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Army Reserve Sport

The Army has unrivalled opportunities for sport and Army Reserve soldiers are encouraged to play sport.  There are a number of Secretaries who organise Army Reserve sport for football, rugby union, hockey, netball, swimming, boxing, squash, cricket, basketball and volleyball.  There are some other sports that are run by unit level volunteers including orienteering, target shooting, alpine and nordic skiing, cresta and polo.  The remaining Army sports are organized by volunteer Regular Army Secretaries and Reservists are welcome to participate in these.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sports are available and who do I contact?

Regular and Reserve sports Secretaries are contactable here > Contacts.

Am I Eligible to Play Sport?

Unit programmed or representative (representative sport is that organised at Brigade, Corps or Army level) sport is a duty. Army Reserve personnel are eligible to play for Regular or Reserve teams at all levels. A recent change also allows Army Reserve personnel to represent Single Services at Inter Service competitions.

What Sports Facilities Can I Use?

Army Reserve personnel in possession of a service ID card are entitled to use any Army sports facilities.

Why does my unit not have a team strip or equipment for my sport?

Every major Reserve unit now gets an annual Sports Equipment Public Funding grant to fund clothing and equipment for sports teams.  Also see alternative Funding.

Why Have Separate Reserve Sport?

Some Regular Army sport is organised at weekends but the majority is organised during the week. Reservists are entering individual competitions, but it is impractical for Reserve units to enter team competitions.  Thus those sports with a Reserve Secretary will generally organise weekend sport.

What can I do if my Unit does not play my sport?

Often there are insufficient players to produce a team or your unit simply does not play your sport. In order to maximise participation, units and individuals are encouraged, through the respective sport’s secretary or organiser to consider:

Affiliation. If the sport is not played within one’s own unit, one or several players can elect to be affiliated to another army reserve or regular unit.

Amalgamation. A detachment or unit may wish to pool its sporting talent with another unit to form a team.

Does Playing Sport in the Army Reserve qualify as Paid Training?

Participation by Army Reservists in approved sporting trials and competitions organised or sponsored by the Army is to qualify as training for the issue of pay and allowances (Reserve Land Forces Regulations 2016 – 01.02.204) here are some other useful documents which help explain funding for sport:

a.    DIN 2014DIN01-099 refers to the Status of Synopsis and Recognised sports that are eligible for public funding.

b.    DIN 2013DIN01-197 governs the eligibility of Army Reserve personnel to participate in Representative Sport.

c.    Further details on Sport are available in AGAI Vol 1 Ch 5.

d.    Official representation and participation on UK Reserve Forces Association (UKRFA) competitions both in the UK and overseas does qualify as training for the issue of pay and allowances.

Your unit should seek authority to overspend if its budget is insufficient to cover sports participation.

How do I join the Army Sports Lottery?

All Army Reservists are encouraged to join the Army Sports Lottery. One ticket in each weekly draw costs £52.00 per year, the equivalent of just £1 per week.  The weekly prize fund is £25k with a top prize of £10k.  Members can also apply for grants.  More details are at the Army Sports Lottery.

How can I get financial assistance for an overseas visit?

You should join the Army Sports Lottery as members can apply for a grant of up to £500. The procedure for organizing an overseas visit is at the Policys.

How do I organise sport in my unit?

Seek agreement from your chain of command and then compile an Admin Instruction to let everyone know that it is official.  If it is not part of the unit’s routine training programme, those participating must be published on Unit Part 1 Orders.

Still have an unanswered question?

If your unit chain of command cannot answer it, contact the Secretary Army Reserve Sport email your query to sclout@ascb.uk.com.