National Championships 2021 - 10 July 2021
COVID-19 - Please note that the date of the national championships was confirmed prior to the lockdown which started in January 2021. Further to the Government "Roadmap" Announcement on 22 February and the update posted on our Covid-19 page, team training may resume from 29 March 2021 onwards, however a decision has been taken to delay the start of competitions until the weekend of 9 May. Therefore, the General Committee has resolved to hold the national championships later on Saturday 10 July.
National Outdoor Championships - Saturday July 10th 2021
Venue - Grove RUFC, Cane Ln, Grove, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 0FL
Entry forms for the 2021 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships are available to download, complete and return below. Please ensure that they are returned by the advertised deadline.
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The closing date for entries will be Saturday 26 June 2021.
Please ensure that you complete the entry forms and submit with the relevant entry fees (£25 per team per weight class) by the deadline to the Championship Secretary, Mick Grimston, using the details on the entry form. Cheques should be made payable to "The Tug of War Association".
Bank transfers can be paid to:
NatWest Bank
sort code: 54-30-27
Account Number: 37013963
Account Name: Tug of War Association Club Account
Please quote your club name and quote national championships entry fee into the payment description. Please note that we will never e-mail you to change account payment details. If you receive such a communication, or are unsure, please contact us by phone to confirm payment details before making any bank transfer.
Registration Cards Required
Individual Weigh In - Friday 9th July - 3.30pm - 7.30pm - to be held in the club house at Grove RUFC, Cane Ln, Grove, Wantage OX12 0FL
Face coverings must be worn at the weigh in and when queuing for the weigh in
Stamping - Saturday 10th July - from 8am at the club house - please do not arrive late at the venue for stamping.
Face coverings must be worn at the stamping and when queuing for stamping
Note - Teams will be able to weigh in on the Saturday morning if they wish to do so, however for teams weighing in on the Saturday morning, the weigh in will take place on 8 man scales and MUST be agreed and approved by the Championship secretary prior to the event.. There will be no individual weigh in on the Saturday.
First Pull - 09.30am
Weights (in pulling order)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| Senior Men | 640kg* | 560kg* | 720kg* | 600kg* | 680kg* | |
| Senior Men |
| Catchweight ** |
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| Senior Ladies | 500kg* | 540kg* | 520kg* | 560kg* | ||
| Senior Mixed | Mixed 580kg* | |||||
| Junior Men | 560kg* | |||||
| Junior Ladies | 520kg* | 480kg* | ||||
| Junior Mixed | 560kg* | |||||
| Under 23 | GENSB |
** please note that the mens catchweight competition will take place at the same time as the mens 560kg competition.
*** this is a new weight class introduced at the 2018 TOWA AGM. Download the rules for the Under 23 Championships via the link below:
* denotes weight categories that are representative weights at the World Outdoor Championships and World Junior Championships and British and Irish Outdoor Championships.
How to compete at the event
1. Register your team as a full or associate club member with the Tug of War Association Clubs wishing to compete on a regular basis and teams wishing to compete at championship events should become full club members (£100 per club) or associate club members (£20 per club) of the Tug of War Association. If your club has yet to renew their membership with the Tug of War Association, or wishes to join the Tug of War Association as new members, then please contact TOWA Secretary Mick Copper for a membership form on 01933 622639 or e-mail mick.copper@tiscali.co.uk
2. Register all of your individual pullers and team coach by completing the puller registration form and provide 2 passport size photos of each member and team coach (if not already registered with the TOWA) and submit your form to the Tug of War Association Secretary with the appropriate puller registration fee of £5 per puller/coach, which registers your team members to compete at all Tug of War Association competitions and championships throughout 2021. Please note that to compete at the championships, all pullers must be registered by 10th June at the very latest. Please note that if you paid to register pullers in 2020, you will not have to pay again in 2021, however if you wish to register any new / additional pullers, then the relevant registration fee will apply.
For new pullers, only official passport type photos will be accepted, which the puller must print their name and sign on the rear as well as provide a date of birth. Photos printed off Facebook, etc. will not be accepted. For junior and under 23 pullers, a copy of a document that provides proof of age should be provided with the registration form. Acceptable documents for proof of age are as follows:
- a full or provisional driving license
- a passport
- a birth certificate
You can download the puller registration forms below in Excel and PDF format.
Puller Registration Forms
Please return your puller membership form and puller registration fees to TOWA Secretary Mick Copper by post - 11 Holmfield Drive, Raunds, Northamptonshire, NN9 6PB, or e-mail an electronic copy of your forms to mick.copper@tiscali.co.uk
Please note that as per our new drug testing policy, all pullers who register to compete do so on the basis that they may be subject to being called forward for a random drug test.
3. Complete the national outdoor tug of war championships entry form to confirm which weight classes your team would like to enter, and submit it to the Tug of War Association Championship Secretary with the relevant entry fees.
How does your team qualify to compete at the championships?
There are no pre-qualification events that teams have to attend to qualify to compete at the Tug of War Association National Outdoor Tug of War Championships. As long as your club is registered as a full or associate member of the Tug of War Association, all individual pullers have been registered by 10 June 2021, you have submitted your entry form and paid all entry fees in advance, then your team can compete. All registered teams are welcome to compete.
The only qualifying criteria that applies is for those teams who aspire to be selected to represent England at international events. The winning teams (and in some cases the second or third placed teams, and at the discretion of the TOWA fourth placed teams) from the various weight classes at the national championships may be eligible for selection to represent England at international events.
To be eligible to be invited to represent England, teams must have competed in a least 4* outdoor permitted tug of war competitions from the TOWA Fixture List (excluding any training leagues, early pulls, limited events (such as Young Farmers only events) or other similar type of non TOWA event) as amended at the 2018 TOWA AGM on Saturday 26th January 2018. Junior teams wishing to represent must have also competed in junior weight classes at 4 competitions prior to the national championships to be eligible to be invited to represent England as amended at the 2016 TOWA AGM on Saturday 30th January 2016. If in doubt check with your Area Rep or other member of the General Committee.
* please note that given the reduction in competitions in 2021 as a result of the delayed start to the season, the required number of competitions for those wishing to represent England has been reduced from 6 to 4 for 2021.
Please note that for your attendance at a permitted competition to count towards the England qualifying/selection criteria, competing at an event means weighing in, having your team stamped by a judge, fully completing the entry sheet, and paying the entry fee in at least one weight class with a minimum of 5 of your club's own registered pullers if weighing in to compete with 7 members, or 6 of your club's own registered pullers if weighing in to compete with 8 members.
Please note otherwise, that competing at the TOWA national championships is open to any club registered to the Tug of War Association, and there is no set number of events that teams have to attend to qualify to compete. The qualifying criteria referred to above only applies to those teams wishing to qualify to represent England.
Otherwise, please refer to rule 2.3 of the TOWA rules contained within the TOWA Handbook regarding eligibility to compete at the TOWA National Championships and eligibility to represent England.
Substitutes
Each team can make 1 substitution per weight class. The replacement puller must be the same weight or lighter than the puller they replace.
Prizes
Gold, silver and bronze medals will be presented to the top three teams in each weight class. An annual trophy will also be presented to the winners of each weight class to keep for one year to be returned at the 2022 national championships.
The winning teams in each weight class may also have the honour of being invited to represent England at the World Championships, which, restrictions permitting, are scheduled to take place in the Basque Country in September.
4+4 Teams
Mens teams may register female pullers from other clubs as second claim members to compete in the mixed weight class, and likewise, ladies teams may register male pullers from other clubs as second claim members to compete in the mixed weight class where a mens club or ladies club don't have a team of the opposite gender.
At the 2018 AGM a resolution was passed that will only allow a mixed 4+4 team to be made up of pullers from a maximum of two clubs only. This can be of any combination, e.g. 4 males from one club and 4 females from another club, or 4 males and 2 females from one club and 2 females from another club and so on.
Second claim pullers for the mixed weight class must also be registered by 10 June 2021
Team Tents
Participating teams will be permitted to erect a team tent for the day, however tents will only be permitted to be erected in the designated area. There will be no exceptions to this requirement.
Tents will NOT be permitted to be erected next to the edge of the arena. If you erect your team tent next to the arena outside of the designated area then you will be asked to move it.
Car Parking
Cars will NOT be permitted on the field / around the arena at all and must be parked in the designated car park.
You can use the Rugby Club Car Park on the Friday for the weigh in.
There will be no entry for vehicles into the Rugby Club Car Park or the Competition field on the Saturday (except for the disabled personnel whose details have been given to the organisers).
Car parking on the Saturday will be in the field next to the Rugby Club, as per used in 2018. The map on the image below indicates the way to the entrance of the car parking field, which should be opened at about 7-30am on the Saturday. Please do not try to park in the Rugby Club car park or on the competition field on the Saturday as you will be refused entrance. Please make sure you advise any of your supporters that may be attending of this parking policy.
Spectator Entry
Entry for spectators to the event is free.
For further details about the national championships, please contact the Championships Secretary 
Mick Grimston on 01205 369753
