About Us

SA Masters Athletics (SAMA) was founded in 1971 as the SA Veterans Athletic Club and caters for men and women aged 30 years and above. While membership is restricted to those over 30, children or grandchildren of members are most welcome to compete with us, as are members of Athletics SA. Only members are eligible for Championships, trophies and prizes.

The main aim of the Club is to provide an ongoing competition program for mature age athletes for people of all athletic abilities. Newcomers are welcome to Come and Try.

We meet all year round on a weekly basis, with summer competition each Wednesday evening at SA Athletics Stadium (Mile End, SA), and each Saturday afternoon during the winter season. Each season (summer and winter), we conduct Championship events which are age graded based on 5 yearly age increments. Certificates for all participants are presented at end of season presentations.

SAMA is affiliated with Athletics SA and Australian Masters Athletics, and promotes the many Masters Athletics events held throughout Australia and the world. We are a Gold Medal accredited Good Sports Club.

Sprinting

Come and try!

If you would like to give us a try before you make any commitment, you are welcome to come out three times to try before you need to register.

Not all of our members have the same priorities, with some keen to compete at the top level while others are in it to get fit and lose weight or for pleasure and a healthy life style. Either way you will find an atmosphere of friendly rivalry regardless of your age or ability.

You will find a varied program of Running, Walking and Field events conducted throughout most of the year. Some events are handicapped which encourages athletes of all abilities. There is plenty of opportunity to compete directly with others in your own age group in the various championships held during the year.

Entry to SAMA events is very simple. Most can be entered just prior to the event with the payment of any applicable entry fees.

SAMA also awards many prizes and trophies for performances by club members in the range of handicap and championship events each season.

To find out more – click on the buttons below.

Our Programs
Contact Us
View an Introductory video
Upcoming Events

National and International Competition

SAMA is part of the worldwide organisation existing for masters athletes and our members are eligible and encouraged to compete in the various championships conducted as part of that organisation.

The Australian Masters Athletics Championships are held in a different state capital each year.

Internationally, we have the World Masters Athletics Championships as well as the Oceania Masters Athletics Championships.

All these events are very popular with SAMA members and provide an ideal opportunity to combine travel with athletics.

Interstate Throwers at Nationals

SAMA Archives

George White has scanned all the Press Clippings collected following the 50th Anniversary reunion and collated many of the Historical Photos (by year). He has also collected together a full set of digitised archival Newsletters.
Click on the links above to view and download these materials.

SAMA History

SA Masters Athletics (SAMA) was founded on 14th April 1971 as the SA Veterans Athletic Club, and was the first veteran‘s athletic club in Australia. The South Australian Veterans Women‘s Amateur Athletic Club was then established in June 1976, with amalgamation of the two clubs in April 1978. In 2001 the club changed its name to SA Masters Athletics.

History Book

In 2010 George White published a comprehensive history of the club in a small book entitled AGE IS AN ADVANTAGE: A History of Veterans/Masters Athletics In South Australia. In 2015 he updated that history as a series of web documents, which in 2017 were consolidated in into a single PDF document that has been updated regularly over the years, most recently in January 2024 to cater for the addition of the Hall of Fame and to include information and data up to the end of 2023.

View the complete History Book , which can be downloaded as a low resolution PDF (5MB) or a higher resolution version with better quality images (9MB) – © 2024: George H. White

Affiliations and Sponsors

SAMA is affiliated with:

Australian Masters Athletics
https://www.australianmastersathletics.org.au/

 

SAMA is sponsored by:

ExUrbia (formerly the Scout Outdoor Centre)
https://exurbia.com.au/