Could your event be an RYA Junior Club Championships qualifier?
Nominate your event to become part of the qualification pathway to the RYA Junior Club Championships
The RYA Junior Club Championships brings together junior sailing clubs from across the UK to celebrate teamwork, friendship and great racing. To make this possible, we're looking for events and event series that can form part of the qualification pathway to the RYA Junior Club Championships Grand Final.
What is the RYA Junior Club Championships?
The 2027 RYA Junior Club Championships Grand Final takes place on 25-26 September 2027.
The RYA Junior Club Championships is a national competition that celebrates junior sailing, bringing young sailors together from across the UK to represent their club, enjoy great racing, and build lasting friendships. As part of the RYA's Racing for Life aim of making racing fun, developing great fundamentals, and creating a lifelong love of sailing, the Championships give young sailors the opportunity to race as part of a team, test their skills against sailors from across the UK, and take pride in representing their club.
To support this, we need a strong network of local and regional qualifying events that give young sailors regular opportunities to race close to home and represent their club.
How does qualification work?
Club teams qualify through a season-long ranking system based on performances at selected qualifier events held between October and July.
A total of 20 club teams will qualify for the Grand Final, with the top two clubs from each RYA Region (North West, North East, Midlands, East, London & South East, South and South West) and Home Country (Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) earning a place.
Sailors only need to attend one qualifier to earn points for their club, although competing at multiple events gives clubs more opportunities to improve their ranking and secure qualification.
Qualifier events are drawn from existing junior open meetings that provide fun, welcoming and high-quality regional racing. We are keen to work with clubs that already deliver successful junior events and traveller series, helping young sailors progress through local and regional competition. If you host an event for junior sailors, we'd love to hear from you.
Potential qualifier events must:
Be open to junior sailors
Include sailors from at least three different clubs, with no more than 40% of the fleet from any one club
Offer racing under Portsmouth Yardstick and/or for one or more Recognised Junior Classes
Include races that are at least 20 minutes in duration
Record elapsed times for each competitor
Submit results, including elapsed times, through the RYA Results Portal (PY Online)
When selecting qualifier events, we will aim to create a good geographical spread and frequency throughout the season.
More information on how the qualifier events feature in the National Junior Club Rankings and how the Rankings are calculated can be found in our event FAQs.
Why become a qualifier?
Becoming an RYA Junior Club Championships qualifier is an opportunity to showcase your event as part of a national programme that celebrates grassroots junior racing and club participation.
As a selected qualifier, your club will receive:
Listing as an official RYA Junior Club Championships qualifier on the RYA website
Promotion of your event through British Sailing Pathway and regional social media channels
Increased visibility to junior sailors and clubs looking for qualification opportunities
Use of the RYA Junior Club Championships Qualifier logo in your event communications and marketing
Two Gold, two Silver and two Bronze RYA Junior Club Championships qualifier medals to award at your event in a way that best suits your sailors and event format
We hope that being part of the qualification pathway will help introduce more young sailors to your event, strengthen local racing opportunities, and contribute to the growth of junior sailing in your region.
Register your interest
If your club is running a junior open meeting, traveller event or similar competition that could be a suitable qualifier, we would love to hear from you.
Please register your interest via the form below, and we will be in touch with further information.