Where’s the exit?

Where’s the Exit?

Why junior angling needs clear pathways, regular coaching, and real “exit routes”

Introduction – the “one-off” problem

Junior angling is fantastic at giving kids a magical “first fish” experience. Walk down the bank at any summer taster day and you’ll find grins from ear to ear, proud parents snapping photos, and volunteer coaches quietly buzzing with pride. For many children, catching that first roach or perch really is a life-changing moment.

But here’s the hard truth: what happens the week after?

All too often, the trail goes cold. Juniors attend one or two fun days, then drift away because their local club doesn’t offer regular sessions, a clear pathway, or any sense of progression. What should have been the start of a journey becomes a dead end.

This is what we mean by exit routes—the bridges that turn one-off tasters into a lifetime hobby, a sport, or even a career. In football, rugby, or gymnastics, it’s obvious: you join a team, train weekly, play in leagues, move up the ladder. In angling? The pathway is often invisible, patchy, or simply not there.

If we want more young people fishing—and more of them sticking with it—we need to talk seriously about exit routes.

The State of Play: Where We Stand Now

Let’s ground this in some numbers:

• 2,300+ clubs, fisheries and trade bodies are affiliated with the Angling Trust, representing over 300,000 members. That’s a huge network that could drive junior pathways if it was mobilised.
• 910,973 rod licences were sold in 2023/24, generating £22.53m that’s reinvested into fisheries and participation. Licences for 13–16 year-olds are free, making angling one of the lowest-barrier sports for teenagers.
• Let’s Fish! (Canal & River Trust) delivered around 500 events for 8,254 people in 2022/23, and 1,082 events for 19,364 attendees in 2023/24. That’s tens of thousands of new experiences—but without follow-up, most are one-offs.
• The National Celebration of Young People & Fishing is the UK’s biggest youth angling event, attracting hundreds of juniors each September.
• The Active Lives Children & Young People Survey shows only 47.8% of children achieve the Chief Medical Officer’s guideline of 60+ minutes of daily activity. Regular, enjoyable sport is the missing piece.

These stats show two things at once: demand is high—tens of thousands are trying fishing—but sustained weekly coaching at club level isn’t consistently offered, tracked, or guaranteed. That’s the gap.

Why Weekly Coaching Matters

Retention > Recruitment

Recruiting kids into angling isn’t the issue—we already have thousands attending tasters every year. The real problem is retention. A taster gives a memory. Weekly coaching builds a habit.

Skills and Confidence

Angling is a technical sport. Learning to tie a rig, plumb depth, feed accurately, or play a fish properly all require repetition. Kids need structured practice, not just a one-off lucky day with a borrowed whip.

Mental Wellbeing

The Active Lives survey is clear: children who take part in regular sport show higher wellbeing, more confidence, and better engagement in school. Angling, with its mix of calm focus and outdoor nature, is uniquely positioned to support this—if it’s offered regularly.

Pathway into Competition

The Angling Trust has started bridging the gap by allowing under-16s into some adult competitions (with Level 2 coach endorsement and safeguarding in place). That’s a real “exit” into higher-level fishing. But without weekly coaching to develop skills, most juniors never even get close to that stage.

The Cost of Not Running Regular Coaching

Drop-Off After the First Catch

Every club knows the story: a child attends a taster, catches a perch, smiles for the photo… then never returns. Without predictable, regular sessions, families can’t build angling into their routine.

Lost Funding Opportunities

Funders—from Sport England to local councils—look for evidence of frequency, safeguarding, inclusion, and progression. Sporadic junior activity weakens bids and makes partnerships harder to secure.

Weak Competition Pathways

Without consistent coaching, juniors stall before reaching inter-club or county-level matches. That cuts off talent ID and lowers the sport’s visibility at higher levels.

Economic Missed Opportunities

Angling contributes around £3.5bn annually to the UK economy and supports ~40,000 jobs. Juniors are the future licence buyers, tackle customers, and club volunteers. Without regular pathways, the pipeline dries up.

Building an Exit Route: What It Looks Like

Here’s a simple five-step pathway any club could adopt:

1. Entry: School tasters, Let’s Fish! days, Get Fishing events. Low-cost, all kit provided.
2. Settle: Weekly or monthly coaching with clear calendar slots (spring–autumn).
3. Belong: Junior memberships, kit libraries, WhatsApp groups, skills badges.
4. Compete: Club fun matches → inter-club fixtures → county squads → national pathways.
5. Shine: Aim for the National Celebration each September, then winter leagues or skills clubs to keep momentum going.

Case Studies

Let’s Fish! and the Celebration

CRT’s Let’s Fish! programme is one of the UK’s biggest entry pipelines. But even their reports highlight the challenge: unless local clubs pick up juniors afterwards, retention is low. The annual Celebration proves the appetite—hundreds of children line the canal bank—but the system relies on clubs offering consistent follow-up.

Summerhayes Juniors

Summerhayes Juniors are living proof of how regular coaching transforms outcomes. Running structured sessions on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and during school holidays, they’ve coached over 400 children in a single summer.

What makes them successful?

• Predictable cadence: parents know exactly when sessions run.
• Inclusivity: all kit provided, multiple coaches on hand, safe environment.
• Progression: juniors move from tasters to club matches quickly, building confidence.

The result: retention rates far above the national average, with young anglers not only sticking with the sport but also entering competitions. Summerhayes shows what’s possible when a club takes the “exit route” idea seriously.

Football’s Lesson

In grassroots football, nearly every child can find a weekly session, then a clear path into teams and leagues. Angling lacks that consistency, but it doesn’t have to. The Summerhayes model could be replicated across the country.

Practical Tips for Clubs

• Publish your calendar. Families need certainty. “Wednesdays 6–8pm, Saturdays 10–12” beats “check our Facebook.”
• Guarantee a smooth start. Make the first three sessions unforgettable: all kit provided, strong coach ratios, simple goals (catch a species, earn a badge).
• Show the ladder. Put it in writing and graphics: “Taster → Weekly Coaching → Junior Team → County Squad → Nationals.”
• Partner smartly. Link with a local school, Active Partnership, or CRT Let’s Fish! coaches to share delivery and recruitment.
• Measure your impact. Record attendance, retention, first competitions. Funders and councils love hard data.
• Safeguarding first. Make sure you’ve got L1/L2 coaches, DBS checks, and young leaders developing.

Wider Impacts

Health & Society

Regular angling supports physical activity targets, boosts mental health, and provides a screen-free outlet.

Education Links

Clubs that partner with schools not only gain new juniors—they also help reinforce curriculum goals: STEM through water science, PSHE through wellbeing, and citizenship through volunteering.

Economy & Local Trade

Junior anglers are tomorrow’s licence holders, tackle customers, and club officials. Investing in them secures the long-term sustainability of both the sport and the local economy.

A Call to Action

Exit routes don’t appear by accident. They take clubs willing to step up, publish regular sessions, invest in coaches, and make the pathway visible.

We don’t need more one-offs. We need cadence, community, and clear ladders.

So here’s the challenge:

• If your club runs juniors, make it weekly or monthly and shout about it.
• If you don’t, ask why not—and what support you’d need to start.
• If you’re a funder, recognise that frequency and progression matter as much as one-off participation.

The water’s ready. The kids are ready. Let’s give them the exits.