Senior membership of athletic clubs in Cork drops 12% in 2019

Athletic Ireland recently released their end of year membership stats for 2019 and they show that the Senior membership of athletic clubs in Cork has dropped by a whopping 12%.

On a national level, the number of Seniors (adults aged 20-34) dropped 3%, a quarter of the level for the rate in Cork in 2019.

In terms of Masters membership (adults ages 35 and over), the national picture is much better with a rise of 4.4%. This again is in marked contrast to the situation in Cork where Masters membership has dropped 8.1% in 2019.

As for why? ...The numbers taking part in local races doesn't seem to be in decline. The 5k parkruns in Cork are doing well. There are local running groups which don't charge for membership and are not part of Athletics Ireland and they seem to be doing well. The Cork BHAA which is independent of Athletics Ireland saw the numbers in most of its races increase last year. It just seems to be the athletic clubs in Cork that are in decline.

Senior membership by club... In terms of senior membership of athletic clubs in Co.Cork, there are really only two clubs with any kind of numbers... Leevale AC and Togher AC.

The clubs with less than 10 senior members are shown below. Two clubs have no senior members

The full stats for 2019 can be found on the Athletics Ireland website.

Latest stats from Athletics Ireland shows membership growth stalling

For the first few months of any year, membership stats don't mean a whole lot as clubs are trying to get members to renew. After April or May however, the bulk of the membership for the year is in and some trends can be spotted.

Athletics Ireland have just released their stats for their membership at the end of May 2018 and they show several main points...

1) Growth in club membership seems to have stalled.

2) Continuing drop in the number of younger adults (aged under 35 yrs)

3) Drop in juvenile membership

4) Continued growth in the number of recreational runners aged 35+.

National membership stalling ......The chart below shows how the membership for Athletics Ireland has stopped growing....

The numbers for the end of May 2018 are actually slightly lower than May of 2017. This is the first decline in national membership for many years and suggests that the year end figure for 2018 should be around 60,000. Based on previous growth rates, Athletics Ireland had set a target of 70,000 members by the year 2020 which now looks increasingly unlikely.

Continued decline in adults aged under 35... The number of seniors (adults aged under 35) continues to drop and has been like this for a number of years.

Athletics Ireland membership fees increase by €3

At the recent Athletics Ireland congress, a motion to increase the membership fee by €3 was passed with the intention that the new funds would be ring fenced for coaching. With just over 60,000 members (approx 36k juvenile & 24k adults), this should raise in the region of €180,000.

How exactly this funding is used remains to be seen but it is likely to be targeted towards specialist and high end coaching where it is likely to have the greatest impact.

The current Athletics Ireland membership fee of €12 for juveniles and €17 for adults has been in place since 2010. In 2019, this will increase by €3 to €15 and €20 respectively.

In his report to the congress, the financial officer noted that the membership fee may need to increase again to fund Athletic Ireland activities.

If you are a member of an Athletics Ireland affiliated club then this may well impact on you. It's very unlikely that most clubs will just increase their membership fees by €3 so the choice will probably be for the clubs to absorb the €3 increase per member or raise their membership fee by something like €5.

Athletics Ireland release club membership stats for the end of Nov 2017

Athletics Ireland have just released the membership stats as of the end of November 2017. As we approach the end of the year, growth in club membership really slows down as most people just wait until January and join for a complete year.

In terms of adult membership in clubs in Cork, Leevale AC are now the largest club in Cork with 244 members jumping ahead of Mallow AC (235) who were the largest club in 2016.

The chart below shows the 15 Cork athletic clubs with 100 or more members, up from 12 at the end of 2016.

The chart below shows the smaller clubs with between 20 and 100 adult members...

As always, numbers aren't everything. Some clubs like East Cork AC are more involved in the serious side of running and their numbers are small as a result. The charts above just show the relative sizes of each club, not how good or bad they are.

The charts also don't show non-AAI clubs like Happy Feet and the Wibbly Wobbly Wonders who are very successful with their own programmes. There are also plenty of other running groups with no affiliation.

While the overall view of adult membership in clubs is positive, there are some areas of concern when you dig into the stats. For example, the number of adults in Cork athletic clubs is up 5% on this time last year. However, the number of Senior members (i.e. adults aged 34 and below) is down 3.1%.

And this isn't a new phenomenon. Every year for the last few years, adult membership has been getting older and older.


The full figures for all the clubs in the country can be seen on the Athletics Ireland website.

Athletics Ireland release club membership stats for the end of Sept 2017

Athletics Ireland have just released the membership stats as of the end of September 2017. As we approach the end of the year, club membership tends to slow down a lot as people just generally wait until January and join for a complete year.

In terms of adult membership in clubs in Cork, Mallow AC are still on top with 226 members. As the chart shows below, some clubs are up year on year, some are steady and some are down.

The chart below shows the medium sized clubs with between 40 and 100 adult members...

One of the big changes in recent years is that more clubs have popped up, especially in more rural areas. Some of these will attract people that would have never joined a club otherwise.


The next one shows the smaller clubs with between 10 and 40 members.

As always, numbers aren't everything. Some clubs like East Cork AC are more involved in the serious side of running and their numbers are small as a result. The charts above just show the relative sizes of each club, not how good or bad they are.

The charts also don't show non-AAI clubs like Happy Feet and the Wibbly Wobbly Wonders who are very successful with their own programmes.

The full figures for all the clubs in the country can be seen on the Athletics Ireland website.

Athletics Ireland release club stats for April 2017

Athletics Ireland recently released the membership stats for all the athletic clubs in Ireland as of the end of April 2017.

For the first few months of the year, the membership stats don't have much value as they can often can just show how good clubs are at getting renewals in rather than their actual size. By the end of April, the true size of the respective clubs can be seen .

These are the athletic clubs in Cork with more than 50 adult members...

Club (Seniors & Masters) (End of April 2017)   
Leevale AC    193
Ballymore Cobh AC    181
Mallow AC    169
Eagle AC        166
Midleton AC    158
Youghal AC    147
Ballintotis Fit4Life    136
Bandon AC    132
St.Finbarrs AC    129
Togher AC    125
Watergrasshill AC    106
Dromahane Road Runners    102
St.Nicholas AC    100
Aghada Running Club    94
Grange Fermoy AC    84
Tracton AC    68
North Cork AC    68
Bweeng Trailblazers    62
St.Catherines AC    60
Carrigtwohill AC    59
Clonakilty Runners AC    54
Bantry AC    51


In 2015, there were 18 clubs with 50 or more adult members. In 2016, it was 21. This year, it's 22.

The number of adults in athletic clubs in Cork has grown by 10% in the last 12 months. 97% of that 10% growth was due to an increase in members in the 'masters' category, i.e. aged 35 and above.

In comparison to 12 months ago, there are a number of changes in those clubs with 50 or more adult members. These are the main movers...

Increases...
1) Leevale AC...up 44.
2) Bandon AC...up 44.
3) St.Nicholas AC...up 41.
4) Aghada Running Club...up 32.
5) Carrigtwohill AC...up 30.
6) Carrigaline Road Runners...up 26.
7) Mallow AC...plus 24.

Decreases...
1) Rosscarbery Steam Runners AC...down 38.
2) Clonakilty Runners AC...down 20.
3) Skibbereen AC...down 11.

It's interesting to note that the 3 clubs showing the biggest losses are all in West Cork.

Athletics Ireland release club stats for June 2016

Athletics Ireland have just released the membership stats for all the athletic clubs in Ireland as of the end of June 2016. Things begin to slow down now for the rest of the year with pretty minor changes from month to month. These are the athletic clubs in Cork with more than 50 adult members...

Club (Seniors & Masters)...End of June 2016 (Change since May)
1. Ballymore Cobh AC    183 (+3)
2. Eagle AC        182 (+5)
3. Mallow AC    164 (+3)
4. St.Finbarrs AC    161 (+12)
5. Leevale AC    161 (+5)
6. Midleton AC    159 (0)
7. Youghal AC    157 (+5)
8. Ballintotis Fit4Life    149
9. Watergrasshill AC    131 (0)
10. Togher AC    130 (+2)
11. Dromahane Road Runners    104 (+3)
12. Bandon AC    94 (0)
13. Grange Fermoy AC    83 (+3)
14. Tracton AC    78 (0)
15. Clonakilty Runners AC    76 (0)
16. Aghada Running Club    76 (0)
17. St.Nicholas AC    65 (+2)
18. Rosscarbery Steam Runners AC    63 (+5)
19. North Cork AC    62 (+8)
20. Bantry AC    58 (+1)
21. Bweeng Trailblazers    56 (+1)
22. Galtee Runners AC 51 (+4)
23. Ballincollig AC 50 (+4)

In comparison to 12 months ago, there are a number of changes in those clubs with 80 or more adult members.

Some points...
1) Clubs with Fit4Life beginner programmes tend to have a large membership. There are plenty of smaller clubs that are more focused on other areas like track and field and the faster end of road running.

2) Adult membership tends to reflect the clubs active in road race. There are plenty of clubs with lots of juvenile members but the number of adults coaching them would be relatively small.

3) These stats are for clubs registered with Athletics Ireland. There are a growing number of small running clubs who are doing their own thing.

You can find the stats for May 2016 up on the Athletics Ireland website.

Athletic Club Membership Stats for Cork at the end of December 2015

Athletics Ireland have just released the membership stats for the end of December 2015. These are probably the most important stats of the year as they show the true size of each club and how they are doing compared to previous years.

In terms of adult membership, these are the athletic clubs in Cork with more than 100 members...

Ballymore Cobh AC end the year as the largest club in Cork. Their growth since 2013 has been very impressive as a Fit4Life programme helped to swell their numbers.

Midleton AC has seen its membership decline over the last few years as other clubs have grown in what would have been its large catchment area. It is now the joint second largest club in the county.

Eagle AC has been growing steadily for the last few years and is now over the 200 mark for the first time in joint second place.

As for the rest, some are down slightly, some are up. One in particular that stands out is Ballintotis Fit4Life which has really mushroomed in the last three years.

Ballymore Cobh A.C. 231, Midleton A.C. 203, Eagle A.C. 203, St. Finbarrs A.C. 188, Ballintotis Fit4Life 178, Bandon A.C. 172, Leevale A.C. 172, Mallow A.C. 148, Youghal A.C. 132, Watergrasshill A.C. 119, Togher A.C. 112.

The second tier of clubs is shown below with those having between 50 and 100 adult members...

In general, it's a pretty positive picture with most clubs up or much the same.

Clonakilty Road Runners A.C. 86, Tracton A.C. 83, North Cork A.C. 82, Rosscarbery Steam Runners A.C. 70, Bantry A.C. 67, Grange/Fermoy A.C. 66, Galtee Runners A.C. 66, Carraig-Na-Bhfear A.C. 65, St. Catherines (Cork) A.C. 54

The next batch shows those between 20 and 50 adult members. Those clubs with fewer than 20 adult members tend to be clubs for juveniles.

Again, most are either growing or staying steady.

Taking the county of Cork as a whole, this is the number of Senior and Master runners in athletic clubs...

As you can see, the growth in the number of Masters (aged 35 and above) has been impressive over the last few years. This would be mainly due to what are called 'recreational runners' joining athletic clubs and helping to swell the ranks.

One point of concern is that the number of Seniors (adults under 35) has dropped in 2015 by 12%.

It's probably worth mentioning as well that this doesn't represent the full story as one of the biggest growth areas in recent times has been that of running groups who are not members of athletics Ireland. There are now a number of these throughout the county and some are quiet large. e.g. Wibbly Wobbly Wonders in Ballyvolane, Happy Feet in Blarney, etc.

The latest stats from Athletics Ireland can be found HERE

Latest club membership stats for Cork at the end of Sept 2015

Athletics Ireland have recently released the membership stats for the end of September 2015. These are the clubs in Cork with more than 50 adult members...

There are usually no major changes as membership in most clubs tends to level out in the final few months of the year. You can see from the Blue line which clubs picked up members in the last month.

It's probably worth mentioning as well that this doesn't represent the full story as one of the biggest growth areas in recent times has been that of running groups who are not members of athletics Ireland. There are now a number of these throughout the county and some are quiet large. e.g. Wibbly Wobbly Wonders in Ballyvolane, Happy Feet in Blarney, etc.

The latest stats from Athletics Ireland can be found HERE

Athletics Ireland release club stats for April 2015

Athletics Ireland released the membership stats for all the athletic clubs in Ireland as of the end of April 2015.

These are the athletic clubs in Cork with more than 50 adult members...

Just at a glance, it's obvious that the likes of Ballymore Cobh and Ballintotis Fit4Life are doing very well at the moment.

The full figures can be seen HERE

Athletics Ireland release club stats for Oct 2014

Athletics Ireland have just released the membership numbers for the various clubs around the country. The stats for Cork are shown below....

The largest club in Cork including juveniles and adults is Bandon AC with 658. They also have the largest number of juvenile/junior members with 477.

In terms of adult membership, it's a tie between St.Finbarr's AC and Midleton AC with both having 216.

The full stats for all the clubs in Ireland can be seen HERE

Comparison of counties in Ireland by club membership

In this post, we'll have a look at the adult membership in athletic clubs in each of the 26 counties in the Republic. (The counties in Northern Ireland are omitted as many of the clubs there are affiliated with the British equivalent of Athletics Ireland. As a result, the number of athletic clubs affiliated with Athletics Ireland is relatively low and does not reflect the true number of club athletes there).

The figures shown below are based on the membership numbers for Athletics Ireland as of the end of 2013.

First off, a reference point. This first chart shows the population of the 15 largest counties in Ireland. It might be fair to expect that most club members will come from the larger counties.

This is a breakdown of the adult membership in terms of the Athletics Ireland members in each county...

Some observations.....
a) Dublin is in first place but nowhere near the same ratio compared to the other counties as shown in the population chart.
b) In population terms, Galway is well behind Dublin and Cork but the ratio is much reduced in terms of club membership. This indicates the high membership of athletic clubs in that county.
c) Another county with relatively high membership levels is Tipperary. 5th largest in club members yet only 8th in terms of population.
d) Another big club county is Kilkenny. 8th largest in adult club members yet only 16th largest in population terms in the 26 counties.

Some counties however have small club numbers relative to their size...
e) Limerick...the 5th largest county in population terms but as from a club point of view, it's only the 11th largest county.
f) Kerry...9th largest county but only 17th in club terms. 

Here are some of the changes in the last 12 months...

The top 5 counties in terms of adult membership of athletic clubs...

Numbers in Dublin have grown by an impressive 32%. Cork is up 11%. Galway which already had a high club membership last year is down 3% this year....a little strange perhaps considering we are in the middle of a running boom. Meath up 30% and Tipperary up 16%.

Here are numbers 6 to 17 in terms of adult club membership...

Counties like Louth and Kildare are storming ahead with 48% and 33% growth respectively. Kilkenny like Galway is down a bit dropping 3%. As you can see, most of the counties are up. The one obvious county going in the opposite direction is Kerry which dropped 7% in 12 months. For a county with a low level of club participation already, the drop is a suprise.

And for the minnows....#18 to 26...

Even for the smaller counties, there is a growth in numbers except for Roscommon which is down 32%. Even little Longford managed to add another 9 adult members. ;o)

Overall, 22 of the 26 counties show a growth in adult membership in athletic clubs which is a very positive sign.

Previous posts.....
1) Overall size of athletic clubs in Munster (Aug 2013)
2) Breakdown of athletic clubs in Cork by size (July 2013)
3) Club membership in Cork at the end of 2013 (Jan 2013)