Step onto the track, pull on your club colours, and feel part of something bigger than your own result.
Athletics Auckland Senior Track & Field — McKinnon Shield Series
The McKinnon Shield Series is Auckland’s friendly summer track and field competition for athletes aged 12 to masters; a place to show up, try your events, score points for your club, and share the season with people who love athletics too.
- New, returning, and experienced athletes are all welcome.
- Seeded events help you compete with people of similar ability.
- Every race, jump, and throw earns points for your club.
- The more you turn up, the more you help your team chase the Shield.
Ready to take part? Join a local club, choose the events you want to try, and come along to a McKinnon Shield meet. You do not need to be experienced to start; you just need to start.
Fair, Fun, and Inclusive
From sprinters to throwers, teens to masters, beginners to seasoned competitors, the McKinnon Shield Series is built so every athlete can find a fair challenge and a friendly lane into the club community.
Each meet follows a simple rhythm: enter your events, compete alongside athletes of similar ability, collect points for your club, and return through the season to help your team climb the leaderboard.
You do not have to arrive as a champion to matter. In the McKinnon Shield Series, simply showing up, trying your events, and adding your effort to the club total is part of what makes the season special.
🏃 How Do You Earn Points for Your Club?
Compete in a McKinnon Shield event and your club earns points. Every race, jump, or throw adds to a shared club result, so your effort counts whether you are chasing a personal best, trying something new, or simply turning up for your team. Points are awarded using age- and gender-graded performance measures so equivalent performances receive equivalent rewards.
🏃 Most Valuable Athlete (MVA)
The Most Valuable Athlete title celebrates the athletes who keep coming back. The more often you compete and score points, the stronger your chance of finishing as the series’ top points earner — and the more you help your club across the season.
After three rounds, clubs are split into two divisions: the Premier Division, where teams chase the McKinnon Shield, and the Cup Division, where teams battle for the McKinnon Cup.
🥇 Medals for Top Clubs
Compete in five or more meets and help your club finish in the top three of either division, and you will earn a McKinnon Shield or McKinnon Cup medal — a reminder that your commitment helped your club create something together.
“The reason we compete isn’t so much to beat each other… but to be with each other.”
All events are seeded, so you compete with athletes of similar ability — often friends, familiar faces, and people you will see again across the season. That makes each race, jump, and throw feel more welcoming, whether you are new to the sport or chasing a personal best.
The event grid changes through the season, so the series has variety from meet to meet. Most events are offered four to five times over summer, with some appearing more often, giving athletes several chances to compete, improve, and contribute points.
Ready to join in?
Join a local athletics club, sign up for McKinnon Shield updates, or watch the video to see what a meet feels like before you enter. However you start, you’ll be stepping into a friendly summer series where your effort counts for your club.
Get updates and entry information: Click Here
“I was a runner for many years, but injuries eventually meant I could not run anymore. Through athletics I took up throwing events, found a supportive community, and I haven’t looked back since.” – James Thomas, Masters Athlete
In short, the McKinnon Shield Series is about showing up, giving your events a go, and being part of something bigger than your own result. Every athlete competes individually, but every performance contributes to a club team effort and helps build the friendly community that makes the series special.
Find a local athletics club: Click Here
For other questions, contact the Athletics Auckland Senior Track and Field Committee.
Competitor Ages
To compete at a McKinnon Shield meet, you must be 12 years old by 31 December in the relevant year of competition.
- For meets before Christmas, you must be turning 12, or already be 12, by 31 December of that year.
- For meets after Christmas, you must be turning 12, or already be 12, by 31 December of the following year.
For example, if you turn 12 on 1 January, you cannot compete in a McKinnon Shield meet before Christmas because you are still 11 on 31 December in that year of competition. You can compete in eligible meets after Christmas.
These dates are set by World Athletics