Stoke-on-trent sport and physical activity strategy 2009-2016

Athletics Tracks and Indoor TrainingIntroduction184. The participation information from Active People Survey 1 suggested that thedemand for athletics on tracks (and for indoor training) is almost wholly fromyoung people (under 25), and is mostly from white, black and mixed ethniccommunities. The survey results indicated that track and field athletics primarilyattract people from the social grades C2, D and E. There are also high levels ofparticipation amongst people from social grade A. There is very limitedparticipation from those in grades B and C1.185. The Active People Survey 2 summary for “athletics” also includes running crosscountry/road,running road, running ultra marathon, and jogging. Theparticipation rates and profiles for track and field athletics cannot therefore becompared to the information provided in Active People Survey 1.Current provisionSynthetic tracks186. Only synthetic tracks are now acceptable to the governing body of athletics forcompetition purposes. This section, therefore, concentrates upon their provisionand generally excludes cinder tracks, except in relation to local training.187. Northwood Stadium, in the Western area, has a synthetic, eight lane track and iscurrently the only athletics facility in the City. Originally built in the mid 1980s, thetrack is in good condition, but the ancillary facilities are poor. The old indoortraining facilities no longer meet the requirements of the sport.188. The synthetic track at Stafford at Rowley Park is in reasonable condition and islikely to remain important for both Stafford and Cannock.189. With a provision of outdoor synthetic tracks at 0.03 lanes per 1000 population,<strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent initially appears to have a much lower standard of provision forathletics tracks than the rest of the West Midlands region and England as awhole. However the Active Places strategic planning tool which generates thisfigure includes both synthetic and cinder tracks, and the results must thereforebe treated with caution because <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent does not have any cinder tracks.Nortoft Partnerships Ltd <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent Page | 170Sport & Physical Activity Strategy 2009-2016October 2009