New Scottish Junior League

There are major changes to the league structure for U17 and U20 athletes for 2020.

Kilbarchan, Giffnock North, Inverclyde and VPCOG will be in a composite team called Team West. Unlike other composite competitions, athletes will wear their own club vest in each match.

All U17 and U20 athletes who would like to compete will get a place in the team. Athletes will be allowed to enter 3 events plus a relay.

There will be a reduced programme of events at each match which will allow for an unlimited number of athletes to compete in the events that are available.

Each event will be contested in two of the three matches with the exception of the 1500m Steeplechase which will feature in only one.

Track event athletes will be seeded ahead of the match according to their PB’s to allow the best U17’s to compete against the best U20’s although their scoring in the competition is measured by their performance against the performance of their own age group.

Field event athletes will be allowed three trials and the top three U17 and the top three U20 athletes will get a further three attempts.

Only the best two U17’s and the best two U20’s in each event will score points for their team.

In this system, in some events , Kilbarchan athletes could be lining up against their club-mates. One representative from each team is no longer guaranteed a place in the fastest heat. That right will have to be earned.

One of the benefits of the new league is that athletes shouldn’t miss out on competition opportunities because there are two athletes in their own team ranked ahead of them. There will be no limit to the number of athletes competing for the composite team.

The dates and venues for the three matches are as follows:

• Match 1 is at Grangemouth on Sunday 26 April and will be convened by Team North Lanarkshire.
• Match 2 is at Aberdeen on Sunday 24 May and will be convened by Team Aberdeen.
• Match 3 is at Grangemouth on Sunday 21 June. Convening team is still to be identified.

We’ll be sharing a bus to all three venues with our athletes from the other clubs. A pick up point will be identified prior to each match.

See below for teams and clubs that have already entered:

• Clydesdale
• Clydesdale, Garscube, Helensburgh
• Team West
• Kilbarchan, Inverclyde, Giffnock North and VPCOG
• Inverness Harriers
• To be provided
• North Lanarkshire
• Airdrie, Motherwell, Cumbernauld
• South Lanarkshire
• East Kilbride, Hamilton, Larkhall, Law, Whitemoss
• Team Aberdeen
• Banchory, Stonehaven, Elgin, Aberdeen
• Team Ayrshire
• Ayr Seaforth, Kilmarnock Harriers, North Ayrshire AC
• Team Edinburgh
• Edinburgh AC, Harmeny, Lasswade, Corstorphine