NAL Premiership Round 1 – Eton – Saturday 31st May
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Start lists, timetable and results on OpenTrack
Written by Alex Seftel
The 2025 National Athletics League season begins on Saturday 31st May, with Thames Valley Harriers looking for a fifth Premiership title in a row.
TVH have lost the likes of Amelia Campbell, Jade Lally and Jessie Tappin who are no longer competing in the sport, which will give hope to challengers like Harrow, who have finished second for the past two seasons running.
The reigning champions can still boast the likes of Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth medallist Bianca Williams in their squad for the 100m, while Chris McAlister – who has represented Great Britain at two World Athletics Championships – is down for the 400m alongside Portuguese international Ricardo dos Santos.
Harrow have great depth, with Olympic discus thrower Nick Percy involved, along with recent GB debutants Alice Hopkins, Poppy Malik and Efe Uwaifo who competed at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in March.
Last year’s third-place finishers Woodford Green with Essex Ladies also boast a Scottish international in the reliable Rebecca Matheson, who competed in the 4x100m at the Commonwealth Games.
Her team-mates for this fixture are expected to include UK outdoor 400m hurdles silver medallist Alex Knibbs and former UK Indoor triple jump champion Mary Elcock. Phil Norman – who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in his favoured steeplechase – is set to do the 5000m.
But Glasgow Jaguars narrowly beat WGEL to clinch third last season, and the Scottish team looks stronger than ever, with European Under-20 and Under-23 relay gold medallist Alyson Bell a highlight in the 200m.
The team is backed up by a number of athletes who picked up Scotland vests at the recent Loughborough International, including 100m hurdler Erin Campbell, and long jumper Hannah Wallace. It also includes the experienced heads of Kelsey Stewart and Mhairi Patience.
Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow may challenge too, as they have international hammer throwers Charlotte Payne and Jake Norris returning this year, while Orla Brennan and Tyri Donovan are typically strong suits in the 400m hurdles.
Donovan broke the NAL record with a big personal best of 49.23 at this opening fixture a year ago.
Birchfield Harriers narrowly stayed up last season and they will be looking for a strong start to the year to avoid a similar fight in 2025. Shot putter Adele Nicoll and sprint hurdlers Lucy-Jane Matthews and Dani Hales are on their entries.
Shaftesbury Barnet and City of Sheffield and Dearne are the two clubs that were promoted to the Premiership at the end of last summer, at the expense of Blackheath and Bromley and Sale Harriers.
Discus thrower Greg Thompson and sprinter Krishawn Aiken are two Shaftesbury regulars, and they will be joined by UK high jump silver medallist Akin Coward.
Sheffield will be pleased to see that Lee Thompson returned to the international fold during the indoor season at the Europeans in Apeldoorn. He is down for the 100, 200, 4×100 and 4x400m.
Also in his squad is Northern Ireland international heptathlete Anna McAuley, who is down for several events including the javelin.
Entries for NAL Championship North, South, East and West fixtures can be found here.
Their fixtures are taking place in York, Poole, Chelmsford and Yeovil respectively.
