Welcome To South Yorkshire Sport

Archery in the UK

Archery in the UK is organised around clubs, counties and regions, with each playing its part in the development of archers. Clubs provide beginners with courses, and many run their own competitions. The counties and regions also run championships and provide routes for progression through coaching and squads.

Archery GB is the National Governing Body and provides the infrastructure such as membership services, web site and magazine. It also has a performance unit delivering services to development and elite squads and teams for junior, senior and disabled archers, and is supported by national agencies such as UK Sport.

As a member, you will be able to access a number of benefits according to your need and wishes. All archers are supported by their clubs and by Archery GB, and, should they wish, will receive support from county to national level, that will give them the opportunity to compete for an Olympic medal, like Simon Terry who is pictured above.

History

The British have a long and cherished history with archery – a bow dating from 2690 B.C. (+/- 120 years) was found in Somerset. However, it was only after the Norman invasion in 1066 when duke William had defeated English king Harold at Hastings that the longbow was developed into a weapon of war, and archery became widely practiced.

Kings went to great pains to ensure that enough men had the proper archery skills. At different times, they officially banned games such as football, an early form of soccer, bowls and, iin Scotland, golf because  men everywhere were playing those sports rather than practicing archery in their spare time.

The gradual introduction of firearms from the 15th century cut down the need for all that practice but it didn't quell a national following for archery as a recreation.. As early as the 16th century, societies dedicated to the bow and arrow sprang up to satisfy the demand for competition, with modern target archery beginning in the 18th century.

The first of these was the Society of Archers at Scorton, formed in 1673, whose annual tournament for the Antient Silver Arrow is still contested  today. The Royal Company of Archers in Scotland formed in 1676, and the Toxophilite Society, 1781,  now also enjoying royal patronage, were followed in 1785 by the Woodmen of Arden, at Meriden, and in 1787 by the Royal British Bowmen, the first society to admit women as members.

National Tournaments - Grand National Archery Meetings (GNAM) - began at York in 1844, and the Grand National Archery Society, now called Archery GB., was formed at Liverpool in 1861. 

Opportunities

Archery offers many opportunities across age ranges and abilities.

It is a very social sport and provides the opportunity to join a club, shoot in a social setting and participate, should you want, in friendly club and inter-club competitions (indoor in winter, outdoor in summer).

Inclusion is another facet where you will find seniors and juniors, young and old and able and disabled all shooting and competing together. Also, it is very family oriented and there are a large number of parents and their children within the membership (and some grandparents too). The picture shows juniors shooting at the National Indoor Championships which are held every year.

You may be seeking more of a sporting or technical challenge. Archery competitions range from county through national to world levels (in 2010 – Commonwealth Games and World Championships; in 2012 – the Olympics). Equipment can be very technical and top archers would use high speed cameras in their training. Intensity and focus and dedication and discipline are as important in archery as precision and accuracy in shooting.

Archery for All

Archery provides opportunities for all in a number of ways. It provides four disciplines where the shooting format differs:

• Target archery is the most popular form of archery, in which which members shoot at stationary circular targets at varying distances and is practiced indoor and outdoor

• Field archery involves shooting at targets of varying (sometimes unmarked) distance, often in woodland and rough terrain

• Clout is a form where archers shoot at a flag (known as "the Clout") from a relatively long distance and score points depending on how close each arrow lands

• In flight archery the aim is to shoot the greatest distance and requires a large flat area such as an aerodrome

There are numerous volunteering positions, such as:

• Members help to run clubs, taking roles such a chairman, secretary or treasurer

• At local and national level, there are numerous opportunities to help organise and run the sport from tournament organisation to committee work

• Officials, such as coaches and judges, receive training and examination to help develop and regulate archery

• National level positions work alongside the employed staff as the UK National Governing Body to manage the sport and also to represent in UK and International forums