Indoor Season: date changes

scottishathletics announce date changes for events for the 2015 Indoor Season at the Emirates Arena.

The SuperTEAMS will now be held on Sunday 25 January and theMasters Champs will now be held on Saturday 31 January.

Our Combined Events champs will now be held over 14 and 15 March with Relays and 3K Champs also that weekend. And there’s an opportunity now for the SAIL Indoor League Match to be scheduled onSunday 8 February.

The changes have been necessary because Glasgow is hosting Davis Cup tennis at the Emirates Arena in March and the work required to host such an event.

scottishathletics has worked very much in tandem with Glasgow Life to try and find the best solutions possible and one major consideration, in terms of the Masters Champs, was to ensure our Scottish athletes have the opportunity to compete at British and European level thereafter during the 2015 indoor season.

Bringing the SuperTEAMS event to Sunday 25 January means our very young athletes have the chance to compete on the same track which hosts international stars the day before for the Glasgow International.

Nigel Holl, scottishathletics chief executive, said: ‘We of course deeply regret having to change dates and apologise for any inconvenience.

‘We have striven over recent years to confirm dates of championships and events earlier – listening to feedback from coaches and clubs especially who understandably need to plan ahead. If there was any way to avoid these changes at this stage, we would have found them.

‘It is a reality for us all in athletics that the Emirates Arena is a world class events venue.

‘That means that it can host stunning athletics events – we will see once again International Indoor Athletics in January 2015 and there are plans to bid for the 2019 European Indoor Athletics Championships. That is an event that Scotland and Glasgow could host brilliantly and to significant benefit in many ways.

‘The downside of that world class events venue is that other sports are naturally attracted to using the venue.

‘We engage closely with the management team at the Emirates, and have sought every solution available to minimise the switches and avoid clashes as best we can. There are many constraints set by the UK and European athletics calendar, as well as other issues.

‘I know that our members love competing at the Emirates Arena, and I know that will be the case right through this winter and beyond. So, in apologising for the changes, can I say how much I look forward to seeing every member on that track or the in-field during early 2015.’

A spokesman for Glasgow Life, added: ‘We greatly appreciate the support and work that scottishathletics has done in recent weeks, along with other stakeholders, to enable the Davis Cup to be staged at the Emirates Arena.

‘We recognise that the date changes have caused challenges for Scottish athletes, but we believe the continued close working relationship with the sport’s National Governing body has provided a positive outcome for all parties. We look forward to welcoming athletes of all ages back to the Emirates Arena in the New Year for competitive events.’

Full list of Scottish Indoor Season dates:

17 January – Scottish Open

24 January – International Match

25 January – SuperTEAMS

31 January – Masters (on own)

1 February – Scottish Seniors

8 February – SAIL (Move from 15 March).

14/15 February – Age groups

14/15 March – Combined Events/3k Champs/Relays