Membership

Benefits of membership

Joining the club is one of the best things I’ve ever done

[My daughter] is really enjoying athletics and loves the endurance group

Wish I’d done it years ago!

Athletics is natural.  Almost as soon as children can walk, they are trying out their new mobility and soon running, hopping, jumping and throwing.  Athletics is something everybody can do – and some go many years and make great progress all by themselves.

But every year thousands of people join athletic clubs – and every week we welcome some of them as trialists and members of Rugby & Northampton AC.

What are the advantages, then, of belonging to R&N AC?

Competition

Many of us enjoy putting ourselves to the test, seeing how much we can improve, pushing our “flexible edges”.  The club provides a wealth of opportunity for competition.

If you enjoy track and field, we offer no fewer than five leagues for athletes aged eight to well over eighty.  Take your pick from U12 League, Heart of England, Youth Development Leagues Lower and Upper, Midland League and Midlands Veterans Track and Field League.  

In 2019, six of our sprints relay teams reached the national Club Connect Finals held at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham Diamond League fixture – and two of them won gold!

If you enjoy mud, we have the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League, the Birmingham and District League, Midlands Women’s League and Three Counties League to choose from.  In addition, we take part in cross country relays and County, Midlands and National Championships.

For those who like their winters a little warmer, we offer Sports Hall Athletics.

Road Runners can take part in the Warwickshire and Northampton Road Race Leagues, road race relays and the East Midlands Grand Prix series.  Every year a number of lucky club members benefit from a club place in the London Marathon.

In belonging to R&N AC you will be part of a very successful club, and you may well contribute to that success and share in the rewards.  It’s encouraging to win things!

Training with others

Competition is not for everybody, and it is not compulsory!  Many of our members are simply happy to train with others – and that is fine.  As a club we exist to promote both competitive and recreational athletics.  However, there are tremendous benefits to training with others.  We encourage and spur one another on.  Something about the group dynamic brings out the best in us.  And it is fun!  You will be training with like-minded people, some of whom will probably become good friends.  There are training groups to suit all abilities, meeting both on our core training sessions – Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sunday mornings – and on most other days of the week too.  We are particularly proud to be able to offer training for the whole family in one safe location at either our Rugby or Northampton tracks.  What can be better than the option to train together as a family?

Expert Coaching

We have dozens of highly qualified and experienced coaches across all the disciplines.  Some of them have competed at the highest level and some have represented Great Britain. All of them take pleasure in helping young and experienced athletes to develop and fulfil their potential.  They will provide invaluable guidance and encouragement in technique, and ensure that your training is effective – that you train, not strain, that you avoid injury, and that your athletic development is part of an overall healthy lifestyle.

Value for Money

If you only trained once a week, individual membership at £135 works out at just £2.60 a week!  Family membership at £270 is even better value – and some of our members train with the club two or three times a week.  Included in the membership fee is entry to most of the leagues detailed above and the Midlands and National Cross Country Championships.  Complementary entry is also offered to one of the road races we host, the Rugby 10.  

Note that ALL competing athletes (except under 11s) are required to register with England Athletics. Members are responsible for paying their own affiliation fee to EA via the EA Members Portal. This costs £15. After you have paid your club membership, you will receive a separate e-mail asking you to pay your EA fee.

The Club prefers membership fee payments to be made by Direct Debit using our service provider, GoCardless. We have included links below to set up the Direct Debit mandate and membership subscription. For Individual and Family memberships, we offer a choice of two annual payment plans (a single instalment or 4 equal instalments over the first four months of your membership year) or the alternative of ongoing monthly payment plans.

Membership fees (annual memberships only) can also be made by Faster Payment into our bank account. Please contact Membership Admin (see below) for our bank details.

If you like what you hear, please use the contact form on our Contact Us page to get in touch, arrange a trial session – and take your athletics – or your child’s athletics – to the next level.

Volunteer / Coach

If you are a Volunteer or Coach (with a current UKA coaching qualification who actively participates in the Club’s coaching structure on a voluntary basis), your Club membership is free.  Competing Volunteers and coaches need to pay the England Athletics registration fee (see above).

Membership Queries

Please contact Membership Admin in case of financial hardship to discuss alternative payment arrangements.

For second claim membership, or for any queries about Club Membership, please contact Membership Admin.

Membership Admin Contact

 membershiprandnac@gmail.com