User:Sunset Coast Archers

Sunset Coast Archers (Inc) is an Archery Club based in Perth Western Australia and is the only Metropolitan Club in WA to have regular Sunday Shoots.

The Club was formed following a decision on the part of the YMCA Archery Club, located at Bold Park in Floreat, to close down in early 1999. At that time there was a small number of members, and several interested juniors, who wanted to continue their archery. Following some discussion a vote was held on a new name for the club and we became the Sunset Coast Archers

We then had to search for a new home. The Perth Netball Association and the Town of Cambridge agreed to our move to the lower grassed area at Matthews Netball Centre, a fantastic, safe and ideal archery location. The location meant that as netball players were using the grounds on Saturdays we became a Sunday club, something that has proven to be quite satisfactory.

The club teetered on the edge of closure for several years but survived. A great deal of encouragement was given to us by Archery Society of Western Australiamembers who would support us and encouraged us to persist.

Gradually numbers grew and adult members came along to support and to take on official roles. We have an active junior membership and have structured our coaching programme for all ages in accordance with the Archery Australia Instructor Manual. We are fortunate to have three Qualified Instructors.

A growth in numbers and a lot of hard work has seen the club this year (2009) reach a membership of over 40 Archers aged from 11 to 70. We also welcome Members of FITA affiliated clubs from around the World.

New members to the club have also introduced us to new aspects of archery and a strong interest is growing in bare-bow and traditional archery We continue to move forward, as all clubs are – faced with the need for dedicated members to take on the onerous and often thankless tasks – that are however vital to the continued existence of a club in these days of increasing paper work and administration, and that so often gets in the way of simply pursuing our sport.

We look forward with much confidence to the future, however we face the possibility of perhaps needing to once again find a new home but we are sure that this obstacle will be overcome, as have all the others in the past.

Sunset Coast Archers