Clubs
Start a Club
Welsh Athletics welcomes applications for affiliation from new clubs and groups who wish to make a positive contribution towards the sport.
As the National Governing Body, we have a responsibility to ensure that all of our affiliated clubs are able to act in the best interests of the sport and positively contribute towards the development of athletics in Wales.
There are many benefits for clubs who affiliate to Welsh Athletics:
- Insurance provision for your registered athletes, coaches and officials to protect your members during club activities.
- Access to grants and funding schemes designed to support club activities.
- Support from our local Club Support Network Officers and other Welsh Athletics staff.
- Advice and support with club welfare issues.
- Opportunities for club coaches, officials and volunteers to develop through a comprehensive range of education and training opportunities.
A full list of benefits is detailed on the 'Benefits of Affiliation' below.
The procedure for considering new club applications is designed to ensure that new applicants will enhance the provision of athletics in Wales. It will also help new clubs to consider some important questions about the type and quality of activities that they wish to provide. If you are considering starting a new club, in the first instance, please contact Chris Moss, the Welsh Athletics Development Manager to discuss the process.
If contemplating starting a club / affiliating your club to Welsh Athletics key things to consider are:
- Welsh Athletics expect it to demonstrate the following as a minimum:
- A formal constitution for the management of the proposed club.
- The proposed club to have a number of appointed, independent individuals, appropriate to the size of the proposed club, responsible for the development and organisation of the club.
Clubs applying for affiliation will be expected to demonstrate:
- A commitment to uphold the mission and values of Welsh Athletics.
- A commitment to adhere to the Welsh Athletics Code of Conduct.
- A commitment to engage and support Welsh Athletics initiatives and activities where appropriate.
- A commitment to participating in and providing appropriate types of competition.
- A commitment to contribute to the development of the sport in terms of participation and/or standards.
- A positive approach to officials, coaches and volunteer development – wherever possible clubs should intend to use licensed coaches and officials to deliver their activities.
- Clear and effective grievance and disciplinary procedures, codes of conduct – aligned to the procedures of Welsh Athletics.
Other factors considered will be:
- The club’s ability to offer and safeguard appropriate standards of welfare. This relates to the club’s members, in particular under 18s and other potentially vulnerable individuals, and also extends to other individuals affected by the club’s activities.
- The ability of Welsh Athletics to monitor the club’s activities and satisfy itself that the club is functioning within the stated Mission and Values of Welsh Athletics.
- The likelihood of the club having long term viability.
- The potential negative or detrimental effects on the activities of existing clubs in the same locality.
Please note: Potential or Perceived ‘Breakaway’ Clubs will not be supported.
Club affiliation and athlete registration are a vital part of the sport of athletics. They bring great benefits which allow the sport to function effectively and fairly. The reasons a club should affiliate and athletes should be registered include:
- Clubs and athletes that are affiliated or registered with Welsh Athletics have rights with regards to support, services and resources. These benefits include insurance, club places at the London Marathon, specialist coaching visits to clubs and preferential entries to events. To administer these and other benefits fairly and effectively it is important for us to know who our affiliated clubs and registered athletes are.
- Athletes and clubs have the right to fair competition. Both clubs and athletes have the right to compete in confidence that they are competing against legitimate opposition, and not against opposition which is ineligible. For appropriate checks, monitoring and enforcement to be made affiliation and registration are necessary.
- Both clubs and individual athletes have the right to information. They have the right to be contacted directly with essential information about the sport rather than having to rely on this being passed on indirectly or second-hand. Registration allows this to happen and for each athlete to make personal decisions about whether to receiving different types of non-essential information. This also reduces the burden on other people, often volunteers, who would otherwise be relied upon to communicate this information.
- Athletes and clubs have the right to have their voice heard, and to have a say in how the sport is run. This requires two-way communication between Welsh Athletics, its affiliated clubs and its registered athletes – the club affiliation and individual registration scheme enables this to happen
- Athletes and clubs have the right to know that appropriate standards are upheld in the areas of health, safety and welfare when they are participating in the sport. Licensing and registration help to enable the monitoring and enforcement necessary for the observance of these standards throughout the sport
- The information and communication that is made possible through club affiliation and athlete registration also help us to provide clubs and athletes with support and opportunities to help them maximise their potential and get as much enjoyment from the sport as possible.
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