So, you’ve just completed your beginners course? You had a great time, met some really nice archers. But where do you go from here? This page is a good starting point…
Membership
To legally shoot at a club you need to join a membership to Archery GB who provide insurance to cover you shooting. You also need to pay for membership to the club. Both these fees are paid together to the club secretary who will register you with Archery GB.
Membership for the year 2021-2022 are as follows:
Combined club membership, Archery GB subscription and County/Region affiliation fees:
New members – Please email secretary@abbeybowmenfaversham.co.uk for information about becoming a member and details of the current 2022-2023 membership fees.
Adults (Archers aged 25 and over) – £ Price on application
Young Adult (Archers aged 18-24) – £ Price on application
Junior (Archers aged under 18) – £ Price on application
Archers with disabilities Adults – £ Price on application / Juniors – £ Price on application
Associate Members – £ Price on application
You cannot legally shoot at the club until you have paid your fees.
Shooting Times
The most important question for most our new archers; when can I shoot? Club times are usually as follows:
Saturday: 9:30 AM Setup Shooting starts at 10:00AM – 14:00 AM
Sunday: 9:30 AM Setup Shooting starts at 10:00AM – 14:00 AM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM Setup Shooting starts at 10:30 AM – 14:00 AM
All times are subject to change and weather dependent.
You may shoot at other times. Despite these set times, it is likely that you will find an experienced archer at the field all weekend and most weekdays. In fact, you will probably have met some on your beginners course. Please feel free to arrange with these archers times when you can shoot.
Rounds
Archery is an individual sport where you compete against yourself as much as others. In order to assess your progress you will need to record your scores – this is done by shooting recognized GNAS or FITA rounds which can be submitted to our records officer in order to improve your handicap and/or classification.
By shooting a set number of arrows at pre set distances, you can compare your results from one week to the next, as well as rate yourself against other archers across the country. There is also a handicap system that aims to give newer archers a fair chance against more experienced archers.
Take a look at our Classification’s page to see how scoring works – you are required to shoot a set number of dozens at 2 or 3 distances for each round, and must reach a certain score in order to obtain that classification. If you achieve three scores in one class, these can be handed to our records officer and you will receive a badge to reward your achievement and hard work!
Etiquette
As a club we pride ourselves on our friendly, welcoming nature towards new members and other clubs. This includes being polite and understanding towards other archers, particularly as they are shooting. Please look at the following document for guidelines on behaviour, especially for new members.
Club Safety
The main concern for any club is always safety – at Abbey Bowmen we try to be as relaxed as possible to allow everyone to enjoy their shooting. However, we have to ensure that everyone understands our safety rules and respects them at all times. Please see below and make sure you are aware of all the rules to prevent any accidents.
Club Rules
Experience tells us that new members just want to get out and shoot – whatever the time, whatever the weather! However, this isn’t always possible, as we have some club rules to ensure safety and security at all times.
In order to shoot, you will need a key to the container which holds the targets and equipment. This will have to be arranged with a Club Field Captain / key holder prior to you shooting, but you will soon (if you haven’t already) get contact details for them while you are on your course or shortly after. It is also imperative that you must never shoot alone. There must always be a minimum of two adult archers in order to shoot.
Equipment
Unfortunately we are not able to leave equipment out, so everything must always be put back in the container when finished with. The club expects that all members help with setting up and clearing away the range before and after shooting. To accommodate this, members usually turn up 30 minutes before shooting times to set up the range – please try not to be late, as you may not get the distances you want and you disturb other members who are already shooting.
Now you know the club requirements, learn the basics of archery at our A-Z.