Become a Pathway Club - Your journey starts here
The British Sailing Pathway Club programme inspires junior racers to have fun, develop great fundamentals and embrace a lifelong love of racing.
About Pathway Clubs
Underpinning “Racing for Life” with a clear aim to make racing fun, develop great fundamentals and create a lifelong love of sailing, the Pathway Club programme intends to support clubs or groups of smaller clubs (Hubs) to create fun, accessible environments where young people develop as racers and feel part of a bigger team.
Focusing on junior sailors, Pathway Clubs will enable young people to access affordable, high-quality junior racing and race coaching once they have learnt to sail.
The sailors should be able to train and race regularly, enabling them to progress their skills most of the year.
A RYA Pathway Club will likely be a single entity, such as an RYA Affiliated Club or a Recognised Training Centre (RTC). Alternatively, several smaller clubs/RTCs may work closely together to provide a combined programme for their sailors (Hub).
Please Note: When we refer to Pathway Club in this document, please take this to mean Club or Hub from here on in.
The intention is to support a number of clubs in each region that will champion each junior class (one or more class per club) and deliver high-quality racing and coaching without requiring junior sailors to travel long distances to access race coaching or competition.
Encouraging a “Team” culture, club activities should include developing sailors so that all juniors can sail and train together. As the Pathway Club Junior Race Team develops as racers, they should be encouraged to travel as a team to other regional and national events to represent their Pathway Club team and as individuals.
A Pathway Club will provide a safe, enjoyable learning environment in both race training and competitive racing.
Racing4Life
To make racing fun, develop great fundamentals and create a lifelong love of sailing
Progression and increased engagement is about creating fun, locally-based environments for young sailors and ensuring they want to get involved for the long-term, wider benefits of the sport. This is essential towards driving long-term prosperity and ‘stickability’ in sailing as well as addressing affordability and accessibility to all.
Programmes underpinning Racing4Life:
- Pathway Clubs / Hubs
- Class Association Partnerships
- RYA Event Evolution
Read more about the criteria, benefits and application process for clubs interested in becoming RYA Pathway Clubs.
Due to high demand, new applications from dinghy clubs in England are now paused while we review current submissions and ensure we can offer meaningful support. We’re also working to achieve a good geographical and class balance across the programme.
This pause applies only to dinghy clubs in England — clubs in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales (all classes) and English windsurfing clubs can continue to apply.
Apply to become an RYA Pathway Club.
We’ll be inviting more clubs to apply in the summer.
Application criteria
- All clubs interested in the programme can formally apply through the RYA Portal (Just Go). Upon application, the club will meet with the RYA Pathway Club Manager or RYA Representative to consider the application and agree on how the club and the RYA can work together to help achieve the RYA Pathway status criteria.
- Once the Pathway Club criteria has been met, the status will be awarded, and a programme will commence with ongoing RYA support and guidance, where necessary. February 2025 Please note that we anticipate the application process will vary in duration depending on the club and its current activity level. We intend to visit a club within three months of receiving its formal application submission; however, the final approval may take longer based on the actions the club must complete following the visit.
FAQ's
Underpinning “Racing for Life” with a clear aim of delivering fun racing, developing great fundamentals and creating a lifelong love of racing, Pathway Clubs create fun, accessible environments where young people develop as racers and feel part of a bigger team.
Encouraging a team culture, club activities develop junior sailors so they can race and train together, representing themselves and their club at regional and national events.
Championing the junior classes across the UK, Pathway Clubs enable young people to access affordable, high-quality racing and race coaching, without the need to travel long distances, once they have learnt to sail.
The British Sailing Pathway Club programme inspires junior racers to have fun, develop great fundamentals and embrace a lifelong love of racing.
- The provision of an easily accessed, high quality, and most importantly, fun race training programme that leads to regular participation and racing.
- An active junior community, fostering a lifelong love of sailing, that enables participation as a “Team” to represent their club/hub at regional events.
- Pathway Club status will be an annual appointment. Clubs will be expected to ensure they maintain any stated standards/criteria.
- The annual return will be administrated through the RYA Portal (Just Go).
- The aim is for the Pathway Club Manager or RYA Representative to meet with the club at least every two years to review progress against their junior development plan and identify any additional support needs.
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