In athletics everyone starts at the same point, as a beginner. To become an elite athlete you have to go through different stages; School/Club- This is where the athlete starts, they are noticed to be good at athletics so the teachers enters them into the English schools county competition (held once a year). The person could also be a member of a local athletics club, here they will learn the sport inside out and with good coaches progress to excel in competitions all over the country (there is no certain skill the athlete needs to have to enter an open meeting)
County-The athlete can only compete for his or her county by entering the English school competition and finishing first or second in the discipline they choose, this is the next stage where they are up against 3 other counties. National- If the athlete proves that they are able to be one of the best in the country (by competing in a league and/or representing there county) they can compete for there country. They still do not earn any money (until they are senior, then the competition abroad they are competing in pays them to attend it) but will get future funding of there athletics and scholarships.
Professional- Being a professional athlete is not like being a professional footballer, they don’t get paid. They will get paid for turning up to events (so that the stadium can attract more publicity probably) and get prize money but will not have a fixed ‘wage’. These athletes will get money so that they can take up full time athletics (not a wage) and also be able to use the multi-million pound indoor facility network, in Manchester which is a 200m indoor facility.
In the next two or three years, there will be further 200m indoor facilities at Picketts Lock and Sheffield with the addition of extensive other indoor facilities at Birmingham, Loughborough, Bath and north west London. This injection of elite facilities will be a tremendous boost to all levels of athletes in the country and will revolutionise winter competition. With the increase in popularity of the sport came various rivalries as to who should organise the sport. In 1879 the Clubs in the North of England got together to form the Northern Counties AA and this was followed in 1880 by the formation of the Midland Counties AA.