Welcome to all stakeholders in the 2023-24 Victorian Athletic League season.

My commitment to you…  

As the new Chief Steward along with my fellow stewards, to the best of our ability, we will be sustaining a fair, firm and fun environment. To do this properly we will need your assistance and support.

All stewards carry a plethora of experience, whether in competing, coaching or administrative areas. We expect to be treated as we treat you, with respect and honesty. This will help to ensure our sport continues to thrive and prosper. On a negative note If one behaves in an aggressive manner they will be dealt with severely.

There a number of very important considerations for athletes/trainers to consider every time they participate. I will detail what I believe are the most important ones.

CONSISTENCY of performance is imperative, especially in repetitive weeks. If you have reasons for an indifferent performance we need to know before the event not after. While we understand that most athletes improve from week to week any dramatic improvement or adverse effort will place you under scrutiny. When you reach your plateau you will be expected to sustain that effort. All stakeholders are very fortunate that Livestreaming is available for all and will give us an avenue to review the previous week's events.

COMMUNICATION will play a big role in our relationship, it will be very rewarding for all stakeholders to have honest, courteous collaboration. I am certain that there will be unhappy athletes/trainers when some sanctions are made but rest assured there will be no personal agendas from the steward panel.

WINNING INTENT will not only be time deviation but subjective as well. Runners are expected to compete to their supreme level of effort every performance and a move from that will give you a NAP at best. We will be scrutinizing athletes who consistently make finals without winning.

TRANSPARENCY is an area that we will be continuing. I in particular want us to be open and honest. When we see areas of concern we will be forwarding it in the relevant race report. I have no doubt we will make mistakes but they will be honest.

HANDICAP QUERY there is an appropriate process if you wish to query your handicap. You are not permitted to approach a handicapper on race day. The correct process is to contact the VAL office and make an appointment. Any breaches of this rule will result in a fine or further sanctions.

SUMMARY - We are in this sport because we all love it for a number of different reasons. The rules and regulations are a very informative read on the VAL website, it may help to understand the League rules and regulations clearly.

LET’S MAKE IT A FANTASTIC SEASON FOR EVERYONE !!

Chief Steward - Richard Wearmouth