Athletics Weekly
Encyclopedia
Athletics Weekly is the world's only weekly athletics
magazine
.
It is published in the United Kingdom
by Athletics Weekly Limited and covers news, results, fixtures, coaching and product advice for all aspects of athletics, including track and field
, cross-country, road
racing and race walking
.
With post-war paper rationing still in force, Green used a mixture of determination and devilment to launch the first, self-published edition. It was numbered Volume II Issue I, but this was a deliberate error to fool the government into thinking the magazine had existed before the war. There was, of course, never a Volume I.
Green was also told by athletics and publishing experts that the idea would never work. “I thanked them for their advice and completely ignored it. I was pig headed,” said Green. Green's magazine went weekly in January 1950, published on Fridays, and has never failed to come out since.
In 1968, Green (who died in 1998, aged 88) passed the editorship to the enthusiastic and knowledgeable Mel Watman, who in a near-20-year reign steered the title to some success and continued to build its reputation for accuracy and authority.
Independently published by Kent Art Printers in a distinctive A5, pocket-sized format, the magazine reached its peak of popularity in the mid-1980s - coinciding with the marathon running boom following the first London Marathon
in 1981 - selling some 25,000 copies per week.
and moved from Kent
to Peterborough
, where the management sought to repeat the publishing success of its Smash Hits pop title and re-launched AW as an A4 title aimed at teenagers.
Emap made some business decisions that decreased the quality of the product and damaged the magazine's reputation. First, the previous editorial staff was not retained by Emap thus losing the experience and inside connections these employees had fostered through the years. On top of this the inexperienced editorial team had to deal with a publication date brought forward to Wednesdays, requiring a speedy and expensive turnaround of each weekend's results. The result of these decisions was that lucrative subscriptions were lost and Athletics Weekly sales nosedived. By late 1989, one-third of sales had been lost and Keith Nelson, Emap's choice as editor, was moved on.
Aware of its loyal following's disgruntlement with the re-launch of Athletics Weekly, in 1989 Eddie Kulukundis
funded the launch of a rival title, Athletics Today, jointly edited by Randall Northam and Mel Watman: for the first time in its existence, Athletics Weekly now faced competition.
Despite the sport's continued successes through the 1990s and the ultimate demise of its rival in 1993, Athletics Weekly struggled in vain to regain its reputation for comprehensiveness and accuracy.
, a company established by businessman and athletics enthusiast Matthew Fraser Moat for the purpose. Descartes kept the title in Peterborough and went on to purchase the title outright in 2003. In February 2005 the magazine was awarded Sports BrandLeader status
and in December 2005 Athletics Weekly celebrated its 60th birthday with a charity calendar
and a special 100 page edition.
In 2006 the title changed its publication date back to a Thursday, and increased in size to 64 pages a week; in 2007 an online digital version was launched and in 2009 Athletics Weekly became the first magazine in the world to have all its content commercially available on the iPhone
. In 2010 the AW app was relaunched for the iPad
.
A sister company, Athletics Data Limited, was formed to manage the commercial rights of Athletics Weeklys results data and in 2009 Athletics Data was appointed to run Power of 10, a statistical website, for UK Athletics
.
Taking advantage of the renewed interest in the sport generated by London 2012 and Usain Bolt
, the magazine was "highly commended" in the "Brand Extension of The Year" category at the 2009 Independent Publisher Awards and won a "Media Pioneer Award" at the 2010 Specialist Media Show.
In January 2010 the magazine celebrated 60 years as a weekly magazine.
There are six editorial staff who work full-time at Athletics Weekly:
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
.
It is published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Athletics Weekly Limited and covers news, results, fixtures, coaching and product advice for all aspects of athletics, including track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, cross-country, road
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
racing and race walking
Race walking
Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...
.
Jimmy Green years (1945 to 1987)
The magazine was started as a monthly by PW "Jimmy" Green in 1945, with the first few issues produced from the back bedroom of a bungalow in Kent which Green shared with his wife, Pam.With post-war paper rationing still in force, Green used a mixture of determination and devilment to launch the first, self-published edition. It was numbered Volume II Issue I, but this was a deliberate error to fool the government into thinking the magazine had existed before the war. There was, of course, never a Volume I.
Green was also told by athletics and publishing experts that the idea would never work. “I thanked them for their advice and completely ignored it. I was pig headed,” said Green. Green's magazine went weekly in January 1950, published on Fridays, and has never failed to come out since.
In 1968, Green (who died in 1998, aged 88) passed the editorship to the enthusiastic and knowledgeable Mel Watman, who in a near-20-year reign steered the title to some success and continued to build its reputation for accuracy and authority.
Independently published by Kent Art Printers in a distinctive A5, pocket-sized format, the magazine reached its peak of popularity in the mid-1980s - coinciding with the marathon running boom following the first London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
in 1981 - selling some 25,000 copies per week.
Emap years (1987 to 1999)
The title was bought in 1987 by EmapEMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
and moved from Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
to Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, where the management sought to repeat the publishing success of its Smash Hits pop title and re-launched AW as an A4 title aimed at teenagers.
Emap made some business decisions that decreased the quality of the product and damaged the magazine's reputation. First, the previous editorial staff was not retained by Emap thus losing the experience and inside connections these employees had fostered through the years. On top of this the inexperienced editorial team had to deal with a publication date brought forward to Wednesdays, requiring a speedy and expensive turnaround of each weekend's results. The result of these decisions was that lucrative subscriptions were lost and Athletics Weekly sales nosedived. By late 1989, one-third of sales had been lost and Keith Nelson, Emap's choice as editor, was moved on.
Aware of its loyal following's disgruntlement with the re-launch of Athletics Weekly, in 1989 Eddie Kulukundis
Eddie Kulukundis
Sir Eddie Kulukundis OBE is a member of a Greek shipping family whose professional career has spanned shipping and the theatre....
funded the launch of a rival title, Athletics Today, jointly edited by Randall Northam and Mel Watman: for the first time in its existence, Athletics Weekly now faced competition.
Despite the sport's continued successes through the 1990s and the ultimate demise of its rival in 1993, Athletics Weekly struggled in vain to regain its reputation for comprehensiveness and accuracy.
Descartes years (1999 to 2010)
After a decade's ownership, Emap admitted defeat and in April 1999 licensed the title to Descartes PublishingDescartes Publishing
Descartes Publishing is an athletics magazine publisher based in Peterborough, England. Descartes currently publishes five magazines, comprising Athletics Weekly, The Coach, British Runner, The Great Run Magazine, and Play Better Golf. The company was founded in 1999 by Matthew Fraser Moat, and...
, a company established by businessman and athletics enthusiast Matthew Fraser Moat for the purpose. Descartes kept the title in Peterborough and went on to purchase the title outright in 2003. In February 2005 the magazine was awarded Sports BrandLeader status
and in December 2005 Athletics Weekly celebrated its 60th birthday with a charity calendar
and a special 100 page edition.
In 2006 the title changed its publication date back to a Thursday, and increased in size to 64 pages a week; in 2007 an online digital version was launched and in 2009 Athletics Weekly became the first magazine in the world to have all its content commercially available on the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
. In 2010 the AW app was relaunched for the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
.
A sister company, Athletics Data Limited, was formed to manage the commercial rights of Athletics Weeklys results data and in 2009 Athletics Data was appointed to run Power of 10, a statistical website, for UK Athletics
UK Athletics
UK Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics officials....
.
Taking advantage of the renewed interest in the sport generated by London 2012 and Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
, the magazine was "highly commended" in the "Brand Extension of The Year" category at the 2009 Independent Publisher Awards and won a "Media Pioneer Award" at the 2010 Specialist Media Show.
In January 2010 the magazine celebrated 60 years as a weekly magazine.
Athletics Weekly years (2010 to date)
In May 2010 ownership of the magazine passed to a new company "Athletics Weekly Limited", with a new publisher Richard Hughes.There are six editorial staff who work full-time at Athletics Weekly:
- Jason Henderson - Editor
- Paul Halford - Deputy Editor
- Mike Taylor - Production Editor
- Steve Smythe - Results Editor
- David Lowes - Coaching and Products Editor
- Jon Mulkeen - Web Editor
Full list of Athletics Weekly editors
- PW "Jimmy" Green - 1945-1968
- Mel Watman - 1968-1986
- Barry Trowbridge - 1986-1987
- Keith Nelson - 1987-1989
- Steven DownesSteven DownesSteven Downes is a British sports journalist, television producer and a contributing writer for the Sunday Herald.-Career :...
- 1989-1991 - Paul Richardson - 1991-1992
- David Clarke - 1993-1994
- Paul LarkinsPaul LarkinsPaul Larkins is a retired English middle-distance runner and a sub 4 minute miler. He still ranks in the all time British Top 30 for 1,500m....
- 1994-1995 - Nigel Walsh - 1995-2001
- Jason Henderson - 2001 to date
- Randall Northam edited it for a week in 1986.