1) From the end of June 2017 last year, membership in Athletics Ireland has dropped 1%.
2) Juvenile membership has dropped 2.2%.
3) Senior adult membership (20-34 year olds) has dropped 4.4%.
4) Masters membership (adults aged 35 and older) has risen 2.7%.
For the last few years, juvenile membership has been growing steadily and has added to the overall Athletics Ireland membership figure. This has now stalled.
Senior membership reached a peak in 2014 and has been declining since then. The only sector that is growing is the Masters category which is due to what is termed 'recreational runners' joining clubs around the country.
Cork... The picture in Cork follows a similar pattern in the last 12 months. Overall club membership has dropped 2%. Juvenile membership has dropped by 8.8% which seems pretty large in contrast to the national figure of 2.2%.
In terms of adults, senior membership has dropped 5.7% while the masters membership is up 9.9%. The growth in adult membership is mainly due to the creation of small regional clubs around the county like Doneraile, Beara, Durrus, Churchtown, Shandrum which have lots of masters runners.
For adult membership in clubs in Cork City, membership has dropped over the last year. The combined total of adult membership in Leevale, Eagle, St.Finbarr's, Togher and Watergrasshill is down 4% compared to last year.
These are the clubs in Cork with 100 or more adult members...
Does it seems strange that Doneraile has high numbers with Mallow being only 13 kilometres away? What are Your opinions on this please John?
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing for any club with beginners is location. It's an awful lot easier to run from home and meet up with locals rather than driving someplace else to train.
ReplyDeleteDoneraile AC are very lucky to have Doneraile Park as a venue for training and short runs. It's ideal for beginners which is probably the reason they have 100 members.
13kms doesn't sound like much but most people would still prefer not to drive every time they want to go for a run.
Excellent many thanks for that comprehensive answer John. I've taken part once in a 5K there in Doneraile Park and am envious of them having that wonderful park in their back garden literally
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