Grassroots Development

Perhaps the biggest impact of the DNA concept will be in the realm of grassroots athletics, where it promises new attractions for participants while remaining true to the essence of our sport.

Key features include enhancement of the team dimension, which should increase retention of young athletes, and shorter competition windows, which will be welcomed by parents in this age of ever-increasing time demands.

Also important will be the evolving digital dimension of DNA, which will assist competition organisers and help to strengthen the athletics community through online sharing of results, personal experiences and friendships.

With support from European Athletics, the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) has secured a €300,000 grant from the EU for its “Jungle Athletics” project to bring DNA to the grassroots across Europe.

A major milestone was achieved when the RFEA staged a national Jungle Athletics tournament for approximately 200 competitors representing teams selected by Spain’s autonomous regions and cities in Madrid on the weekend 14-15 May 2022.

The project will culminate with an online conference for interested federation and club personnel to raise general awareness of the DNA concept and share the RFEA’s experiences of developing national school and club competition systems, a smartphone app and a TikTok-style video challenge.

 

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Jungle Athletics brings DNA to the grassroots
16 May 2022

An important new chapter in the Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) story has been written by the Royal Spanish Athletic Federation (RFEA), which hosted nearly 200 school-aged athletes for two days of team-based competition under the name “Jungle Athletics” at the Gallur Municipal Sport Centre in Madrid on the weekend of 14-15 May… Read full article

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