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.
  • Spring 1997 – Yate AC and Westbury Harriers decide to form a partnership.
  • 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’
  • 2015 – Yate AC volunteers take over the running of YOSC
  • 2016 – A wooden shooting range is erected at the side of the track for the sport ‘Target Sprint’
  • 2017 – A large metal storage unit is erected at the end of the home straight.
  • July 2018 – work starts on re-laying a new track.
  • November 2018 – 2x Cages, 2x Shot Put circles and all jumps runways are completed.  Builders leave site with the track unfinished.
  • Jan 2019 – HRH Princess Anne officially opens the “Jefferies Arena”.
  • Summer 2019 – Re-lay of the track is completed.
  • Dec 2019 – New Photo finish system is purchased.
  • Jan 2020 – Yate AC accepted in to the newly formed National Athletic League (opening season postponed due to COVID-19)
  • 2020 – Two new shelters installed at the top of the home straight and one donated shelter positioned by the 200m start.