History
Image courtesy of NSW Athletics: 1971 NSW Little Athletics Track and Field Championships
Manly Warringah Athletics (MWA) is the product of a rich legacy stretching more than a century, brought together in 2025 through the consolidation of Manly Warringah Little Athletics and Manly Warringah Athletics (Sydney Pacific). The two organisations came together in 2025 following the
Early Beginnings
The area’s first athletics activity dates to the late 1890s, with the establishment of the Warringah Harriers Club in 1897 and Manly Amateur Athletic Club in 1919. These early clubs hosted popular long-distance road races and Wednesday night winter meets, placing Manly at the heart of Sydney’s emerging athletics scene through the 1920s. Ivanhoe Park—later Manly Oval—became a vital hub, hosting state championships and unique competitions like goat racing.
Mergers and Growth
By 1968, changing times led to the merging of the Manly Amateur Athletic Club and Warringah Amateur Athletic Club, forming the Manly Warringah Amateur Athletic Association. The club continued to flourish, serving the northern beaches sporting community with a growing member base.
The 1980s saw further expansion when Ku-ring-gai Athletic Club (formed early 1980s) held winter cross-country events and, in 1987, merged with the Manly Warringah Athletics & Harriers Club to compete as Reebok Athletic Club, thanks to significant sponsorship. Champions like Olympian Melinda Gainsford-Taylor trained under legendary coaches during this era.
The Sydney Pacific Athletic Club Limited, incorporated in 1994, continued the tradition, competing as the Reebok Athletic Club until sponsorship ceased, after which “Sydney Pacific” or “SYP” became the recognised name. The club maintained activities at both Turramurra Memorial Park and Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation at Narrabeen, turning out Olympians from 1988 through at least 2012.
Manly Warringah Little Athletics
Little Athletics in Australia grew from a small group of athletes in Geelong Victoria in 1963 under the guidance of Trevor Billingham. In 1967 Victorian Little Athletics Association was formed and a year later in October 1968 Dick Corish was the driving force for competition to commence in NSW at Randwick Botany Centre.
Manly Warringah Little Athletics Centre launched in the summer of 1970/71 as one of the pioneering little athletics centres in New South Wales, growing steadily with the wave of popularity for grassroots children’s sport across the state. Other founding Centres included Blacktown, Sutherland, Eastern Suburbs, Deniliquin, Murrumbidgee (Narrandera/Leeton) and Hornsby. Its history is defined by the dedication of generations of volunteers and a commitment to providing quality athletics experiences for children and youth for over five decades.
Manly Warringah Little Athletics was where a number of olympic athletes started their journey including, Anneliese Rubie, Nicole Liestenschneider, David Geddes, Kristie Edwards and Mali Lovell.
The 2025 Consolidation
To offer a seamless athletics journey from little athletics to opens and masters, Manly Warringah Little Athletics merged with Manly Warringah Athletics Club (Sydney Pacific) in 2025. This community-led integration created one of NSW’s largest and most inclusive athletics clubs, a “lifelong pathway” for all ages and abilities. The organisation boasts over 900 members, upholding values of participation, growth, and excellence. This consolidation was strategically aligned with the consolidation of the NSW State Athletic bodies in 2024 that created the NSW Athletics Partnership (now NSW Athletics). The first year of the NSW Athletics Partnership in 2024/25 was the most significant change in the sport for nearly 60 years.
This unified history reflects the legacy of both organisations —honouring decades of community spirit, achievement, and commitment to making athletics accessible to everyone on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Partners
