12th July 2010
In 2003 a group of athletes recognised that there was a requirement for an independent organisation to represent the views of all elite athletes in the UK and set up the British Athletes Commission (BAC). The original remit of the BAC was to facilitate athlete representation and communication pathways within sports and to ensure that the views of elite athletes were communicated coherently to the key decision makers in British sport. Like a trade union the BAC's core service is to provide advice and representation to the athletes but unlike a trade union the BAC does this all for free!
To ensure that the BAC can guarantee its long term independence it now generates its own income alongside the grant funding it receives from UK Sport. This is achieved through members of the Elite Athletes Club paying a membership fee of £60. The Elite Athletes Club is an exclusive members club only available to current and retired athletes that have represented Great Britain or one of the home nations at a major international championships and the support staff that help them get there. It is designed to provide fantastic benefits and opportunities to all members. The club operates as a separate trading company of the BAC with the sole aim of generating income to support the BAC's core services.
Members can benefit from:
• VIP tariffs from O2
• 40% off all Maximuscle products
• 40% off Skins compression wear
• 43% off For Goodness Shakes
• Free independent financial advice with Ablestoke (Worth £600)
• Trade price on al LG Electronics goods
• Discounts with Enterprise Rent-a-Car
• Up to 50% off Mammoth high specification foam mattresses
• £100 off a tax return with GMS
On top of this the EAC now deliver access to a schools speaking programme - AthletesDirect - and a sponsorship and appearance service.
Any member that medals at future World, European or Olympic/Paralympic level will also receive two bottles of champagne from our partner Laurent-Perrier.
Plus many, many more! Visit www.britishathletes.org for full details
"I have been a member since its inception and my subscription payment was covered in the savings I made in just three nights hotel bookings. If your mobile phone contract is up for renewal you’d be crazy not to look at their offerings." Karim Bashir, MD CatchSport.
"I am a proud member of the Elite Athletes Club. The benefit of the perks I have used already far outweigh the cost of membership." Ebony Rainford Brent, Women's England Cricket Team
Be elite for life by becoming a member of the Elite Athletes Club. To join please visit www.britishathletes.org/membership or telephone 01628 891539 and speak to Ian Rose for more information.
The Elite Athletes Club is always looking for new benefit providers. Delivering a benefit through the Elite Athlete's Club gives an organisation access to over 2,000 potentially new customers for very little work. Not only that but those partner organisations can tell the world that they are supporting every elite athlete in the UK in the run up to 2012. Furthermore the opportunity to become the title sponsor of the BAC is still available, amazingly. Whoever snaps this up will steal a march on their competitors and will have a great story to tell.
