Connected 2025/26: Supporting tomorrow’s leaders, today
Whether you’re a club, class association or Sailability group, we know from your feedback that finding and keeping volunteers is one of your biggest challenges.
The more people you have helping out, the more sustainable and vibrant your organisation becomes. Volunteers bring energy, ideas and welcome new members, helping to support your activities and enabling the sport we love to grow and thrive.
That’s why this year’s RYA Connected theme will be all about the power of community, with a focus on volunteers and succession planning – supporting and developing the next generation of leaders in our sport.
We recognise it can’t always be the same dedicated faces doing everything. Together, we want to explore how we can help you plan ahead for key roles and create a culture where more people have the tools they need and feel confident in stepping up.
Connected is our annual mix of free in-person conferences, webinars and local workshops designed for those leading sailing and boating organisations and delivering activity. It harnesses the power of our community to share experiences, learn from each other and grow stronger, more resilient organisations.
Now we want to hear from you:
- What topics or learning at Connected would help your organisation be more operationally and financially secure?
- When you focus on volunteer succession planning, what are the key roles you think about?
- Do you have examples of great volunteer development – either from your own organisation or something you’ve seen elsewhere?
Let us know your thoughts – drop us an email, or share your thoughts in this form.
Watch this space
Dates and locations are listed below, with bookings opening later this summer and into early autumn.
- 1-2 November – Scotland - Dunfermline
- 8 November – Northern Ireland
- 15 November – North – Halifax
- 16 November – Midlands – Leicester
- 22 November – East – Ipswich
- 23 November – London and South East – Crawley
- 29 November – South West – Taunton
- 30 November - South – Southampton
RYA Cymru Wales’ Big Weekend will be held 11-12 October 2025.