Aways stay within the Mainstream National Archery Structure.
That Mainstreams structure insures three key risks.
1) it insures risk, Archer to Archer.
2) it insures risk, Archer to Organiser.
3) it insures risk, Organiser to the Estate/Ground in use.
Archery outside the Mainstream National Archery structure, generally insures only
3) i.e. Organiser to the Estate/Ground in use.
It does not insure Archer to Archer risk, nor does the Archer have recourse to the Organiser.
A minority of such shoots still take place and should be approached with caution.
The motto is simple, always go with the Mainstream National Archery Structure and check
whether the tradition to be shot in covered.
Responsably conducted Archery is de-facto a low risk sport.
The longbow has lower velocity than other bows; no claims have been made over the past 50 years.
As a result of itsremarkable antecedents the longbow has the widest range of shooting traditions of all bows.
Although these traditions are collectively catered for by most
archery associations, only the I.L.A.A. caters for all
traditions AND all types of longbow.
The Mainstream National Archery associations for the longbow are as follows:
Archery GB. It insures all registered members and affiliated clubs for one and two-way target and
clout shooting. This is its main remit, but it is a considerable one. It takes all bows-types through all
levels of competition to International events and the Olympics. With the growth of field archery it
has established a sister organisation in that domain. Archery UK has a comprehensive set of rules.
Like all its Continental European equivalents, it works closely with F.I.T.A. (Federation Internationale de Tir à l’Arc) representing all UK archery. However, in common with all mainstream European Archery Association such as, FFTA (France), DSB (Germany), NHB (Netherlands) etc. it has no rules,no definition and no description of Shooting to the Marks (as an example).
Neither the UK nor Continental European Archery Associations are longbow specific.Neither the UK nor Continental European Associations cover all the longbow aiming and ranging
traditions.
N.F.A.S. The National Field Archery Society; insures all registered members at shoots that have been entered in its calendar. Deliberately UK domestic the N.F.A.S. has no International remit. Nevertheless, its particular type of archery is at one and the same time popular as well as potentially higher risk. The N.F.A.S. no longer insures shooting at the (roving) Marks, but limits its insurance strictly to Field-Archery. Again, it is not longbow specific and does not cover all longbow aiming and ranging traditions.
I.L.A.A. The International Longbow Archers Association; insures all registered longbow members.Within its specifically longbow remit, it insures all weights, sections AND all the longbow aiming andranging traditions which are specifically defined. The I.L.A.A. seeks to lower the threshold of entry into safe insured longbow archery. It is globally the only organisation that has a clear engineering definition of the longbow, underlining its approach to safety and inclusivity. The I.L.A.A. has an International remit with shoots both in the UK and abroad. Membership and Insurance are online. Click here
B.L.B.S. The British Longbow Society; insures registered members, but now only for light-weight “D“ section longbows. Only the traditions of two-way target and two-way clout shooting are covered. Deliberately UK domestic, the B.L.B.S has no International remit It does not cover all longbow aiming and ranging traditions.
E.F.A.A. The English Field Archery Association; insures all registered members at shoots entered in itscalendar. Its particular type of archery is popular as well as potentially higher risk. However the E.F.A.A. has a well drafted Constitution and good approach to safety. The E.F.A.A. limits its insurance
strictly to field-archery. Its International remit runs via postal competitions through the I.F.A.A. (the
International Field Archery Association).
It is not longbow specific and does not cover all longbow aiming and ranging traditions.
S.P.T.A. The Society for the Preservation of Traditional Archery; insures registered members with
traditional hand-made bows of all kinds in a variety of traditions including horse-archery. The Society
is small but does have an International remit. It is managed by a small number of
knowledgeable and dedicated bowyers and archers.
It is not longbow specific and does not cover all longbow aiming and ranging traditions.
Club-specific insurance: an archer who has taken out a club specific insurance and relies on that (non
mainstream archery insurance), will not be covered at any shoot outside that particular club.
For their part careful Organisers should accept only Mainstream Archery Insurance at their events.
Visitor insurance, beware: most insurance companies place a limit on visitor numbers. An organiser who goes over the limit, may lose cover for all participants in the event.
D.I.Y. Do it yourself insurance: it is expensive, may not cover all forms of archery and most
Organizers will refuse it.
In summary: all this means that the Mainstream National Archery Structure insurance in the UK as in Continental Europe gives wide coverage. However, not all the Longbow shooting traditions are defined.
For non-UK archers participating in UK events it is important to make sure a given UK shoot remains within the Mainstream UK Archery Structure outlined above. That way the non-UK archer is included in its insurance cover on a reciprocal basis with the cover of their own association. For UK archers participating in overseas events, the same applies.
Better safe than sorry. All Organizers, whether UK or Continental European should always make sure their events are within and recognized by Mainstream National Archery Structure associations outlined above. Caveat Emptor !
Note; as insurance policies vary with the commercial market for insurance, it is recommended that the reader checks the current state of cover offered by all insurance policies/archery associations discussed above.