Competition Information
Airdrie Harriers participates in, and hosts, a range of athletic competitions. Please see below for more details of each.
Central & South of Scotland Athletic League (C.S.S.A.L.)
Structure:There are 3 Divisions in the CSSAL, Airdrie Harriers compete in Division 1. There are normally 8 teams (as there are 8 lanes on a running track) in each division. There are 3 Divisions. The matches take place in outdoor venues throughout the west of Scotland.
When?During the summer outdoor season, there are 3 matches contested, with points awarded on a sliding scale for places.
Team/Athlete Selection: Two athletes per club take part in each event under ‘A’ string and ‘B’ string. Team Managers decide on which athletes will represent the club and who will be ‘A’ or ‘B’ string.
Points:An ‘A’ string athlete winning an event will get 16 points for the club, and a ‘B’ string athlete would get 12 points for winning an event. The club who has the most points at the end of each match will be awarded 8 points, second place 7 points etc. After the three matches the club with most points wins the league. The two clubs finishing 7th and 8th in the league are relegated down a division with the top two clubs in lower division being promoted. Points are also gained by the club by officials and parent helpers helping to officiate on the day of matches, which are added to the match day points.
Scottish Athletics Indoor League (S.A.I.L.)
Structure:There are normally 3 matches and a final. The club is divided into age and gender. For example Under 15 Girls are a separate team from Under 17 Men. The Under 15 Girls can qualify for the final without any other age group or gender. The league is divided into Morning Session and an Afternoon Session.
When?We compete in the Indoor league at the Emirates in Glasgow during the winter months.
Team/Athlete Selection:Each club can enter 2 teams per age group and gender. Each athlete would compete in their event, but there may be heats. This is a time trial, there would not be finals, but each performance is taken against others in the same age group and gender. For Example. 60m Under 13 Girls. Heat 1 Winner is fastest overall out of 3 heats - they are the overall winner, with all other performances slotted into positions in the same way.
Points: The points system is the opposite from the CSSAL. Points are deducted from the team – if there is no athlete for the club in an event, 16 points are deducted. If the club athlete wins, zero points are deducted, second place would have one point deducted etc. The team with the least points deducted, will be awarded maximum match points for that day’s match. The top 3 teams per age group and gender in the morning session and the top 3 teams in the afternoon then compete in a final. This is 6 teams in total as there are 6 lanes at the Emirates Arena.
During that final match all clubs may enter up to 2 relays teams per age group an gender to contest the SAIL relays (4 x 200m).
Youth Development League (Y.D.L.)
Structure:The team entered in the YDL is a composite team, comprising of athletes from Airdrie Harriers, Motherwell A.C. and Cumbernauld A.C. – this team is called Team NL (North Lanarkshire). There are 3 matches and a final. The YDL has 3 divisions (regional), the top 2 clubs in each league contest the final. This is as an age group – e.g. Under 13s, Under 15s, Under 17s and Under 20s. These are the only 3 age groups in the league - with both male and female athletes competing.
When?The YDL matches take place outdoors in the summer months. The venues are normally at outdoor facilities in the west of Scotland.
Team/Athlete Selection: The selection process is based on Match 1: The Interclub/YDL Trials Competition, which is normally around Easter. The top two in each event are automatically selected. If any of the top two are unavailable, then the third placed athlete is selected -and so on. After the first match, The Power of 10 (www.powerof10.info) which records every athletes performances (from receiving a Scottish Athletics Federation number) is used to select athletes from the following matches. Like CSSAL, there are 2 athletes per event – and ‘A’ and ‘B’ string athlete.
Points: An ‘A’ string athlete winning an event will get 16 points for the club, and a ‘B’ string athlete would get 12 points for winning an event. The club who has the most points at the end of each match will be awarded 8 points, second place 7 points etc. After the three matches the top 2 club with most points compete in a final.
Cross Country
These will be posted shortly
Open Graded Meetings
Open Graded meeting are held throughout the year – outdoors during summer months and indoors during the winter months. These are organised by Scottish Athletics Federation and official organisations like North Lanarkshire Leisure. They are held at various venues and can be during the week or at weekends. These competitions are entered by the individual athlete and athletes should wear the Airdrie Harriers vest.
No medals are awarded
District Competitions
The District competitions are held during the summer months and regionalised. Airdrie Harriers’ catchment area is the West District Championships. These Championships are generally held on a Friday evening and the following Saturday. Athletes must wear their club vest.
Medals are awarded
Annual Club Championships
Criteria to take part:
- Athletes who are asked to compete, should take part in at least 2 CSSAL matches.
- Athletes must be fully paid up in their membership fees. (Currently £15 per month).
- Athletes must attend training regularly. There is a minimum acceptable level. Coaches keep an attendance register.
- Athletes must be current members of the club, and all fees must be up to date.
- Athlete's (and parents/carers) behaviour and attitude must be acceptable.
- Athletes must have been at the club at least 12 weeks prior to the Championships date.
Points:The winner of each event will be awarded 50 points, second: 48 points, third 46points, fourth: 45 point and one point less for each lower position etc. The athlete with the most points after the 4 events will be the club champion. If points are the same after the 4 events within the Under 11, Under 13 and Under 15 age group, there will be joint winners. If points are the same in the Under 17, Under 20, Seniors or Masters age groups the points are converted to multi-points (Female Pentathlon points system used) to decide the winner. In all age groups there can be equal second and third places.
Athletes who do not qualify, may still take part as a guest in the Championships. These athletes will be presented with a participation medal at the Presentation Dance.
National Competitions
These are National and athletes from all over Scotland and athletes from other countries may compete. These Championships are held twice a year – indoor championships and outdoor championships. Athletes may enter on their own or on their coach’s advice.
Medals are awarded
Relays
There are many relay competitions during both summer and winter seasons. During the summer there are 3 relays at the end of each of the CSSAL matches. There is also an Indoor League relays competition which is held on the finals day of the SAIL League. There are also National relay competitions for each age group and gender – these are held both indoor and outdoor. Selection for the teams is made by the appropriate Team Manager. (see Selection Process).
