England Athletics U20/23 Champs on June 17-18 may have to find a new home, whereas South of England U20 Champs has been forced to move to Walton

With little over a fortnight until the England Athletics Under-20 and Under-23 Championships, hundreds of young athletes are unable to finalise their travel and accommodation plans due to uncertainty over the venue.

The event – which incorporates the British trials for this summer’s European Under-20 and Under-23 Championships in Israel and Finland – is due to be staged in Chelmsford but the track has been undergoing refurbishment recently and organisers are not sure whether it will be ready in time.

The news has sparked frustration from athletes, parents and coaches, many of whom have already booked hotels, trains and in some cases flights to the Essex venue. The South of England Athletics Association has had a similar problem for its under-20, under-17 and under-17 championships this weekend (June 3-4) but has now shifted the venue from Chelmsford to Walton, which is more than 70 miles away.

The BIGish Jumps and Throws Fest on May 29 was also forced to relocate from Chelmsford to Woodford, saying: “We would like  to acknowledge that there is no fault on the part of Chelmsford Sports & Athletics Centre, who have left no stone unturned to get the venue ready.”

In a statement, England Athletics said: “We advise anyone looking to book travel and/or accommodation in advance of attending our upcoming under-20 and under-23 track and field championships to wait until June 7 by which time we will know whether or not this event will be staged at Chelmsford.

“The venue is currently undergoing track refurbishments and its operators are uncertain as to whether it will be ready in time to host our event. Whilst we continue to work closely with Chelmsford for a favourable outcome, we will still be staging this event on that weekend of June 17-18 and, therefore, are also exploring appropriate, alternative venues. We thank you for your patience ahead of us being able to provide a venue update on June 7.”

On Wednesday (May 31), the governing body added: “We are still optimistic that the event will go ahead at Chelmsford as planned. If work is not completed, we have secured an alternative venue near the original location which can accommodate a champs of this size. This will hopefully minimise the disruption to those who have already booked travel and accommodation.

“We apologise for any inconvenience. Unfortunately, the wet spring weather has considerably delayed planned work to the track at Chelmsford. We will provide further updates on our website and via an email to all entrants in the coming days.”

England Athletics state that their U20/U23 T&F Championships (June 17-18) may not take place at Chelmsford, as originally planned.

This is due to the venue “undergoing track refurbishments”.

They’ll give an update on June 7 regarding Chelmsford’s suitability to host the event. pic.twitter.com/xiwedWXPBO

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) May 30, 2023

The Chelmsford track at Melbourne Park dates back to the 1960s. Originally cinder, it staged the 1963 English Schools Championships and enjoyed an upgraded to a synthetic surface in 1999. Lottery funding at the turn of the millennium helped build accompanying indoor facilities, too, with a 60m sprint straight.

Joe McColgan, a coach with Amber Valley & Erewash, said: “Why did EA book the venue in the first place if the track was due to be refurbished. Why risk it? In my experience refurbs rarely stick to original timescales!

“Also why aren’t the championships rotated around your three regions – North, South and Midlands – to show a bit of fairness to athletes, coaches and parents! They’ve been in Bedford for years and no doubt would have been again if that track had not been closed due to health and safety. I’ve got athletes entered who have already booked hotels. Not good is it?”

Scott Hannigan from Kilbarchan added: “This is pretty poor for an event that is two weeks away, we are travelling from Scotland and have booked well in advance. We have booked three nights’ accommodation and will not get our money back. Very disappointing from England Athletics, this should have been sorted out ages ago. Shambolic.”