Contents
- Water sport club membership statistics: UK windsurfing association memberships and finances
- Water sport club membership statistics: RYA England census totals and membership categories
- Water sport club membership statistics: Richmond borough clubs, membership counts and fees
- Water sport club membership statistics: Civil Service sailing association and club totals
- Water sport club membership statistics: Northern Ireland sailing club membership trends
- Water sport club membership: diversity and participation in sailing clubs
- Sources
Water sport club membership statistics: UK windsurfing association memberships and finances
The UK Windsurfing Association (UKWA) reported 474 memberships in 2024, a 7.2% decrease from 2023. Its 2023 administration report recorded 511 memberships, describing that result as a 3.3% increase from 2022. Together, those reported figures show a rise in 2023 followed by a decline in 2024; they describe UKWA association memberships, not a census of every windsurfing club or individual participant in the UK. Source: UK Windsurfing Association, Admin Report for 2024; Source: UK Windsurfing Association, Minutes of 2024 AGM
| UKWA measure | Reported value | Period and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Memberships | 511 | 2023 |
| Change in memberships | +3.3% | 2023 compared with 2022 |
| Membership-fee income after insurance contribution | £24,210 | 2023 |
| Memberships | 474 | 2024 |
| Change in memberships | −7.2% | 2024 compared with 2023 |
| Membership-fee income after insurance contribution | £21,784 | 2024 |
| Change in membership-fee income | −10% | 2024 compared with 2023 |
The income measure is specifically membership-fee income after the insurance contribution. It is not a general measure of UKWA revenue. In the 2024 report, UKWA also described PayPal costs related to membership and event-entry payments: £2,968 for 2024, characterized in the report as an approximately 3% cost. Separately, it listed £451 in outstanding incorrect standing-order membership payments at the time of the report. These are administrative and payment figures, not membership counts or additional income categories.
The same report stated that the 2025 standing-order payment for family membership should be £93. That is a payment amount for 2025 reported in a 2024 document, rather than a 2024 membership price or an observed count. Keeping the year and measure distinct matters when reading figures alongside the association’s annual totals. Source: UK Windsurfing Association, Admin Report for 2024
Water sport club membership statistics: RYA England census totals and membership categories
The RYA’s 2018 England club census recorded 243,350 declared members among responding affiliated clubs. A separate estimate put potential England club membership at 276,790. The distinction is important: the declared total came from clubs that supplied census data, while the potential figure included an estimate for nonresponding clubs, based on an average club size of 352 for 95 nonrespondents. The census response rate was 88%, with 684 of 779 clubs completing it. Source: RYA, Club Census England 2018
| England census measure | 2018 result | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Responding clubs | 684 of 779 | 88% response rate |
| Declared membership | 243,350 | Reported by responding clubs |
| Estimated potential membership | 276,790 | Estimate including nonrespondents |
| Average club size | 352 members | National clubs spanning the UK excluded |
The census reported 41,113 family memberships, representing 17% of all membership, and 39,435 junior memberships, representing 16%. These are membership categories as presented by the RYA. The report also said 83% of clubs offered a family membership option, while 133 responding clubs reported no family members. The club-level offering rate and the member-level family share use different denominators: one concerns clubs and the other membership.
For the average club size, national clubs spanning the UK were excluded. That qualification limits direct comparison with other measures that may include national organizations or count a different set of clubs. The census’s estimated potential total also should not be substituted for the declared respondent total: each answers a different question about the 2018 England census. Source: RYA, Club Census England 2018
Water sport club membership statistics: Richmond borough clubs, membership counts and fees
A July 2023 assessment for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames identified 20 outdoor water sports clubs and centres based in the borough. Fourteen responded to consultation, a 70% response rate. The assessment said 19 of the 20 used the River Thames; Thames Young Mariners had a separate facility nearby. These figures describe the identified local provision and consultation, rather than a complete borough-wide count of members. Source: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sport Strategy Assessment Report, July 2023
The report’s club snapshots show different ways of reporting size and cost. Aquarius Sailing Club reported 120 members, approximately 84 male and 36 female, including a small number of juniors. Its membership was listed at £55 per year. Hampton Canoe Club reported 120 members aged 10–80, with adult membership at £50 per year. Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Club reported 35 members and annual costs of £195. The report describes costs as full adult membership where included, so prices should be read with the specific club entry and stated membership type.
| Club or centre | Membership information in the 2023 assessment | Reported cost |
|---|---|---|
| Aquarius Sailing Club | 120 members; approximately 84 male and 36 female, including a small number of juniors | £55 per year |
| Hampton Canoe Club | 120 members aged 10–80 | Adult membership: £50 per year |
| Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Club | 35 members | £195 per annum |
| Barn Elms Boathouse | Membership numbers not disclosed | Full membership: £34 per month |
| Hampton Sailing Club | Membership numbers unknown | Full membership: £110 per year |
The two non-disclosed counts are not zeroes: Barn Elms Boathouse did not disclose its number, while Hampton Sailing Club’s number was described as unknown. Their listed costs use different periods—monthly for Barn Elms and annually for Hampton Sailing Club—so the table keeps the published units. This small set of examples illustrates why membership fees cannot be compared without attending to what membership tier and payment period the report specifies. Source: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sport Strategy Assessment Report, July 2023
Water sport club membership statistics: Civil Service sailing association and club totals
The Civil Service Sailing Association (CSSA) annual report to 31 December 2024 gave a combined Civil Service Council (CSSC) and CSSA membership figure of 2,770 at year-end, compared with 2,569 at the end of 2023. The report notes anomalies between Council and Association records, so the combined figure should be understood in that context. It also described approximately 1,800 Division memberships across both organizations; this is approximate and is not presented as a unique-person total. Source: CSSA, Annual Report to 31st December 2024
The report’s club and division passages include further populations, but not all are equivalent to full membership rolls. 5 Kingdoms Sailing Club reported 170 members of both the Council and the Association. East Coast Yacht Division reported 120 members of both organizations at year-end. Portsmouth Offshore Group provided moorings and events for 870 members of both organizations. These figures describe reported affiliations or service populations in the report; overlap between Council and Association records is possible.
| Reported club or division measure | Members | Description in the 2024 report |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Kingdoms Sailing Club | 170 | Members of both Council and Association |
| East Coast Yacht Division | 120 | Membership of both at year-end |
| Portsmouth Offshore Group | 870 | Members served with moorings and events |
| Channel Sailing Division | 290 | Members served by the cruising programme, including a high proportion of Council-only members |
| Civil Service Offshore Racing Club | 60 | Members served by the racing programme, of both Council and Association |
| Hooe Point Sailing Club | 110 | Members referenced in relation to dinghy events, of both organizations |
| Littleton Sailing Club | 130 | Members served by dinghy racing and training, of both organizations |
| Jumbles Sailing Club | 30 | Members of both organizations referenced in the club passage |
The activities column is material: the Channel Sailing Division’s 290 refers to a cruising programme, while the offshore racing club’s 60 refers to a racing programme. Littleton’s 130 were served by racing and training, and Hooe Point’s 110 were connected with dinghy events. Those figures should not be treated as directly interchangeable with year-end association totals. Source: CSSA, Annual Report to 31st December 2024
Water sport club membership statistics: Northern Ireland sailing club membership trends
RYA Northern Ireland’s 2024 census reported 9,670 club members. The report separately gave overall RYA NI club membership of 9,838, explicitly including university and charity clubs, and described this as 0.9% growth. The 9,670 club-member count and 9,838 overall count therefore have different stated scope; they should not be collapsed into one total. The report also recorded an 8.1% churn rate, compared with its UK average of 12.2%. These are the respective RYA NI and UK measures as reported, not a claim that every club or region has the same retention pattern. Source: RYA Northern Ireland, Annual Report 2024–25
| RYA Northern Ireland measure | Reported figure | Period and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Club members | 9,670 | 2024 census |
| Overall club membership | 9,838 | 2024; includes university and charity clubs |
| Reported growth | 0.9% | Overall membership measure |
| Churn rate | 8.1% | RYA Northern Ireland |
| UK average churn rate | 12.2% | Comparator cited in the report |
| Female membership | 3,896 (40.3%) | 2024–25 annual report |
| Disability membership share | 5.3% | Share of overall RYA NI membership |
The annual report also reported that female membership numbers increased by 10% and disability club membership numbers by 30% during the reporting year. Those are changes in the respective membership numbers, while 40.3% and 5.3% are reported shares. Keeping percentage change separate from percentage of membership prevents the measures from being read as if they were the same kind of statistic. The annual report does not turn these figures into an England-wide or UK-wide club census. Source: RYA Northern Ireland, Annual Report 2024–25
Water sport club membership: diversity and participation in sailing clubs
In the RYA’s 2018 census, female members accounted for 38% of RYA membership, compared with 37% in both 2016 and 2017. The 2018 overall gender split was reported as 62% male and 38% female; for 2017, it was 63% male and 37% female. The same report said female members were 45% of junior RYA club members in England in 2018. The junior figure has a different denominator from the overall gender share and should be read as a profile of junior members, not all members. Source: RYA, Club Census England 2018
Participation indicators in the 2018 report likewise refer to defined populations. It described almost 92,000 members as active and said 38% took part at least once a month across the year. Its definition of active was sailing or boating more than 13 times in the past year. A separate statement gave 37% as the average share of members in the UK who were active. These reported statements use the census’s own terminology and scope; they are not a count of all people who took part in water sports.
The census also recorded club representatives’ views about membership changes over the 2 years preceding the 2018 survey. 36% of England clubs felt membership had increased, 35% felt it was decreasing, and 27% felt it had stayed the same. These are perceptions reported by clubs, not measured changes in total member counts. The report separately stated that clubs had capacity for 85,959 more members and gave an England churn rate of 8.93%, defining churn as people leaving clubs as a percentage of overall membership. Each indicator describes a different aspect of participation or capacity; none alone explains why membership changed. Source: RYA, Club Census England 2018