History of Athletics NSW 

On 20 April 1887, Athletics NSW was founded. Titled the Amateur Athletics Association of NSW, it would also manage athletics in the new nation. At a meeting at the Messrs Levy and Scotts’ rooms in Oxford Street in Sydney, E. G. Carter, honorary secretary of Ashfield AAC, formally moved a motion “It is desirable to form an association to be called the Amateur Athletics Association of New South Wales to take the management of amateur athletics sports in this colony”. The motion was seconded by F. W. Maddocks, Honorary Secretary of Eastern Suburbs AAC. 

More than 20 men attended the historic meeting including representatives from Sydney & Teachers AAC, Sydney High School and Newington College. The first patron was Premier Henry Parkes and President Richard Butcher (Eastern Suburbs AAC). The first committee would include leading sports administrator Richard Coombes. One of the first, now controversial rules, was to ban labourers from being admitted to the association. 

In 1887 the NSWAAA and the NSW Amateur Cyclists’ Union petitioned the State Government for a grant of land to hold amateur competitions. This was granted and the Sydney Sports Ground (SSG) was built. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the venue was the home of women’s athletics in NSW. The SSG was the venue for the Australian Championships in 1920, 1936, 1958, 1966, 1971 and 1977. 

In 1888 the first NSW Championships were held, just one event was contested the 1000 yards. The following year the 100 yards and 440 yards events were added. 

Richard Coombes took a small NSW team to New Zealand in 1889 to compete in their national championships. Coombs asked New Zealand to send a team to the 1890 NSW Championships. The Inter-Colonial meeting held at Moore Park in Sydney on May 31, is regarded as the first unofficial Australasian Championships. Unusually instead of a wooden take off board for the long jump, an eight-inch slab was used by officials. 

The Inter-Colonial meeting was a great success and laid the foundations for future championships and a union. It became obvious that an Australasian Championships were required and in 1893 a Memorandum of Agreement was entered into by the Amateur Athletic Associations of New South Wales, New Zealand and Victoria to hold championships every two years with the venue being rotated. The first Australasian Championships were held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in November 1893, and with seven victories, NSW was the leading team. The star at the championships was William MacPherson who won the 100 yards (9.9), 220 yards (22.7) and 440 yards (50.2). The mile was won by Victorian Edwin Flack. 

It would be more than three decades before women would compete in athletics. In the early 1920s the first competitions were annual events, conducted by large business houses. With the 1928 Olympics approaching, in 1926 NSWAAA included events for women at their State championships. In 1928 NSW’s Edith Robinson would become Australia’s first female Olympian in athletics. Also in 1928 three clubs, Botany, Kensington and St George formed Ladies sections and they competed in regular interclub competitions.  

In May 1932 the NSW Women’s Amateur Athletics Association (NSWWAAA) was formed with 10 clubs. Four key foundation members, who over the next five decades administrated the sport, were Doris Magee, Nell Gould, Doris Clark and Flo Wrighter. 

NSWWAAA sent a self-funded team to the first Australian Championships for women in Melbourne in 1933. NSW hosted the Australian Championships in 1936 and it was noted only three men officiated. 

The first international Games/championships to be held in Australia, the 1938 Empire Games, were held in Sydney.  

During the War years, men’s competitions was largely paused, although women did continue to compete. Post WWII the sport was booming with the 1956 Olympics in Australia approaching. 

Canberra-based clubs were members of the NSW associations, but in 1980 the ACT Branch (ACT AAA) was formed. All the Canberra clubs, and some NSW clubs in the area, joined the new ACT Branch. 

Prior to the 1970s, the Australian men’s and women’s Australian championships were held separately. In 1972, for the first occasion, the Australian Track and Field were held together in the same city, and in 1978 the Australian Cross Country followed. National in 1974 there was movement of an amalgamation of the National bodies for men and women. This eventually occurred in 1978. Over the next three years the NSW WAAA and AAA NSW sort to amalgamate. Men’s clubs in the late 1970s had started to register women and from 1978 we had the situation of two women’s State Championships conducted by NSW WAAA and AAA NSW. In May 1981 the Amateur Athletics Union of Australia (AAU) advised that from 1 April 1982, they would only recognise one association from each State. The principal officers of a new NSW association were elected on 7 December 1981 and at a further meeting on 24 March 1982, the remaining officials were elected and a Constitution and General Rules were adopted. The new association called NSW AAA came into existence on 1 April 1982. 

The ‘80s and ‘90s featured growth in the fun running market, with Athletics NSW involved with the City Surf from the inaugural year of 1971. Also, private and government sponsorship was strong. Athletics in NSW in the 90s was flourishing. A new athletics stadium and warmup track at Homebush, was opened in 1994. In 1993 Sydney was awarded the 2000 Olympic Games and in 1996 we hosted the IAAF World Junior Championships. But off the track the Association was in financial difficulty. After cash losses in 1994 and 1995, and the loss of $80,000 on the 1996 Sydney Marathon, the Board appointed Administrators. For most of 1997 we had just 1.2 EFT staff, (David Tarbotton and a 0.2 accountant) and had only a volunteer CEO (Ron Crawford) for nine months. With the additional assistance of office volunteers, Athletics NSW traded its way out of the financial situation. 

From early 2013 there was a strong push from the Australian Sports Commission for Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia to merge. It was driven through a Steering Committee chaired by John Wylie. 

After a few failed attempts to amalgamate in 2019 OneAthletics was launched. COVID caused delays, but in late 2021 the merger failed between Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia. Member associations for each body voted and while AA achieved the required 75%, Little Athletics Australia’s did not achieve the support level required for the unification of the sport. 

Over the next few years, some Member Associations achieved amalgamation, namely ACT and WA. In NSW, during 2024, a measured approach was adopted, combining key areas of the sport including using the same registration platform, smoother transition from junior to senior athletics and combined State Championships. 

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW 2025