THE BIG WEEKEND OF ARCHERY KICKS OFF A BIG MONTH OF SPORT

Over 3,500 people had a go at archery last weekend

52 Archery Clubs all over the country opened their doors to encourage more people to take up archery 

Archery is a sport that can be enjoyed by anyone

Olympic archery team opening Tokyo 2020 schedule on 23 July

Dream come true for all archery members of Team GB

14 July 2021: Adults and children of all ages were invited to try their hand at archery at clubs all over the country over the weekend 9th – 11th July 2021 (2nd – 4th July in Northern Ireland). This fun and inclusive sport is perfect for anyone and everyone wanting to try something new – on their own or with their family and friends – even those who had never picked up a bow before were able to enjoy the feeling of achievement as their arrow hit the target!

The Big Weekend, which this year was preceded by the Big Week and saw additional activities take place at schools, centres and clubs, is an annual event organised by Archery GB in partnership with The Archery Shop (www.thearcheryshop.co.uk) aimed at encouraging more people to have a go at archery. Over the course of both the Big Week and the Big Weekend over 85 events were held at participating partners with great success.

To kick off what is set to be a fantastic summer of Olympic and Paralympic sport, archery clubs right across Great Britain and Northern Ireland took part in the Big Weekend and opened their doors to potential archers, welcoming them to try out the sport for the first time. Nine clubs* representing the different regions also offered FREE beginners handbooks to those who decided to take the sport further.

Archery up first with a TV audience to captivate

The archery athletes in Team GB are kicking off the Olympic schedule in Tokyo with ranking rounds taking place alongside the opening ceremony on 23 July and the first archery gold medal will be awarded as early as 24 July. All archers will be shooting for personal glory, with their own individual targets in mind – a personal best, top 10 performance or even the dream of a medal of any colour. This year more than ever it is the taking part that truly counts and to have finally reached an Olympics is a dream come true for every member of the archery team.

Whatever your age or ability, archery can work for you

Archery is a fun and inclusive activity and The Big Weekend offered everyone the opportunity to experience something new and different. By enticing new participants to the sport, it is hoped archery’s natural appeal to a broad and diverse audience will become known more widely. Archery is a sport that really can be enjoyed by anyone.

To help even more people get into archery, Archery GB has launched the Start Archery website, which will provide everything beginners need to know about taking up the sport, including where to find courses and clubs. It will also offer a range of resources for schools and organisations.

For more information please visit www.startarchery.co.uk