Club History

The Sandringham Amateur Athletic Club was formed at a meeting held on 8th April 1930. The first recorded event was an 880 yards handicap at the Beach Oval (now Sandringham Football Ground). The competition moved to Tulip Street in October 1930, but Beach Oval was still the training ground.

In 1941 the Club was promoted to "A" Grade. In 1951-1952 it won its first "A" Grade premiership and had its first Olympic representative in 1952 – Ken Doubleday in Hurdles, who also competed in the 1956 Olympics. 1957-1958 saw another "A" Grade premiership, five Cross Country pennants and the club's own ground at Glamis Ave, Hampton. That team included walker John Morrison, who still competed for the club up to 2017, and hurdler Roy Boyd, who became the club's head coach for many years. The club moved to its present home at Glamis Ave in May 1960, the clubrooms were completed in 1960-1961 and the track was officially opened in October 1962.

Alison Newman started the first Sandringham Women's Amateur Athletic Club, affiliated in 1952 with the V.W.A.A.A. The original club had around 6 members, and Alison was a 100m and 200m sprinter who trained with the Olympians bound for the 1952 Helsinki Games.

In 1964, Mick Ryan was a member of the Olympic Team in the 400m Hurdles and can still be seen at the ground assisting athletes in this discipline. In September 1966 a Little Athletics centre was started at the ground, the first metropolitan centre in Victoria. In 1972, Malcolm Baird competed at the Olympics in the 110m Hurdles. In 1980 Sandringham won its first "A" Grade Cross Country Championship, with 1981 a power to be reckoned with at Cross Country, the club's glory days in distance running.

A new era began in 1983 with the amalgamation of the Men's and Women's Clubs into one body. In 1987 the Bayside "A" Grade team was formed with Mentone, and over the following years Bayside combinations of Sandringham, Mentone, Frankston, Malvern, Ajax Maccabi and Glenhuntly competed in State League. In 1995 the big decision was taken to resurface the track with a polyurethane surface, achieved with Council and State Government help in 1997, with the club contributing $30,000.

In 1999/2000 Bayside Men were winners at State League, celebrated at the club's 70th year dinner. In 2000, Tamsyn Lewis competed in the Sydney Olympics in the 800m, and Don Elgin became our first Paralympic representative, finishing 4th in the Pentathlon. In 2004 both represented us in Athens, with Don winning bronze in the Pentathlon and 4x100m relay and silver in the 4x400m relay. The Women's Bayside Team were winners in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Club member Roy Boyd was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2006 for his services to athletics. Roy was associated with the Club for over 70 years and is a Life Member of Athletics Victoria, the Australian Track and Field Coaches Association and a Life Governor of Athletics Australia. For length of active service, one name also stands out – Don Bell, who joined as an athlete in 1937 and officiated for the Club and at State, Australian and International competitions until at least 2002.

While the Club's fortunes have waxed and waned over the years, one thing has remained constant: the support of past and present members and coaches. We are proud that athletes of all ages and abilities have always been welcomed at the Club.