| Oxford City AC January Newsletter Monthly Newsletter to showcase everything that is happening at our wonderful club. |
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Chairman’s Update In 1946, a war-torn Europe faced the unimaginable task of rebuilding shattered countries decimated by war and populations demoralised and impoverished by conflict. In the Netherlands, the Mayor of the ancient city of Leiden decided that one way to do this would be to build sporting links with other European countries. So he wrote to the Mayor of Oxford, like Leiden a university town, and invited him to send a team of athletes to Leiden to compete in a series of friendly track and field events. The Mayor of Oxford looked around and could not find a club in Oxford, but he managed to locate a group of runners who had been seen regularly training in Oxford. He asked them to consider the invitation from Leiden. They not only agreed to take up the Leiden challenge, but also decided to form an athletics club. And so, in post-war Oxford, Oxford City AC was born as part of the great effort to build bridges in a divided world. As we tentatively step into 2026 the club will celebrate its 80th anniversary, and will have an opportunity to demonstrate once again that sport unites rather than divides and that through sport we can build friendships and understanding. In a world regularly described as uncertain, our little club has its part to play in helping to emphasise the importance of equality and friendship over division and hatred. We hope to be able to announce various events this year to celebrate the history of this great club, and look forward to seeing many of you join us in those celebrations.Happy New Year to all of our members, and may 2026 bring you all health, sporting success and friendship. Richard Hart January 2026 |
OCAC Academy The OCAC Academy is currently recruiting for the 2026 season. Academy covers all event groups, with 15 sessions every week across sprints, middle distance, throws and jumps. As well as this we have 3 coached sessions in the gym. Our athletes had an amazing 2025 with multiple athletes making English Schools, EA Nationals and of course Ruby received her first England vest. Already in 2026 we have four athletes going to Sheffield for indoor Nationals and we’re looking forward to a successful season ahead. Our program is a holistic view to youth development that encompasses physical development, along with wellness and nutrition. All full Academy athletes have access to their own online dashboard to assist with their development and training. To ensure Academy is an option for all OCAC members the Club and Coach Walker have created a subsidised fee structure. Don’t let costs be a barrier to you exploring our Academy, we have training options for everyone. If you or your friends are looking to take your performance to the next level please reach out to Coach Walker to discuss options. Bryan.walker@oxfordcityac.com. Best regards, Coach Walker Director of Academy  |
Cross Country The excellent winter continues for Oxford City’s cross country athletes. The cross country county champs returned to Horspath in early January, combined with round 3 of the Oxfordshire XC league. It was extremely cold but there were some excellent performances from both juniors and seniors. Congratulations to the following individual junior medalists: Freya Kavanagh (U9G Gold), Sophie Leach (U9G Bronze), Rorke Rowlett (U11B Gold), Amelie Lorimer (U17W Gold) and Charlotte Campbell (U17W Silver). In the senior races, the U20 men, senior men and senior women all won their respective team competitions – well done to Rebecca Frake, Martha Lloyd, Laura Fenwick, Jon Davies, Harry Cann, Will Potts, Peter Fleming, Rob Doorly, Jack Lipman and Aaron Simpson. Melissa Hawtin was an excellent 2nd place overall in the women’s race and Jon Davies ran a great race to be 3rd in the men’s. It was great to see such a good turnout for the senior teams – 47 is the most we’ve had in several years, hope you all enjoyed it. Well done as well to all the Chiltern League warriors (11 juniors and 22 seniors) who ran at Watford on the 10th January. Currently we’re ranked in 8th place as a club in our first season back in division 1, with some outstanding individual results through the season. The last Chiltern League match is at Luton on 7th February, hopefully we can field a strong team and finish the Chiltern season in style. The next round of the Oxfordshire league is on Sunday 1st February at the ever popular Cotswold Farm Park – hope to see you there!       |
Youth Age groups SEAA Indoor Championships – OCAC Highlights Oxford City Athletics Club athletes put in a fantastic showing at the SEAA Indoor Championships, held on 10–11 January 2026 at Lee Valley Sports centre. OCAC was well represented across a range of events, including the 60m hurdles, 60m, 200m and 800m and shot put, competing against the strongest athletes in the South of England. There were standout individual successes, with Bertie Lee securing an excellent bronze medal in the 60m hurdles and smashing the club record (again!) along the way. Michael Emmanuel delivered a superb performance to claim gold in the 800m. Alongside the medals, there were cracking personal bests, notably from George Coyle in the 60m hurdles and Angelo Jones in the 60m sprint, reflecting the athletes’ hard work and progression. Every OCAC athlete who competed performed with commitment and determination, doing an outstanding job of representing both themselves and the club. The weekend was a strong start to the indoor season and a credit to the athletes involved.   Results blast Oxford Park Run Bicester Parkrun Harcourt Hill Park Run University Parks Park Run Woodcote 10k Chiltern League Cross Country, Cassiobury Park, Watford Oxfordshire Cross Country League, Horspath And here is the Club Power of 10 Link (Although it has been under maintenance) |
Any Other Business Volunteers Needed Please could we draw your attention to Spond posts and an email sent out by Anett this week about volunteering at matches over the summer season. As well as more general helpers at both adult and children’s matches, there is a need for adult members and parents of members to become qualified officials (the basic qualification is all that is needed). Quadkids also need parent helpers at training sessions. The information on volunteering on the club website has also been updated. Take a look! Club Member Survey Please could everyone complete this survey before the end of January. It will enable us to improve training and competitive opportunities for club members. Click here for survey Sponsorship If your organisation would like to sponsor this Newsletter and provide a profile and pitch to our readers please do get in touch. We have a growing list of recipients and I’m sure they would love to hear from local businesses. Franco Manca Offer Here’s an offer involving running to take up in January from Pizza place Franco Manca. See their site for details. Newsletter The Newsletter is driven by your content, thanks to all of the contributors. If you would like to submit content to the Newsletter or highlight a great performance or contribution please send an email to Toby  Copyright (C) 2026 Oxford City Athletics Club. All rights reserved. |