National News
Click on the tabs below for news and results from competitions taking place throughout the season, as well as other news items from the TOWA!
Covid-19 - July 2021 Update
Following the Governments lifting of mandatory restrictions on July 19th that had been put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the TOWA Executive Committee have held a conference call to discuss the best way forward that the TOWA should proceed.
Covid-19 has not gone away overnight and there are still risks of people catching Covid-19.
We are mindful of the safety of not only our Teams, but also our Officials and the spectators that attend our Competitions. We are sure you must have seen other organisations that are still encouraging people to follow the use of face masks and sanitizing of hands, making sure indoor spaces are appropriately ventilated, making use of free testing, etc.
As such the Executive Group have decided for now it is prudent to carry on following the Competition & Training Procedure the TOWA have been using since Team training was allowed by the Government at the end of March 2021. The only exception from this procedure is the Executive Group don't believe it is necessary for Teams to submit the weekly check sheet into the TOWA O&R Secretary at the end of each week. Teams should still carry out the checks at training and sign their attendance forms to aid with any Test & Trace that maybe required if any of their Team contract Covid-19.
Any Teams attending our Competitions will be expected to follow the same procedures that the TOWA have been using since April and failure to do so will mean they will not be allowed to compete at our Competitions.
We all hope that we will be able to revert to our normal method of Training and Competitions in the future, but the TOWA Executive Committee feel now is not the time to stop taking precautions.
Our Covid-19 Guidance is available to view on our Covid-19 Page.
Competition Venue - Bakewell Agricultural Centre, Bakewell Showground, Agricultural Way, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1AH
Weigh In - Friday 3rd December - 5pm - 7pm at Baslow Village Hall (face coverings required)
Stamping of teams - Bakewell Agricultural Centre - 10am - 11am, Saturday 4 December (face coverings required)
First Pull - 11am
Weights (in pulling order) - Catchweight, 640kg, 560kg, 720kg, 600kg, 680kg, Mixed 580kg
Supporters/spectators welcome - please note that as per updated Government guidance, face coverings are recommended in indoor settings. It is also recommended that you take a lateral flow test prior to attending events and gatherings.
Good luck to all of the teams taking part!
Click here for the results of the fifth and final indoor open competition of the 2021 Indoor Tug of War season ahead of the 2021 National Indoor Tug of War Championships, which take place on Saturday 4 December in Bakewell.
Click here for the results of the fourth competition of the 2021 Indoor Tug of War season.
Click here for the results of the AAA indoor tug of war championships
Click here for the results of the second week of indoor competition held at Bakewell showground.
The funeral of Andy Ellis which will take place at 13-30hrs on Thursday 11th November 2021 at Great Glen Crematorium 9 London Rd, Great Glen, Leicester, LE8 9DJ.
The funeral will be followed by a wake at The Royal British Legion, 13 Main Street, Humberstone, Leicester, LE5 1AE.
Click here for the results of the first weekend of indoor tug of war competition of the 2021 indoor tug of war season at Bakewell Showground.
TOWA Area 5 once again hosted their annual autumn tug of war weekend in Kessingland.
The Area were pleased to see that four clubs entered (Essex, Hadleigh, Sandhurst and Raunds), with one club (Sandhurst) managing to field 3 teams in a number of weight classes.
Again, we were lucky with the weather and everyone enjoyed the pulling. For some pullers this was their first competition and it was pleasing to see a good number of ladies pulling.
We were also pleased to welcome a puller from Switzerland, who has informed us that he will return next year as he enjoyed it so much.
Results:
600kg - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Essex
640kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
680kg - Winners - Essex - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
600kg mixed - winners - Sandurst A - Runners Up - Essex
620kg - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Essex
660kg - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Essex
720kg - Winners - Essex - Runners Up - Sandhurst
660kg mixed - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Essex
We held a catchweight competition in memory of our Former Area President David Ling and the Trophy was kindly donated by his family. This was won by Essex and runners up were Raunds..
The 2021 Indoor Tug of War Season will start on Sunday 24 October.
This years events will all be staged in the hall at Bakewell Showground as the sports hall we usually use at the Harry Mitchel Leisure Centre is not available this year.
Please click here for all the details.
The Tug of war Association is in the process of putting together the fixture list for 2022.
If your club / show / event wishes to stage an event in 2022, then please contact the TOWA secretary to confirm details about your venue, weight classes, weigh in and start times and contact details so that these details can be included in the 2022 fixture list. If possible, it would assist if event organisers could put forward more than one date where an event could be staged, in the event that more than one event organiser applies for the same date and to ensure that we can spread events around as much as we can and ensure as many clubs as possible have the opportunity to compete locally/within their own region on some weekends without the need for excessive travel.
If you weren’t scheduled to hold a competition in 2021, but would like to hold a competition in 2022, then please use the 2021 fixture list as a guide to find a potential date to hold your event, and send in the proposed details for your event to the TOWA secretary, using the permit application form, along with a permit fee.
Please ensure that competition permit applications are submitted to the TOWA Secretary before Thursday 25 November at the very latest so that fixtures can be discussed at the TOWA committee meeting on Saturday 27 November.
For further details on hosting an event in 2022 and the general requirements for a venue, please click here
On the weekend of Friday 29 April - Sunday 01 May 2022, Felton Eccles TOWC will be hosting an international open club tournement.
The event will include mens, ladies, junior and mixed competitions.
For further details, please download the flyer below:
Sat 9th and Sun 10th October - Kessingland Autumn tug of war Festival Weekend, Kessingland Beach, Nr Lowestoft, Suffolk
This event is still planned to go ahead this year.
The event open to all teams and any individual pullers who want to go along and pull with other clubs for the weekend. This is a friendly open competition and tug of war social weekend and all clubs / pullers are encouraged to go along and take part.
Weigh In on each day 10.00, First Pull on each day 11.00
weights
Saturday - 600, 640, 680, 600 4+4
Sunday - 620, 660, 720, 660 4+4
Accommodation
Park Resorts - 
http://www.park-resorts.com/holiday-parks/east-anglia/kessingland-beach
Self catering caravans (sleep 6) from approx. £135
Contact Dave Kitchener for further information on 01234 720086
Visit the international news page of this web site for the results from the 2021 World Championships held in Getxo on 16 - 19 September
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The World Championships take place on Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 September.
The event is being streamed on YouTube via the World Championships YouTube Channel, link here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLQM29NAfeCkmBC93Up_o3Q
Competitions start at 09.30am (CET) each day, so from 8.30am UK time. Make sure you get onto YouTube to support our teams!
England tug of war teams will be competing in Getxo in the Basque Country this week.
Click here to see who our representatives are, programme of events and live streaming info!
Below is an announcement on TWIF regarding the recent rule changes on the wearing of belts / protective clothing. A pdf copy of the ruling is also available to download below.
Click here for a feature about Essex TOWC on ITV Anglia talking about their preparations for the forthcoming World Championships in Getxo. The feature includes a video of the news bulletin. The footage was taken at the TOWA national league finals.
On 21-22 August 2021, the British and Irish Tug of War Championships took place in Northern Ireland with both an international competition and an open club competition. It was a great weekend for English teams with a number of gold, silver and bronze medals being won.
Click here for the results, some photos, videos and some social media reaction from the clubs taking part.
The 2021 National League Finals were this year hosted by Essex TOWC. A shorter league season took place this year due to a later start to the season.
Our thanks to go Essex TOWC for hosting the league finals, and to all of the teams who took part throughout the season.
The final standings in the National League can be found on the National League page.
The Tug of War Association are looking for venues / shows / public events to host the Tug of War Association National Tug of War Championships in 2022 and beyond.
If you have a venue and you are interested in staging the event, then please click here for further details about what is required.
Please can anyone wishing to put forward a championships venue for 2022 ensure that they are submitted to the TOWA Championships Secretary as early as possible so that the relevant venue can be visited and assessed for its suitability.
Over the weekend of 01 August, Bosley TOWC hosted the Inter County Tug of War Championships in Cheshire
Click here for the competition report, photos, and videos!
The 2021 Tug of War Association National Outdoor Tug of War Championships took place at the Grove RUFC on Saturday, with teams taking part in the mens, ladies and mixed weight classes.
Following a return to competition earlier this year, following a hiatus of over 12 months, it was great to be able to organise a national championship, and it was fantastic to see a good number of teams supporting the event, despite all of the uncertainty around. It was particularly pleasing to see an increase in the number of ladies teams and pullers. Of course, there were some teams who took part in 2019 that were not competing this season, but we hope to see them all get back together and be back out on the circuit in the future.
If the Olympic Games had taken place in 2020, it would have been 100 years after Tug of War was on the program for the last time.
The TWIF Monthly Focus newsletter can be downloaded below.
Over the weekend of 27 June, the TOWA Area 7 Championships took place
This was the final event before the national championships take place on 10 July.
Click here for the competition report, photos, and club reaction on social media!
Over the weekend of 20 June, Felton Eccles TOWC hosted the AAA Outdoor Tug of War Championships alongside their annual open tug of war competition.
It was great to see a much better supported AAA Championships this year compared to previous years.
Click here for the competition report, photos, and club reaction on social media!
Over the weekend of 13 June, Bedford Ladies TOWC hosted their annual open tug of war competition.
It was great to see lots of teams out competing once again, and in glorious sunshine too.
Click here for the competition report, photos, and club reaction on social media!
Click the link below to visit the Silk FM web site to download / listen to their podcast about tug of war, featuring their local club, Bosley
https://www.silk1069.com/on-air/podcasts/silk-sports-club-of-the-week/episode/bosley-tug-of-war/
Over the weekend of 6 June, Sandhurst TOWC hosted their annual open tug of war competition.
It was great to see lots of teams out competing once again, and in glorious sunshine too.
Click here for the competition report, photos, and club reaction on social media!
Please see below for the latest update from TWIF on the preparations for the World Championships in September. At the moment, the intention is still for the event to go ahead and further updates will be provided in due course as the situation evolves.
The AAA Championships, scheduled to be held on Sunday 20 June hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC, will now be held at the Bungalow Inn, New Road, Felton, Somerset, BS40 5TP.
All other details remain the same. Please see our fixtures page for further info.
Over the weekend, the TOWA returned to Cressage for the annual Shropshire Open Tug of War Championships organised by the TOWA Midland Area No.2.
It was great to see teams out competing once again, and in glorious sunshine too.
Click here for the competition report, photos, videos, and club reaction on social media!
This is a reminder to all clubs who wish to take part in the TOWA national tug of war championships, that by Thursday 10 June, you need to have done the following:
- Registered your club as full or associate members of the Tug of War Association (info about joining can be found here - http://www.tugofwar.co.uk/join-the-towa)
- Registered all of your individual pullers with the TOWA by completing and returning the puller registration form and associated puller registration fees (puller registration forms are available here - http://www.tugofwar.co.uk/national-championships-2021)
- Registered any second claim pullers for the 4+4 competition if you are a mens team using female pullers from one other ladies club or vice-versa to participate in the 4+4 competition
Please do not leave your puller registrations to the last minute. If you have any problems, please contact the TOWA Secretary, Mick Copper, as soon as possible (mick.copper@tiscali.co.uk).
Over the week of 24-28 May, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) organised their annual "Clean Sport Week" campaign. A number of useful resources were published, including:
UK Anti-Doping’s 100% me Clean Sport App, which allows athletes to stay up to date with essential anti doping information, as well as being able to keep track of any medication. These can be downloaded from the following sources:
iOS - https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/clean sport/id842611826
Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ukad.cleansporttoolkit&hl=en&gl=US
In addition, you can Complete the free Coach Clean or Clean Sport Advisor course on UKADs Clean Sport Hub to brush up on your anti doping knowledge.
https://bit.ly/3tIILWv
The latest TWIF monthly focus newsletter for May has now been published and can be downloaded as a pdf document via the link below.
UK Anti-Doping's Clean Sport Week webinar: “Sport and its post pandemic landscape” with Nick Pontefract from Sport England next week on Wednesday 26 May at 1pm You can register for the webinar here:
https://bit.ly/3tIILWv
The second competition of the 2021 outdoor season took place over the weekend, hosted by Essex TOWC. Click here for the results.
- AAA Championships - the deadline to register your pullers and pay the puller registration fees is Thursday 20 May.
- National Championships - the deadline to register your pullers and pay the puller registration fees is Thursday 10 June.
http://www.tugofwar.co.uk/national-championships-2021Please note that the organisers of the York TOWC Open Competition, scheduled to take place on Sunday 6 June, have taken the decision to cancel this event.
Tug of war is back! It was great to finally get tug of war competitions going with the first event of the 2021 season taking place in Shropshire over the weekend. It was great to see some new clubs taking part at the event too! Click here for the results and photos!
www.tugofwararchive.com
The TWIF magazine is to be featured as a "guest publication" on this week's BBC Have I Got News for You on Friday (30 April) at 9pm.
It may not make the final edit for the 30 minute programme on Friday (it is a two hour shoot edited down to 30 minutes), and in the event that it is not, it will hopefully be featured on the extended version of the programme (Have I Got a Bit More News for You) on BBC 2 next Tuesday.
The Tug of War Association are very proud to announce that we have been successful in our bid to host the 2025 TWIF European Tug of War Championships, along with the World Junior and Under 23 Championships!
The venue for this event will be Nottingham University. We will be sharing more details in due course, but this is wonderful news!
The online Congress has finished. The whole meeting went very smoothly, so we are getting used to online meetings, but...
Posted by TWIF on Saturday, April 17, 2021
Please see our full update on our dedicated Covid-19 Page. The latest update is dated 25 February 2021
2021 Fixtures
Our 2021 fixture list has now been updated to reflect the later start to competitions (Sunday 9 May), as well as revised dates for the 2021 AAA Outdoor and 2021 National Outdoor Championships in recognition of this later start.
As a result, these competitions will now take place on the following dates:
- AAA Championships - Sunday 20 June, Hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC
- National Championships - Saturday 10 July at Grove RUFC, Oxfordshire
The full fixture list as it stands is available here - www.tugofwar.co.uk/fixtures
As a result of the re-scheduled championships, other competitions scheduled to take place in July will now take place in June, and as a result of the reduced number of events this season, the specified number of events that clubs need to attend prior to the national championships in order to be eligible for selection to represent England in 2021 has been reduced from 6 events to 4 events.
The Inter County Championships will also be held on an alternative date, and this date and venue will be confirmed in due course.
Please note, that in light of current Government Guidelines, the number of weight classes for the first few events will be reduced in recognition that the guidelines may affect how long it takes to run a competition. Therefore, the weight classes at the first few events will be men 620kg, 660kg and catchweight and ladies/junior 540kg and 580kg. Borrowing will not be permitted at this stage in order to enable teams to stay within their own bubbles. 4+4 weight classes will be facilitated if enough clubs can form 4+4 teams without borrowing. It is therefore very important that clubs notify event organisers in advance that you intend to attend an event, and which weight classes you are likely to enter (to the best of your knowledge at the time) in order to enable the appropriate planning to take place. Please note that these weight classes and the number of weight classes held at each event will continue to be reviewed as the season progresses and taking into account any further changes to Government guidance and feedback from participants.
Register Your Club to Compete
It is not too late for clubs to register with the TOWA as full or associate club members to compete on the 2021 circuit and at TOWA championships, so if you wish to register your team with the TOWA this year, please visit www.tugofwar.co.uk/join-the-towa
In order to be eligible to compete at championship events, clubs must be registered before 20 May in the case of the AAA Championships and before 10 June in the case of the national championships.
Puller Registrations
Puller registration deadlines for the AAA Championships will be 20 May.
The final deadline for registering pullers for the National Championships will be 10 June.
If you registered pullers during 2020, then those puller registrations will carry over to this 2021 season. However if you wish to register any new/additional pullers to those registered in 2020, then they need to be registered in the usual way and the associated puller registration fees for any additional pullers will need to be paid.
Puller registration forms are available via http://www.tugofwar.co.uk/national-championships-2021
Also please note the amendment to the Club Member Registration Form for this year. Each Registered Club Member must agree to giving a sample for drug testing at a TOWA Championship event (where random drug testing will be taking place) if they are asked to. If you completed a puller registration in 2020, please can all club secretaries complete the updated puller registration form which confirms agreement of your pullers to take part in random drug testing and return this to the TOWA secretary.
All clubs are reminded that in the current circumstances, all clubs must have appointed a designated Covid officer, the names of which must be forwarded to the TOWA Officials and Records Secretary and training must be conducted using our Government approved guidance which is available here - www.tugofwar.co.uk/covid19 and the relevant paperwork completed and submitted in accordance with the guidance. TOWA Clubs are not permitted to train and enter competitions without having notified the TOWA of their Covid officer.
As TWIF and the Tug of War Association follow WADA Anti-doping rules, there are some useful seminars for pullers and coaches to attend.
Click the link below for further info.
https://www.theworldgames.org/news/The-World-Games-17/WADA-live-webinar-schedule-2119?
This months TWIF Focus newsletter, is now out, with a focus on youth, and includes interviews with young pullers from different countries, including Jacob Hudson of York TOWC.
The newsletter can be downloaded via the link below. Please share with your pullers / youngsters and use it to inspire more people to get involved in tug of war!
Watch the video below for a few memories from over the years.
The Tug of War Association would like to thank all clubs and individual members for your continued support and for renewing your memberships for 2021.
We are optimistic that competitions will be able to resume in some form in the spring, so if you have yet to renew your membership, please make sure you do so so that we have up to date contact details for you and we can keep you up to date with any new updates when more details about any "unlock" are announced by the Government in due course.
If you would like to join the TOWA as a club, associate or individual member, then please contact the treasurer or the secretary for a membership form.
Further details about joining the TOWA can be found by clicking here.
We hope to be able to see you all on the circuit soon.
The latest edition of the TWIF Magazine can be downloaded via the link below:
Prior to Christmas, membership renewal application forms were sent out to all current club, associate and individual members.
If you or your team are not members of the TOWA and you would like to join the TOWA as a club, associate or individual member, then please visit the how to join page for further info and contact the TOWA Treasurer or Secretary for a membership form. You can find out more about joining the TOWA by clicking here.
Members are kindly requested to return membership renewal forms and membership fees to the TOWA by return if you haven’t done so already. This is to ensure that all members can participate at the AGM at the end of January, in the event that the AGM has to be conducted fully as an online video conference event. Membership forms and fees should be returned to the TOWA treasurer as soon as possible and at least one week prior to the AGM.
Payments can also be made by bank transfer, and if you wish to pay by this method, please contact the TOWA treasurer by phone to ensure that the payment details you have received are correct. The TOWA will not be liable for any payments made to a different bank account. Please note that the TOWA will not email you to change payment/bank details, so please report to us any suspicious e-mails. Please be alert to the potential for cyber fraud. You can find out more about protecting your online privacy and security and minimising your risk of becoming a victim of online fraud on the National Cyber Security Centre web site.
We look forward to hopefully seeing new and existing members in the competition arena in the near future.
The Tug of war Association is in the process of putting together the fixture list for 2021.
As per recent notifications, the TOWA has Government Approval outside of nationwide legal lockdown periods associated with Covid-19 to run tug of war competitions and intends to run a full calendar of outdoor tug of war competitions during 2021 in accordance with the competition guidance that we have recently issued until such time that Government guidance changes.
The General Committee resolved at its October 2020 meeting that the 2020 fixture list will be rolled over into 2021, and for all event organisers who paid for a permit to hold a competition in 2020 whose event was cancelled, the permit fee paid will be used to cover the cost of the 2021 permit. For the small number of early competitions that were able to take place in early March 2020, if those events are to be run again in 2021, then the permit fee will be payable.
Therefore, if you intend to run your event in 2021, please contact the TOWA secretary to confirm up to date details about your venue, weight classes, weigh in and start times and contact details so that these up to date details can be included in the 2021 fixture list.
If you weren’t scheduled to hold a competition in 2020, but would like to hold a competition in 2021, then please use the 2020 fixture list as a guide to find a potential date to hold your event, and send in the proposed details for your event to the TOWA secretary, using the permit application form, along with a permit fee.
For further details on 2021 fixtures, please click here
Click here to read about everything that happened at the 2011 European Championships and to see lots of photos and videos of all of the finals and some of the bronze medal matches from the event!
Area 5 will be holding their AGM remotely on Saturday 7th November at 4pm.
All club and individual members from the area are invited to join and they should email marion.kitchener53@gmail.com before 31st October to register their interest, following which joining instructions will be provided.
Each area committee of the TOWA is reminded that area meetings should still take place during 2020 as required by our constitution.
Obviously these will be more challenging than normal but it is essential that each Area hold their Area AGM in accordance with Appendix C of the Constitution, which means this will need to be done via video or audio conferencing.
If any area committee needs and assistance with this, then please contact the TOWA Chairman.
The Minutes of your Area AGM should be submitted to the Hon Gen Sec and should identify your Area Officers and your Area Reps (plus stand in representatives) as a minimum and any resolutions the Area may wish to put forward to the AGM.
http://www.moette.co.uk/oc1/England-Tug-of-War-Facemaskhttp://www.moette.co.uk/oc1/Tug-of-War-Association-Facemask-Texthttp://www.moette.co.uk/oc1/Tug-of-War-Association-Facemask
Badges are £8.50 plus delivery.
In normal times, September would have seen TWIF celebrating its 60th Anniversary at the 2020 World Outdoor Tug of War Championships which were this year due to be held in the Basque Country. The World Championships have been postponed until next year. The Tug of War Association are otherwise proud to have been founder members of TWIF.
In the meantime, TWIF have published a 60th Anniversary Magazine, which can be downloaded below.
17-19 August 2020 marks 100 years since tug of war was last contested at the Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920 with Great Britain winning the gold medal.
The Tug of War Association would like to see our sport return in the future.
Of course, getting the sport back into the Olympics is a huge task, and we therefore remain humble and realistic and accept that we have some very hard work ahead to reach our ultimate dream of getting our sport back onto one of the worlds biggest sporting platforms.
Click here to read our press release about why we think tug of war should return to the Olympic Games.
If you want to get involved in tug of war by joining an existing club or starting your own team, then please contact us!
Click here to read about the 2010 TWIF 50th Anniverdary World Outdoor Tug of War Championships held in Pretoria, South Africa. The article also includes a highlight video.
Click here to read back on what happened at the 2010 outdoor national tug of war championships held in Warslow, Peak District.
The TOWA is sad to announce the passing of Ernie Cook.
Ernie was a stalwart member of Curzon & Rainham tug of war clubs, where he was the anchorman for many years. He was a great clubman missing very few competitions and will be remembered for his great sense of humour as well as his competitive spirit.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and team mates at this sad time.
Click here to read back about the 2010 World Indoor Tug of War Championships held in Cesanatico, Italy where England won 1 gold and 2 silver medals.
Last week, UK Anti-Doping’s ‘Clean in Quarantine’ campaign was launched as part of Clean Sport Week 2020.
The campaign, now in its fourth year, is being supported by a range of National Governing Bodies (NGBs), sports organisations and UK sports stars, who are taking part in several online activities focusing on anti-doping education throughout the week, 18-24 May 2020.
Based on research conducted by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), Clean Sport Week is encouraging those in sport to celebrate clean sport and continue expanding their anti-doping knowledge. Furthermore, UKAD is calling for athletes to adopt practices into their day-to-day lives that will reduce the risk of violating anti-doping rules.
Through a number of online events, the ‘Clean in Quarantine’ campaign for Clean Sport Week, will promote UKAD’s online education programmes including Coach Clean, which is now available free online.
Clean Sport Week is a partnership campaign between UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and the wider British sporting family, which provides a platform to celebrate clean sport.
From promoting UKAD’s Coach Clean course and other free online education programmes, to sharing videos featuring elite athletes and coaches, and hosting an anti-doping webinar, the ‘Clean in Quarantine’ campaign is focusing on online events and activities amidst the Covid-19 lockdown.
Click here to register for the free anti-doping education programmes and for more details on the campaign. Join in the conversation on social media using #CleanInQuarantine.
UK Anti-Doping
UK Anti-Doping is responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.
UK Anti-Doping’s functions include an education and information programme, athlete testing across more than 40 Olympic, Paralympic and professional sports, intelligence management and exclusive results management authority for the determination of anti-doping rule violations.
For more information on what UKAD do, please click here.
We’re delighted to inform you that through UK Coaching, you can access the online course ‘Mental Health Awareness for Sport & Physical Activity’ – usually £18 – for free!
As part of last week's Mental Health Awareness Week, UK Coaching, their awarding body 1st4sport and course partners – Mind and Sport England – have released it to the wider coaching community.
All you need to do is head to www.ukcoaching.org where you will be able to purchase the course for free.
The mental health of the population is being challenged during this isolating time.
Equipping you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to better understand and support people living with mental health problems, as well as with ways to support your own mental health, is crucial both now and going forward.
We would encourage anyone acting in a coaching / support / welfare capacity role within tug of war to take part in this online course. The course is available free of charge until 31 August.
Please can all of our members / clubs share this information.
Click here for a report, photos and videos from the 2007 European Outdoor Tug of War Championships which were hosted by the Tug of War Association.
The event was hugely successful in terms of teams competing, medals won by the England teams, and of course the royal visit by HRH Princess Anne!
Click here for a report and photos from the 2007 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships held at the Three Counties Show, Malvern Worcester
Please see the post below from TWIF confirming the postponement of the 2020 World Outdoor Championships until 2021. The 2021 European Championships will now be held in 2022 and the 2022 World Championships in Switzerland will be held in 2023. Click the post to expand the notice further.
Click here for the report / results from the 2006 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships held at the Three Counties, Show, Malvern, Worcester in addition, two presentations of the TOWA Award of Merit were made at this event.
Click here to read the report / results from the 2005 European Outdoor Tug of War Championships held in Cento, Italy
Click here to read the report / results from the 2004 World Indoor Tug of War Championships held at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
Click here to read about everything that happened at the 2003 European Championships held in Assen, Netherlands!
Click the link below to download the Spring 2020 edition of the TWIF Magazine
Whilst the ongoing social distancing measures are in place to tackle Covid-19, it is very important whilst all competitions and training are suspended that all clubs, pullers (past and present) and all individuals / tug of war supporters do what they can to promote tug of war. We therefore ask all clubs and pullers, past and present to do the following in the coming weeks:
- publish regular posts on you club social media pages / channels from previous events
- encourage all of your members to share the above posts
- consider publishing videos of some of the individual training you are doing ready for such time that competitions can resume
- if you are a retired puller, get your photos/videos out from the archives and share them on social media
The above will help us to promote tug of war during this time and keep our sport at the forefront of peoples minds as well as help people to stay connected.
Every day at 5pm, we are posting photos and videos on our Facebook Page for everyone to view and share.
For those who don't use Facebook, some of the videos we have posted are available to view on our press and media page.
The Tug of War Association is saddened to learn of the passing of former Bosley puller Clem Ekin. Click here to read more.
Prior to the suspension of events, Essex TOWC held an open competition. Click here to see the results and photos of the event courtesy of Gavin Corden.
Prior to the suspension of events, the second event of the Dorset Training League took place. Click here to see the results and photos from the event courtesy of Nick Major
The 2020 National Tug of War Championships takes place on Saturday 20 June at the Grove and Wantage Extravaganza in Oxfordshire.
All teams are encouraged to register and take part. Clubs and pullers need to be registered with the TOWA by Wednesday 20 May 2020 at the very latest, ideally sooner (please note that the deadline to register for the AAA Championships is 19th April 2020). Remember - there are no pre-qualification events. It is only teams that wish to be eligible to represent England that are required to attend a set number of events throughout the season.
For further details about how to register your teams and pullers to take part, please visit the National Championships 2020 page of this web site. Puller registration forms are available to download on the National Championships page in excel and pdf format.
Applications are open to all male and female pullers under the age of 23 to put themselves forward to the England Under 23 Development Squads for 2020.
Further information about what is involved / expected is available on the Under 23 Tug of War page of our web site.
Please can all club secretaries / coaches please ensure that any under 23 pullers that you have who are interested in taking part complete and return an application form to the relevant team manager as early as possible. Forms are available on the under 23 page.
Please note that we can only consider/include pullers if they make themselves known to us and complete a form. There have been several instances previously where pullers have approached the team managers on the day of a championship asking to take part, which is of course too late. So please ensure that all eligible pullers complete and return an application form.
Over the weekend of 22-23 February, England took a small squad of pullers to the World Indoor Championships with Uppertown representing England in the 680kg, and England also competing in the 640kg competition with a composite teamed formed of pullers from Raunds, Uppertown, Bosley and Kilroe.
Click here to read about what happened.
This weekend, the England tug of war squad will be competing at the TWIF World Indoor Tug of War Championships which are taking place in Letterkenny, Ireland. Click here to read more.
Click the video below to watch a slide show of some of our favourite memories from over the years.
Remember - if you use social medial, please share our video and otherwise post your own photos / tug of war memories online and encourage people to get involved in tug of war!
On Saturday and Sunday 14 / 15 March the TOWA will be running a Coaches, Judges and Recorders Course in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
The coaches and judges course will be a two day course.
The recorders course will be a half day course taking place on Saturday 14 March.
Please click here for further information and to download an application form.
Next Wednesday is international tug of war day. It is also the day before the TWIF world indoor championships start.
What we would like all pullers (current and retired) and all tug of war supporters to do on the day is put up a post about tug of war on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, instagram, etc) and share it including the hashtags #InternationalTugofWarDay and #TugofWarDay and encourage people to give the sport a go. Likewise all clubs should post about it on your own social media pages.
Such posts could include any or a combination of a photo or video of a memorable pull or other special memory, a special medal or trophy collection, a post about some of the social aspects of our sport/friendships made, a link to a web page about tug of war, a link to your clubs social pages encouraging people to join, links to YouTube videos of tug of war etc.
Use you imagination and come up with something engaging and encourage interaction and hopefully encourage people to give tug of war a go and grow our sport.
So set a reminder on your phones to post about tug of war next Wednesday 19th February (including the hashtags with your posts) and let’s promote our sport as far as possible.
Thanks in anticipation for your support! Please pass this message on to all of your team mates. If you have older relatives that used to be involved in the sport but are not on social medial, then please ask them if you post photos etc. onto social media on their behalf.
Click here to read about everything that happened at the British and Irish Indoor Tug of War Championships over the weekend and to see some photos and videos from the event!
2020 TOWA handbooks are now available.
Books contain lots of information including TOWA committee and club contacts, photos, championship records and rules.
Books cost £5 and are available from the TOWA Secretary or your area representative. Handbooks are complimentary to club and individual members of the TOWA.
Contact a member of the committee to purchase a copy by clicking here. All pullers are encouraged to obtain a copy and to familiarise yourselves with TOWA competition rules.
Fixtures for the 2020 season are now online. Click here to see our full fixture list. Please note that there may be additions / amendments to the fixture list throughout the year, so please continue to check back to make sure that any details are correct.
Click here to read about proposed rule changes that were voted in at the 2020 AGM for the coming year.
Click here to find contact details for personnel who make up the TOWA General Committee for 2020
The TOWA has now published and updated Safeguarding Statement
The policy and procedures set out in the TOWA safeguarding statement are mandatory for everyone involved in the Tug of War Association. Failure by anyone to comply with the policy and procedures set out in the document will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the TOWA.
The latest document was resolved to be adopted by the General Committee in November 2019. The safeguarding statement can be downloaded via the link below. A copy of the statement is also available to download on our rules page.
The Tug of War Association is saddened to have learned of the passing of Harold Sercombe recently.
Harold was a former member and coach of Kennford Tug of War Club in Devon, who haven't been out on the circuit in recent years, but have been trying to re-establish a team.
Harold's funeral will take place on Friday 20th December at 12.30pm at Exeter and Devon Crematorium, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 6EU.
Our thoughts are with Harold's family, friends and team mates at this difficult time.
Membership forms are in the process of being sent out to all current club and individual members.
Please could all clubs / individuals ensure that you send your membership renewals and membership fee in before 1 January 2020.
In addition, please can you ensure that you accurately complete your contact details so that our records are up to date and confirm your agreement to your contact details being published in the TOWA Handbook as per the correspondence that accompanies the membership forms.
Club members - please make sure you name your two nominated club welfare officers on your membership form. This is mandatory.
If you are a new / existing club that is not yet a member of the TOWA and would like to join, then please visit http://www.tugofwar.co.uk/join-the-towa for more info about how to join.
Membership fees can be paid by cheque (cheques should be made payable to "The Tug of War Association") or you can pay by bank transfer using the following details:
NatWest Bank
sort code: 54-30-27
Account Number: 37013963
Account Name: Tug of War Association Club Account
Please put your club / individual name on the payment description line so we know who the payment has come from.
Before making payment via bank transfer, we advise that you contact the TOWA Treasurer, Alan Ludkin, by phone on 01304 617660 to verify our account details. The TOWA does not accept responsibility if you transfer funds to the wrong account. Please note also that we do not e-mail you regarding changes to our account details, so if you receive any e-mails telling you to pay into a different account then please do not pay any money into such accounts, and please inform us if you receive any suspicious communications.
Click here for the results of the 2019 National Indoor Tug of War Championships!
The Tug of War Association is saddened to learn of the passing of Dave Ling.
Dave was the chairman of TOWA Area 5 and was involved in tug of war firstly as a puller, then a coach and organiser for many years. In more recent years, Dave was heavily involved in organising and encouraging teams along to the Kessingland Autumn Tug of War weekend, including this year’s event in October.
As a puller, Dave was a member of the Reedham Vikings team for many years until the club disbanded, and after that, Dave carried on as a puller with Totham Bull and a puller/coach with Woodton.
Dave was a very friendly and helpful person on the tug of war circuit and he will be missed by many.
Our thoughts and sympathies are with Dave’s wife Pat, his family, friends and team mates.
The funeral will take place on January 10th 2020 at 1pm at Magdalen Crematorium, Oriel Avenue, Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, NR31 7JJ.
Family flowers only please.
Any donations to the Royal British legion, either at Jarys on Northgate street, Great Yarmouth or a collection box at the service.
The weight classes for the open competition at the British and Irish Championships have now been confirmed as follows:
- Men - 560, 600, 640, 680
- Ladies - 500 and 540
- Senior Mixed - 580
- Junior Men - 560
- Junior Ladies - 520
As it is an open competition, teams may weigh in with 7 pullers in a weight class if they wish to do so, and in the mens weight classes, teams may weigh in with up to two female pullers if required.
In addition, please note the following regarding accommodation.
We have reserved all twin rooms at the hotel for competitors as well as double rooms, however the hotel may release double rooms to the general public if they are not booked in good time, so teams are advised to book their accommodation at the earliest opportunity.
All of the details about this event are available on the British and Irish Indoor Tug of War Championships 2020 page of this web site.
Click here for the results of the final indoor open competition of the season before this weekend's National Indoor Tug of War Championships!
The web site for the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships to be held in the Basque Country on 16-20 September 2020 has now been launched. The web site contains programme, information and accommodation details.
The web site address is https://www.sokatiramundiala.com/
Click here for the results of the fourth weekend of the 2019 Indoor Tug of War Season
Click here for the results, photos and videos from the 2019 AAA indoor tug of war championships.
On 1 and 2 February 2020, the Tug of War Association will be hosting the 2020 British and Irish Indoor Tug of War Championships. Please click here for further details about how to take part or go along and support the teams taking part. There is both an international competition and an open club competition. Any club is eligible to take part in the open competition.
Click here for the results of the second week of indoor competition held at the Harry Mitchell Centre on Sunday 10 November.
The GENSB 2020 international junior tug of war tournament will take place in Heino, Netherlands over the August 2020 Bank Holiday weekend, with the competition taking place on Saturday 29th August.
Visit our GENSB 2020 page for provisional information!
The Tug of War Association is beginning to put together the fixture list for 2020.
If you wish to host an event in 2020, then you need to return a permit application form with the permit fee to the TOWA Secretary by 25 November 2019.
Please click here to find out more and to read more about what is required to host an event!
The first indoor competition of the 2019/20 season takes place on Sunday 3 November. ALL teams are welcome and encouraged to take part in indoor tug of war.
Please note that:
- The weigh in for all Sunday open competitions commences at 9am, with the first pull at 10am
- The venue for all events and championships is the Harry Mitchell Centre, Broomfield, Smethwick, West Midlands, B67 7DH
- The AAA Indoor Championships takes place on Sunday 17 November
- The indoor National Championships takes place on Saturday 7 December, with the weigh in taking place on Friday 6 December between 4pm and 8pm
- All indoor fixtures, including weight classes for each event are available on our fixtures page
- All puller registrations / temporary transfers of pullers from outdoor to indoor clubs need to be completed one month prior to the relevant championships
- The deadline to register pullers for the AAA indoor championships is Thursday 17 October 2019
- The deadline to register pullers for the national indoor championships is Thursday 7 November 2019
- All teams intending to take part on the indoor circuit should contact the TOWA Secretary in advance to confirm attendance at the various weekly competitions to ensure that the hall is booked for a sufficient amount of time for each event and sufficient officials are in attendance.
- For all enquiries about the indoor tug of war season, please contact the TOWA Secretary by e-mail or phone 01933 622639
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of Patsy Murphy, former puller of Garry Owen, Albright and Wilson, St Pats and Felton Eccles. Click here for a tribute from his former coach at St Pats, Steve Goss and funeral details.
English clubs and the England national teams came away with a number of medals from the recent European Championships held in Castlebar, Republic of Ireland!
Click here to read more!
05-08 September 2019
Click here for the schedule of events for the next four days of competition (including which English teams will be competing when) and a link to the live streaming which we have embedded onto our site for everyone to watch.
Make sure you log on to support the England teams taking part!
From Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 September 2019, the TWIF European Outdoor Tug of War Championships will be taking place in Castlebar, Republic of Ireland and teams from England will be taking part in the event!
It is certain to be a tough but exciting competition and we would like to wish all of the teams from England that are taking part the very best of luck!
You can read more about the teams representing England this week by clicking here!
2019 saw England host the annual GENSB junior international tournament in Folkestone, Kent over the August Bank Holiday Weekend. It was a very hot day and the teams taking part enjoyed an excellent day of tug of war!
Click here for a report, photos and videos from the event!
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the FWA Championships originally scheduled for Saturday 17th August had to be cancelled at the last minute.
This event has now been rescheduled to take place as follows:
Sunday 15th September 2019
Venue - Prickly Ball Farm, Denbury Road, East Ogwell, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 6BZ
Weigh In - 10-00 am
First Pull - 11-00 am
Weights - 640 and 720 Kilos Men, Mixed 600kg and a Ladies Weight.
All teams welcome.
Please contact Nick Major for further details and to confirm your team's attendance on 01364 652984 or 07931 756321
The TOWA National League concluded at the weekend with some very competitive pulling and some close results. Click here for a full report!
Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips of St.Clarets and Thames Valley TOWC's sadly passed away on Friday 9th August. Steve had been fighting Cancer for some while and was recently at the Area 7 Open Championships at Sandhurst in July. Steve had seemed in good spirits and was looking forward to keeping in touch with his Tug of War friends, but this was sadly not to be.
Steve's Funeral will be on Wednesday 28th August at 1am ATGrange Park Baptists Church, 217 Lansbury Drive, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 8RS. The service will be followed by the burial at 12.30pm at Northwood Cemetery, HA6 1HU. The wake will be held at Hayes & Harrington Community Centre, Albert Road Hayes, UB3 4HR
Nick Skelton
Nick Skelton of Cotswold Farmers and recently Coach of Ansty YFC TOW Club has also recently passed away following his fight against Cancer.
Nick was a well known competitor in the South West and competed at both Outdoor and Indoor Tug of War with Cotswold Farmers.
Nick has been Coaching Ansty YFC in recent years and as well as competing in the TOWA National Championships, Ansty YFC won the YFC Championships in 2017, and most recently this year even though Nick was too ill to attend.
Our thoughts are with Steve and Nick's family, friends and team mates at this difficult time.
Well done to all of the teams who travelled to the British and Irish Tug of War Championships in Northern Ireland over the weekend. It was a fantastic event which saw England come away with a number of medals! Click here for a report from the event!
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn that ex TOWA judge Martin Thorpe passed away on 31 July.
The Funeral will take place 28 August at 1pm at North Herts Memorial Park and Crematorium.
Followed by tea at Mount Pleasant Golf Course, Lower Stondon.
If anyone would like to attend, write a tribute and/or make a tribute then you are asked to please contact Kirsty Thorpe by email. If you would like to make contact, then please drop us a message and we can provide you with the email address by return.
The family are asking for all gents to wear bright coloured or character ties and brighly coloured ties. Family flowers only and donations if you wish will be splite between Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation.
This weekend the 2019 British and Irish Tug of War Championships take place in Northern Ireland, with the closed international competition taking place on Friday 9 August and the open club competition taking place on Saturday 10 August.
The Tug of War Association would like to wish all of those teams travelling to the event the very best of luck.
You can find out more about the teams that are representing England by clicking here.
Click here for the results of the 2019 Cheshire Open Tug of War Championships held at the Cheshire Game and Angling Fair at Peover Hall near Knutsford over the weekend!
Well done and thank you to everyone who attended the TOWA training and development day on Sunday 28 July at Holland Sports Club.
The day went well despite the weather and we hope that everyone who attended learned something new and got plenty from the day.
As ever, if you have any constructive feedback from the day, positive or negative, then please contact us with your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve future training and development days.
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of Nigel Slade.
Nigel Slade started his career with Byfords/Southend ToWC before joining Rainham/St. George in 1992. With the Club he was a regular member in the teams that achieved a Silver and 5 Bronzes at the outdoor national championships. When he joined Tonbridge in 2004 he was in the 640kg National bronze medalist side.
He achieved greater success on the Indoor circuit with BAC being part of numerous Gold medal winning teams and also represented England.
A good bloke all round and great competitor.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and team mates.
The Funeral of Nigel Slade will take place on Tuesday 13th August 2019 at St. Andrews Church, Rochford, Essex, SS4 1NW at 12.00pm.
The burial will be at The Lawn Cemetary, Rochford, Essex, SS4 1PA at 1pm.
Every will be welcome to come back to the house after for tea/coffee and food.
Click here for the results of the Inter County Championships hosted by the TOWA South West Area Number 3.
The Funeral of Ernie Jones will take place on Tuesday 6th August 2019 at St George's and St Michael's Church, Vancouver Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 2AG at 12.30pm
The burial will take place at 2pm at Hither Green Cemetery, Verdant Lane, London, SE6 1JX
Afterwards, everyone is asked to join Ernie's family to celebrate the life of Ernie at the Catford and Cyphers Cricket Club, Rubens street, Catford, London, SE23 4DH.
If you wish to send flowers for the funeral please send to 147 Elsinore Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 2SQ