Amateur Athletic Association
The Amateur Athletic Association of England, or AAA, is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world and was founded on April 24, 1880 . Historically, he effectively oversaw athletics across the UK . Today he supports regional athletics clubs and is committed to the development of amateur and youth athletics in England alone.
Three men from Oxford University were responsible for establishing the Amateur Sports Association - Clement Jackson , Montague Shearman and Bernhard Wise. The first AAA championships were held on July 3, 1880 in Lillie Bridge. Dame Marea Hartman was the AAA's first female president when she was appointed in 1991. The AAA of England was formed in 1991 following the merger of the former AAA and the Women's Amateur Athletic Association (founded in 1922). The WAAA held the first WAAA championships in 1923. Today it is headquartered in Wincham, Cheshire West and Chester, east of Northwich .
The AAA championships (considered de facto British national championships) were held annually from July 3, 1880 to 2006 (with interruptions due to the two world wars). Trial events for the British teams for the Olympic Games , World Athletics Championships , European Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games were often part of the competitions. The AAA Indoor Championships have played a similar role since their inception in 1935. The creation of a new national governing body for athletics, UK Athletics, in 1999 signaled the dwindling influence of the AAA and its championships, with the new association running its own indoor and outdoor British athletics championships and trials from 2007.