Crows
The Royston Crows is the junior division of Royston Runners. We are a very friendly affiliated running club offering a weekly training session for junior runners in school years 5-11 (9-16 year olds) during term time.
We provide an inclusive club for anyone who wants to run, no matter what their ability or ambition. Our aim is to provide fun training sessions, coaching good running technique and improving general levels of fitness and we hope that by the time our athletes leave us they will have developed a life-long love of running.
Our regular training sessions are led by our team of qualified coaches who are all DBS checked. Our coaches treat all athletes as individuals and support them to their individual needs and requirement. We understand that some juniors are running for pleasure and general fitness but also some may be striving to become the next Olympic champion, we cater for all abilities and ambitions.
Joining the Club
We currently have 50 training places in our club, split into age ranges – U10, 10-11, 12-13 and 14+. Club places are always in high demand and we operate a waiting list system. To enquire about a place in our club please contact info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)crows.roystonrunners.org.uk . We allocate places to those on the waiting list according to a) the age group where we have a space available and b) the date of entry to the waiting list.
Subscription Fees
Our membership year runs from September to July. Fees are due in September each year to secure your child’s place in the club. The annual fee is £50. The fees cover club equipment, venue hire, lighting and other associated club costs as well as training fees for volunteer coaches. Please note all coaches and club officials are volunteers and as such do not receive any payment for the work they do for the club.
Training Venue
We meet every Monday during term time (excluding bank holidays) from 6pm-7pm. We have a small team of qualified coaches who offer age-appropriate training in speed and endurance and we measure progression throughout the year.
During the Autumn and Spring term we train at the Heath on Baldock Road, Royston where we meet outside the Rugby Club changing rooms.
During the Summer term members will predominantly train on the grass tracks at King James Academy, Garden Walk, Royston, although some members doing endurance training will continue to train at the Heath. Members will be notified at the beginning of the Summer term about where they will be training.
Coaching
As far as possible and where coaching availability allows our athletes will be coached in groups according to the stage of their running development. The following information describes the groups and how they will work.
Assessment
In order to identify the correct group for our members we will undertake ongoing assessment through coaching observation and feedback and through regular testing through events such as 2km runs, track events, and fitness testing and tests of agility, balance and coordination (the ABC’s of running). We will undertake these assessments at times throughout the year and members may move around groups accordingly.
Age Appropriate Development
It is very important that we engage in activities that are age appropriate. We know that even our youngest athletes may have fantastic speed and/or endurance but as a club it is important to recognise the physical development stages of junior runners and we therefore divide our membership into age specific groups which are then broken down further into fitness and ability groups. Our groups currently are:-
Under 10 All athletes in this group train together regardless of fitness and ability. We focus on fun and running games that develop general fitness and an enjoyment of the sport. Training will include the development of the ABC’s of running as well as jumping and throwing. Any strength and conditioning exercises will be limited, gentle and use the athlete’s own bodyweight only.
10-11 years This group is split by fitness and ability and the focus will be on developing fitness and technique through fun and games. During the summer months we may take children on continuous runs (off road) but these will be no more than 3km in length with rest where required. In this age group we will also ask them to take part in jumping and throwing activities in line with the UK Athletics guidelines to encourage children to engage in all three athletic disciplines. Any strength and conditioning exercises will be limited, gentle and use the athlete’s own bodyweight only.
12-13 years Again this group is split by fitness and ability. The focus will continue to be on developing fitness and technique but may include more strenuous exercises to build strength and drills to perfect technique as well as long runs/endurance training exercises which may last up to 30 minutes according to ability. During the summer months we may take children on continuous (off road) runs but these will be no more than 5km in length with rest as required.
14+ years This age group is split by fitness and ability and athletes are encouraged to start to identify their preferred running distance so that training can be tailored to their needs. During the winter months all athletes undertake general fitness training and will collectively work on speed and endurance running which may include some roadside path running (always on paths) where coaching availability allows for 2 adults to accompany the runners. During the late Spring and summer terms we will split this group into endurance, middle distance runners and sprinters so that training tailored to their specific ambitions can be catered for. During this period some members of this group will be training on the track at St James’ Academy in Royston.
Coaching
The club is lucky to have a cohort of qualified coaches. We are led by a fully qualified and licenced Athletics Coach who designs all the coaching sessions for all the groups. These are then delivered, under supervision, by a group of licenced Level 1 Coaching Assistants. Currently two of our coaches are taking part in coach in running fitness (CiRF) training with England Athletics and will be qualified in the Spring to design and lead training programmes for children over the age of 12.
Club Kit
Members are required to wear a club training tee shirt during training. This is available from Sportskit in Royston who can be contacted by email at info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)sportskit.net. A Royston Crows hoody, jacket and hi-viz are also available but are not a requirement for training.
Members must wear good quality running shoes which must have sufficient grip for the season – this means that in Winter runners should wear trail shoes for running on the heath. In the Spring and summer good road shoes will be sufficient and spikes are permitted for track training.
Welfare
The Royston Crows Running Club is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all its members. The club believes that it is important that members, coaches, administrators and parents associated with the club should, at all times, show respect and understanding for the safety and welfare of others. Therefore, members are encouraged to be open at all times and to share any concerns or complaints that they may have about any aspect of the club with the Head Coach and Welfare Officer (Chris Adams), who can be contacted at info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)crows.roystonrunners.org.uk
Crows Anti-Bullying Policy
We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our members so they can participate in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our club. If bullying does occur, all athletes or parents should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. We are a TELLING club. This means that anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell their Coach, the Head Coach or the Crows club welfare officer. For more information about our bullying policy please contact info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)crows.roystonrunners.org.uk
Club Officials (as of 1st November 2022)
| Role | Name | Qualification (if applicable) |
| Club Leader & Head Coach | Chris Adams | Level 1 Qualified and Licenced England Athletics Coach (AC) |
| Coach | Larraine Howard-Jones | Level 1 Qualified and Licenced England Athletics Coach (AC) |
| Coach | Helen Stephens | EA Coach in Running Fitness (CiRF) & Licenced Coaching Assistant (CA) |
| Coach | Brian O’Connor | |
| Coach | Fiona Cannon | EA Licenced Coaching Assistant |
| Events Secretary | Carrie Broughton | Not applicable |