DetectingWales.com

Just seen this post by a Metal Detectorist on one of those Facebook groups.

'When is a detecting club not a detecting club ? When in 2016 it has no website , no email and no phone number but has lots of prime land tied up for a very small number of members some of whom are too infirm to go out any more . Then in my opinion it's basically a group of friends , an old boys club that has no interest in promoting the hobby . No interest in teaching new comers the does and don'ts . If you know of a club where the only contact details are a name and address please let me know . I'm going to write an article about such practises and try to get these people to open their lists up . Had one report of a group like this in a great county with 15 members and all the best local land . The only things this could promote is jealousy , hawking and all around bad feeling . Not the actions of a true detecting club in this day and age I don't think .'

Be interested in what people think of his point of view.

Thanks

As I've said before, we struggle to get members who will attend digs, people join come to a couple of digs and then we don't see them again. We don't hog land and members are welcome to invite guests so I don't  see what the problem with small clubs is, I prefer an informal friendly atmosphere, not being told what and what not to do. If anyone wants to join us contact hotmill or myself and members who don't attend digs beware that we are not going to leave you on the books indefinitely, come to digs or pack the club in.

I don't see a problem at all with smaller clubs, in fact I probably think a smaller club is better. Firstly if the members are regular attenders everybody gets to know each other. Some of the larger clubs can attract dare I say the wrong people who are just in it for the "treasure" find, or the good site that they can return to even when they are not supposed to ( I speak from personal experience where my dad lost a really good site as a result of this exact behaviour) the site would have been productive for years and yielded items from the Roman period onwards, all of this has not been helped by all the press hype and stories of spectacular finds over recent years.

These seem to have eluded me though over the past 30 odd years  :) :)

Now on to larger clubs some of whom have 100+ membership numbers, the problem here is sheer numbers and in my opinion too high for the reasons mentioned above, also these clubs can offer larger monetary rewards to the farmer ( which I suppose in the eyes of the farmer is just business) however as a smaller club or an individual attempting to gain permission you can forget it as what they offer cannot be matched, the other issue is that the larger clubs do obtain land which can be a serious distance from where they hail, effectively making the land redundant for others as more often they are signing up exclusivity for themselves.

I recently returned to a farm I had detected on for many years which yielded some excellent hammered and roman coinage, and I appreciate I have had a break from detecting and would not expect any farmer to hold land when I was not attending, I wouldn't have minded if someone else had gained permission but to be told the exact above I find slightly annoying as sadly I cannot match this, yet the club is some distance away and the farmers son told me they come maybe once a year.

Any way that's just my opinion on the subject.


Will
Thanks for the pm

Don't forget me when you have your next dig  :), as I have said would like to join the club if you will have me.

Hemm!! this is a topic which "could"cause a little bit of disagreement due to where I live,s o I have to choose my words carefully.
A few years ago I wanted to join a metal detecting club,and eventually,after months of trying i was eventually allowed to join.
gmeeting are held
The meeting's were held on he normal monthly basis,and fair to all,and to which I wholeheartedly agree,monies were collected by means of raffles etc,all for very good and needy causes.
Now,this is where the moan starts,
As a club I was expecting to be welcomed as a new member,virtually nobody wanted to talk to you, sat there in virtual isolation,and when I approached a person(S) you could see that they didn't want to converse with a "newbie"
So ok,i didn't expect members to come flocking up to me,ive been around,im in my retirement and am a bit worldly wise,ex soldier, etc.
I carried on going to meetings for a number of months,even went on a detecting Rally,same thing happened... In the end I realised that he majority of its members were so into their own "Cliques"and didn't want anyone else around them .
Also,it was always the same old faces winning the find of the month !!  awards,some of these finds were in such fantastic condition ..!!!!!!????
It's a great shame that this sort of atmosphere abounds in what should have been of great benefit to me as a newbie,and for the club,by virtue of my willingness to contribute financially towards the charities the so much wanted to support......sorry,rant over...😬...😁..👍

Simple answer really when it allows outside influence :-X, Seems to me the green eyed monster is revealing its ugly head again jealousy. There a groups of friends who have decided to label themselves a club and due to hard work and commitment also  a good reputation   have secured permitions .I say well done your a credit to the hobby , sorry if it upsets people but leave them alone if you can't get permitions   there are plenty forums around and they usually arrange or advertise rallies. I dont go to rallys or neither am I a member of any clubs These small clubs will still declare finds  and as for  having prime detecting land good luck to them also as for helping the newcomers to the hobby I dont know the individuals so can't and won't  judge  my opinion is we have seen enough dictators through history

Well said Congerman this topic which was on facebook was 10 percent genuine and 90 percent green eyed monster.
Designed not for reasonable discussion but to cause unrest and discord.
Most people i know do not have the desire or "bottle" to get land themselves but are quick to jump on those that do and keep the land for themselves.
I personally  when i started had over 100 refusals and have only got a little land through relatives.
I applaud these people for getting the land in the first place..... ;)
As for members being too infirm anyway  thats just hearsay PaulB.

An interesting debate. I'm with Dungbeetle, in preferring the informal group of friend to a formal club structure.

I'm concur with Dungbeetle also , we are a small group of friends under no obligations, except responsible detecting.