England Athletics Athlete Panel (Field Representative)

Terms of Reference 
The England Athletics Athlete Panel is an athlete representative committee under the responsibility of the Board and Senior Leadership Team of England Athletics. The England Athletics Athlete Panel will connect experienced current and former athletes with the Board and Senior Leadership Team of England Athletics. 

Purpose
The purpose of the Panel shall be:
• To represent ‘the athlete voice’ for athlete members of England Athletics. 
• To ensure that the athlete perspective is considered for England Athletics decisions affecting membership, 
participation, domestic competition, England national championships, international team representation and the 
talent pathway. 
• To provide athlete feedback from England Athletics programmes and activities. 
• To assist and recommend improvements to England Athletics programmes and activities 
• To promote embedding sustainable approaches to the planning and delivery of competition and activities
Structure 

The England Athletics Panel is comprised of no more than 11 members including:
• One representative from each of the event groups (7 in total):
• Sprints & Hurdles
• Endurance (track)
• Endurance (off-track)
• Throws
• Jumps
• Combined Events
• Para-Athletics
• Two representatives who have competed at Commonwealth/Olympic/Paralympic Games 
• One representative who is/has been selected on the England Youth/Junior/Senior Talent Programmes
• One Chair ( a member of the Panel will be appointed as Chair with additional duties as required below).Where 
voting is required, if after the chair has voted, the voting is level; he/she may, exercise an additional casting vote 
to decide the issue.
• One Vice Chair (a member of the Panel will be appointed as Vice Chair with duties to support the Chair and 
deputise as required). Where voting is required and the Chair is unavailable, the Vice Chair may exercise the 
casting vote to decide the issue.

Appointments
An open application process will be carried out to select the 11 members of the England Athletics Athlete Panel. 
Members shall be selected based using the desired, but not essential, criteria below: 
• A minimum of five years competing in the sport of athletics at any level 
• Experience of training in a club environment
• Experience of competing in age-group, county, regional or national athletics leagues (track & field and/or cross 
country)
• Event discipline 
• Competition performance level
• Geography
• Diversity 
Members shall represent the England Athletics athlete membership and therefore: 
• Must not be currently serving, or have served a ban from the sport 
• There is no reason to believe the athlete would bring England Athletics or the sport into disrepute 

Appointments to the Panel shall be for a period of up to two years. All members including the Chair may serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms (2 years x 2 terms), unless exceptionally agreed by the Board or Senior 
Leadership Team of England Athletics. 
The Chair may continue for a second term with re-election. Alternatively, they may choose to step down as Chair and remain a Panel member for a second term, subject to agreement by the England Athletics Board and Senior 
Leadership Team.
All members including the Chair will be eligible for reappointment after a two-year break. All members including the Chair may resign, in agreement with the Board or Senior Leadership Team of England Athletics, at any point during the two-year term. 

Responsibilities 
The Panel will:
• Provide feedback on key decisions England Athletics intends to make which will directly affect its athlete 
members relating to membership, participation, domestic competition, England national championships, 
international team representation and the talent pathway
• Seek feedback from English athletes competing at all levels of the sport ensuring there is anonymity and 
confidentiality across all feedback processes 
• Make recommendations and help influence changes which will positively affect competitive members of 
England Athletics 
• Provide an observer for international team and talent programme selection meetings
• Report formally to the Board of England Athletics at least once a year 
• Provide a direct communication channel between England Athletics and its athlete members

Additional Responsibilities of the Chair
The Panel Chair will:
• Have regular communication with the England Athletics Senior Leadership Team
• Provide regular updates to the Board of England Athletics
• Contribute to reviews and consultations as requested by England Athletics 
Additional Responsibilities of the Vice Chair

The Panel Vice Chair will:
• Support the Chair in fulfilling their duties and deputise as required
• Maintain communication with the England Athletics Senior Leadership Team when acting on behalf of the 
Chair
• Assist in providing updates to the Board of England Athletics when necessary
• Contribute to reviews and consultations as requested by England Athletics
Meetings 
The group shall meet a minimum of four times a year online or in-person. Minutes of each meeting shall be 
produced and presented to the Board of England Athletics. To protect anonymity, sensitive information will be 
redacted prior to presentation of minutes the Board. 
Membership of the England Athletics Athlete Panel is voluntary. All members shall be entitled to claim travel 
expenses in line with the England Athletics volunteer expenses policy. 
Members shall be expected to attend at least two meetings per year in order to continue their membership of the 
Panel.
 

Interviews to be held w/k commencing 13th July 2026.