What are the Benefits of Joining a Federation?

Federal licenses facilitate the activities of the athlete while they organize the practice, events, access to regulation and updates of the sport in question. There are many benefits of joining a federation.

The number of federative licenses in Spain has increased significantly since 2014. This means that the number of Spanish citizens who’ve decided to join a sports federation has grown considerably. However, many amateur athletes are still unaware of the importance and benefits of joining a federation.

According to the latest report of the Supreme Sports Council (CSD), the number of members in Spain has increased to almost 3 percent during 2018. In the last four years, some sports have even registered increases of more than 20 percent. This is the case with soccer, volleyball and mountain sports, for example.

These figures seem to give us an obvious clue that there are several benefits of joining a sports federation. However, before we talk about these benefits in more detail, let’s review what being part of a federation is all about.

What does it mean to federate or obtain a federative license?

When we talk about federating in Spain, we’re referring to the decision of being part of an autonomous sports federation. When an athlete goes through this procedure, they obtain a federal license. It’s a document that certifies they belong to the autonomous federation that corresponds to their discipline of choice.

Since autonomous federations are almost always a part of the Royal Federation of the chosen sport, said license usually has a national scope. In other words, the federative license expresses the official recognition of the sport’s federation to a professional or amateur athlete.

When an athlete decides to request the license and federate, they become recognized as a sports practitioner by the corresponding autonomous federation. This means that the Royal Federation recognizes them on a national scope as well.

On the contrary, if a person plays sports without joining a federation, it means that the official sports entities don’t endorse their career, efforts, and achievements. As a consequence, those achievements don’t count when registering for official competitions or federative activities.

The benefits of joining a federation

As we learned, the main benefit of joining a federation is to be officially recognized as a practitioner of one or more sports. For example, imagine that you want to practice mountain climbing or another mountain sport, which naturally involves certain risks for your integrity and the integrity of other people around you.

Now, imagine that you choose to climb a mountain range that is on the border of Spain with other countries. These are enough examples for you to consider the importance of having the support of an internationally recognized organization to practice these activities.

Besides being a backup, the federal license also allows you to have assistance in case of emergencies or accidents. Even though there are sports with more or less inherent risk, you can never be too cautious.

Other advantages of obtaining a sports federative license

• Participating in competitions and federative events, as well as calls for events and grants for high-performance sports.
• Having specialized advice regarding one or several sports, as well as courses, events, and competitions.
• Being eligible to officially represent the CCAA or the country in national or international competitions; as a team or individually.
• Access technical sports centers scattered throughout Spain and becoming a part of the regional technical programs.
• Receive training on topics related to health and safety.
• Meet other athletes, exchange experiences and create a network of contacts that allow you to acquire new knowledge and encourage more people to become interested in your sport.

• Several federations provide exclusive discounts for their members. Not only in sporting activities and events but also in accommodation, campsites, sports shops, bookstores, etc.
• Collaborate with projects and initiatives to teach and promote sports on a regional and national level.

Are there disadvantages of joining a federation?

As with any decision, joining a federation can also have some pros and cons. For example, maintaining the federative license active requires a reasonable investment. And, if the athlete doesn’t enjoy the benefits regularly, this expense can be difficult to justify, even if it includes medical and civil insurance for a year.

In general, the benefits of joining a federation are much greater than the possible disadvantages. It’s always advisable to be well-informed before deciding to request a sports license. To do it, you can go on the official website of the autonomous federation of your sport modality; you can also visit one of the venues in person.