BROMSGROVE'S athletics club is bracing itself for a massive influx of new members after London won right the to stage the 2012 Olympic Games.

Bromsgrove and Redditch Athletics Club is preparing itself for a huge surge of new juniors who are swept up by Olympics fever.

However, the club is also struggling to find qualified coaches to instruct the juniors they already have.

Club secretary and coach Rita Brownlie told the Advertiser/Messenger that the club has already enjoyed an influx of juniors in the last year and that more are expected to join, after London beat Paris to stage the Olympics in seven years time.

But the club is suffering from a shortage of coaches to cope with the growing numbers.

Brownlie said: "The Olympics is brilliant news for the whole country, not just London.

"But we need more coaches as it is to cope with the demand.

"The interest in athletics is going to go off the scale because of the London games."

At the moment the club is waiting for the sport's governing bodies to decide on a new national structure, before it will help provide the funds to help local clubs bring in new coaches.

The clubs will have to vote in the autumn of this year whether it will accept the proposal by the Foster report that the country will be split into nine distinct regional areas.

At the moment England is split into four sections.

However, if the clubs decide to change the structure then they will enjoy a £3 million cash boost.

Brownlie said: "At the moment we are waiting for the decision to be made."

The club also has several gifted young athletes, who could go all the way to the 2012 games.

Sprinter Jade Peak has been one of the country's top young runners.

Brownlie said: "We have some gifted youngsters here and they have every chance of making it to London."