Catalogue description Records of the Amateur Athletic Association of England

Records of the Amateur Athletic Association of England (AAA). Comprises an extensive sequence of minutes and meeting papers generated by the broad structure of committees which directed the actions of the AAA; financial records; a small amount of circular correspondence; publications, including an almost complete set from the AAA Championships; and ephemera.

The papers demonstrate the changing nature of athletics during the 20th century. Later papers highlight AAA growing preoccupation with advertising and sponsorship deals, television contracts and the increasing problem of drug use to enhance performance and the need for effective dope testing procedures. Other papers discuss the debate, and final acceptable by the AAA, of the concept of a single governing body for athletics in the UK, which became the ill-fated British Athletics Federation.

Taken as a whole, these records are of interest to those studying amateur sports, especially athletics culture in England between across the late 19th to late 20th centuries. These records cover the vast majority of the Association's years of operation, including the years of both World Wars.

These papers have been arranged into the following four series:

Administrative records;
Financial records;
Publications and printed material;
Miscellaneous.

Amateur Athletic Association of England

• Athletics

A full catalogue of this collection is available on the online archive catalogue http://calmview.bham.ac.uk

The Amateur Athletic Association of England (AAA) is the successor of the Amateur Athletic Association which was formed to govern athletics in England. Its constituent members are the Athletic Clubs, Counties and Areas within England. The Association has run the AAA Championships for over one hundred years, the oldest of all such meetings. It also organises and prepares England International Teams annually and the Team for the Commonwealth Games every four years. The Association is responsible for providing the structure for athletics within England not only for Track and Field but also Cross Country , Road and Fell Running. It holds Championships for these annually. In addition the Association organises various grass roots activities including a Standards Scheme, and an Awards Scheme, both of which are aimed to encourage sport and health in youngsters by involving them in the various disciplines of Athletics. The Association's Clubs, Counties and Areas are the life blood of the sport, providing Officials, Coaches Administrators and of course many great Athletes. At the Commonwealth Games every four years England brings back a host of medals, providing the backbone of the Track and Field programme with Australia, Canada and South Africa. The Association works with UK Athletics in all areas of the sport and provides over eighty per cent of the UK's international athletes.

The Amateur Athletic Association has a growing preoccupation with advertising and sponsorship deals, television contracts and the increasing problem of drug use to enhance performance and the need for effective drop test procedures. The Association debated and finally accepted the concept of a single governing body for athletics in the United Kingdom.

Sources: papers of the AAA; Athletics England website 'An Introduction to English Athletics' accessed 2005 from http://www.englandathletics.co.uk/page2.html; article written by Steve Hewett and included in 'Research Libraries Bulletin', University of Birmingham, No.6, 1998