Click on a year from the dropdown list, to reveal information and pictures relating to that year.
KEY DATES IN OUR HISTORY
- February 1983 – At a Yate Town Council meeting the Chairman, Mr G Bevan, offered a 16 acre field, use of a tartan training area, changing rooms, and £15K to be spent on a discus/hammer circle, shot circle and a long jump/triple jump pit. A jogging circuit would follow. Discussion, mainly over the provision of a grass athletic track, was followed by the formation of the athletic club aided by a grant of £141 from the Sports Council.
- October 1983 – North-Avon District Council gave the club a grant of £504 for the purchase of a building and athletic equipment.
- May 1984 – A portakabin was purchased for £300 (including delivery) for use as a clubhouse and equipment store.
- Late 1984 – The club in discussion with Yate Town Council over an all-weather track.
- November 1985 – North-Avon District Council announces a 2-year development plan for Broad Lane.
- Late 1985 – The club starts fund raising specifically for a track fund.
- May 1987 – A Yate Outdoor Sports Users Group (YOSUG) committee is set up with strong club input.
- December 1988 – An 8 lane international standard all-weather running track (without lighting) is completed.
- May 1989 – Official grand opening of the track by Lynn Davies.
- Late 1991 – North-Avon District Council announces a 3-year £1.3M plan for turning the Yate Outdoor Sports Complex into a centre of excellence.
- Spring 1992 – Track floodlighting fitted.
- Spring 1993 – Yate AC put together a plan for a 200 seat stand with clubhouse facilities and continue with fund raising events to extend an unused track fund for a building fund.
- Summer 1994 – Yate AC apply to the Foundation for Sport and the Arts for a grant to improve the sports facility.
- Autumn 1994 – Grant turned down – project too large. The plan is scaled down and re-submitted.
- Autumn 1995 – A £50K grant is made by the Foundation for Sports and the Arts. A club development plan is requested and passed to the Sports Council.
- April 1996 – South Gloucestershire Council is formed.
- Summer 1996 – South Glos Council obtain a lottery grant for new facilities and track re-surfacing.
- October 1997 – New building facilities are started.
- July 1998 – New trackside building is officially opened which included Club Room and Bar for all sports, changing rooms, medical room.
- April 2002 – Introduced the new athlete ‘Induction Program’. A series of taster and evaluation sessions over 4 weeks for prospective new athletes. First Thursday every month started a new induction. This proved to be very successful to the extent that in 2004 around the Athens Olympics time, 30 to 40 new young athletes were turning up every month. This overwhelmed the coaching resource and numbers had to be limited with the introduction of a waiting list.
- June 2005 – The Induction waiting list was transferred to the Yate Academy. An arrangement with the South Glos Sports Development team where Community coaches and Club coaches offered Coaching to young athletes in the 10 – 14 age range with a view to moving theme to specialist club coaches if they showed particular talent.
- July 2006 – Club buys Photo-finish equipment to enable accurate timing of track events.
- April 2007 – Club awarded ‘Club Mark’ status
- September 2007 – The first Sprints & Hurdles Fest making full use of the Electronic Photo-finish system.
- November 2007 – England Athletics South West award the club the ‘Regional Inclusive Club of the Year’
- August 2008 – The new joint Mens and Womens League team finish 3rd in Division 3. The NYAL team again do well in the Midland Premier Division finishing 6th.
- August 2009 – The Midland league team have an epic battle in the last match of the season at Birmingham University. Any one of 4 clubs could have been promoted or relegated. The top 5 positions in the match were separated by just 23 points and Yate avoided relegation by just 7 event points across the whole season.
- August 2010 – The Midland league in another close finish to the season. This time a battle with Wolverhampton & Bilston and Tamworth for promotion to division 2. Again a 3½ points margin in the match was just enough, overtaking Tamworth in the last event of the day to secure promotion