Following the guidance of other sports in the UK, Archery GB is happy to announce that we will be hosting the National Tour Final this month, which will take place behind closed doors.
This year marks the third time of hosting the Final at Lilleshall National Sports Centre. In a year that is truly unprecedented, we are very lucky to be having this competition which is thanks to our sponsors, and the work of staff and volunteers of Lilleshall.
The compound finals will be held on Saturday 19 September, and the recurve finals will take place on Sunday 20 September.
Each division will be shot in full, from quarter final through to gold:
Each session will be livestreamed for you to enjoy on our social media channels and full results can be found on the Ianseo website.
In order to keep the event Covid safe, there will, unfortunately, be no room for spectators. Each athlete will be allowed one coach or one supporter to stand on the terrace of the Orangery, but they will not be allowed onto the field of play or the practice area.
As we have not been able to hold any qualification stages for the 2020 National Tour, archers have qualified for the Final by ranking in the top eight in the 2020 Rankings. Any places that were declined have been offered down the ranking list to the next in line.
The number one and two ranked athletes for the final will be seeded; the other six will be drawn at random for match order the Wednesday before the Final. The draw show will take place on Wednesday 16 September, and be shown on social media.
We asked the four champions from last year how they felt ahead of this year's competition:
Tom Hall, Recurve Men
Â"For me, it's a big contrast from last year. I was dominant through the summer season and came into the Final full of confidence. This time round I've been rehabbing an injury for months and am still fighting to find my form. I'm still delighted to have the chance to compete on a proper stage this year as I keep on rebuilding for 2021, and I'll definitely give it my best shot!”
Jaspreet Sagoo, Recurve Women (pictured top at last year's event)
Â"I am very happy to be a part of the 2020 National Tour Final. As this is during Covid-19, training has been quite difficult due to shooting facilities not being open, but I can't wait for my first competition of 2020.”
James Mason, Compound Men
Â"This has been a crazy year for all of us. My favourite part of archery is the competition, and I have missed competing and seeing the friends I have made over the years. I would like to say a big thank you to Archery GB and the people responsible for organising this event and allowing us to return to competition in a safe and controlled environment.”
Ella Gibson, Compound Women
Â"I'm super happy to be able to take part in the National Tour Final after this strange season. I can't wait to see some competitive archery again! It may be different than normal, but I'm positive it's going to be another brilliant event.”
While Archery GB will continue to pilot and expand competitions that are Covid safe, we encourage clubs to try to put on small-scale, Covid-safe competitions. There are procedures in place that need to be followed; please see our Return to Competition information for further guidance.
Please email jon.nott@archerygb.org if you require further information or advice.
Thank you to our incredible sponsors during this time:
