Dear Runner,

We are delighted to formally share the news with you that Thamesmead Running Club became an England Athletics Affiliated Club as of 23rd February 2018.  This is fantastic news for us as a club and you as a runner. 

What does this mean for the club?

We have moved from being classed purely as an England Athletics “RunTogether Group” to becoming a voluntary (volunteer led) sports club.  By doing so we are eligible for a number of benefits individually and as a club (See FAQs at end).

What does it mean for me?

We would like to invite you to become a fully registered member of our club!  This will involve completing a simple form of personal details which will be kept in accordance with new GPDR (General Data Protection Regulation) requirements.  (See FAQs for further information). 

In addition we will ask you for an annual membership fee (see FAQs as to why there is now a cost)

There are two options for this:

£47/year: Full Club membership + England Athletics Race Licence (for discount on races). 

This membership will suit most runners who wish to compete in races,  Not only does it give you discounts on races, opportunity to represent our club and entry to exclusive races, you also get exclusive retail discounts (New Balance, Intercontinental Hotels, DW fitness etc. see FAQs).  It also counts towards our allocation of London Marathon places.  If you race 5 or more times in a year you will make your £15 back in race discounts.  £17 goes directly to England Athletics for your licence.  We need this from you by the end of April if you wish to compete

£32/year: Club Membership (without England Athletics Race Licence).This will suit remaining runners who are not planning on entering many races.. 

How do I pay?

We have multiple options (please see FAQs)

What do I need to do next?  (See FAQs)

We do hope you have enjoyed your sessions with us so far and that you decide to take up club membership with us! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.

Thamesmead Running Club FAQs

What is a Voluntary Sports Club?

According to England Athletics: “A voluntary sports club is defined an amateur, non-profit making collective of unpaid personnel whose main purpose is providing athletics activities and/or competition as a leisure pursuit. This does not exclude any clubs who may fundraise or generate profits which are 100% re-invested in the club.”

Why do clubs get affiliated?

To promote fair competition: against legitimate opposition

To gain the right information about the sport of running directly from England Athletics

To have our voice heard on how the sport is run

To get our club support, services and resources such as club insurance, allocated London Marathon places (dependant on number of runners who get race licence), specialist coaching visits to our club and preferential entry to events.

To facilitate exchange of information which enables England Athletics to offer support and opportunities helping our runners maximise their potential and enjoyment from the sport as much as possible.

What are the club affiliation benefits to the club?

1. Dedicated support for clubs from England Athletics local and national staff

2. Insurance for affiliated clubs.

3. Discounts on coaching courses for registered club members (Coaching

Assistant, Athletics Coach and Coach in Running Fitness qualification).

4. Direct support to affiliated clubs from the England Athletics Welfare team in

accordance with England Athletics’ disciplinary and grievance procedures.

5. Resources and training programmes to support club development.

6. Eligibility for club places at the Virgin Money London Marathon - allocated

based upon number of registered athletes (those purchasing the race licence) aged over 18.

7. Entry into National Championships across a wide range of event groups.

8. Major national and regional awards programme to recognise the efforts of

the volunteer.

9. Support from staff to secure more external investment for talent development

and club development projects.

What are the additional club affiliation benefits for me?

1. Training sessions lead by visiting coaches to support athlete development through the ‘Flying Coach Visit’ programme.

2. Opportunities for members wishing to train further to become a Run Leader, Coaching assistant, Athletics Coach or Coach in running fitness.

3. Eligibility for members to take part in 'Great Club Challenge' at Nova International 'Great

Run' series.

4. Opportunity to obtain a “club place” at the Virgin Money London Marathon (dependant on number of members purchasing EA race licence).

5. Volunteer recognition at major national and regional awards programme.

6. Discounted rates at many national races.

7. Free

What are the advantages of getting the England Athletics £17  race licence?

Under UK Athletics rules for Competition 2016, runners wishing to compete (represent the club and be eligible for prizes/race positions) are required to have an England Athletics Race Licence.  England Athletics is working with a range of competition providers to carry out registration checks at point of entry and after their events and many organisers are carrying out their own random checks on runner’s registrations.  But aside from this, there are numerous personal benefits we think you will enjoy:

Advantages from England Athletics of getting club membership with the £17 race licence are:

- Retail discounts: these change, currently Registered athletes are eligible for 20% off New Balance products, 4 months membership to DW fitness gyms and no joining fee, 20-30% off Intercontinental Group of hotels, AfterShokz discounts (sports headphones including wireless bone conduction headphones)

-.Exclusive entry to registered athlete only events - under UKA Rules for Competition many competitions are only open to registered athletes.

- Discounted road race entry for registered members of affiliated clubs

- ebulletins including key information on the sport and exclusive registered athlete offers.

- Entry in the Great Run Club Challenge competition in the Great Run Events

- Regional and inter-regional championships in partnership with established competition providers.

- National Championships across a wide range of event groups

- Representative opportunities for talented athletes at a national and regional level.

- International representative teams in major events and across varied age groups

-. The ability to have a say on how the sport is run and funded in a way that reflects your fundamental importance to the sport

-.Opportunities for you, (and at times your club or your school) to get involved in exclusive events and experiences in association with British Athletics

- Your registration fee helps make a difference to many areas of the sport

How does individual England Athletics registration (race licence) work? (from England Athletics)

As an athlete it is straight forward to become a registered athlete with England Athletics.

1. You must be a member of a club that is affiliated to England Athletics.

2. Your club is then responsible for registering you with England Athletics. For the affiliation year from 1 April is £17. The charge is often paid by the club member alongside their club membership subscription and many clubs state this when publicising the membership fee

3. Once England Athletics have received your details from your club, and payment for your registration, we will allocate you a Unique Registration Number (URN).

4. Membership Services submit details of registered athletes to our registration card printers every two weeks. Your England Athletics registration card should be received no later than three weeks from that submission. Athletes who have had a card and URN from previous years should retain that.

5. Your Registration number will be on the card that you are sent, it will also be available from the person at your club who keeps your details up to date on the secure club portal.

Once registered your URN stays the same from year-to-year. However, your club must have made an up-to-date payment on your registration for your registration to remain active. If payment is not received your registration will become inactive.

If you experience any problems in receiving your URN / Athletics Card, you should contact –

1. Your Club Secretary or Membership Secretary

2. Membership Services on 0121 347 6543

Why is there now a cost to run with Thamesmead Running Club?

We rely completely on the willingness and time of our volunteers and committee members to lead sessions and the club so there is no payment made to our leaders.  In addition, currently, we have no costs to rent facilities at Sporting Club Thamesmead, (this too may change in the future).

However, historically we have relied solely on individual committee members voluntarily putting up funds, small grants from Peabody and in early 2018 a grant of £1,500 from London Sport.  This was spent on:

• Training volunteers to be England Athletics Certified Run Leaders
• DBS checks for volunteers
• Acquiring equipment e.g. cone markers
• Promotion and invitation of our Free Our Couch to 5km Programme
• Promotion and invitation of Our Free 5-10km programme
• Promotion and invitation of our Free 10km and beyond programme
• Designing and printing flyers to promote our club
• Facebook boosts to advertise our club
• Designing and sourcing Banners to promote our club

On-going Funds are now required for:

• Annual England Athletics Fees of £150 (with all the benefits listed above and in addition to the individual £17 per runner for a race licence)
• England Athletics Insurance for club activities
• DBS checks for our volunteers
• Website maintenance and design
• Training Run Leaders.  As we grow and wish to offer more sessions we will have an on-going requirement to train more volunteers who wish to take on this role.
• Volunteer training to be a Run Leader Mentor (to mentor our Run Leaders)
• Volunteer training to be a Coach in Running Fitness.
• On-going equipment for sessions
• Design and publication of club promotional materials (flyers, banners, Facebook boosts etc.)

As we gradually acquire funds we hope to offer discounts at socials and host our own races and club events.

How do I pay?

When you complete your registration forms we will enter your information onto the England Athletics portal.  From this we will then generate an email which will contain a link that allows you to pay your membership fee (£47 or £32) online.  It automatically splits the money that comes to the club and the money that goes directly to England Athletics as well as updating your status as paid.  This is by far the easiest way to pay.

 

The 0-5K 12 week program is free to join for new club runners, we do ask you to complete the membership form but not pay immediately. Should you wish to join other sessions you will be required to be a paying member. Please note it is only the 0-5k which is free. You can only claim one free program per person.

 

Other sessions qualify new runners for a 4 week trial period.

Will there be a club kit?

YES.  We offer a selection of club t-shirts, vests and wind jackets.  The club kit is for you to enjoy and an optional additional purchase, not a requirement.  (NB For licence holders participating in races you are required under UKA rules to wear a club vest or t-shirt when listed as a club runner).  T-shirts and vests are currently £15 and jackets are £30. 

Our club colours are High Vis/Fluorescent Yellow (so we are highly visible in the dark and winter) with our club logo of runners on the river on the left front chest and our name “Thamesmead” on the back bottom rim.  Our 2nd club colour will be sky blue as can be seen with the current RunTogether t-shirts.  We have opted for a fully technical material (100% polyester) so you stay cool, warm and dry and there will be both male and female fit options for both the t-shirts and the vests. 

 

Please email the club for orders and questions.

What happens with my personal information?

We will give you a electronic membership form to be completed.  Your details will them be added to the England Athletics secretaries portal to which only the club secretary, membership secretary, treasurer and assistant secretary will have access.  England Athletics will then contact you and invite you to sign into “MyAthletics” portal where you can see the information stored about you, update it and amend your privacy settings.  (For further information on how England Athletics store your information please contact: dataprotetion@englandathletics.org.  Thamesmead Running Club will not share your information with 3rd parties without your consent.

 

Information you add to the RunTogether sight when signing up for a session is also confidential and only your Run Leader can see it for example if you have entered health information such as a disability or that you have asthma.

 

By signing and agreeing to the club terms and conditions you are also agreeing to your mobile number to be added to the relevant run Wattsapp chat groups and the running club news group. Along with agreeing for Thamesmead Running Club to use any club photos within their social media platforms. You will need to opt out should you not agree to this.

What do I need to do now?

If you are ready to sign up to be a member then let us know and we will go through the payment and application forms with you.  We will aim to take funds from you in April each year.  In the future we hope to set his up as a direct debit.

What other options are there?

For current runners, we invite you to become a member, sign up and pay £47 or £32 as of April 2023.  If you are unsure you are welcome to have a 1 month free trial to help you decide (of course we very much hope that you have enjoyed your time with us so far and decide to stay on with us).  If you decide to continue with us we will ask you to sign up and pay for annual membership.

For new Runners with us: if you are a complete beginner and have not yet participated in a Couch to 5km Programme with us you are welcome to participate in one of these FREE of charge.  After this, if you wish to continue enjoy running with us (which we very much hope you will) we will ask you to sign up and pay for annual membership (£47 or £32).  You can of course decide before completing this programme to become a full member if you wish.

For new Runners with us: if you can already run 5km or more, and are unsure about membership you are also very welcome to have a 1 month free trial with us. Come try us as many times as you like over a 1 month period.  If you would like to continue with us after that (which we very much hope you will) we will ask you to sign up and pay for membership (£47 or £32).  You can of course sign up without a trial or prior to completing it.

 

We hope this gives you enough information and answers most or all of your questions,

 

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further information.

You can speak to your Run Leader at a session, email: thamesmeadrunningclub@gmail.com or alternatively phone Charlene Lawson on 07944 282611.  If your question cannot be answered then the committee will discuss your query together and reach a decision.

 

We look forward to hearing from you and having many more Runs with you, helping you reach your running goals, racing with you, building a strong running community in Thamesmead and having lots of fun together.

 

Thamesmead Running Club Committee