If you’ve read our blog about volunteering you’ll know that volunteers are the lifeblood of cycling. They help with the day to day running of clubs, groups and collectives, as well as organising cycling races and events. You’ll also know that giving up your time to help others by volunteering gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Are you someone who enjoys the fruits of being part of a cycling club? We’re pretty sure we know the answer is yes! Then perhaps consider giving something back? Why not join your cycling club’s committee?

You could be part of a small group that keeps your club running and moving forwards, making decisions on how to spend the club budget, keeping the club’s constitution up to date and relevant and supporting fellow club cyclists in their ambitions to develop.

Biola Babawale, Co-Founder and CEO of Cycle Together and Chair of Velociposse told us why she joined her cycling club’s committee. “When I decided to be chair of Velociposse I wanted to give something back. I definitely like the strategy part of the role, but actually, for me, it’s been a nice way to give back to a club, which was there for me when I wanted to get into cycling.”

Why join your Cycling Club Committee

Here’s a few reasons you might want to join your cycling club’s committee:

• Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling
• Allows you to give back to cycling
• Good experience of a role on a committee which can translate to other areas of life
• Meet lots of club members and get to know committee members from all walks of life
• Cycling relies on volunteers to survive – help our sport stay alive

Types of Committee Roles & Responsibilities

The Committee roles and responsibilities will vary from club to club and they will generally depend on the size and focus of the club. You may find a role that suits your current skill set, or helps you use a skill you’re developing. Either way, your club will appreciate you giving your time, ideas and energy to help it function, grow and develop.

Here’s an idea of the types of roles available.

Key Roles:

• Chairperson – chairs committee meetings and AGM, provides leadership and direction to the club and committee, responsible for club governance. Can be a spokesperson for the club, especially if the club doesn’t have a President.
• Treasurer – looks after the club’s accounts and any financial dealings, such as membership fees. To fit into this role it helps if you’re good with numbers and have a financial background.
• Club Secretary – Leads club administration and the general running of the committee (arranges committee meetings and AGM, takes minutes at meetings, liaises with British Cycling, CTT etc). This person needs to be a good communicator, well organised and it helps if you’re good with IT.

Additional Committee Roles:

• Race Secretary – runs the club’s racing programme, including organising races with the help of British Cycling and club member volunteers, responsible for any racing equipment owned by the club, such as timing chips, signage etc. 
• President – represents the club externally, hands out awards on awards night and gives speeches!
• General committee member – attends committee meetings, participates in discussions, volunteers to take on actions from the meetings, helps with club events.
• Diversity & Inclusion Officer – leads diversity initiatives in the club and inputs on decisions taken by the committee to ensure they are inclusive of current and future members.

If none of these roles suit, then here are a few more non-committee roles in a club that you might want to consider:

• Social Secretary – organises social events for the club, usually summer and Christmas socials and awards nights.
• Membership secretary – manages membership lists, welcomes new members, reminds members when annual dues are up!
• Press Officer – responsible for the day to day promotion of the club, its activities and results, generally via press and social media.
• Discipline specific secretary – key contact in the club and chief organiser for all things related to specific cycling disciplines, such as track, cyclocross, eSports and time trials.
• Welfare Officer – responsible for club member welfare and protection. This is a really important role in particular if the club has young and/or vulnerable adult members. The NSPCC runs basic courses to help volunteers carry out this role successfully. 
• Kit Secretary – looks after the club kit shop, the relationship with kit suppliers and deals with member queries relating to kit.
• Club Coach – helps develop and run skills sessions for the club to help members develop their cycling abilities.
• Ride Captains – the face of the club to its members. They are responsible for leading club runs on a regular basis.

As you can see, there’s potentially a role for everyone!

Biola sums it up nicely, “I’m inspired by the unsung heroes of clubs, not just cycling clubs but sports clubs in general. Committee members and volunteers are basically the backbone of our grassroot sports communities in the UK. It’s not easy, it can be super tough. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. I would recommend it to anyone!”