The Wessex Track and Field Young Athletes League started back in 1989 as the Andover Doves league with just a handful of clubs competing in the under thirteen age group. As time went on the number of clubs and age groups competing slowly increased to include under fifteen and seventeen age groups (there is also separate under eleven’s challenge). Despite several dips in its fortunes and name changes, the competition has prospered, thanks to a dedicated group of enthusiasts, largely as a development competition for clubs, big and small in the “ Wessex ” area. Clubs compete on a league basis with the top half of the table competing in the cup final and the bottom half the plate final towards the end of the season. In order to keep costs down, virtually all admin etc is carried out by email. As a result, annual subscriptions, helped by some modest sponsorship, are kept to a minimum.

Several well known names hold league records in their age groups. They include Robert Tobin (Basingstoke) 400m, Sian Scott (Bournemouth) 300m, Hannah England (Oxford) 800m and Kelly Morgan (Salisbury) javelin just to name a few.