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Welcome to Manly Warringah Athletics

Manly Warringah Athletics is a community athletics club on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with opportunities for athletes across Little Athletics, Junior Athletics, Opens and Masters. We are a One Athletics club, but our programs are not the same across every age group, so this page is designed to help you understand the pathway that best fits you or your child.

Who can get involved

Manly Warringah Athletics provides opportunities for:

Tiny Tots & Pocket Rockets aged 5 and 6.
Little Athletes aged 7 to 12.
Junior Athletes aged 13 to 20.
Opens and Masters athletes.
Para athletes.

Our club supports participation across different ages and stages, from introductory athletics through to junior, senior and masters competition.

Our club program

Our regular weekly club competition and club training program are offered for our Little Athletics and Junior Athletics cohorts. These athletes take part in the club’s core summer program, including weekly competition and training opportunities across the season.

For Opens and Masters athletes, involvement with the club may look different and can include competition, training connections and broader club engagement, but it is not the same weekly club-based program offered to Little Athletics and Junior Athletics members.

Season overview

Our main summer season runs from September to March. During that period, Little Athletics and Junior Athletics members can take part in regular club competition, with Saturday morning competition generally starting at 8:00am with some early events from 7.30am and some Friday twilight competition during the season.

For current dates and key events, please visit our Calendar.

Age groups and pathways

We offer different ways to get involved depending on age and stage.

Tiny Tots (5s) & Pocket Rockets (6s)

Tiny Tots is an introductory program for our youngest athletes, focused on movement, coordination, confidence and fun. It provides an early connection to the sport in a welcoming club environment. Our Tiny Tots program is held on Wednesday afternoons commencing in October.

Pocket Rockets is the next stage in a young athletes' development. This involves continued skill and movement development along with foundational opportunities to participate in events. Our Pocket Rockets program is held on Monday afternoons commencing in October.

Little Athletics

Little Athletics is for athletes aged 7 to 12. This group forms part of our core weekly club competition program and has access to regular club-based training and participation opportunities during the summer season.

Junior Athletics

Junior Athletics is for athletes aged 13 to 20. For these athletes there are two membership options - option A involves participation in our core weekly club competition and training program, while option B involves only inter-club competition, representing Manly Warringah. Both membership options allow junior athletes to pursue higher levels of representative competition as they progress.

Saturday Club Competition (Littles and Juniors)

During the summer season, Little and Junior athletes take part in our regular Saturday morning club competition program at Narrabeen. Each Saturday is run like a “mini school carnival”, with children rotating through a set of track and field events alongside their age group.

Competition generally starts at 8:00am with some early events from 7.30am and runs through the morning, with a mix of running, jumping and throwing events designed to suit each age group’s stage of development. Athletes stay together in their age group and are supported by a dedicated Age Manager and parent helpers, who guide them to each event, explain what to do, and keep things moving.

For new families, this means you don’t need any prior athletics experience – you and your child will be shown where to go and how each event works. Age Managers and volunteer officials focus on helping athletes learn the basics, try new events and build confidence, while keeping the atmosphere fun and encouraging.

Parents play an important role on Saturday mornings by helping the Age Manager with simple tasks such as raking the sandpit, measuring throws or recording performances. In addition, parents are required to complete parent duties such as helping in our canteen, setting up or packing equipment away and assisting with timing. This shared involvement helps the morning run smoothly, keeps waiting times down, and creates a friendly, community feel around the track.

Each week’s program is slightly different so that athletes experience a variety of events across the season, much like a series of small carnivals rather than a single “big day”. Families can come and go once their child’s age group has finished its events, but most Saturday mornings typically run for around two to three hours depending on age group and program.

Opens and Masters

Opens and Masters athletes are welcome within Manly Warringah Athletics. Involvement is different from the weekly Little Athletics and Junior Athletics club program, with competition generally taking place through NSW Athletics events across summer and winter, including track and field meets, cross country, road races, walks, and championship events. Summer opportunities include events such as Treloar Shield, High Velocity meets, Specialist meets, and State and National Championships.

These events provide a mix of club-based, open and championship competition across track and field. They give open athletes the opportunity to compete regularly, represent the club, and pursue individual performance goals across the season.

Para / Multi-Class

Manly Warringah Athletics welcomes Para / Multi-Class athletes and is committed to providing inclusive competition opportunities across Little Athletics, Junior Athletics, Opens and Masters. Depending on age, classification and membership category, athletes may be able to participate in club competition, representative events and NSW Athletics competitions throughout the summer and winter seasons. For more information please click through to the Para / Multi-Class Page.

New to athletics

If you are new to athletics, the best place to start is by identifying the age group or pathway that fits you or your child. For most new families, that means joining the Little Athletics or Junior Athletics program during the summer season.

How to register

Registrations for the 2026–27 summer season open from 8 August 2026.

To register, please visit our Registration page.

If you are unsure which pathway is right for you or your child, please contact us via our Contact page.