As we begin planning for the 2026/27 AVSL season, we wanted to reach out to the throwing community to seek feedback and gauge interest in a proposed
Throws Only venue trial.
Following a number of seasons where the full AVSL program has included a high number of throws entries, particularly on controlled sheets, the Athletics Victoria Sport Delivery team, in conjunction with the AVSL Committee, is looking at whether a dedicated Throws Only venue could provide greater opportunities for throwers while also creating additional capacity at the two existing metropolitan AVSL venues.
Proposed Throws Only Venue
The initial proposal would be to consolidate a number of the controlled throws opportunities at one venue. This would allow the two existing metropolitan Full Program venues to provide greater opportunities for all athletes, while also increasing the number of controlled positions available for the longer throws, particularly Discus and Javelin.
We appreciate that a dedicated Throws Only venue may not be perfect for everyone. As this would be a trial, we would work closely with the throwing community throughout the season and make adjustments where possible to ensure the venue best supports participating athletes.
The current proposal is for the venue to offer:
- 2 controlled sheets of Discus
- 2 controlled sheets of Javelin
- 2 controlled sheets of Shot Put
- 1 controlled sheet of Hammer
- Seated throws opportunities
- Additional non-controlled Shot Put opportunities, where required to make the best use of the available timetable and officials.
One of the challenges with a controlled Throws Only venue is that, due to safety requirements at many venues, two long throws events cannot be conducted simultaneously. The proposed timetable therefore uses two event sites/official teams to provide a full afternoon of competition.
Supporting the Venue
For this initiative to work, athletes competing at the Throws Only venue will need to play an active role in supporting the operation of the venue.
This will include participating in club helper duties on the day, which may involve:
- Recording;
- Assisting with measuring;
- Other competition support duties as required.
We are already experiencing challenges with official numbers at the two existing metropolitan venues. Therefore, any parents, supporters or athletes from the throwing community who are interested in beginning their officiating journey would be particularly valuable in helping us make this initiative viable.
We would also welcome anyone within the throwing community who already has relevant officiating, technical or competition experience but is not currently officiating at AVSL to get involved and support this offering. If you have the skills or experience to assist, we would encourage you to reach out to us so we can discuss how you could become involved.
We are also interested in identifying members of the throwing community who may be willing to assist with online results submission. Athletics Victoria would provide training and a laptop for this role, with the expectation that results would be entered following each sheet and published to ResultsHub in line with the other AVSL venues.
