Using Associate Members for a team shoot

[Ffish]

Can anyone point me in the direction of the correct ruling on using an Associate Club Member for a club team shoot please?

I wont mention any names on this forum, but my dilemma is as follows:

We have a couple of Associate Members who pay their GNAS fees through a club which is NOT part of our county. As a result, their "base club" does not form part of the county team competition of which we are part, so there is no conflict of interest.

As club team manager, I would like to use these archers in our team against another club in a county Short Metric match. Bearing in mind that their base club is not part of my county, and is not entered into this competition, am I correct in thinking they're eligible and can shoot for my club?

There seems to be two schools of thought on this, so I'd like official clarification from the rule book if possible.

[KevinH]

It's in the GNAS "LAWS" available for download from the documents section on the GNAS website.

LAW 20 (b) (v)

Within the United Kingdom an archer may belong to, and shoot
for, more than one club in any one given discipline in any one
subscription year; but the club through which the archer's Society
annual subscription fee is paid shall be the first claim club. Only
with the consent of the first claim club may an archer represent
another club at any club or inter-club event. The disciplines are
Outdoor Target, Indoor Target, Field, Flight, Clout and Popinjay
Archery. At County, Regional or National events, the archer may

only represent the first claim club.

[moo-mop]

Usually these inter-club comps are a bit more informal and will have their own rules which should make it clear eg in herts rule 13 is:

# Archers can only shoot for the Club that they have nominated through G.N.A.S.

[not dead yet]

moo=mop surely your rules 13 conflicts with GNAS, thus making your rule 13 void.

thats the way i read it.

this cropped up on another thread last week.

i have to shoot for n. wales county, but i have shot for bronte team as my 2nd club.

[moo-mop]

That's the rules of the this particular league - it doesn't contradict with anything in the GNAS rules, it imposes an extra condition. As somebody in two Hertfordshire clubs it makes it very clear which club I can represent (not that I found I could make any of the matches anyway). I would hope that the rules of the inter-club shoot ffish does are equally clear because I think another equally fair rule could indeed be 'you can represent (with permission if not your GNAS club) any one club that takes part [edit: of which you are a member]'.

[not dead yet]

this is where it goes a bit funny..... like getting accused of using ringers to win team tournies........has been known in the past.
pete

[Ifor_Bentun]

Are we talking about fielding a couple of “ringers” to gain an advantage and the win or to make up the numbers in a depleted team?

[Ffish]

Either really (or neither) depending upon your POV. It's academic now anyway - having double checked with our league oranisers, it's been clarified that Associates cannot shoot for our club, especially if their main club is outside our county so they won't form part of our team.

At the end of the day, it's all about trying to win the competition isn't it, and if it's legally possible to to gain competitive advantage, then I'm sure anyone else would do the same thing. Having been told the ruling (thanks to all that have replied to this thread) then we shall enter a team of FULL club members and comply with the rules, just as we should!