Volunteer – make a difference
Bedford & County AC is a club that serves and reflects the local community. Our reputation rests entirely on the outstanding contribution of wide range of volunteers.
Athletics offers many opportunities to volunteer for people with all types of skills and abilities. If you can help us in any of the following ways, then we would like to hear from you:
- Coaching our athletes
- Track and Field Officials
- Offer help and support as and when you can
We are constantly on the lookout for individuals who may be interested in joining our team of volunteers. While some of our volunteers are ex-athletes who want to give back the knowledge they gained through their own experiences, many are parents who initially came along to support their own son/daughter, took an interest, and then took the next step to join our volunteers.
GIVE IT A TRY – SUPPORTING OUR CLUB CAN BE FUN AND REWARDING
COACHING OUR ATHLETES
Coaching can be a very rewarding experience, helping athletes grow and achieve. Our coaches come from many backgrounds, and you don’t need to be ‘an expert’ to start the journey.
Do you feel that you could motivate and encourage our athletes? If so, coaching could be for you. You can become an Athletics Leader from the age of 14 and Coaching Assistant from 16. The Club covers the cost of qualification courses.
Working with our athletes engenders a sense of achievement and personal satisfaction as you see them improve their athletic skills and achieve their personal targets. Coaching can be very rewarding for both coach and athlete.
TRACK AND FIELD OFFICIALS
We are particularly keen to recruit Track and Field Officials. Every athletic meeting, from regional club matches to international level, requires Officials. If you would like to get involved “where the action is” then becoming a track and field official could be the answer. No experience is necessary as full support and training will be given to anyone who is interested. Browse the list below of the different officials needed to make a meeting run smoothly then just decide which you are interested in or feel best equipped to do.
- Starter
- Starters Assistant
- Track Judge
- Timekeeper
- Field Judge
Bedford and County AC can give you the opportunity to become one of the above officials. When qualified you can then choose whether to officiate at some of the club’s meetings or even progress to a higher level of meeting – the choice is yours.
See below for a brief description of an official’s duties, or, for more information look at England Athletics website (https://www.englandathletics.org/officiating/officiating-journey/officiating-journey-step-1/).
Starter
The person who starts the race.
Starters Assistant
Before the starter can send the athletes on their way the starters assistant organizes the athletes into their appropriate races and lanes.
Track Judges
A close race and no photo finish, someone must decide who came first, second, third etc. Did an athlete run in the wrong lane or push a hurdle over with their hand? This is the role of the track judge.
Timekeeper
All track athletes want to know how long they took to complete their race – the timekeepers will tell them. How accurate is your timekeeping against the photo finish electric times? The challenge is on!
Field Judges
Measure distances for long Jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault, javelin, discus, shot, hammer, decide which are no jumps or throws and organise the athletes.
All the above can give you an interest in athletics and are not difficult when shown how to do them properly. Bedford and County AC encourage you to try most of these first without any commitment so that you can decide which you prefer. Please contact one of our track officials if you’re interested in finding out more or email
Other opportunities
We have a wide variety of other opportunities for volunteers ranging from social secretary, help with catering, volunteer co-ordinator, and Committee member among other roles. Details of specific roles will be listed on this site from time to time; please check back here for further information.
If you’re interested in volunteering and would like to know more please contact
