Our Youth Development programme offers an opportunity for new and experienced youth archers to complete structured shoots, set and achieve goals, and prepare for competitions if desired.
As part of club membership, MGAC offers supervised youth-only archery sessions which work towards programmes run at the Auckland district and national levels.
About MGAC’s Youth Development programme
Mountain Green runs several scheduled sessions for Youth Development on Sunday mornings. Sessions are at the Mountain Green outdoor range unless otherwise noted. Sessions run during school term weekends and (usually) during the final weekend of each school holiday period; please refer to our club calendar to confirm dates.
We run three development programmes for our youth members at our outdoor range. These are:
- Youth Development I: For all youth members (under 18 years old) who are shooting up to 20 m. New beginners usually start here. This programme is by ability, not age.
- Youth Development II: For all youth members (under 18 years old) who are shooting further than 20 m. This programme is set by ability, not age.
- Young Adults: For experienced members of tertiary education age (appx 18-22 years old).
For Youth Development I: arrive by 8:45am for a 9:00am shooting start.
For Youth Development II: arrive by 10:45am for an 11:00am shooting start.
These Youth Development sessions involve supervised shooting of a specific round, usually in the World Archery Beginner Award Programme (BAP), Auckland District Archery Association youth programme, or Archery NZ youth programme. Group coaching is provided during these sessions.
For Young Adults: arrive by 1:00pm. This programme is for experienced archers who have completed secondary school and wish to progress their competition training.
We cannot accept late arrivals due to the nature of the shooting programmes.
- Ensure your MGAC membership is current – see our Membership page for more information. All club members need to have completed a MGAC Beginner Course, another club’s equivalent course, or have received equivalent coaching elsewhere prior to coming to the Youth Archery session; this isn’t the place to pick up a bow for your very first time. If you need beginner coaching, see our Starting Archery page.
- Arrive on time and have your equipment ready well in advance of the shooting start time.
- Contribute to range setup/packdown tasks as requested.
- Bring your best sporting attitude and willingness to try!
If you are coming along to Youth Archery for your first time (after finishing the Beginner’s Course), you should arrive to Youth Development I extra-early, by 8:30am, to have a quick introductory chat with our coaches.
You may wish to have additional coaching beyond what our club coaches can provide in the Youth Development programme. We can recommend club coaches who can help! Please discuss your needs with the Youth Development coaches.
Youth Archery Groups
Youth archers are structured into age classes defined by the age you are on January 1st.
A full and up to date list can be found on the Archery New Zealand Youth page.
Archers born earlier than the years in the list are in Archery NZ’s Open (adult) division, regardless of the type of membership they might hold in their local club.
| Youth Archery Group | 2026 |
| Under 11 | born 2016 or later |
| Under 14 | born 2013-2015 |
| Under 16 | born 2011-2012 |
| Under 18 | born 2009-2010 |
| Under 21 | born 2006-2008 |
Earning Pins and Badges
Youth archers can earn achievement pins from Archery NZ by achieving a score at or above the monthly round’s published “pinscore”. Once this score has been achieved three times, a pin claim form can be submitted to Archery NZ as described on this webpage. Pins may be claimed by archers who are members of Archery NZ which currently includes all MGAC members.
There are several badges available to be claimed based on total one-day scores at Major tournaments, at their relevant World Archery or Youth outdoor distance or above. Badges are available for 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1350, and 1400. Details are available from Archery NZ.
Rounds Shot Each Month
The list of rounds shot each month, and distances for each age group, bow type, and gender, is provided by Archery NZ. Some of the round names are listed below. Round definitions can be found on the Internet and are also described in the Archery NZ Shooting Rules.
The School Programme is an opportunity for you to shoot for your Intermediate or High School once a term and be ranked against other archers in your year group across the country.
We also shoot an ADAA (Auckland District Archery Association) Youth Shoot every month which you are automatically entered into as a member of MGAC.
| Month | Round |
| February | 3rd distance of the WA 1440 |
| March | 4th distance of the WA 1440 |
| April | School Programme Shoot |
| May | WA 18m |
| June | School Programme Shoot |
| July | Portsmouth |
| August | 4th distance 1440 |
| September | School Programme Shoot |
| October | 3rd distance of the WA 1440 |
| November | School Programme Shoot |