Q. How many clubs have affiliated to ARC so far?
A. The continuously updated number appears on this website (just click on “Membership”). Bearing in mind that ARC only began operations on 1 April 2007 the groundswell of support has been encouraging. With the increased costs of registration to England Athletics w.e.f. 1^st April 2008 it is likely that many other clubs will come to see ARC as an economic and less restrictive option for their affiliation

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, significantly, the cost of affiliation to ARC for many clubs will be more than covered by the retention of 65% of unattached race levies for their ARC permitted events.

Q  How many events have ARC permits so far?
A  Just click on “Races/Permits” for the updated figure. Given the lead time for planning events, we are pleasantly surprised to have issued so many permits to date. 

Q. Will ARC issue Race Permits to commercial organisers, charities, etc?

A. At this time, no. The majority of races in England are organised by clubs. ARC was formed for the benefit of clubs and to provide a service for them. So for the time being we will only issue permits to events organised by our member clubs. However we will keep this position under review

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. There is no significant part of the cover that is provided by the UK Athletics policy that is not given by the policy arranged for ARC. 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.

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. Witness the fact that for the year commencing 1^st April 2008 ARC has reduced its affiliation fees by 7% and increased the proportion of unattached levies that ARC permitted races retain by 8%. This contrasts markedly with the 67% increase in Registration fees that England Athletics requires for 2008/9.

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  During our first year 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 road 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 implied 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.

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 road running clubs constitute a majority in many counties.)

Q. What is the connection between ARC and ABAC?

A. They are quite separate legal entities with different objectives although ARC did originate from a strategic review which began in ABAC. ARC was set up to provide a new democratic governing body for road running clubs. ABAC continues to be a lobbying body for all aspects of Athletics. 

Q. What has ARC achieved in its first year?

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 ARC insurance package and race permit scheme have allowed club races to retain a large proportion of unattached levies. 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