Manly Warringah Athletics

The NSW Athletics Partnership announced in 2024 provides a unified pathway for all athletes in NSW, which is a fantastic step forward for the sport of athletics here in NSW.

A many of you know, in 2021 a vote was held to change the trading name of the club; compete as Manly Warringah Athletics; and strengthen the ties with Manly Warringah Little Athletics (MWLA). In doing so, the hope was that this may provide a natural pathway for athletes to continue to participate in our wonderful sport.

As the 2024-25 season evolved, it became clear that the expanded calendar of the NSW Athletics Partnership created an increasing opportunity for us and MWLA to field combined teams in the likes of the Treloar Shield and NSW State Relays. There was some confusion with the different uniforms and communication across clubs that wasn’t ideal, but the outstanding results were proof of the potential. At the same time, interest was growing from parents of MWLA athletes to compete, but membership wasn’t available beyond U20

The MWLA Committee recognised that, having not previously accommodated senior athletes, it would benefit from the experience and history of Manly Warringah Athletics (Sydney Pacific), sharing both the name and principal location. As such, we worked collaboratively with MWLA to develop a new offering that seeks to incorporate the best of both organisations under the name, Manly Warringah Athletics.

On 22 May 2025, the Executive of NSW Athletics approved the request for MWLA to become a One Athletics Club - offering Little Athletics, Junior Athletics, Open Athletics and Masters Athletics, with Manly Warringah Athletics (Sydney Pacific) members, volunteers and coaches joining them under the one banner. The history and heritage of both organisations will continue to be honoured and Manly Warringah Athletics will continue to operate Manly Warringah Little Athletics and its weekly Saturday morning meets.

As a single club and one of the largest in NSW, our presence should assist in deepening our ranks of coaches and officials, plus retain more of our many talented athletes. We also hope that participation will grow in many of the team-based meets throughout the year, such as State Relays, the Winter Walks, Cross Country and Road Racing events.

Athletics is a unique sport; the non-combat nature means it accommodates participants of all ages and abilities, and we will seek to build on this inherent advantage to grow participation in our sport here on the Northern Beaches. We want to champion ‘A sport for life - One club for life’…now that’s a proposition which is hard to beat!