CI Leisure Commission AGM

I think it is the club membership that I find hard to justify, not the CI membership which does in fact give you beenfits (from various discounts to the training hub, etc.)

With the club, I get to go on club spins, etc but none of that incurs a cost. From what I can see, my entire club membership fee is directed towards racing, which I have no involvement in. I can't think of anything I've received from the club that was funded through my membership.

jamesd

My club charges €20 membership per year, they use this really just to pay the CI club membership fees - I dont think €20 is too much to give the club - the only other spend they seem to have is donating some of the money to support a local cycling doing a cycle for charity.

My club is €50 annually - something I need to discuss at the club's AGM I guess.

ednwireland

our club was 5 euro last year we reduced because of reduced activities. normally charge 20. like it said it just provides a float for the club league and paying affiliation fees atc.

Compared to other sports, cycling club membership fees really are very low. I consider what I pay very good value - I get access to leisure spins, off road, coaching and club races. All for €40. Considering all the other expenditure I have on cycling, the club fees are probably my best bang for buck each year.

For what it's worth I think a leisure license is a waste of money - limited competition is a much better deal.

cletus

I'm a purely leisure cyclist. I've never done a sportive, or an organised event of any description. I did contemplate doing the grass routes grand Fondo, but it didn't work out for a variety of reasons.

I've never even contemplated paying a CI membership. I see exactly zero benefit in it for me

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117953099#Comment_117953099

I'd suggest getting involved in the committee tbh. I know in my club, the Leisure sub-group do get funding and support for their activities, and in before times there were club only sportives (as well as an open one). Money also goes to the youths (who have free club membership) to support them. As well as the racing side of the club.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117953833#Comment_117953833

I've been involved in club committees in the past and somewhat regret it because of the politics. However, I'll raise my thoughts at our AGM.

NamelessPhil

I agree with Macy, is there a leisure rep in your club? If there isn't one then the position should be created. I know all about club politics but sometimes you have to grit your teeth and get stuck in again.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117953377#Comment_117953377

this.

i did a double take when i read that €50 was considered pricey. i'm not a member of a cycling club, so the main comparison i'd make would be with the woodturning chapter i'm a member of; it's €90 a year just to join (that combines club and national guild membership) and it's €6 entry to each monthly meet (when they happen - not for the last 18 months).

so to join and turn up at each event will cost a minimum of €162. i know they're very different beasts, but €50 is pittance compared to joining most clubs, i suspect

In fairness, to join a club involves joining the club (in my case for €50) and also CI which would be another €50.

I spent the best part of a decade on a committee running a field sport club. Our senior subs were over €300. For this our members got 6 months of matches and 2 training sessions a week. Our outgoings were pitch rental, national body subs and paying for coaches. Cycling clubs run on a fraction of this budget, for a longer portion of the year and people still give out about the subs. Pick another sport (say golf) and the comparison is even more stark.

Robxxx7

I am only a leisure cyclist and not attached to any club .. i have leisure membership with Cycling Ireland for a couple of reasons ... Insurance side of things as a piece of mind, and also hoping that my sub helps keep CI running. Also hopefully some portion of the sub helps the future generations with support if they want to take cycling/racing seriously.

I haven't joined a local cycling club for a number of reasons, one being that whenever i do cross paths with them on a club spin, they don't even acknowledge you when you say Hi, plus 2 of the close call accidents i had in the last number of years have involved club cyclists coming out into my path from a side turning without even looking ...

Anyway, the cost of the CI leisure membership is quite low compared to other sports i'm involved in ... by quite a large margin

@Seth Brundle I take no credit, as I'm not involved with it, but the leisure group is probably the most active of the Adult side of the club.

On the wider point, I guess value for money is different from cost. However, I started out being involved in Triathlon. Cycling is unbelievably cheap compared to that (especially for racing, and no need to enter months in advance). Triathlon coaching fees were on top, whereas the coaching in my cycling club is free. I also have to pay the fees for a couple of field sports for my children both under 15 - they're more than my racing licence and club membership for each club.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117957226#Comment_117957226

@Seth Brundle I take no credit, as I'm not involved with it, but the leisure group is probably the most active of the Adult side of the club.

My gripe is more that the leisure cycling side of the club (from what I can see over the last number of years) appears to recieve no funding. The racing side of the club appears to use all of the funding. The club does not organise charity sportives or anything like that. The Saturday club spins effectively are a bunch of people who get together.

I wasn't disputing the cost of membership, merely moaning that in my case, it appears that club funding is focused in one area only and therefore, for me, doesn't represent value. This is somehting that needs to be addressed within the club. However, I still think the CI membership is value for money.

blackbox

Comparing it with a golf club that has to own and maintain a course and clubhouse is not valid.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117957778#Comment_117957778

Fair point.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117957750#Comment_117957750

I guess it depends whether any of the leisure side are looking for funding? There probably wasn't much spending on it until an active sub committee formed, and have driven things like couch to 50km, leisure challenges etc.

@blackbox Some clubs do have club houses. But again, any events/ races with bases do need rental paid, food paid for, there are CI club affiliation fees too.

Plastik

I think both of you lads are in the same club.

ednwireland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117957750#Comment_117957750

problem is i dont know what leisure riders want form a club, I'm primarily a leisure rider and to be honest i cant think what CI can give me apart from maybe better insurance policies that cover me when cycling and gives me access to lawyers in the event of . outside of that what do people want.

much more definable goals when focused on racing and coaching etc etc

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117958266#Comment_117958266

This is why I don'y have a CI membership. The health insurance I pay for is much more comprehensive than what the membership covers, and the liability insurance has a €500 excess. Having said that, I'm not in a club either, as I don't see what a club would offer me from a leisure point of view

Morris Garren

This is a perpetual issue- year after year the question is asked of 'leisure cyclists i.e. what do you want/need money/funding for? Perhaps clubs can justify spend on racing/coaching/youth etc, and sharing funds for social purposes. But leisure cycling? Can never understand this gripe