Southampton Buccaneers Field Target Club

SBFTC has been around for over 14 years on a number of sites in the Southampton area, moving to the current ground on a corner of the Broadlands Estate near Romsey in 2004.  Primarily we are a field target club affiliated to the British Field Target Association (BFTA), but we also welcome and encourage other styles of air rifle shooting.  From autumn through to spring we compete in the team based Central Southern Region winter league against other clubs in the region.  Although done for fun, it's highly competitive and you get to shoot against some of the best including the current UK FT champion.    We also compete individually in the UK Grand Prix series as well as the European and World championships upholding our competitive heritage.  Being  BFTA affiliated club, we are fully insured and have the benefit of a BFTA qualified club instructor to provide coaching to new and old members alike.  An advantage of being a BFTA club is that we have a direct link up into the ISSF and the IOC with all of the benefits this brings.  There is an established and highly regarded instructor training scheme and we have access to excellent resources that many other organisations can only dream about.  We also have a very strong and positive message regarding equity in our sport and being an affiliate of the main UK and world wide shooting federations we have adopted their guiding principles and ethics.

Even if you've never thought about it we would encourage you to take part in at least one competition, if nothing else you'll get to see what it's all about.  During winter league shoots there's usually a chance for non competitors to shoot the course under competition conditions, which can be an eye opener.  Our region has many internationally renowned shooters so you may find yourself paired up with a world champion!  Everyone is really down to earth though, and it's a sport where even the best remember their first ever competitive shoot and are keen to help you progress so you may get a couple of hours of free coaching as you go round the course.

Many of our members don't compete, so if you're not looking to take up competitive FT you're still very welcome and won't be in any way excluded from club activities.  We have a woodland area in which we'll often set up a competition style course but often we just put out a dozen or so targets in the field and plink away.  We have a strong social aspect at the club, and you'll often find a group of members huddled by the lock up drinking coffee in cold weather discussing the merits of new equipment, or trying to fix kit that's not performing well.  There is a large knowledge base at the club, and help is given freely, you've just got to ask!

Your first visit is free and after a probationary (£3 range fee per visit during this period) you must join the club subject to satisfactory conduct.  Full membership costs £30 per 6 months (January and July renewals).  Juniors are half the adult rate.  We also require all members to pay £3 per year for a BFTA card.  This enables you to compete at any BFTA event and ensures that you are covered under our insurance.

In 2006 we also introduced Range Membership starting from June 2006.  This allows occasional shooters to have all of the benefits of membership, at a reduced cost per visit.  It costs £30 which runs from the month you join for 12 months, with a £2 range fee charged each time you visit.  If a range member visits less than 15 out of the 28 available days, membership becomes a lower cost option than full membership.  Juniors are half the adult rate.

What else?

We would encourage all members to take the sport as far as they want to.  Many are happy to pass a sunny Sunday morning plinking away having a chat with everyone else, others want to compete nationally or internationally and others want to get more involved with the club and the sport, perhaps by becoming a qualified BFTA instructor or coach, being a committee member at the club, region or nationally.  Whatever you want to do, the club will do it's utmost to support you in achieving your goals which in turn will make the club stronger.

Send mail to Robert at webmaster@sbftc.co.uk with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 08-Oct-2007 09:30