New - Archery GB Annualized Renewals

Kerf

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
I emailed AGB regarding this on Monday. This is their reply, received today (April 13):-

We are currently collecting feedback from Regions/Counties/clubs and members.

We will respond to you by the end of the week.”


Anyone any guesses as to what their response will be?
 

DorsetWiltsAA

New member
All clubs informed by AGB tonight wef 14/04/21, unless a Direct member, all club based AGB membership is now only via clubs again, personalised renewal dates for 2020-21 lapsed members ceases tonight and all personalised members renewals issued to date revert back to 30/09/21

* A renewing adult member, who was a member in 2019/2020 – will pay £47.00 – membership will expire 30 September 2021.
* A lapsed adult member, from 2018/2019 or earlier – will pay the pro-rata fee for new members – again, membership will expire 30 September 2021.
* A new adult member will pay the pro-rata fee for new members.

For junior members, the same will apply as above, but with the pricing at 12.00 for the renewing juniors, and the junior pro rata fees for lapsed and new junior members"
 

CJ2014

Member
AGB Update - Changes postponed and a wider consultation will take place.

Thank you for your feedback.

Further to our previous ezine, we are writing to you to announce the closure of the personal anniversary date membership scheme.

The response from clubs, counties and regional administrators has outweighed the opinions formed during the earlier consultation process. We have listened to the feedback and know that the consultation should have been wider.

The aim of this pilot scheme was to attract un-renewed members from 2020 back to the sport and maximise the number of renewals by removing the perceived barrier of having to pay for a year’s membership for 6 months.

The feedback received has confirmed a wide variety of administration system complexities across clubs, counties, and regions, therefore, the impact of this pilot would provide a larger number of outcomes than anticipated.

We also know that the level of adoption and utilisation of the Archery GB membership system (Sport:80) needs attention.

For information, should you require assistance with the membership system, you can:
- Contact the Membership Team
- Run reports for your club membership
- Add additional club officials to have access to the system (in case you are away or unable to access)
- Re-watch or attend our mini-webinar series (coming soon)

From today, other than for Direct Members as usual, the option for renewing members to select their Archery GB membership through the online system will be closed, and the expiry dates have been set back for all membership to be 30/09/2021 removing the option for personal anniversary dates.

A consistent issue in the feedback was a clear appetite to review the collection of county and region fees, which was felt would reduce the administrative burden for secretaries.

Any further changes to membership will be subject to a wider consultation exercise, and the collection of county and region fees will be part of this. We will invite secretaries and other interested parties to join us in a project later in the year, as we still feel that the membership options need review to ensure that they are fit for purpose and work for the member.

The membership fee structure can be found here: https://www.archerygb.org/shoot-compete/shoot/become-a-member/membership-benefits/
 
Last edited:

dvd8n

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
Week, that's good. It's interesting that the earlier consultation didn't bring up any of this.
 

Whitehart

Well-known member
What a balls up
They are treating everyone like idiots
I have an email saying that I can renew for 12 months any time up to September yet the Sport 80 system will not let me and they will be sending out the email to retract the 1st email later today....yet apparently I could have renewed last night if they had been up front about it.

We have had an Olympic Selection shoot and the Ladies results have been made known but they are sticking to the 22 April date to announce the Men's results - seems odd.

Does this organisation that I have to be a member of to shoot competitions really know what it is doing?
 

Nictrix

Member
So now if you rejoin between now and September you have to pay for a full year membership that only last 5 months.
 

dvd8n

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
So now if you rejoin between now and September you have to pay for a full year membership that only last 5 months.
Hmmm I read it wrong - I thought that it was suggesting pro rata fees, but right enough it doesn't say that.

Dunno where I got that idea from...
 

CJ2014

Member
I agree, what a total mess, and is not their latest decision in part illegal.

Any member who signed up for the annualized renewal received an offer, which they accepted and Archery GB then completed the contract by accepting payment. Is that not a legally binding contract?

AGB cannot just decide to change the terms of the contract by now saying ' the expiry dates have been set back for all membership to be 30/09/2021'

This probably only affects a very few members, but in my opinion, it continues to show that our National Governing body is just not fit for purpose.

It leaves clubs, County, and Region to pick up the pieces, if they have already collected payments, based upon an annualized scheme.

If any lesson is to be learnt from this fiasco is that AGB, should give good notice of any changes, so that they can be altered or cancelled before they come into force if necessary, rather than relying upon we are the National body you will do what we say.
 
Last edited:

Whitehart

Well-known member
So now if you rejoin between now and September you have to pay for a full year membership that only last 5 months.
Yes as a lapsed member but...

You could of course become a new member and get pro rata AGB rates through your club, then you would have a clean slate to claim all the badges again :)

To be honest I am not worried about the £55.00 when I chose not to renew in September the rules were clear and I knew that it would be £55 whenever I renewed in 2021 but if you are offered a promotion and it has a clear time limit then clearly it should be honoured (there was no caveat that this offer could be withdrawn at anytime) It is the unprofessional and underhand way that they have handled this whole fiasco.

Also it would have been great if they had treated all members equally from the start.

As for communication they operate enough social media channels to keep everyone up to date and this major change should have prompted a News Headline, not just a quick change to a sub website page and a link from an email to a select few Club Secretaries when it also affects Direct Members.

I have been meaning to shoot more field maybe time for a change EAF NFAS for the summer.
 
Last edited:

Foodie

New member
Hmmm I read it wrong - I thought that it was suggesting pro rata fees, but right enough it doesn't say that.

Dunno where I got that idea from...
I had this response from AGB in August when I queried whether the pro-rata applied to members waiting until April to renew due to no indoor shooting.

Thank you for your email, It does include members who do not rejoin on Oct 1st and delay until April for outdoor shooting.

Therefore the 18 month rule will not apply.
 

autura

New member
We have had an Olympic Selection shoot and the Ladies results have been made known but they are sticking to the 22 April date to announce the Men's results - seems odd.
I the ladies results have been inferred/leaked based on the know numbers/archers in the running and the published selection policy- https://www.archerygb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Selection-Policy-Recurve-2021-BOA-Revised-docFinal.pdf
No exactly rocket science to work out which ladies are the team, due the limited pool of quality available.

As I understand AGB has to wait for the the selection process and outcome to be ratified by the TeamGB, to make sure its all fair and following the policy.

I guess AGB wouldn't like to give the vocal membership that likes to moan, rant and knows best anymore ammo for the internet outrage machine, so are waiting for the TeamGB review,
 

Nictrix

Member
Yes as a lapsed member but...

You could of course become a new member and get pro rata AGB rates through your club, then you would have a clean slate to claim all the badges again :)

To be honest I am not worried about the £55.00 when I chose not to renew in September the rules were clear and I knew that it would be £55 whenever I renewed in 2021 but if you are offered a promotion and it has a clear time limit then clearly it should be honoured (there was no caveat that this offer could be withdrawn at anytime) It is the unprofessional and underhand way that they have handled this whole fiasco.

Also it would have been great if they had treated all members equally from the start.

As for communication they operate enough social media channels to keep everyone up to date and this major change should have prompted a News Headline, not just a quick change to a sub website page and a link from an email to a select few Club Secretaries when it also affects Direct Members.

I have been meaning to shoot more field maybe time for a change EAF NFAS for the summer.
Unfortunately as a lapsed member whos club is not affiliated my only option is to renew directly.
They have already had 6 months of last years membership dues for free and this should have been carried forward this year with everybody renewing in September.
Other organisations put memberships on hold, AGB should have done the same.
 
I was very pleased when I got the email from them this morning, as the evening before I had been turning over a few ideas in my head about how I could make this work at my club and hadn't come up with anything. I'd be interested to know who exactly it was that they consulted with before deciding to unleash this administrative vomit onto the archery world, so far as I've heard nobody knew anything about this at all. The reaction can hardly have taken them by surprise because as I said a lot of this stuff was proposed in 2012 and again in 2016, and it got shot to ribbons by all and sundry so they knew precisely what everyone thought about it.

So we're back to where we were and all is okay with the world. Except I think AGB have damaged themselves here. I'll certainly be proposing at my club that we properly examine how to get our own insurance and go it alone, just in case we find that we have to in the future. Because at the moment I don't trust these people as far as I can spit at them.
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
My only concern regarding independent insurance are the caveats and cover. My experience of insurance claims is limited to storm damage to property and a car claim where the insurer did everything to wriggle out of paying for 9 months. I feel more comfortable with AGB handling the legal side than having to do it myself. I guess as long as the insurance covers both the public, archers, committee members liability, which I think would be a separate policy, and covers any liability to the archers if the club has to close as a result, and legal cover, which is also separate cover, then it should be fine.
 

Kerf

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
While happy that the personalised annual renewals has gone by the board (for now) I still think the whole pro-rata issue needs another look at.
I fail to understand how AGB can effectively penalise an archer who was a member up to September 2020 against an archer who was a member up to 2019 or before.
Looking across my club, the members who did not renew in September last year had pretty much not shot at all since Covid restrictions and lockdowns started earlier last year. With the expectation that the 2020/21 indoor season would effectively be cancelled (we shoot in a school, so there was no doubt) they decided not to renew until the Covid situation became clearer. In every case they were the older members, or were shielding, or had underlying health reasons, or spouses/family with the above. If these members then decide, as many have, to hold off shooting this year until they’ve had their second vaccination and/or the Government does relax all restrictions in June, as hoped, they are being asked by AGB to pay an entire year’s membership for just three months worth of shooting and then stump up again in September this year. Where is the incentive to return to shooting in that?
What makes these members less worthy than an archer who abandoned archery for their own reasons a year or more before?
I understand AGB is trying to increase its flagging membership base (and swell its coffers) by coaxing back historically absent archers but surely it owes something to its more “loyal” grassroots members who did not renew because of the pandemic?
The simplest, most efficient and equitable way to do that is to offer the pro-rata rates to all archers, thus catching more in the net, all of whom will pay their full fees in September of this year. From AGB’s point of view wouldn’t it be better to get hundreds, if not thousands, of pro-rata fees in the bank now rather than risk having people wait until September to renew? It’s the economies of scale.
 

CJ2014

Member
I wait with interest to see what AGB comes up with.

Unless they change the two-tier fee structure any archer who didn't renew between October 2020 and September 2021, will also have to pay the new higher rate unless they register as a new archer and get the pro-rata rate.

So are all members fees going up to these new higher fees or do all members who signed up in the last year get the reduced rate in October?

Either way, a small cash grab for new and pre 9/2109 renewing members has created a real ongoing problem. It would have been so much better if they had retained a single price structure, whenever you registered as an archer.

Is there even a way on the sport80 system to show that a returning archer has spent a period not as a member.
 

Mufti

Member
Just renwed several members with AGB, the Sport80 system indicated 30th September expiry date.
I queried this with AGB they said they would honor the 12 moth from re-registering date system.
 

Whitehart

Well-known member
For direct members they are certainly not doing this and just hoping the problem goes away.
Just renewed several members with AGB, the Sport80 system indicated 30th September expiry date.
I queried this with AGB they said they would honour the 12 moth from re-registering date system.
I have just spoken to AGB and for direct members they are not offering this and I guess just hoping apathy will prevail and the problem will go away.
 
Last edited:

Kerf

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
[QUOTE="CJ2014, post: 816665, member: 25910"

Is there even a way on the sport80 system to show that a returning archer has spent a period not as a member.
[/QUOTE]
For club secretaries or membership officers the sport80 site shows if a club member if lapsed and when their membership ran out.
 

CJ2014

Member
For club secretaries or membership officers the sport80 site shows if a club member if lapsed and when their membership ran out.
Thank you, I was thinking more of an archer who let their membership lapse in 2019 or before and returns now, in 2021, is there anything to show that their membership has not been continuous.

Sport80 is my opinion a very blunt tool, if a member changes club, say because they have moved county with work, AGB regularly changes, at the member's request, their club. The former club, county, and maybe region then has no access. This is such an accounting anomaly unless I'm missing some search facility that lets our treasurer look at who has been a member of our club.
 
Top