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Wrinty
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With the move in the South to by UK:A/E-A to tax all runners £3.00 in 2007 & £5 in 2008 for no benefit other than to provide more administrative work for unpaid club secretaries (such as me) and create a job for professional in English-Athletics, I was rather tempted by the following correspondance from a new organisation to be formed: Association of Running Clubs (ARC)....
"After a quarter of a century of providing cash to the Governing Bodies of the sport for little or no return (see brief history overleaf) Running Clubs are now faced with an unacceptable situation.
New governing structures have been IMPOSED on our sport at the direction of an unelected quango, Sport England.
The annual affiliation fees recently announced by England Athletics mean that clubs and their members will be paying, in 2008, up to 5 TIMES the amount that they paid in 2006. All apparently for NO ADDITIONAL BENEFITS.
You will have to REGISTER all your members and provide their personal details. The resulting data base will be used to contact runners directly and will tend to WEAKEN THE CLUBS. The underlying strategy is to get more money from clubs and runners in order to replace the government "legacy" which is currently funding the jobs and administration of England Athletics.
The new structure has already been shown to be BUREAUCRATIC AND PAPER HEAVY with a significant extra administrative burden on club officials.
In short, the recently imposed changes offer nothing to the road running clubs except increasing, unjustified costs and unwanted bureaucracy.
The reaction of most clubs has been - "we don't like it but we don't have a choice".
Now you do. The only satisfactory solution is for the road running clubs to control their own sport and ARC has been formed as an affiliating body to enable you to do just that.
It will provide:
Insurance - we will provide a comprehensive
civil liability policy
Race permits - we will issue race permits upon receipt of satisfactory applications
Unattached levy rebates - you keep 60% of the unattached levy from your events
Minimum bureaucracy - we don't require the personal details of your club members
No unnecessary controls - we won't impose the use of licensed officials at your race. Advice and guidance - on matters relevant to your activities
Full democratic control - Directors will be elected by the member clubs. All at a cost of affiliation of around only 50% of the England Athletics fees in 2007 and 30% in 2008.
This is a crossroads for your sport and probably your last chance to influence its future significantly. Take this opportunity and affiliate to ARC now.
For more details see the enclosed sheet or visit www.runningclubs.org.uk
Please feel free to forward this email to your running colleagues"
Has anyone else been tempted or see any flaw in the proposal?
"After a quarter of a century of providing cash to the Governing Bodies of the sport for little or no return (see brief history overleaf) Running Clubs are now faced with an unacceptable situation.
New governing structures have been IMPOSED on our sport at the direction of an unelected quango, Sport England.
The annual affiliation fees recently announced by England Athletics mean that clubs and their members will be paying, in 2008, up to 5 TIMES the amount that they paid in 2006. All apparently for NO ADDITIONAL BENEFITS.
You will have to REGISTER all your members and provide their personal details. The resulting data base will be used to contact runners directly and will tend to WEAKEN THE CLUBS. The underlying strategy is to get more money from clubs and runners in order to replace the government "legacy" which is currently funding the jobs and administration of England Athletics.
The new structure has already been shown to be BUREAUCRATIC AND PAPER HEAVY with a significant extra administrative burden on club officials.
In short, the recently imposed changes offer nothing to the road running clubs except increasing, unjustified costs and unwanted bureaucracy.
The reaction of most clubs has been - "we don't like it but we don't have a choice".
Now you do. The only satisfactory solution is for the road running clubs to control their own sport and ARC has been formed as an affiliating body to enable you to do just that.
It will provide:
Insurance - we will provide a comprehensive
civil liability policy
Race permits - we will issue race permits upon receipt of satisfactory applications
Unattached levy rebates - you keep 60% of the unattached levy from your events
Minimum bureaucracy - we don't require the personal details of your club members
No unnecessary controls - we won't impose the use of licensed officials at your race. Advice and guidance - on matters relevant to your activities
Full democratic control - Directors will be elected by the member clubs. All at a cost of affiliation of around only 50% of the England Athletics fees in 2007 and 30% in 2008.
This is a crossroads for your sport and probably your last chance to influence its future significantly. Take this opportunity and affiliate to ARC now.
For more details see the enclosed sheet or visit www.runningclubs.org.uk
Please feel free to forward this email to your running colleagues"
Has anyone else been tempted or see any flaw in the proposal?
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Comments
As for the National XC, I have a similar question outstanding for Southern Counties XC and Wessex XC League as these are not directly organised by UK:A and are subject to seperate affiliation fees.
However I do also have a concern about still be able to take part in county XC races if we are not part of this new English Athletics who I expect the counites and regions will have to be affiliated to.
Why do the county XC have to affiliate with EA?
This will be one of the reasons that EA will end up winning and road running/racing will go down the pan.
As it happens EA officals are coming to my local county meeting, so I think I'll play devils advocate ;-)
Any good question that I can ask on anyones behalf please feel free to let me know. Meeting is on 5 March.
Our club is in the Midland Counties Region (MCAA) and they have said that they are expecting clubs to 'affiliate' (not sure if that is the right term now) to their organisation if we want to take part in events organised by MCAA ie the road relays and Midland Championshps of any sort. I'm not sure whether this would be collected via the County AAs (in which case we'd be ok to do the County Champs as well) or whether they are expecting us to 'affiliate' to both County & Regional AA.
All this I think is in addition to the EA Affiliation.
Obviously a complicated situation and lots for our club to discuss, we're off to have a chat tonight actually.
One thing I dont know is that if you go down the ARC route and not UKA/EA, would the County/Regional bodies still treat you in the same fashion or will there be some kind of closed shop, and if you are ARC, you will be excluded?
I think I need to go out for a run now, far more importantly
A similar question hangs out for races that our club are staging post-April where a UK:A permit has been issued.
Wheres Wolfy?!!
I will then be meeting with EA in two weeks time, before possibily calling an EGM to decide which way to go.
Also having a committee meeting tomorrow where it will then have to go to an EGM as who we affiliate to. Will be meeting with EA in 2 weeks also, EGM will be after that.
I think you can pick up the main issues most of us are concerned about from the posts on this topic. However there is one thing you could ask on my behalf with regards coaching courses and qualifications. I have and I dare say others here have obtain a coaches badge via UK Athletics much to the benefit of ourselves and our clubs, if we opt out of UKA/EA would we still be able to attend course run by this organisation? And if not would ARC be running (pardon pun) something along the same lines?
I would assume that you could still attend a UKA course even if you don't belong to a club but it would still be worth asking.
Thanks
I have recieved a response on XC, specific to the Wessex League and yes members of a club affiliated to ARC could take part, but each runner would require to pay a £2.00 unattached levy if they have not paid their "EA tax" - much the same as for a Road Race.
How did we get such a bunch of w***ers governing our sport?
:-(
Will members of ARC affiliated clubs be required to pay unattached levies on races organised by clubs affiliated to UKAthletics ?
Probably yes, but if, as expected, the non track and field clubs (who organise the majority of races) affiliate to ARC, then the impact will be lessened.
I think they have got it well sussed!!
Oh well will see what happens at my meeting tonight, will need a large drink after bashing my head against the wall.
One option I am considering for 2007 at least, is affiliating the club to both ARC & UK:A. With the ARC returning 60% of the UNATTACHED levy to the organising club, I would organise our club races under ARC permits and this would pay for it's self and show commitment to ARC whilst other clubs decide what to do. In 2008 we could then look at going solely with UK:A or ARC.
The ARC insurance would cover all a clubs activities after they have affiliated. It would not cover races which are permitted by UKA. However you could not permit a race with UKA unless you were affiliated to UKA and so the UKA permitted race would be insured by UKA. Remember England Athletics are giving clubs a 6 months period of grace after 1st April before they cancel their affiliation. Whilst you are affiliated to EA you are insured by EA. You can affiliate to both EA and ARC. Permit your races with ARC and keep 60% of the unattached levy which will most likely considerably exceed the cost of ARC affiliation.
* Compete in UK:A races as an ATTACHED runner, including Wessex XC League.
* Represent the county in regional events.
* Compete in county championships.
* Be eligable to be selected for international duty.
It could have been worse. Managed to get it to an EGM so the whole membership can be involved it which way the club go's. Alas most people on the committee are serious runners and see EA as the way to go as 4 of the are level 2 coaches so the insurance problem, but the majority of our club do not take part in races so may be for ARC.
Would be good if I knew of an Essex Club that had affiliated to ARC.
Perhaps Michael can advise about other Essex clubs
"At last nights committee meeting Bitton Road Runners committee agreed to join ARC.
It was also decide to request a permit for the club's 5K series from ARC (first race May)"