Registration scheme

I'm not sure people in other clubs have received the same, but this week members of Manx Harriers received registration membership cards with a request to update an online record that not many people knew existed in the first place.

We've been paying a £5 a year registration fee but I remain convinced that the registration scheme has been lacking given the potential to do some much with technology. Here is a letter I had published in Athletics Weekly in 2005:


For several years I have followed the debate about a national registration scheme for athletes. I waited for someone to highlight the obvious benefits. Instead I am left to reflect on a massive missed opportunity to use modern technology for the benefit of the sport at its grassroots.

The scheme has been “sold” as a way of collecting data for the governing body and charging athletes accordingly! Any benefits for athletes and club officials are vague and long term.

UKA should be using its centralised resources to design a scheme which would directly benefit the athletes and officials. Is the following not obvious to all?

Every athlete would be required to input their personal details, events and interests onto an internet database. Details of all clubs would be available allowing a new athlete to make a reasoned choice. Club subscriptions would be collected by credit card (amounts would still be specified by the clubs) and each club would receive a monthly credit directly into their bank account for the subscriptions. The amount would be net of a UKA collection fee but at least they would be providing a valuable service to the clubs.

Gone would be the need for clubs to collect and bank cheques and cash and to produce membership lists. With suitable security and data protection, clubs would be able to extract up to date lists of members and defaulters. The time saved could be used to free up time for coaching, officiating or attracting new recruits to the sport.

The requirement for athletes to duplicate their personal information every time they enter an event would be removed – they would simply provide their reference number. Entry could be online or offline (registered events would be allowed to extract the data from the central database).

Authorised statisticians would have access to data to match performances with names on the database.

UKA would still get their data but as the athletes would input and maintain it, it would be much more accurate and up to data than an annual report from the clubs. The extra time freed up for club officials would provide the opportunity for more people to join the sport and improve their performances.

Such a membership scheme would also improve the two things that governing bodies are always accused on failing with - communication and democracy. UKA could communicate directly, via email, with the athletes and athletes would be able to vote directly on the issues affecting them.

I know that not everyone has access to the internet or has a credit card but all barriers to a scheme that would bring such enormous benefits to our sport could be worked on and removed. After all, which group of people in our society seem to use their credit cards, phones and gadgets most frequently but claim to have no money? The very ones we need to attract to our sport – young people!