Ellon Amateur Athletics Club could soon come to an end after 30 years amid plummeting membership and deteriorating facilities.
The group has trained generations of athletes in the town, with members going on to compete at all levels.
But since the pandemic, it has suffered from dwindling numbers.
Leaders say they have “struggled to maintain a sustainable number of volunteers, coaches, and committee members”.
Ellon Athletics Club says training next to football matches ‘isn’t safe’
They say this is partly due to the condition of the track at the Meadows facility, which has become “so bad that normal coaching is impossible”.
It’s claimed that sharing the space with a football pitch can even mean members are occasionally clattered by the odd errant ball during coaching.
And there is “nowhere else in Ellon to coach athletics”.
‘People are choosing to go to Aberdeen instead of their local club’
Coach Rosie Graham explained that the club is now forced to turn away adults seeking to join, as they don’t have the coaches or training grounds to help hone their skills.
She said: “The main thing is we need a safe training environment.
“We’ve had athletes this year who have competed on national podiums but unfortunately had to train elsewhere.”
Rosie added: “We are an inclusive club and try to allow all to join but over the years we have not been able to provide athletes with different disabilities training that is beneficial to them, so have had to send them to other clubs.
“We can’t attract more athletes or coaches because of the facilities – people are choosing to go to Aberdeen instead of their local club.”
Meadows boss on plight of local sports group
The charity running the Meadows told us they “genuinely hope Ellon Amateur Athletics Club can continue”, while sympathising with their plight.
Chairman of the Meadows Trust, Paul Vavangas, acknowledged that the track was in a poor state of repair.
However he explained that the operators had recently installed new drainage at the pitch as they battle to contend with a laundry list of problems.
And he added: “We can’t compete with Aberdeen Sports Village, and it was built with the intention of serving athletes from across the region.
“But we are trying to improve facilities across the Meadows, with the limited funding we have in place.”
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D-Day looms at important Ellon Athletics Club meeting
The future of the club will now be on the line at a crunch meeting on Monday, November 27.
It will take place at Ellon Academy and people can email ellonathletics@outlook.com for more information on attending.
Unless enough come forward to assist, then Rosie warns that Ellon Amateur Athletics Club “will no longer exist and will have to dissolve”.
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