Editorial: Harlow Athletics Club: An apology
Athletics / Tue 20th May 2025 at 04:44pm
THE CHAIRMAN of Harlow Athletics Club, Steve Lott, has informed Your Harlow that they will no longer be sending us news reports.
The problem appears to stem from our article in 2022 (see below), where we expressed concerns for the state of athletics in Harlow.
Mr Lott claims we have written articles that “knock the effort of volunteers”. We don’t believe that to be the case. We are happy to stand corrected.
Or an article that indicated that an athlete moved to a more “caring” club. We certainly recall an article where we referred to an athlete moving to a club which had a bigger middle-distance group and we thought that may improve their performance. They did and it has but if we did use that term (and we can’t find that article either) then we apologise.
We understand (and you are never too old to learn) that the sports page is not like the politics page and many other pages, where people are paid by the tax payer or charging money to come in. These are volunteers. If you come home from a training session held on a wet night in the rain, then there may be an article that rubs you up the wrong way.
YH also has previous. Harlow Running Club weren’t happy with an article which pointed out that they were bottom of a league.
The term “emotional dissonance” comes to mind or indeed knowing the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not to put it in a fruit salad.
This editor is always preaching that. Perhaps he should practice that?
In our defence, we still feel that the town of Harlow, with a population of close to 100,000, could do so much more to unlock its potential in sport.
That is not a popular view but as we say in journalism, if you want to be popular, go volunteer at Pet’s Corner.
So there we have it. Mr Lott has told us that their committee has decided not to engage with us.
We happen to think that there are no winners here but that is their call.
We wish them all the best for the future. They are welcome back any time.
chris
2025-05-21 07:56:42
There were too many popup adverts to find where the apology actually was in this article? Seems quite a bitchy defensive reply making it sound your Harlow are the victims? Why not just silently drop it?
Nostradamus
2025-05-21 08:32:04
It cannot be denied Sport England/ Active Essex declared an emergency finding that Harlow was amongst the least fit and active towns. Unfortunately due to the focus on elite sport and general massive cut backs over half a century in community grassroot seedbed sport, time on the curriculum and investment in sports in schools, youth clubs and a failure to develop and promote active lifestyles, scouting, dance, cycling and walking youngsters and the adult population have become unfit and obese. We have become a nation of spectators, especially those who cannot afford fees to participate (eg prices at the LeisureZone. Harlow once had the largest sports amateur leagues and activity profile in Europe. Active Clubs of all kinds, scouting and cadets depend on volunteers who struggle to keep going with generally poor facilities and too few paid professionals to lighten the load. Sport England/ Active Essex, the government via the Lottery have started throwing small packets of funding for short term active projects that run and disappear after a short spell of activity or an event leaving a vacuum whilst ignoring the fact that unless we are provided with good facilities, pitches, courts and buildings (capital funding) getting people involved and active is a struggle. Here in this local area Sport England/ Active Essex are funding small short term projects whilst ignoring the fact that two local swimming pools are being forced to close because of a lack of funding. You can't teach a person to swim if you don't have a swimming pool (rivers are full of sewage). Where there is capital funding available it's capped much of it from the Lottery comes through The Football Foundation to fund football as well as other sports, leaving volunteers to spend hundreds of hours chasing other funding sources, time that would be better spent in the field. When applying for funding the first question is where is your business plan, this exposes a major flaw in philosophy and policy because the bottom line is focused on treating people who are trying to get active as paying customers which immediately eliminates many from participating. As seen in other countries getting a population active, opening youth and other clubs and changing to active transport cuts the costs of health care by at least 40%, reduces crime and the costs of the criminal justice system, produces happier and more resilient communities saving billions. Volunteers like those at the Athletics Club and all of the other community and sports organisations are heroes and deserve every praise and encouragement.
Andrew
2025-05-21 16:04:39
What would have been nice is if you mentioned in the article how Harlow Council/ BMAT have reneged on the promise to Harlow Athletics Club that when the swimming pool and surrounding area was demolished and HAC forced to relocate to Mark Hall the athletic club would be provided with, at the bare minimum, a club house. BMAT evicted HAC from a room in the building during Covid and now they operate out of a cupboard no bigger than a kitchen larder. And by golly what a good job they do from that tiny cupboard. Volunteers give up hour upon hour of their time to train and attend track meetings at weekends, people work in the background tirelessly whilst holding down full time jobs and caring for families. Running down the local athletic club in the press is beneficial to noone, whilst making out that the club only had one decent member (who chose to move on) is also morally indefensable and very upsetting for current members. Athletics is not about being a superstar, it is about taking part and your articles do nothing to promote that ethic. Instead they serve to try and divide a very tight knit community.
Nick
2025-05-21 17:12:23
This is a bit snarky. I recommend asking the sub-editors to read through and correct spelling and punctuation also. See, I can be snarky too.
Simon
2025-05-21 20:42:40
Terrible article, I have no affiliation to the running club but don't blame them. I couldn't see an apology. Just poor journalism.
Mr D
2025-05-21 20:47:09
Has the Editor seen the musical Six? Sorry not sorry comes to mind as I read this. A very poor piece of writing and one that says far more about the writer's sensitivities than anyone else's.
Ham
2025-05-23 07:37:18
What an incredibly obtuse and borderline vindictive article. YH needs some actual journalism for a change...
HarlowTown
2025-05-23 07:40:18
The editor of Your Harlow would be better off volunteering at Pets Corner and leaving this to some slightly more enthusiastic journalists, instead of sniping at volunteers. Rather pathetic really.
Ted
2025-05-25 10:03:02
Nostra. The reasons Harlow is the least fittest town , is due to the fact most of the council football pitches have been built on , when once we had the biggest football leagues in Europe . And most of the young stuck in their bedrooms on ANTIsocial media
Adrienne
2025-06-27 20:56:15
You are a good person.I can't believe that you have crossed a line 😭.I think you are a very patient man and you must have a wonderful sense of humour to put up with my bad spelling and grammar. I give you a ten (don't ask ten out of what,)😇 When you find the offending article e would like to read it. To see if there is some substance to the complaint. I will just have to go to another football match. The last one was quite a match. My neighbours kids are always playing football on the green.They are pretty good. I didn't even know we had an athletics club. So I may Pop over and see what's what.I I do manage to get there I will post an article. Until then let's see if Sir comes back. Perhaps he got his baton in a twist. Over and out Ted, Yours James Bond.(That is by the way what they actually call me after last Novembers family incident. I have a picture at the Burlington arcade in London.Outside the 007 pop up shop and under the Ariel swinging car. That was a great day out.They even designed a carpet with 007 themed chats on it. This year they have a carpet of beautiful posies. Now I have forgotten what the complaint was about. Mr Editor,do you think you may have a article about elderly people being scammed.That would be a great article and then I could tell you how I actually got my nickname . Must dash I don't want to fill your hard drive with excess bytes.
Leave a Comment Below:
10 Comments for Editorial: Harlow Athletics Club: An apology: