General

General Information

Maidenhead Archers promote and practise Archery as a leisure and competitive sport. We welcome experienced archers to the Club and offer support and encouragement to beginners and novices. We are affiliated to  Archery GB.

Where we shoot
We shoot at the Braywick Sports Ground in Maidenhead (on the A308, just south of the train station, post code: SL6 1BN), Berkshire. Archery has been practised at Braywick for nearly 40 years. Also at Eton Wick Sports Hall (post code: SL4 6LT).

  • Spring & Summer time:
    On Sunday afternoons we shoot from 1pm at Braywick, and on Wednesday and Friday from early afternoon till dusk.
  • Autumn & Winter time:
    On Sunday afternoons we shoot from 1pm at Braywick, and on Wednesday and Friday evenings we shoot in Eton Wick Sports Hall, from 6pm.  This autumn starting 25th October 2023 to end March 2024.


What do we shoot

We regularly shoot Recurve, Compound and Longbow bows. Occasionally you might see a flatbow on the field.

  • Recurve: This is what we train new archers to shoot, and is the most common type of bow, and currently the only bow type recognised for the Olympics. Some members shoot “barebow” (without sighting and other aids).
  • Compound: These bows are often used for hunting in North America, and are the most hi-tech bow types you can buy. Any form of hunting with bows is illegal in the UK. There are many world-wide competitions for Compound archers. These can be incredibly accurate and extremely fast bows to shoot, but also require a lot of skill to shoot well.
  • Longbow: This is the bow you see Robin Hood shoot in the movies. English archers have won many battles throughout history using this kind of bow. It is very difficult to master, but in the old days of archers being present on the battle field, their rate of fire was the most important attribute of this bow.
Competitions As a Club we encourage members to attend open shoots with local clubs as and when they occur, whilst the Club Championship shoot is held in September. Each year the club enters the winter postal leagues for an indoor Portsmouth round and an outdoor frostbite round. The Portsmouth is shot on the second Friday of the month, and the Frostbite shot on the second Sunday of the month, both from November to March.
How do I join Maidenhead Archers We have to ensure that everyone shooting meets a minimum level of skill and understands and applies the principles of safe shooting. Because of this, before joining any archery club, you must have completed a beginners’ course or have been a full member of another club. We ask all membership applicants to shoot with us before inviting them to join. This also gives you the chance to decide if you like us!

For those who have not shot before, we offer two public “Have-A-Go” sessions per year, where you can try your hand at archery and if you wish to find out more, there is plenty of opportunity to speak to members of the club. Our next Have-A-Go day will be held Spring 2024, at Braywick Sports Ground.

We always welcome new and experienced archers to the club. If you have not yet completed a beginners’ course, please see our Beginners page. If you have completed a beginners’ course, with us or elsewhere, please Contact Us.

Junior Section In 2015, the club established a Junior Section for junior archers in the age range 10 to 17. Junior archers shoot in their respective age ranges, which are Under 18, Under 16, Under 14 and Under 12. During British Summer Time (April to September) we run a junior evening on Tuesdays at Braywick, when the junior archers are provided with coaching and are able to practice shooting. We are also building up a repertoire of archery games to inject a bit of fun. Note junior archers are also able and encouraged to shoot with the rest of the club on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. One of our Beginners Courses is designed specifically for juniors, and any parents wishing to learn to shoot with their child. See Beginners page
Have-a-Go Each year we run two Have-a-Go sessions, normally in May & August. Please see the Have-A-Go page for further details of the upcoming sessions.
Beginners’ Courses During the year, the Club runs four beginners’ courses. Two indoor courses over the Autumn and Winter at Eton Wick and two over the Spring and Summer at Braywick, one of which is specifically for juniors and parents. The Beginners page has further details of available courses.