Trafford Athletic Club
 | |
| Founded | 1964 |
|---|---|
| Ground | Trafford Athletic Stadium |
| Location | Longford Park, Ryebank Road, Stretford, Manchester M21 9TA, England |
| Coordinates | 53°26′47″N 2°17′22″W / 53.44639°N 2.28944°W |
| Website | official website |
Trafford Athletic Club is a British athletics club based in Stretford, Greater Manchester, England. The club is based primarily at Trafford Athletic Stadium, also known as the Longford Park Stadium on Ryebank Road.[1]
History
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In April 1961, Stretford Council approved plans to build a new athletics stadium in Longford Park but the construction did not start until three years later in 1964.[2]
In September 1964, the opening of the new stadium at Longford Park took place but the Mayor of Stretford, Councillor William Fearnhead, then called for a club to be set up there.[3] A club duly followed with Ken Owen and Roger Colson sharing the club secretary role and Bill Murphy being the fixture secretary.[2]
In October 1965 the club officially set up their winter headquarters at Longford Park[4] and in February 1966, Streftord AC amalgamated with Cheadle and Gatley AC. Cheadle and Gatley had been based at Scholes Park in Gatley and had produced athletes the calibre of Derek Ibbotson and Peter Warden. Additionally the Cheadle stick man logo was retained by Stretford AC.[5]
The club's first star was Jannette Champion (later Roscoe) who represented England at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.[6][7] The club excelled at the 1971 AAA Championships with Sharon Colyear and Jannette Champion both winning titles.[8][9][10]
The club's first Olympian was Andy Carter in the 800 metres, although Jannette Champion was also selected but did not start.[11] In 1975 Christine Tranter won the English National Cross Country Championships for the club.[12]
The club was renamed in circa.1992 to Trafford Athletic Club, although the press continued to refer to Stretford for some time afterwards. In 1998 the club received a national lottery award of £750,000 to improve facilities.[13]
Honours
[edit]- British Athletics League, runner-up; 1977
- UK Women's Athletic League; champions 1979, 1981, 1985
- English National Cross Country Championships winners; (indiv) 1975,
Notable athletes
[edit]Olympians
[edit]| Athlete | Events | Games | Medals/Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Carter | 800m | 1972 | |
| Jannette Roscoe | 4 × 400 m (ns) | 1972, 1976 | |
| Sharon Colyear-Danville | 100m, 100m h, 4 × 100 m | 1976, 1984 | |
| Janet Marlow | 1500m | 1980 | |
| Shirley Strong | 100m hurdles | 1980, 1984 | .svg){kind=icon}
|
| Paula Dunn | 100m, 200m, 4 × 100 m | 1988 | |
| Lesley-Ann Skeete | 100m hurdles | 1988, 1992 | |
| Sandra Douglas | 40m, 4 × 400 m | 1992 | .svg){kind=icon}
|
| Louise Fraser | 400m hurdles | 1992 | |
| Phylis Smith | 400m, 4 × 400 m | 1992, 1996 |
|
| Diane Allahgreen | 100m hurdles | 2000 | |
| Chris Rawlinson | 400m hurdles | 2000, 2004 | |
| Janine Whitlock | pole vault | 2000 | |
| Andrew Steele | 400m, 4 × 400 m | 2008 |
|
| Seren Bundy-Davies | 400m | 2016 |
Other
[edit]- Christine Tranter (1978 Commonwealth Games silver medal)
- Liz Fairs (1998 Commonwealth Games)
- Susan Jones (2002 Commonwealth Games silver medal)
References
[edit]- ^ "Contact Us". Trafford Athletic Club. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Club History". Trafford Athletic Club. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "We'll win two or three Golds, says Brightwell". Manchester Evening News. 7 September 1964. Retrieved 31 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Shock news". Manchester Evening News. 23 October 1965. Retrieved 31 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Shock news". Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser. 25 February 1966. Retrieved 31 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Edinburgh 1970 Team". Team England. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
- ^ "Jannette Champion". Runcorn Guardian. 25 June 1970. Retrieved 31 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Stretford in top gear". Manchester Evening News. 19 July 1971. Retrieved 31 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Women's AAA Results". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 18 July 1971. Retrieved 31 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Golden Girls - But they haven't that medal look". Daily Mirror. 19 July 1971. Retrieved 31 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Andy Carter Biographical information". Olympedia. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and results, pages 73. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
- ^ "Athletes win £3/4, Lottery cash race". Manchester Evening News. 21 February 1998. Retrieved 31 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Trafford AC, Manchester (GBR)". Olympedia. Retrieved 31 March 2025.