Sports club suspended over 'serious' rules breach

The rule breaches relate to a "lack of any licensed coaches running sessions", England Athletics said

An athletics club has been suspended from the sport's national body because of "serious breaches" of its rules.

England Athletics said it had been working with Boston and District Athletic Club in Lincolnshire to address the concerns, but the club had "not yet been able to meet [the] assurances required".

The breaches relate to a "lack of any licensed coaches running sessions" and a requirement for the club to appoint a welfare officer, a spokesperson for the governing body said.

Mark Bowler, chairman of the Boston club, said: "We're working with England Athletics to resolve the issues."

Last week, the Boston club announced on social media that it would be cancelling training sessions "due to unforeseen circumstances".

In a letter to members of the club, England Athletics said "the seriousness of the nature of these breaches" meant it had suspended its affiliation.

It had been working with the club for "18 months" to "address and resolve a number of concerns".

The suspension meant the club was no longer insured to hold training sessions or other club activities, including competitions, the letter stated.

However, the national body hoped to be able to lift the suspension "as soon as possible".

'Paramount importance'

In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for England Athletics said "ensuring that young people are coached correctly and safely in the right environment is of paramount importance".

"At this moment in time, owing to the lack of any licensed coaches in place to run sessions, the club are not meeting the standards we deem necessary. They are also yet to appoint an appropriately trained welfare officer, which is another key role we would want to see any of our affiliated clubs have in place."

England Athletics is encouraging the Boston club to hold meetings with members and said its representatives would hope to attend them.

It said it would support athletes from the club to compete in events during the suspension.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.