News

23/03/2026 00:00, In

The new affiliation year starts soon which kickstarts an exciting year for the sport. After the Easter holidays we are launching a brand-new recreational athletics programme for children aged 4–12 Athletix. This Summer is set to be a huge viewing platform for our sport with major events in the UK the Commonwealth Games being hosted in Glasgow followed by the first time ever a European Athletics Championships in the UK (Birmingham). 

Welsh Athletics is continuing to work with UK Anti Doping to ensure that the sport remains as open and safe for everyone to enjoy.

As our affiliated clubs we need your support with Welsh Athletics to ensure that everyone is aware of their responsibility to adhere to the codes of practice of the sport.

We need to ensure that every athlete who joins a club understands that by joining the club, they are adhering to the same codes of practice that each club meets as part of its affiliation to Welsh Athletics.

Please ensure that the following text is included in all club membership forms;

‘By becoming a member of the club, you are automatically agreeing to the codes of practice as stated by Welsh Athletics – this relates to the codes of conduct, to the rules of UK Athletics and to adhere to all anti-doping rules and regulations.

All members shall be deemed to have made him/herself/themselves familiar with and agreed to be bound by the UKA Anti-Doping Rules and to submit to the authority of UKA Anti-Doping in the application and enforcement of the Anti Doping rules.

The UKA Anti-Doping rules apply to all members participating in Athletics for a minimum of 12 months from the commencement of membership, whether or not the member of a citizen of, or resident in, the UK.’

Members Portal

The various codes of practice are available on the members portal. All clubs should encourage their athletes to log into their own individual page and to sign up to the terms and conditions of their affiliation directly.

Members can access their page via the following link - Log in - Athletics Portal (welshathletics.org)

Further information relating to Anti-Doping rules and regulations can be found here.

 

Club Affiliation Checklist for 2026/27

Here’s a checklist to help your club prepare and smoothly transition into the new affiliation year, starting from 1st April.

Prior to 1st April‼️

1️⃣ Review and Update Your Club Standards

Review the Club Standards checklist on the myAthletics Portal. Pay particular attention to Club Standard 6 (Safeguarding), which is mandatory for affiliation:

• Confirm that the club has adopted the latest Welsh Athletics Safeguarding Policies & Procedures and that these are available on the club’s website/social media sites
• Ensure the club has at least two Welfare Officers (one male, one female)* who:
  • Hold a valid DBS.
  • Have completed the Safeguarding in Athletics course.
  • Have completed the Club Welfare Officer Training Course (Wales) (valid for 3 years).**

*Small/female-only clubs may apply for an exemption where appropriate.
**Upcoming courses will be posted on the Welsh Athletics Events page.

If your club is working towards meeting these standards but is not yet fully compliant, please contact zoe.holloway@welshathletics.org for advice and support.

(We request club standards 1-4 & 6 to be completed by 1st May 2026 and the remaining 2 standards (5 & 7) are adhered to by 1st September 2026). 

🏅More information is available in the Club Standards section of the myAthletics Portal guide.
➡️ See Safeguarding and Welfare for further resources and the most up-to-date policies and procedures.

2️⃣ Update Your Club Profile on the myAthletics Portal

For example, review and update:

• The club's committee roles are correct and up to date 
• The club’s status (e.g., whether you include under 18s or are adult-only).
• Any affiliation to other National Governing Bodies (e.g., British Triathlon).

🔍 Additionally, check your club’s profile on the Welsh Athletics Club Finder (this is separate from the portal):

• Ensure website and social media links are working and up to date.
• Check that contact details, training times/venues, and club vest/logo details are accurate.
• We'd also love a group club photo to display on your club’s page!

💻 To update your club finder profile, please send changes to zoe.holloway@welshathletics.org.

3️⃣ Review Membership Fees & Set Up Stripe

• Review and, if needed, update your club membership fees ahead of the new affiliation year.
• Set up a Stripe account if you plan to use the recommended Stripe payment options within the myAthletics Portal (i.e., sending payment requests or enabling direct member payments).
• Note: Membership fees can be created or updated before 1st April, but you will only be able to assign them to members once payments reset on 1st April.

Reminder: Registration fees for the 2026/27 year will be:

• Juniors: £15
• Seniors: £25

💳 Click here for guidance on setting up a Stripe account
➡️ See our myAthletics Portal Guide and the portal’s FAQs for instructions on creating and managing membership fees.

4️⃣ Ensure Member Information is Up to Date

Please review your members’ contact details, email addresses, and any relevant information on the myAthletics Portal. Where possible, ask members to log in and update their own profiles directly—this will help lighten the admin load for you and your fellow volunteers.

Please note: The order and payments function on the myAthletics Portal will be temporarily disabled from Wednesday 25th March until 1st April to allow essential system updates in preparation for the new affiliation year.

Any orders that have been raised during the 2025/26 affiliation year and not yet paid will be cancelled as part of these end of year processes.

Clubs should not attempt to raise orders for payments relating to the 2026/27 affiliation year until the payments functionality is reactivated on Wednesday 1st April 2026.

From 1st April ⏩

5️⃣ Agree to the Terms and Conditions of Affiliation

You can review and accept the Terms and Conditions via the myAthletics Portal.

6️⃣ Pay Your Club Affiliation Fee

The £100 base affiliation fee will be payable via the myAthletics Portal from 1st April. This will be generated automatically when processing your first member payments. Your club will not be able to register members until this fee has been paid.

Proportional Club Affiliation Fee Model: clubs pay a base affiliation fee of £100, plus £1 per registered member. The £1 per member charge will be invoiced in two instalments during the affiliation year. Your second instalment of registered member fees for 1st October - 31st March will be triggered on the 1st April. 

These payments are due by 30th April 2026. 

7️⃣ Assign Membership Fees to Members

Assign the correct membership type/fees to all members before registering them for 2026/27. This can be done individually or in bulk via the myAthletics Portal.

➡️ See the Create and Assign Membership Fees section of the myAthletics Portal Guide and the portal’s FAQs for instructions on creating and assigning membership fees.

8️⃣ Manage Member Payments

You can register athletes via the myAthletics Portal.

Using Stripe, you have two flexible options for collecting fees:

• Send payment requests directly to members via the portal.
• OR, enable the new Direct Member Payment function, allowing members to log in and pay their club and Welsh Athletics fees directly via the myAthletics Portal. 

While Stripe payments provide the most efficient and streamlined way to manage your club payments, the portal also supports card and BACS payments if required (e.g., where your club has already collected membership fees and only needs to pay athlete registration fees to Welsh Athletics).

Once payment has been received, athletes will be sent their registration pack digitally along with their Unique Registration Number.

Notes:

• All payments must be managed through the portal, whether using Stripe, card, or BACS.
• Orders and payments for the 2026/27 year should only be raised or made after 1st April 2026.
• If using BACS, ensure correct order numbers are used as a reference, and do not send any payments until an order has been raised via the portal.
• Due to the additional processing involved, BACS payments may result in significant delays to registration confirmation.

➡️ Full details on managing all payment options can be found in the Managing Club Payments section of the myAthletics Portal Guide and on the portal's FAQs

Benefits of affiliation

From April 2026, athletes and runners who join Welsh Athletics will have access to a wider range of product discounts from top brands such as 20% off Joma, as well as 15% off RunWales races, 15% off Bearhug products and many more.

Club affiliation benefits

Get support

We will be communicating with your club secretary on all things club affiliation and Club Standards. Please ensure that your committee information is up to date on myAthletics portal so you receive all important communications.

If you need any additional support with affiliation or Club Standards, please get in touch via email: 

Zoe Holloway: Club Affiliation, Club Support & The Welsh Athletics Clubs Portal
zoe.holloway@welshathletics.org (full time)  

Jacqueline Brace:  Membership Queries & the Club Secretaries Portal |
jacqueline.brace@welshathletics.org  (part time Tues-Fri)  

Chris Anthony: Club Affiliation, Club Support & The Welsh Athletics Clubs Portal
chris.anthony@welshathletics.org (full time)  

 

⭐A big thank you for your continuous contribution to your local club. Your dedication supports over 13,000 individuals across Wales to take part in Athletics & Running and be part of a club in your area. We look forward to seeing what's in store next for your club in 2026-27!