With huge wellbeing benefits and around 3 million UK participants, does fishing get the support it is due? While the reality is complex, one thing stands out a mile: there are so many ways angling could and should get a bigger piece of the pie. So where do we start?
Financial times aren’t easy for the UK. Correct, the chancellor talks like someone who just dropped their last quid down the drain after getting a nasty letter from the bank. But funding for sport and activities is still there, and these days it forms a much wider conversation about national health and wellbeing.
Angling is priceless to so many of us, but sadly that message is often lost to the wider public and would-be supporters.
Compared to many other sports and hobbies, angling a huge number of participants across all age groups, and yet it tends to receive a fraction of the funding. That’s not to say we get no support, however, or that we couldn’t do much more to grow fishing.
Perhaps we should start with an awkward truth: angling is not always good at promoting itself or winning funding! This is down to all of us, and comes down to that old saying: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”. And on that note, we want this discussion to be less about finger pointing and more about the huge potential out there for every club, fishery and angler to help grow the sport.
One great starting point to do that is to pick the brains of those who are winning the funding game and doing great work already. Our Clubmate webinars are an ideal platform for this and other networking opportunities! Here are just some of the funding sources and key areas where our members are winning…
Existing pots and rod licence money
Perhaps the most obvious funding boost for clubs and fisheries is via rod licence money. This isn’t the space to debate how this is spent or how much comes back. Suffice to say, a chunk of licence money is reinvested into fishing, and it is the Angling Trust that administers the main pots annually via the Angling Improvement Fund (AIF) and Fisheries Improvement Program (FIP). The AIF delivers everything from predation defences to combating invasive species, while the FIP is more about things like better access, facilities and platforms.
A chunk of rod licence money is reinvested every year- but clubs don’t always know how to apply for it.
The main barrier to most clubs and fisheries is the application process. The paperwork alone can be offputting! However, the Angling Trust itself can help here, and any club or fishery that can show wider community benefits stands a great chance. You can find out more at: https://anglingtrust.net/funding/
In terms of fishing events and their promotion, it’s also worth tapping into the trust’s “Get Fishing” program and seeing what’s available. From coaching paths to free event listing, there is support available, while it’s also worth checking out the Fisheries Support Service for useful contacts.
Education and social care
Perhaps angling’s biggest and yet least flaunted asset is the way our sport boosts mental and physical health. There are already moves to get angling prescribed by NHS health practitioners, not to mention incorporated into schools and wider education!
While angling has been slow generally to reach out to schools and social care providers, the likes of Reel Education and Fishing for Schools have been notable exceptions, as well as mental health charities such as the excellent Tackling Minds.
How worthwhile projects such as these get their backing is no simple matter, from direct fundraising efforts, through to education and community providers. The one common denominator is anglers who are not shy about knocking on doors and searching far and wide to secure funding!
Community funds, charities and other sources
The potential sources of support for angling are vast, and so often the most successful, well supported venues and clubs are those who think big and tap into less obvious sources. The full list would be vast, but some obvious sources stand out.
Community and council funding pots are one obvious source- and a good reason to network with local councillors, police and youth workers. A great starting point for any conversation is not “what can we get?” but “what can angling provide others?”.
The wellbeing benefits of angling could draw far more funding.
From police-backed initiatives countering crime and anti-social behaviour to projects to support he elderly run with Age UK, there have been some huge wins for angling in recent years- although the truth is we could do a lot more.
Local businesses, crowdfunders and more
A less obvious place to get support for things like fishery improvements, coaches and equipment tends to be local business. But whether it’s the local supermarket, printing company or indeed a tackle shop, it’s always worth asking!
The Reel Rod Squad: a breath of fresh air
With the negativity of so much current news, everyone loves a positive story- and so often businesses love to be a part of this. Sharing success and uplifting outcomes is absolute gold dust for PR purposes!
Just look at the success of Reel Rod Squad, to take just one example. Aimed at getting kids off the streets and away from knife crime, they have generated huge positivity- and eager support from various groups and businesses, from the police to local printers, all only too happy to be associated with a positive angling story.
In this day and age, of course, other sources include crowdfunding campaigns and direct appeals not only to the angling community but the wider public. Want to save a local fishery or get tackle for a fledgling junior group? Sources like https://www.gofundme.com are as valid as any other- but the rules are the same: be sure to spell out in giant letters the huge value angling has to the community!
Further potential and bigger conversations
As for the bigger conversation about how we promote fishing and why we still don’t punch our weight, that’s a much bigger fish than we could contain in a single blog! Let’s face it- we are still often dogged by apathy and, unfortunately, an attitude of “let’s wait for someone else to sort it out” in some quarters.
However, our focus going forward should be firmly on those who are doing great things and winning not only hearts and minds, but wallets! On which note, we love to hear from anglers, clubs and fisheries in our online webinars, social media and other sources!
On a final note, criticism is important, but it’s even more vital for every one of us to big up angling and sell its benefits more clearly if we wish to thrive and survive. If only everyone knew more about what we do, from local councils and MPs to schools and businesses- whether it’s the way we protect the environment, improve wellbeing and bring countless people together with a shared passion.