’s results and we are looking for athletes of all ages to join our teams.
Performance in the Surrey League can lead to selection to run for Surrey Athletics in the SEAA Southern Intercounties match typically held in December
We also have our own Waverley AC Primary schools cross country league for years 3-6 which is open to all Waverley AC members irrespective of which school they attend. 4 matches at venues within the Waverley District - see events page for more details
Club Led Relay Events.
There are several opportunities throughout the cross country season to enter team relay events. These events are generally open to athletes from any club and are a good opportunity for our athletes to compete as a team and also on individual performance against other athletes.
Bruce Judd Cross Country Relay U13 - U17. Usually in October
SEAA Southern Cross Country Relays U13-Seniors - October
National Cross Country Relays U13-Seniors - November
There is also the possiblity to take part in road relays
SEAA Southern road relays - September & March
National road relays - October
Keep an eye on the Events page for details of up and coming open meetings. Entries for these events is via the club.
County Championships
The Surrey and Hampshire Cross Country championship events take place in January, and are an opportunity for our athletes to compete against other athletes in their respective home county, from U13-Seniors.
Medals are awarded to the top 3 athletes in each event with the top 6 finishers in each age group being selected to represent their county at the pinnacle of cross country races the CAU (County Athletics Union) UK Inter-counties competition in March, which also incorporates the British Athletics Cross Challenge Final and for the senior athletes the trials for the World Cross Country Championships
In addition, two further places are awarded to athletes in each age group based on their performance both during the cross country season and at Southern (SEAA) Cross Country championships usually held in January
Entry to the county championships is done on an individual basis online - see events page for more info and links.
The Schools Pathway
Through their schools, our year 7-13 athletes may have further opportunities to compete on an individual basis in the English School Athletics Association (ESAA) National Cross Country Championships, where the best athletes in each of the 46 counties in England compete against each other.
Typically, these start at district trials often in December with the top 6 athletes in each age group being selected to represent their district at the Surrey and Hampshire Schools’ County Championships usually held in January.
The top 6 athletes each age group in each of the County events are selected to represent their county at the ESAA National championships, the pinnacle athletics event for young athletes, and the top 20 athletes from each age group are selected for Schools Inter-Counties Championships usually held in February. From there a further 2 athletes will be selected to join the County team for the ESAA National Cross Country Championships usually held in March.
From the ESAA National Cross Country Championships there is then the opportunity to represent their country at SIAB ( Schools international Athletics Board) Cross Country Competition, and the World Schools Cross Country Championships (ISF).
Some schools also enter athletes from years 7-13 into the ESAA Cross Country Cup, where school teams compete against other schools in their district usually in September/October, regional finals in November, with the opportunity to progress to the national ESAA Cross Country Cup final December. Individual Schools may be invited to enter a team into the ISF Cross Country Competition.
For the younger athletes years 5 & 6 there is a Surrey Primary Schools Cross Country championships held in February, entry is through your athlete’s school.
See Hampshire Schools Athletics for more information regarding competitions for younger athletes, entry is through your athlete’s school.
Other Competitions
There are a few other competitions that our athletes can enter on an individual basis. The SEAA Southern Cross Country Championships in January for U13-seniors. Both a team and individual event, entry is via club - information will be on the events page nearer the time
English Athletics national cross country championships usually held in February no entry standards and individual entry for U13- seniors.
We endeavour to keep the events page up to date so do check regularly and let us know if we have missed any events.