Q. How many clubs have affiliated to ARC?
A. The continuously updated number appears on this website - just click on “Membership”. We have grown from 116 clubs/organisations in our first year and enjoyed continuous growth every year with currently more than 340 clubs/organisations (see table below). We expect growth to continue.
 

Q. Is it possible to affiliate to ARC and England Athletics?
A. Yes. Obviously this is not something that ARC would advocate but we can understand why some clubs may want to hedge their bets. Interestingly most clubs that have so far chosen to double affiliate have paid a club affiliation to EA but have only registered a minority of their runners, which highlights their concerns about the whole runner registration process. The benefits of ARC affiliation can be enjoyed without such concerns and the accompanying bureaucracy.

Q. How many events have ARC permits ?
A. Just click on “Races/Permits” for the updated figure. In 2017 we issued 542 permits.
 

Q Will ARC issue Race Permits to an organisation which is not an athletic or running club ?

A In approved cases yes. ARC will need to be satisfied that the event is competently organised by experienced officials. The organisation will need to affiliate to ARC as an associate member. Please apply using the following online Associate Membership Application form.

Q. Will ARC permitted races charge unattached race fees to members of UK Athletics affiliated clubs?

A. ARC permitted races will not charge unattached fees to members of clubs affiliated to either ARC or UK Athletics.

Q. Does the ARC insurance give my club the same level of protection as that afforded by UK Athletics ?

A. The ARC policy gives a very wide cover and compares very favorably with the UK Athletics policy. The ARC policy gives some important improvements in cover over that previously enjoyed by clubs. It does not require clubs to license and register their coaches and race officials. It covers all coaches, officials and volunteers who are competent. The ARC policy gives employers’ liability cover for volunteers, and directors’ and officers’ cover for the club committee.

Q. Will ARC need to increase its charges?

A. We want to sustain reasonable fee levels for our clubs and not subject them to unexpected or unjustified increases. For each of the 4 years after its inception ARC successively REDUCED its charges. It has never raised its affiliation fees.

Q. How will you keep insurance premiums low?

A. ARC can only survive in the long term if it can insure clubs at a competitive price. To do that ARC needs to have a good claims record. We will therefore apply sensible safety standards and only commit our insurers to the insurance of quality risks. We will not insure races that are poorly run or organised by inexperienced people.

Q. How is ARC coping administratively?

A. Many members have commented favourably on the prompt and efficient handling of affiliation, permit requests and queries. We will avoid pointless bureaucracy and unnecessary systems. ARC is run by volunteers (all running club members) who understand the ramifications of the sport. We will remain a volunteer organisation although we recognise that as the Association grows we might have to pay for clerical assistance at some point.  

Q. Will members of UK Athletics clubs who enter ARC permit races be banned, as stated in UKA Rules?

A. This Rule has never been enforced in the past and the Chairman of England Athletics has gone on record to the effect that there is no question of it being enforced. 

Q. How will you know whether clubs are declaring the full number of their members when applying for membership of ARC?

A. ARC pays a premium to insurers based on the membership figure given by member clubs. Any serious discrepancy could cause the clubs insurance to be invalid. The ARC insurance policy states “This Policy shall be voidable in the event of misrepresentation, misdescription or non-disclosure in any material particular.”  

Q. If a club joins ARC, what effect will this have on any of its members who are UKA licensed coaches or officials?

A. None. Coaches and officials are licensed as individuals, their club membership is irrelevant. For example, any member of an ARC affiliated club can continue, in his individual capacity, to take UKA coaching courses and qualify as a UKA licensed coach
 

Q. What will ARC’s relationship with the County association be?

A. ARC recognises that the County Associations are good for the grass roots of the sport. ARC would like, and will seek, to be recognised by them.

(Remember that under the post Foster set-up, the Counties do not have a designated role and many of their constitutions will have been outdated by the changes. Remember too that county associations are still democratic and can be made to conform to the will of their members – and running clubs constitute a majority in many counties.)

Q. What is the connection between ARC and ABAC?

A. They are quite separate legal entities (although ARC did originate from a strategic review which began in ABAC) and have markedly different objectives.  ARC was set up to provide a new democratic governing body for running clubs. ABAC functions as a lobbying body for all aspects of Athletics.
 

Q. What has ARC achieved so far?

A. We have taken the major step of establishing an affiliation option to the UKA imposed “modernisation” where previously none existed. This has been done at much lower cost to clubs and without the need for individual runner registration.

The success of the ARC Permit scheme has been instrumental in causing UKA to radically reduce it permit charges and we would argue that the very existence of ARC has been a limiting factor on the extent to which UKA has been able to increase affiliation and runner registration fees.

 ARC has also developed safe but not over-restrictive rules and organisational standards for all non-stadia events. We have arranged for course measurement facilities to be extended to ARC permit races. We believe these achievements have provided a welcome new environment in which our member clubs can enjoy their running activities economically and with minimal bureaucracy.  

Q. Our club has taster sessions for novice runners who are not club members. How do we stand with regard to insurance?

A. Your insurance covers your club members including your coaches and volunteer helpers against claims made against them following their negligence. It covers your members’ liabilities to these novices and any claims made against your club members following negligence by the novices. Since these novices are not club members they are not themselves entitled to indemnity under the club insurance. Clubs should only allow non members to attend their training sessions for a limited period, at the end of which the novices should either join the club or not as appropriate.

Q. Our club race has a difficult road junction. How should we see that the runners are safe?

A. It is a requirement that you should perform a comprehensive risk assessment before your race. You must grade all potential hazards as low, medium or high. In the case of hazards that are high or medium you must take steps to reduce the hazard to low. For a difficult road junction this could be done with an extra marshal, uniformed police, signs for the traffic and runners or cones placed in the road to guide runners on a safe route through the junction.

Q. Do we need to do risk assessments for our club training routes?

A. Most clubs use such a variety of training routes so a formal risk assessment is not practical. However, before leading a run, leaders should mentally review the route and the weather conditions and decide whether any specific precautions are necessary. For instance if conditions are icy then it may be advisable to warn runners to be careful or to use routes which are not subject to icing. Of course if ice is very dangerous then it may be appropriate to cancel the run.

Q. Do we need to take any particular precautions when running at night?

A. Your runners should be advised to wear a fluorescent vest or a white shirt. If you have no option but to run in areas where street lighting is poor or where there is no street lighting, then runners should carry a torch

Q. Do our coaches and run leaders need to be qualified?

A. There is an insurance requirement that coaches are competent.  Coaches for road running clubs should either have a formal qualification or should have regularly trained with the club for at least 2 years, be over 18 and be approved by the club committee as sufficiently experienced and competent. Coaches training elite or near elite athletes should have a formal qualification. There should be a leader for all club runs but he/she will usually be whoever is available on the day. Leaders are responsible for seeing that all return to the clubhouse or car park safely and particularly that females are not unaccompanied.

Q. What races need a permit ?

A. For insurance reasons ARC needs to issue a permit for all events for which the organising club charges an entry fee. This includes league events where entry fees are paid by member clubs paying a subscription to the league.

Q. What cover is provided to UKA club members and unaffiliated runners at ARC permitted races?

A. Any competitor in an ARC arranged &/or organised event whether a member of an ARC club or not, would be covered for or in the event of their negligence under the ARC policy providing they have paid an entry fee to participate in the event

Q. Does the ARC policy provide Employers’ liability cover for volunteers?

A. Yes

 January 2018