Wondering how to join an archery club without feeling out of your depth? Take a beginners’ course or come-and-try session first, then ask the club about membership, fees and any assessment.
This guide is part of the wider topic of archery clubs, using examples from clubs in the UK and Australia.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Typical beginners’ course format | One 90-minute session a week over about six weeks |
| Suggested minimum age on most beginners’ courses | 8 years |
| Safety course lesson time at one UK club | 12 hours |
| Safety course price at UK clubs | About £60-100 per person |
| Visitor fee at one UK club | £5 per session, up to 3 visits a year |
| Senior membership at one UK club | £75 per season |
These figures come from Start Archery and Newhaven Archery Club’s joining page. Fees, course lengths and intake dates can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
Start with a come-and-try session or beginners’ course
Most clubs do not hand you a membership form on day one. Instead, they run beginners’ courses, which Start Archery, the public face of Archery GB, says are delivered by qualified coaches.
On the Start Archery description, the average course is one 90-minute session per week over about six weeks. All equipment is provided and everyone is insured during the sessions, so you can turn up with nothing but yourself.
In Australia the entry point is a come and try session. Archery Australia says these are designed for people who want to give archery a go without needing their own equipment. Each club keeps its own timetable, so the dates and requirements differ from place to place.
How clubs decide who can join
Joining rules vary, so read each club’s joining page before you turn up. At Keyworth Archers, anyone with little or no experience must take a beginner’s course before joining, and the club runs a four-week course approximately every two months.
The same club describes several routes in:
- Beginners who already hold a certificate from a course at another club can join straight away if the course covered similar material.
- Former Archery GB members can join by providing their old membership number.
- Members of another club can transfer, which normally means shooting as a guest first and moving across at renewal time.
- Self-taught archers are assessed and given an orientation, and may still be asked to take a beginner’s course.
A stricter example is Newhaven Archery Club, which takes safety-course certificates up to 3 years old. Other applicants are invited to an assessment session using their own equipment, because the club does not lend bows or arrows for it. New members then start a 12-signature probation period before they get full access to the field.
Intake can also be closed for a while. Newhaven’s joining page said the club would not be taking on any new archers until March 2027, so look at intake dates early rather than assuming a place is free.
What does it cost to join an archery club?
Costs usually arrive in stages: the course, then membership, then any per-session charge. Newhaven Archery Club says safety courses consist of 12 hours of lesson time, and that prices are in the region of £60-100 per person, with its own course at £60.
For membership, the same page lists senior fees (over 21) at £75 per season and under-21 fees at £36 per season, from October 2025. These fees include insurance for shooting at the club’s own sites only, and members who want to shoot elsewhere are advised to take out Archery GB membership.
Keyworth Archers shows how the extras can differ. It adds a small charge each time you shoot, but coaching is free as part of membership and basic kit is free for members to use.
If you want to test a club first, ask about visiting. Newhaven Archery Club welcomes visiting archers up to 3 times a year at £5 per session for adults, and visits must be booked in advance.
Booking ahead is common elsewhere too, and Bowmen of Danesfield runs a booking system for members and guest archers. A visit lets you see the atmosphere, the coaching style and the real running costs before you commit to a full season’s fee. When you ask, check what the club expects you to bring and who will look after you on the day.
A simple plan to join a club
Work through the joining steps in this order and you avoid most surprises.
- Find clubs near you through your national body’s club finder, such as the one Start Archery points to for booking a beginners’ course.
- Read each club’s joining page for course dates, intake status and whether sessions must be booked.
- Book a beginners’ course or a come-and-try session.
- Finish the course and keep your certificate, since some clubs only accept certificates up to a certain age.
- Ask about membership types, assessment, probation and what the fees cover.
- Accept the invitation to join. At the end of the course the club will normally invite you, and you would usually also become a member of Archery GB, according to Start Archery.
If you have never held a bow, archery for beginners is a good companion read before your first session. Clubs and rules also differ by country, so anyone searching in the Alps can read about archery in switzerland alongside this guide.
What to wear and bring to your first session
Keep it simple and practical. Start Archery advises you to dress for the weather and wear flat shoes, with suncream and water in sunny weather.
Long hair should be tied up, and glasses, sunglasses or a sunhat can be worn. Some clubs move indoors for the colder months: Bowmen of Danesfield shoots on school playing fields in summer and in the school gym in winter, according to its joining page.
Hold off on buying kit until after your course. Start Archery lists the basics for someone carrying on after the course:
- a bow, a string and some arrows
- a bracer and a finger tab
- a quiver and a bow stand
- a bow stringer and a target to shoot at
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my own equipment to start?
Show answer
No. Start Archery says all equipment is provided on beginners’ courses, and Archery Australia describes come and try sessions as needing no equipment of your own. Assessment sessions can differ, since Newhaven asks you to bring your own.
Is there a minimum age?
Show answer
Most beginners’ courses suggest a minimum age of 8, according to Start Archery. At Newhaven Archery Club, applicants must be over 8 and all under-18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Can I join if I already belong to another club?
Show answer
Often yes. Keyworth Archers says a transfer can easily be arranged, which normally means shooting there as a guest and transferring membership at renewal time. Newhaven also offers an associate membership for people who usually belong to another club.
Do I have to join the national governing body first?
Show answer
Not always. Newhaven Archery Club says you do not need to be an Archery GB member to join it, but you must show you can shoot to the Rules of Shooting for Target Archery. Ask each club what its membership fee covers.
