Doncaster Athletics Clubs Build Year-Round Programs at Tom Kelly Track

On any training morning between 8am and 3.30pm, the Tom Kelly Athletics Track in Doncaster East is booked solid by schools hiring the facility for weekday sessions. The demand reflects a surge in interest that local clubs are capitalising on to build community around track and field.

Doncaster Athletic Club, which operates from the Tom Kelly track, offers coaching and competes in Athletics Victoria competitions. The club’s presence gives high school athletes a bridge between school carnivals and organised athletics, providing consistent training that school programs alone cannot sustain.

From school carnival to state titles

East Doncaster Secondary College and Doncaster Secondary College already run extensive athletics programs covering swimming, cross-country, basketball, soccer and netball, as well as traditional track and field events. Doncaster Secondary College, affiliated with School Sport Victoria, competes in the Eastern Zone at regional athletics, soccer, basketball and swimming meets.

Senior students at East Doncaster Secondary College have won state titles and received Victorian Schools Sports Awards ‘Sporting Blue’ honours. Yet the school carnival season is finite. Clubs such as Doncaster Athletic Club fill the gaps, giving teenagers the chance to specialise and compete year-round.

Multiple high schools, including Eltham High School, hold their House Athletics Carnivals at the Tom Kelly track. Events typically include hurdles, javelin, high jump and long jump. The shared facility means athletes from different schools see each other regularly, building a sense of community that extends beyond any single school’s program.

Retail changes put sport in sharper focus

The growth in community sport comes against a backdrop of shifting local commerce. Doncaster’s retail sector has moved heavily online: all 110 net new retail businesses created between 2015 and 2023 were micro-businesses primarily in internet or mail-order sales. The city centre lost 1,330 retail employees over the same period. Town centre void rates improved from 20 percent at the start of the pandemic to 16 percent by August 2021, better than the national average of 18.4 percent. E-commerce now accounts for 36 percent of all retail sales in Doncaster, a 10 percentage point increase from pre-pandemic levels.

As traditional high street shopping contracts, community institutions like athletics clubs become more important gathering points. They offer something online retail cannot: physical, shared activity.

For families looking to get involved, the Doncaster Athletic Club remains the primary entry point for structured athletics outside school. Its base at Tom Kelly Athletics Track means young athletes train on the same surface where they compete during school carnivals. The club competes in Athletics Victoria competitions, giving local athletes a pathway beyond the Eastern Zone.

The club hires out the track to schools on weekday mornings, but after school and on weekends it opens to members. Anyone interested in joining can contact the club directly through its website.