England Athletics athlete registration and club / member body affiliation fees notice (2023-24)
Following consultation with the Regional Councils through the England Council during the summer, the England Athletics Board have made a decision with respect to athlete registration and club / member body affiliation fees for the year 2023-24 effective from 1 April 2023.
We thank our clubs, athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers for their incredible support, resilience, and passion over the last 12-months.
New athlete registration fee for the year 2023-24
Individual athlete annual membership with England Athletics starting from 1 April 2023, is increasing by £1, from £16 to £17. This follows consultation with the Regional Councils through the England Council during the summer.
We recognise that everyone is feeling the pressure of rising costs at this current time. We are also very mindful that clubs and member bodies are seeing operating costs associated with delivering the sport increasing. Therefore, we have decided to keep any increase to our athlete registration fees to a minimum this year, in line with our approach taken in previous years following consultation with our membership.
As the national governing body responsible for supporting the growth and development of grassroots athletics and running in England, we are also experiencing rising venue, event delivery and travel costs. In addition, our insurance cost, a critical element of our support to clubs, has increased by 20%.
Whilst we are continually exploring ways in which we can reduce costs and make savings, the additional funds generated from the small increase in fees will be reinvested by England Athletics into important areas of work to create positive change where we know there are challenges and further investment is needed. For example, the number of competing teenage track and field athletes is in decline whilst volunteer numbers, not just in sport but all walks of life, are lower compared to previous years as people have less disposable time or other competing interests.
Making competitions more appealing for our younger athletes and striking that balance between having that deep base of volunteer technical officials and being more efficient on how they are deployed are just two areas into which we will be investing further, such as through digital systems and technology aligned with our strategic direction through to 2032.
Elsewhere, England Athletics is assuming full responsibility for officials’ education and development at Levels 1-3 to transform the way in which courses are delivered and remove barriers to entry.
England Athletics is also increasing resources into regional club support and activation focused on coach development, youth development through funetics and sports hall athletics and local and regional competition provision.
England Athletics has taken over responsibility from UK Athletics (UKA) for road race services and licencing and we’ll be looking to invest in improved systems for road race organisers and runners.
This is a further example of how we continue to make headway in improving services and signposting the clear differences between us, as one of the four home country athletics federations (HCAFs), and UKA.
Club and member body affiliation fee for the year 2023-24
The annual club affiliation and member body fee remains unaffected at £150 per club/member body, the same amount it has been since 2018.
Getting the most from athlete, club and member body registration and affiliation with England Athletics
Current membership with England Athletics includes a variety of benefits and services which can be found here (athletes) and here (clubs). Some of these benefits are listed below. Membership, of course, extends beyond these individual and organisational benefits with fees helping to fund, for example, the work of England Athletics in creating more opportunities for children and young people to access the sport in schools and clubs, better athlete safeguarding and welfare, improved coaching and officiating, and the development of talent pathways from playground to podium.
Examples of different benefits of club affiliation:
- Up to £50million public liability insurance cover
- Access to free support from the England Athletics Membership Engagement Team
- Eligibility to compete in licenced events and club places at the London Marathon
- Access to discounted education courses for coaches and leaders
- Exclusive offers and discounts with England Athletics’ commercial partners
Examples of different benefits of athlete registration:
- Exclusive access to events, competitions, and races
- Discounted entry to UKA licenced road races
- Discounted places on coaching and leadership courses
- Early bird ticket purchasing opportunities for major athletics events
- Eligibility to compete in national representative teams
Previous feedback from athletes revealed an overwhelming majority considered membership of England Athletics represented good value for money, particularly when compared with the registration fees of other comparable sports.
Thank you
As we look back on the last 12 months, it has been fantastic to see so many more clubs able again to become hives of athletics and running activity in their communities following the Covid pandemic which decimated our athletics events programme. The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham was the lift we all needed and the outstanding medal haul for the England Athletics team has the potential to be a catalyst for another generation of young athletes to share our lifelong enjoyment of the sport.
We are proud to support our incredible network of member clubs and bodies and our commitment is to work even more closely with our members as we build the sport together in a way that we can all be proud of. This, of course, includes ensuring additional income is invested into all levels of the sport for the benefit of our current athletes, clubs, and bodies, and supporting a larger membership base in future.
Thank you once again for your continued support of athletics and running across England.
Yours sincerely
Chris Jones - CEO, England Athletics on behalf of the England Athletics Board
About England Athletics
As a governing body supporting the growth and development of grassroots athletics and running in England, we see every day how our sport changes lives. We exist to harness its simplicity and power to bring communities together and help improve the health and wellbeing of the nation. Anyone can participate in athletics and running regardless of age, ability, background, or aspiration.
Working side-by-side with our partners and national network of clubs and competition providers, our vision is for an inclusive sport where everyone feels safe, welcome and able to flourish. From recreational runners to elite athletes, volunteers to leaders, coaches to officials, together we must ensure every participant has the opportunity to enjoy a life-long love for the sport.
As a not-for-profit organisation, find out in our strategy how we are investing back into athletics and running to create huge positive change across the country through to 2032.
Impact of investment in 2021/22
Membership fees have enabled the following impact during the last year:
Our investment
Our membership fees and other income, including public funding is currently re-invested back into the sport as follows:
