League Rules
Three Counties Cross Country League rules. Last updated 24 September 2026.
Club membership
Participating club runners should be fully paid members of a participating league club and eligible to compete for that club. They will remain eligible to run for that club for an entire season and cannot switch clubs during a cross country season.
Minimum age
The minimum age for participation is that the athlete must be 18 or 19 by the end of the competition year on August 31st to qualify as a junior competitor.
Club colours
All participating club runners must wear club colours. Anybody not wearing club colours will be excluded from the scoring team.
Guest runners
Guests are permitted to run as non-scoring runners. Guests must run with an affiliated club and should run in the colours of the club they are running with. The running club are responsible for registration of guests, and payment of race fees.
Race numbers
Runners have to retain their allocated number for all the events of the league.
Scoring teams
A scoring team will consist of 8 male runners and 4 female runners. Each scoring member in the combined team competition will contribute a point score equal to their overall position within the race. In the Male and female team competitions each scoring member will contribute a point score equal to their position within their gender.
Incomplete teams
If a club is unable to field a full team, the missing competitors will score as the last position in the race plus 1. The concession will be operated at the discretion the league referee and a club will not be permitted to take advantage of the concession on a regular basis.
Event scoring
The club position for each event will be determined by the total points of the scoring team. League points will be awarded to each team according to their position within the fixture. Any team failing to compete in a fixture will receive no points.
League standings
The overall league position will be decided by taking the total of the league points for all the fixtures. In the event of a tie, the total number of scoring points will be used to determine the winner.
Individual standings and prizes
Overall individual positions will be calculated for those people competing in all or all bar one fixture. Those competing in all events will be able to discard their worst result. In the event of a tie, the results will be recomputed allocating points for only those involved in the tie. This process will be applied until no further resolution of the tie can be achieved. Prizes will be awarded for 1st position in each age category. Individuals will only be eligible to win one award with open prizes being awarded before age prizes (so if win open prize will not also win age category).
Permits and referees
Race permits are obtained by the club hosting the league for all races of that season through ARC. In addition, each hosting club will ensure that a referee familiar with AAA and XC rules has been named prior to the race and provides race feedback to the host club following the race, which is available to share with the league if requested.
Affiliation
All participating clubs must be affiliated to UKA or ARC.
Headphones
The league has taken advice, and in line with current UKA and BARR recommendations on health and safety grounds, advises that ALL headphones including (but not limited too) earbuds and skull conductors types are banned unless required for medical reasons agreed beforehand. Any runner wearing any such device will be disqualified from the race.
Questions
If you have any questions about the rules, please contact the league secretary.