This motion has been amended
One or more member amendments have been applied to this motion. The current text shown below is the updated version. You can view the previously published version further down the page.
Rationale
International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) costs are increasing, including competition entry fees rising from €75 to €100 from next year (already rose from €60 in 2026).
- Operating costs across the organisation continue to increase materially (venues, staffing, insurance, equipment, and general inflationary pressures)
- There is a clear need to invest further in the sport, including the potential to appropriately compensate key roles to improve delivery, performance pathways, and athlete support
- Standard membership fees have remained broadly unchanged for many years, despite sustained cost increases over that period
- The organisation typically operates at or around break-even; while cash reserves were strengthened during COVID, these are required to manage working capital and cash flow timing (e.g. upfront costs for championships, hotels, venues, equipment, and medals ahead of income being received) and for re-investment into the sport.
- A single increase now supports long-term financial sustainability while maintaining the quality of member services, and reduces the likelihood of more frequent or larger increases in future
Motion text
That British Powerlifting increases all regular annual membership subscription fees by 25% (covering Senior, Junior and sub-junior memberships), with effect from 1 January 2027 (or the next membership renewal cycle following AGM approval), with the Board authorised to round fees to practical whole-pound amounts.
This will not include special olympic or none lifter memberships.
Amendment proposed by Bryn Evans:
if the motion is defeated the board should withdraw the motion 4.1.
It would not be a responsible decision to proceed with £65k of additional liabilities without this motion secured as it represents the majority of the funding source.
Clerical amendments consent
Clerical and Non-Substantive Amendments
By proposing or voting in favour of this motion, members consent to British Powerlifting making clerical and non-substantive amendments to the wording where necessary to:
- correct typographical errors, punctuation, grammar, and formatting;
- reformat or restructure the layout for consistent presentation across all motions, including separating rationale from proposed text where they have been combined;
- fix cross-references, numbering, and citations;
- align drafting with the clear intent of the motion where wording is inconsistent or ambiguous;
- add brief editorial annotations, clearly distinguished from the motion text, to aid voter understanding (e.g., clarifying which article or rule is being referenced);
- redact personal or sensitive information inadvertently included by the proposer (such as email addresses, phone numbers, or names of individuals not party to the motion);
- remove or amend content that is defamatory or in breach of British Powerlifting's codes of conduct;
- amend content that conflicts with Sport England governance best practices or International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) rules, making the minimum change necessary to bring the motion into compliance while preserving its intent; and
- make small, proportionate adjustments to address unintended consequences that were not intended by the rationale for the motion.
Any such amendments will be limited to changes that do not alter the substance or effect of the motion as proposed, and British Powerlifting will record a note of any amendments made alongside the published motion.
Intended outcome
Anticipated annual membership increase of c£50k. To be used to cover on-going cost increases.
This will mean a standard British Powerlifitng lifter membership will increase from £49 to £61.25.
Statement from the Board
The British Powerlifting Board may provide a statement sharing their position or view on this motion.The board unanimously support this.
This is a tough one, but on reflection I support this motion.
Nobody likes a price increase on the face of it, but I think it is worth remembering that British Powerlifting is a not-for-profit organisation. This money is not going to shareholders; it is being reinvested into the sport in one form or another.
The proposed increase would take a standard lifter membership from £49 to £61.25. In the context of other serious UK sporting-body memberships, that does not seem unreasonable. It is broadly in the same territory as comparable annual memberships in sports that also need insurance, governance, officials, safeguarding, event structures, and performance pathways.
The scale point is important too. British Powerlifting does not have the membership base of much larger governing bodies, so the fixed costs of running the sport properly have to be spread across a relatively small number of members. Even a 25% increase only creates a limited amount of extra annual income once you multiply it across the membership base.
If we want the sport to keep growing, improve its governance, support key roles more sustainably, and deliver better services to members, then the funding model has to grow with it. Provided the additional income is used transparently and reinvested well, I think this is a reasonable and necessary step for the long-term stability of British Powerlifting.