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We are delighted to offer both First Claim and Second Claim membership, both of which include affiliation to England Athletics and regular access to our training sessions and club runs.
For 2025, we are keeping our membership fees unchanged despite England Athletics increasing the athlete affiliation charge once again to £20 per athlete. This reduces the contribution to club reserves but we feel it is important to keep our registration fee low so that membership is open to as many as possible. At £40 per year, first claim membership is less than the cost of a chain-bought coffee each month!
First Claim membership also gives you access to a range of training and coaching resources as well as the opportunity to develop your own leadership and coaching skills, should you wish.
Please note that First Claim membership includes the annual EA registration fee. If you are transferring your First Claim from another club then you will also have to pay a transfer fee direct to England Athletics (currently £10, this will be requested when you fill out the transfer form).
Half of your First Claim membership fee goes directly to England Athletics for your athlete registration. This money is used to promote and develop sport in the UK and also delivers a number of benefits for the individual athlete.
A further £4.50 (approx) of your membership fee covers all the costs associated with running the club and ensuring you have a safe environment to support your development as a runner.
The balance of approx. £15.50 is used by the club to organise annual races such as the Road to Nowhere and Run Nidderdale and to buy equipment and train our run leaders.
First Claim vs Second Claim - an explanation
Some of the terminology used within running and athletics can be a little confusing, especially to new members. The guidance given here is based heavily on the England Athletics guidance published here.
What does First Claim mean?
When you join a running club, providing it is your only club, that is your first claim club. If you subsequently join another club, whilst remaining a member of your first club, that will be your second claim club. You can only be a first claim member of one running club at a time.
You can race as an individual in open races for any club of which you are a member. However, for league and championship races and to count as part of a scoring team, you have to compete for your first claim club, unless it is not participating in that league
and Second Claim?
To join a running club as a second claim member, you must already be a fully paid up first claim member of another running club. Second claim membership usually costs less than first claim because your first claim club is responsible for paying your affiliation fee to England Athletics.
You can be a second claim member of as many running clubs as you like whilst you are an active first claim member of a running club.
Can I change my First Claim club?
It is possible to transfer first claim membership from one running club to another but that does incur a fee from England Athletics (£10 at the time of writing).
The transfer must be requested by the athlete (it cannot be requested by the club on their behalf) and England Athletics will contact the “from” club for their consent to the transfer. This is usually a simple courtesy and objections are rarely raised but it can take a few days. Once EA receive a positive response from the “from” club, they will update your athlete registration to show you as a Competitive Athlete for your “to” club, and advise you and your new first claim club that the transfer has completed.
You cannot transfer a second claim membership but you can resign at any time.