Archery GB’s guide to setting up a new club. There are plenty of things to consider before setting up a new archery club and it could feel like a daunting task. Are there enough potential members? Are there enough volunteers to run the club? Is there another club in the local area that you could combine with? Is there a safe venue to shoot at?
Your club helps us to ensure that archery is delivered to as many people across the UK as possible, giving them a chance to access and enjoy our sport.
Don’t forget that as an affiliated club, you and your members receive the following benefits:
There are plenty of things to consider before setting up a new archery club and it could feel like a daunting task. Are there enough potential members? Are there enough volunteers to run the club? Is there another club in the local area that you could combine with? Is there a safe venue to shoot at?
If you can answer all these questions and there's a general agreement to set up a new archery club, you’ll need to call a formal meeting to decide a number of points.
The three archery club types are:
This can be anything you decide, but it would be handy to have it short and location specific. First, check the name with Archery GB Membership Services to make sure that no other local club has the same/similar name. The name will also be needed to draw up the formal documents, such as the club constitution, and open a bank or building society account.
A club constitution outlines the functions of the club, and the procedures for members, meetings and committees. Having a constitution will help to clarify how the club’s procedures should work. The constitution must be open and non-discriminatory. A sample constitution is available in the Resource section of this page, which you can change and adapt accordingly. Before the initial meeting, it’s advisable that there is a draft constitution drawn up so that the group can adopt it.
A club needs a number of officials to run the club on a formal basis. A Club Chairperson, Secretary, Welfare/Safeguarding Officer and Treasurer are the minimum required. These posts will need to be elected, so before the meeting it is advisable you know that there are people willing to take up these roles. There can be other members on the committee, and this will be outlined in the club’s constitution. Many clubs will have other roles that people in the club may volunteer to carry out outside of formal positions.
The club and its members are required to be registered with Archery GB, which is done online. The Club Secretary (main contact person) will need to be set up with online access, so Membership Services will need to be told this person’s full details to create them a record first. Membership is for individuals but clubs collate and provide the information and payments to Archery GB. Membership is paid annually and includes, among other things, membership card, insurance cover, access to training courses, entry to competition and leagues, award schemes and a quarterly magazine.
Archery GB works on the behalf of all clubs to help develop the sport, and to work together with other national and local sporting bodies and organisations on the development of archery within the UK. All Archery GB members must join their County and Region Associations, which is confirmed with each membership and also on the Club Disclosure Form.
Archery facilities, especially indoor ones, are hard to come by. They might be a school, local authority facility, or facility belonging to another voluntary group or club. Your Regional Development Officer, local Sports Development Officer (SDO), Active Partnership or Sports Council may be able to help you find a local facility.
Things to consider:
Once you have secured a venue to use and have the club set up online, the Club Secretary will need to register the range online before shooting begins there as a club.
Who is involved in a club and who can help you? On a club committee, the Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer are usually the main roles. However, clubs can have whatever roles they think necessary. These could include Membership Secretary, Records Officer, Volunteer Coordinator, Tournament Organiser.
You can find support for identifying tasks and roles on Sport England's Buddle site here
Beginners’ courses should ideally be delivered by licensed coaches. If your club has no qualified coach, you must ensure that an experienced archer leads club sessions. If you have no experienced people in your start-up group you will need to ask your local County Association for assistance.
Everyone joining a club will normally undertake a “beginners’ course” – providing all the information they need to successfully, and safely, shoot. Intro Archery is a fun and easy way for beginners to have a complete introduction to the sport, in just six lessons, including:
Figures show that a third of all people who don’t play sport say that a coach would encourage them to start. Good coaches inspire people to get active and stay active – they accompany others on a journey of improvement, helping people to progress faster and further than they could on their own and, importantly, keep them coming back.
Many new people take up archery every year, and our challenge is to help them during this time so that they stay active and learn to love our sport. Coaching can be utilised to strengthen an archer's sense of connection with the sport.
Boost Archery can help beginners or existing members improve on their skills and archery knowledge.
Equipment for a new archery club need not be expensive and you may be able to access local grants or funding from your local Council, Active Partnership or lottery funding. Local businesses are often a good source for sponsorship of local team kits so reach out and make connections with your community. Encouraging your whole club and community to help raise money for the club, for example, through easyfundraising, can also really help towards buying new equipment
Arrows Archery has been created for Primary Schools to introduce young children to archery in a fun and safe way. Specifically designed to be delivered by teachers and sports coordinators, it can be used by anyone with no formal archery experience or qualification.
This ‘soft’ version of archery provides you with child-friendly equipment and resources to get you started quickly and easily. The equipment and resources provided make it possible for
you to deliver archery in almost any setting. Once young people have experienced Arrows Archery, they will hopefully be enthused to have a go at the traditional sport of archery.
You can find Arrows Archery sets to purchase here.
Although regular archers will buy their own equipment, the club will need beginners’ equipment and to provide communal equipment like targets and target faces. Additional items can be purchased such as metal detectors (to find arrows in the grass) and maintenance equipment including fletching jigs, fletches and glue as the programme develops.
For most venues, the archery equipment will need to be set up and taken down for each session. The storage unit should be dry and vermin free. Straw bosses can get wet but will last longer if allowed to dry out. More practical and space saving options are available. Some synthetic bosses are made of a series of interlocking parts, which are reversible and then
replaceable, when the need arises. These bosses can be stored neatly, take up less space and do not leave a mess.
For safety reasons, bows and arrows should be stored separately from the targets. Typically, arrows are stored in a locked container within a storage unit, especially if the storage unit or store cupboard is in use for other sports equipment.
Archery GB has a series of templates, guidance and contact details for the various county and regional associations and other sporting bodies. The Archery GB Participation Team and Membership Team offer help and support to clubs and archers wanting to develop and improve.
Archery GB Tel: 01952 677 888
Email: membership@archerygb.org
The Secretary of your local County Association will be able to answer many of your questions. They will be able to introduce you to other local clubs, sometimes lend equipment and generally provide support via an existing, competent network of help Local Authorities.
Other people to make contact with are your nearest schools and in England, your Active Partnership – all of whom can supply different information. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, this may be a Sports Council or local authority sports development officer/unit.
Your local authority may have a Sports Development Officer who can assist in getting the club started and in particular in providing information on sports centres, schools and other venues at which you may be able to shoot.
