The Amateur Athletic Club had had a narrow definition of 'amateur' and had drafted into its original constitution what has been termed a 'mechanics clause' that effectively prevented anyone engaged in manual labour from joining on the assumption that those who engaged in such physical work might have a competitive edge.

This caused debate and unease from the beginning and by 1879, the Northern Athletics Association, whose membership was wider than that of its southern counterparts, threatened to boycott the AAC's annual championships.

[2] The AAA's original motto was in Ancient Greek and read 'ΤΑΧΥΤΛΣ ΠΟΔΩΝ ΑΚΜΑΙ ΤΊΣΧΥΟΣ' which translates to 'Fast Feet and Strength'.

Archives of the Amateur Athletic Association of England are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.

[7] Archives of the Women's Amateur Athletic Association are also held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.