Grassroots Athletics
Gala Harriers
Photos by Neil Renton and Bobby Gavin
Created with the support of the Scottish Borders Athletics Development Group, Team Borders was set up to maximise numbers, providing competitive opportunities and ultimately, a performance pathway which didn’t previously exist. It’s an aspirational concept which brings together athletes from U11 to U17. Success has come quickly, with the team winning the Forth Valley League for the last five years. As athletes have progressed through the age-groups, their talent has also been carefully developed and nurtured. Zoe Pflug - who led Scotland to Celtic XC U23 gold at the Stirling Cross Challenge in January - has benefited from the performance pathway and solid coaching structure put in place by Gala Harriers, in addition to regional funding provided by Live Borders. The 19-year-old is now an Edinburgh University student and competes for Edinburgh University Hare & Hounds.
No mystery about Gala growth By Katy Barden Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, was one of the original patrons of Gala Harriers when the club was formed in 1902. When the club celebrated its centenary in 2002, former Scotland Manager Craig Brown was a guest speaker and shared his own stories – less criminal and more celebratory. He remains the last Scotland Manager to steer his team to a major tournament (FIFA World Cup, France 1998). In spite of its famous connections, however, Gala Harriers is less about status and more about driving participation. Any success is a bi-product of the efforts of athletes and club officials. From its early male-dominated days, it has evolved from a primarily road and
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cross-country club to an all-encompassing athletics club, a move driven in part by the growth of its junior section from the early 2000s.
‘I went straight into Neil’s (Renton) group when I joined the Harriers aged ten,’ she says. ‘My best friends were running too which made it so much easier. I just loved running and the group was so good and Neil was so positive. ‘We all trained together from U13 through to U17, boys and girls. There was no segregation and we all knew everyone and we knew how everyone was doing. Even now, all the juniors that I ran with cheer me on in my races and I hope I’m a good role model for them.
‘We had a handful of junior members to begin with, but now we have more than 100 junior members which is almost half of our total club membership,’ says Neil Renton, the club’s Head Coach. ‘The introduction of our junior section has made us think and act differently. We were historically an endurance club but not all kids are endurance athletes, so we had to adapt. ‘We’ve also developed an effective coaching structure to support the numbers of athletes we’re working with.’ As a founding partner of Team Borders, Gala Harriers has played a crucial role in the competitive development of young athletes from across the region and not just within the club.
Gala Harriers graduate: Zoe Pflug
