Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club facts for kids

The Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club started in 1967. It's a sports club for running, jumping, and throwing. Their home base is the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton, England. This place used to be called Aldersley Stadium.

The club's men's team was super successful! They won the National League Division One for eight years in a row, from 1975 to 1982. They also won the Men's National Cup several times in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Club History

The story of the club actually began much earlier. In 1943, a group called Wolverhampton Athletics Club was formed. Later that same year, they joined with another club called Penn Harriers to create the Wolverhampton Harriers.

Then, in 1967, after some changes in local government, two big local athletics clubs decided to team up. These were Wolverhampton Harriers and Bilston Town Athletic Club. They merged together to form the Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club we know today.

Club Achievements

This section shows the main awards and wins the club has achieved.

Senior Men's Achievements

The senior men's team has had many great successes, especially in the British Athletics League.

• British Athletics League
  • First Place: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982
  • Second Place: 1974, 1984, 1985
  • Third Place: 1972, 1973, 1986, 1987

Famous Athletes

Many talented athletes have been part of the Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club. Some of them have even competed in the Olympic Games!

Olympians from the Club

An Olympian is an athlete who competes in the Olympic Games, a huge international sports event held every four years. These athletes represented their country on the world stage.

Athlete	Country	Events	Olympics	Medals
Maureen Tranter		200 metres	1968
Ralph Banthorpe		200 metres,4x100 metres relay	1968
Rosemary Stirling		800 metres	1972
Sonia Lannaman		100 metres, 200 metres, 4x100 metres relay	1972, 1980
Verona Barnard		400 metres, 4x400 metres relay	1972, 1976
Tessa Sanderson		javelin throw	1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996
Kathy Smallwood-Cook		100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 4x100 metres relay	1980, 1984
Joan Baptiste		200 metres	1984
Garry Cook		4x400 metres relay	1984
Denise Lewis		heptathlon	1996, 2000, 2004

Other Notable Athletes

Here are a couple more well-known athletes who were part of the club:

• Mike Bull
• Phil Lewis