Archery GB

Lore & Background

The first Grand National Archery Meeting was held on the Knavesmire at York in 1843, but the Grand National Archery Society (later Archery GB) itself was not founded until 1861, when it met at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool. It confined its early activities to organising the Annual National Championships, being at that time just one of many archery societies, and did not become the governing body for the UK until much later. Three older and historically important societies – all of which survive today – are the Royal Toxophilites (founded in 1781), the Woodmen of Arden (founded in 1785), and the Royal Company of Archers (founded in 1676); they are independent of the GNAS, although some members may belong to both.

With archery now firmly established in the Olympics, GNAS/Archery GB has seen many international successes and British archers have won a total of 4 medals since the restoration of the sport in the 1972 Olympic Games. At the Annual General Meeting held at Lilleshall on 19 April 2008, an official announcement confirmed that 'Archery GB' would become the trading name of the GNAS.

Reader's Guide

Archery GB serves as the largest governing organisation of target archery, field archery, 3D archery, flight and clout archery in the United Kingdom. It manages the Olympic and Paralympic World Class programmes funded by UK Sport. The society is responsible for over 750 clubs and 32,000 registered members across the UK, all of whom may receive the magazine Archery UK twice a year, included in their affiliation. It organises its own national tournaments such as the National Tour and is responsible for training coaches and judges, as well as ensuring affiliated clubs are covered by their public liability insurance policy. These costs are partly covered by affiliation fees, which all club members pay, both to county and regional associations and Archery GB itself. The society holds a series of National Championships, Events and also a National Tour where archers compete over a series of events around the UK and gain points to qualify for a grand finals. Its legacy includes overseeing the development of archery from elite to grassroots levels, and its rebranding in 2008 as Archery GB marked a modern phase for the historic Grand National Archery Society.

Did You Know?

• The society's motto is 'Union, Trueheart and Courtesie'.
• British archers have won a total of 4 medals since archery was restored to the Olympic Games in 1972.

Roots in the Knavesmire and Beyond

The story of what is now Archery GB stretches back further than most people realise. The first Grand National Archery Meeting took place on the Knavesmire in York in 1843, a gathering that set the stage for something more permanent. Yet the Grand National Archery Society itself was not formally established until 1861, when its founders gathered at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool. In those early decades, the Society's ambitions were modest: it simply organised the Annual National Championships and existed as just one voice among many archery groups across the country. It would take considerably longer before it evolved into the recognised governing body for the entire United Kingdom. What is perhaps most remarkable is that three archery organisations predate the GNAS by well over a century. The Royal Company of Archers traces its origins to 1676, the Royal Toxophilites to 1781, and the Woodmen of Arden to 1785. All three still exist today and remain entirely independent of the GNAS, though individual archers may hold membership in both. The Society is registered in England as a company limited by guarantee, number 1342150.

A Pyramid of Clubs, Regions, and Nations

Archery GB sits at the apex of a vast and layered structure that makes it the largest governing body for archery in the United Kingdom. At its base are more than 750 affiliated clubs spread across the country, collectively serving over 32,000 registered members, with total membership exceeding 40,000. These clubs feed into numerous county societies, which in turn report to eight Regional Societies. Above them all, the four home nations' bodies — the English Archery Association, Archery Northern Ireland, Scottish Archery, and the Welsh Archery Association — operate under the Archery GB umbrella. The organisation oversees every major discipline: target archery, field archery, 3D archery, flight, and clout archery. Its responsibilities extend well beyond competition. It trains coaches and judges, ensures that affiliated clubs carry public liability insurance, and publishes the magazine Archery UK twice a year for members. Funding flows upward through affiliation fees paid by club members to their county, regional, and national bodies.

Medals, Olympics, and Global Standing

Since archery returned to the Olympic programme in 1972, British archers competing under the Archery GB banner have claimed a total of four Olympic medals — a modest but meaningful tally for a sport that demands extraordinary precision and mental fortitude. The Society's international credentials are underpinned by its affiliation to the World Archery Federation, the global governing body formerly known as FITA, and its membership of the British Olympic Association. Domestically, Archery GB manages the Olympic and Paralympic World Class programmes, which receive funding from UK Sport. At the competitive level, the organisation runs a series of National Championships and a National Tour in which archers accumulate points across multiple events held around the country to qualify for a grand final. This structure gives athletes at every level a clear pathway from local club competition through regional and national events to the international stage, ensuring that the four-medal record is not merely a historical footnote but a living aspiration.

A New Name, An Old Heart

For decades the organisation known to most as the Grand National Archery Society carried a name that, while cherished by long-standing members, increasingly failed to capture the breadth of what it represented. At the Annual General Meeting held at Lilleshall on 19 April 2008, the Society officially confirmed that Archery GB would become its trading name. The reasoning was candid: the old GNAS brand, with its dated and pale logo, evoked an insular organisation with a penchant for horse-racing — an image that did justice to none of the elite programmes, coaching structures, and global affiliations the body actually ran. From that point forward, the Archery GB identity was to encompass every facet of the organisation, from the Olympic team to grassroots membership. The Society's motto — Union, Trueheart and Courtesie — endures as a reminder of the values that have bound British archers together since the 1860s, even as the outward face of the organisation has evolved to match its stature on the world stage.