THE LEAGUE

The Grampian Athletics League (the friendly league) started back in 1980 with a series of four fixtures involving four clubs, Aberdeen A.A.C, Banchory A.A.C, Elgin A.C and Peterhead A.A.C.  Athletics in the North-East of Scotland had been very limited up until then and it was only possible for the League to be introduced with the recent formation of Banchory and Peterhead and much needed sponsorship from Grampian Television.

      The third year saw the league increase to five clubs with the addition of Nairn A.A.C, The club was only formed in 1981 and demonstrated the continued growth of athletics in the North of Scotland. The increase in participants also meant an increase in standards as more than a third of all league records were broken, several by new addition’s Nairn, showing their value to the league.  

              The league name changed in 1984 to incorporate the league sponsor, with it being changed from Grampian Athletics League to the Grampian Television League. A sixth club was then added in 1988 when Black Isle A.A.C joined

      As the league started it’s tenth season in 1989 it doubled in size with the admission of Caithness A.A.C, Forres Harriers, Fraserburgh R.C, Arbroath & District A.C and Montrose A.C. With the admission of the new clubs it was decided to split the league into two geographical sections; a North district comprising of Black Isle, Caithness, Elgin, Forres and Nairn, and an East district with Aberdeen, Arbroath & District, Banchory, Fraserburgh, Montrose and Peterhead.

       The league was going strong by now when Ellon & District A.C joined in 1990, and some new events were added to give the programme a new look, and also give the smaller clubs a chance to try out new events they did not have facilities for at home. This proved a huge success, as there were no fewer than 53 new records set, including 26 inaugural records in the new events.

      Moray Roadrunners became the thirteenth and latest club to join the league in 1992, looking to carry their success in cross-country into track and field. They initially competed in the east section during their first year, but changed to the north section the following year.

       1993 saw changes to the final when it was decided that the top 4 clubs from each age group in both north and east sections would qualify giving smaller clubs a greater chance of reaching the final.  

      Newly formed Maritime A.C became the 14^th club to join the league; the club had been formed out of a Kirriemuir based training group and some former Tayside A.A.C members. The league also increased the number of field events per meeting with a slightly earlier start to allow the meetings to run to time.

      1997 saw a major change in the league structure as 4 more clubs joined the league; they were Dundee Hawkhill Harriers, Inverness Harriers, Lochaber A.C and Shetland A.A.C. It was decided to add another section to the league, which would now comprise of an East, North and South section. This however only lasted for two seasons when the league reverted back to two sections in 1999. This was done to alleviate the problem of losing both Maritime A.C and Shetland A.A.C (the 4 day round trip on the ferry from Aberdeen and the costs of such a trip, were just too much for the club forcing their withdrawal). The other reason for reverting to 2 sections was the shortage of officials when 3 events took place on the same day.

      There was a sad start to the 21^st season with the withdrawal of Peterhead A.A.C, who had been one of the founding clubs back in 1980. This sadness was tempered by the fact that Wester Ross A.C joined the north section of the league. It was also the start of a new era on the committee as John Imrie replaced Katy Dawes as league secretary/treasurer, a position Katy had held for the past 11 years (the league will always be indebted to her for her service and dedication during that time). This season also saw the addition of an under 17 women’s age group for the first time.

      The 2002 season brought a new name to the league, and it became the Halliburton Athletics League when Halliburton kindly offered to sponsor the league. The league had been sponsored by Grampian Television since it’s inception in 1980, but due to financial constraints they could no longer support the league to the required level for it’s continuation. Halliburton’s initial sponsorship was only for one year but continued their support for a further 4 years, during which time the league has continued to provide the only opportunity for athletes of all abilities, in the North and East of Scotland, the chance to compete.

That brings us to 2007, and a new sponsor in Petrofac. The league will therefore now be known as the Petrofac Athletics League, as with their kind sponsorship the League has been guaranteed another few years of competition.