Am I Eligible?

FANS is open to sportsmen and sportswomen of all ages (including those with disabilities) who currently perform, or compete in a sport recognised by Sport England.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Reside for the majority of the year in Kent, excluding the Kent London Boroughs – Bromley, Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham (this will include applications from students who have a Kent address but are studying out of the County).
2. FANS members must perform in a sport recognised by Sport England at a National level and be recognised in any of the following ways:

• members of a national team or squad.
• listed in the top 10 of any national age group ranking (in sports where gender differences are not recognised this includes being listed in the top 10 females or top 10 males in any age group ranking).
• placed in the top 10 in any national age group competition (this includes National Schools competitions, National Universities competitions and other National competitions which are recognised by the National Governing Bodies as part of the sports competition calendar).

3.  National Governing Body verification and confirmation that FANS applicants meet the above criteria must be submitted with the application for membership.

Please note: an official results sheet or link to a website, where the results you have submitted can be verified may be requested.

FANS Scheme Conditions

FANS members will be allowed to have free training at any of the facilities involved in the Kent Scheme on the following basis:

• access will only be free at “off-peak” times (which may vary between facilities) unless local negotiation between the member, the facility and the local authority Leisure Services allows for other local arrangements.
• there should be no disruption to other users.
• there should be no additional cost incurred by the facility e.g. floodlighting.
• booking arrangements for use of facilities, where necessary are to be negotiated locally between the member, the facility and the local authority Leisure Services.
• facilities used by FANS members are to be related to their training programme and cannot be used simply for recreational purposes.
• membership is renewable every 12 months provided that the member continues to meet the eligibility criteria.
• existing or potential FANS members who are injured and require facilities for rehabilitation purposes can retain or obtain membership provided that written evidence is supplied by the National Governing Body and/or a medical specialist/consultant.
• FANS members will receive a membership card which must be shown at each facility in order to gain free access.  Admin charge of £15 is payable upon application, via either PayPal (you do not need to have a PayPal account) or cheque.  If your application is unsuccessful, your payment will be refunded.
• if a FANS member loses their membership card they must contact Active Kent & Medway regarding the reissuing of a card.  Any card reissued will have a new membership number and the old membership number will expire to ensure it is not used by another person.  There is a £5 admin charge for a replacement card, via either PayPal (you do not need to have a PayPal account) or cheque.
• FANS members are allowed one (but no more) free training partner if the sport so requires and/or a personal coach if appropriate.
• as a condition of membership FANS members will make every reasonable effort to attend promotional events as requested by any of the participating local authorities or facilities.
• FANS membership is not transferable to any other person. Failure to comply with this condition may/will result in members being removed from the scheme.

If you have any questions about eligibility or the scheme conditions, please contact Lucy Rout via lucy.rout@kent.gov.uk.