When creating your student group, deciding on the membership price is probably one of the first things you think about!
Sports Club Memberships
Competitive Clubs
For sports clubs that compete in BUCS, there are three tiers which they will be allocated, depending on their costs. This money goes towards equipment, training facilities, referees, coaches, transport and fixtures.
Tier One: £60
These are for sports that require less equipment, training, travel time or officials. Clubs in this tier are suggested to be affiliated with a regional/national governing body/association/league.
Tier Two: £70
This tier is earned by clubs that have consistently met and exceeded their tier requirements for at least two years. Clubs in this tier are required to be affiliated with a regional/national governing body/association/league.
Tier Three: £80
Clubs in this tier have proven consistent participation, exceeded requirements, and displayed strong leadership for a number of years. Clubs in this tier are required to be affiliated with a regional/national governing body/association/league.
Tier Four (£80+ )
There are some sports that require further membership income due to that nature of their sport (eg high costs to run from equipment, venue hire etc). The Senior Sports Coordinator will review the cost projections and work closely with the committee to agree a membership price.
Social only membership (£20) - Access to club training only
This can still change depending on the needs of the sports club.
Any changes to membership in-year must be agreed with the club captain and sports club coordinator.
Social Clubs
For social sports that don't participate in BUCS, there is no need for a membership price to be set. By working with GSU Move, Medway Move & Give It A Go, your events should be fun without much cost.
If as a sports club you want to run a social event, you should look into getting a sponsorship, or ticketing the event, as the money generated from memberships goes towards BUCS and not social events.
Societies and Academic Communities
Societies may set a membership price if they wish to. If a society does have a membership cost, it must be of at least £3. 100% of the membership income goes directly to your society to support with the running of your group through the year.
When setting a membership price, think about the following things:
- What type of activities or events will you be holding?
- Is there a need for a student to financially commit to your group?
- Is there equipment you can borrow from the union, or other societies, to use at your activities or events?
- For bigger scale events, can you ticket these and set a price for students to purchase?
If the union feels that your membership price isn't reflective of the type of society and events you will be holding, the Union will discuss with you about changing the price you want to set.
How can I change my society's membership price?
A society may review its membership price and change it for the coming academic year. All societies must complete this through the handover process and make this request to the Union by 1st July each year. The changes will come into effect on the 1st August for the new academic year. Once set, it cannot be changed again until the next academic year.