Affiliation fees

[Deleted User]

I'm recently joined a running club and am about to enter my first race with the new, cheaper affiliated fees.

However, my club is registered with the North of England Athletic Association (NoEEA) and the event entry form (Stafford 20) asks for a North Staffordshire Road Running Association (NSRRA) number.

This might sound like a stupid question, but am I still counted as an affiliated runner, with cheaper fees, even though my club is connected to a different association within the UK?

[Deleted User]

Actually Ive never thought of this. I cant see why you shouldnt be covered. But Id also like to know the answer!!

[Deleted User]

The NSRRA number is needed because the race includes the local championships/league and is not related to being whether you are a member of an affiliated club.

So yes you are an affiliated runner and so pay the cheaper price.

Wilkie

I'm cofused about affiliation numbers too, and I'm secretary of my running club!

There don't seem to be any numbers - I have nothing with a number on it, either from the Essex AAA, or from the SEAA.

Moe

Just registering an interest in the thread!

Podro

Wilkie - you should have an SEAA membership card for the season 2006-2007. This will have your runner number on it, usually a three letter code followed by a 6 digit number. The letter code is for your club e.g. for my club the number might be OTL000666 for club member Mr L Ucifer.

So long as your club is UK Athletics affiliated you don't need to pay the unaffiliated fee.

Wilkie

Podro, I have a card, about A5 size, I think, confirming that the club is affiliated to the SEAA (I received this from the SEAA), but it doesn't have a number on it, just the name of the club.

We haven't issued membership cards to the members, as we are a very small club and all know each other.

Is it up to the club to issue runners' numbers?

[Deleted User]

Since when is 2006-2007 a season?

Podro, is this membership number the thing with the UK-wide £3 levy (for damn all, as far as I can tell) that's starting in (something like) April this year? i.e., have you got your number early?

Podro

Maybe this is just the NoEAA way of doing things, but they issue every club member with a membership card. These are sent to the club secretary who then hands them to individual members. Your running number stays the same every year but each year you get a new card. The season seems to run from October -September as far as NoEAA are concerned.

Swerve -I have cards dating back to the 2002-2003 season when I ran with another club (DRG000031). I think it is up to your regional association to issue numbers.

Gawd knows what is going to happen come April. Our Association is splitting up and we will be the Yorkshire and Humberside AA. Presumably they will issue membership cards.

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the answers about the race fees - I suppose it makes sense that being affiliated to UK Athletics is whats important, not which regional body you affiliate through.

Wilkie

The SEAA have issued no cards for individuals to me (as club secretary). Maybe it's different in different parts of the country.

I'm sure it'll all be much easier, simpler, clearer and better come April*













*not!

Podro

Wilkie - It might be worth contacting them. A lot of races now ask for a membership number to prove affiliation. Do you send them a list of members each year and as people join? They must want to know who is a member surely?

Wilkie

The SEAA don't ask for members' names, just how many members we have in each category (V40, etc.)

Moe

Wilkie, I thought for a second there you were the optomist for the uk running fraternity! I thought there might be one somewhere!

[Deleted User]

NoEAA have had a different system than the SEAA for a long time, and the new system will (if I remember correctly) move things in the direction of the NoEAA position. I don't think the SEAA equivalent of the NoEAA membership card currently exists - it's just the club which is affiliated to the SEAA, and the clubs hold their own membership databases.

Podro

Wilkie that is just daft. If they have no true idea of who their membership is how can they hope to run their sport? Any other sporting body - rugby, cricket, football, even fencing want full details of their membership. No wonder English athletics is in such a bad way.

Podro

Swerve - see above.

Wilkie

But why would they need to know the individual members' details? Do we really need to be on yet another database?

There must be tens of thousands of people who are members of running clubs - what would they do with all that data?

Podro

Let's see -
1. race insurance - how do they know that every runner who claims to be is a member of an official club? Every year we have people paying the affiliated race fee who later turn out not to be affiliated to a club.
2. they could use the info to try and get members involved in coaching
3. they could use the info to try and get members involved in officiating
4. they could use the info to try and get members involved in lobbying govt. for more funds
5. they could use the info to promote new initiatives/disciplines within the sport
6. they could use the info to try and get members involved in running the sport
7. they could use the info to try and get members involved in promoting the sport to youngsters.
8. they could use the info to help target emerging talent and helping it along.

I'm sure there are lots of other uses for the data that could help the sport in general. It might also help with child protection and sexual harrasment problems that occasionally surface.

alanj

There are so many bodies involved with governance of running, as Podro writes no wonder it's such a mess.

Each of the regional AAA (MCAA, SEAA, NOEAA etc) have some kind of members or membership scheme, though all are currently different. In the Midland (MCAA) region we have been dutifully paying £3 per head now for a number of years. For that, we get an individual membership number, not a card, our membership sec just gets the list back several weeks after she has sent it - and the money - in.

these schemes will be phased out in April 07 and replaced by the England Athletics membership scheme whereby each club pays EA £50 to affiliate as a club, and also £3 per member (there is still a debate as to what constitutes a 'competitive/' member). The £3 will shortly rise to £5 per member.

I learned yesterday, from the MCAA 06 annual report (lack of things to read in our house ) that this region at least will be expecting its former clubs to continue to pay an affiliation fee to continue taking part in MCAA competitions (oh, and an entry fee of course).

My club will be significantly worse off next year because of this - i haven't seen ANY benefits coming our way yet