FAQ: Triathlon Club Community League
The Triathlon Ireland team have answered some Frequently Asked Questions below. As always, if you have any queries regarding the Triathlon Club Community League, rankings, or race results, you can contact the Triathlon Ireland team at events@triathlonireland.com.
This applies to both athletes and clubs, and the team will be happy to assist with any questions or clarifications.
This page will be updated as required.
1. What is the Triathlon Club Community League?
The Triathlon Club Community League is a new competition designed to recognise and reward club participation, performance, and engagement across all Triathlon Ireland sanctioned Triathlon events. It brings together athletes of all ages and abilities into one combined club team structure, where every member’s contribution can count towards their club’s success.The league combines Junior (16+) and Adult Members within a single club team structure, ensuring that every member’s contribution counts towards overall club success.
2. How does the league work?
Clubs compete in a single mixed league structure, with teams placed into divisions. Athlete performances contribute to their club through the My Tri Ranking system, using age and gender normalised scores to ensure fairness across all categories. The league has been designed to balance both performance and participation, meaning clubs are rewarded not just for top results, but for engaging a wider proportion of their club membership.
3. How are clubs ranked?
Club rankings are designed to be simple, fair, and accessible, making it easy for all clubs to get involved and compete.
Rankings are based on a combination of:
- Athletes’ best two performances during the season
- Age-normalised scores (ensuring fairness across all members)
- The proportion of club members actively racing
Each club’s score reflects both performance level and participation, meaning every athlete’s contribution matters. This approach allows clubs of all sizes to be competitive, with strong engagement across members making a real difference. Getting involved is straightforward, clubs are included in the final standings once 8 athletes complete at least two races during the season, a target that nearly all clubs are well placed to reach!
4. How is club size calculated?
Club size is based on the number of members who held an annual Triathlon Ireland full, swim plus, U23 and 16+ Junior membership in 2025. This figure is used to calculate participation rates within each club, which form part of the overall league scoring. This ensures fairness across clubs of different sizes by recognising relative engagement, not just total numbers.
5. What races count towards the league?
All sprint and standard distance Triathlon Ireland sanctioned triathlon events contribute to the league, meaning that race results must be submitted to Triathlon Ireland in order to be included within the system.
This also includes:
- Triathlon National Series races
- Athletes representing Ireland internationally
This approach ensures that all official Triathlon Ireland sanctioned triathlon events (only) contribute to club success, while maintaining a consistent and accurate dataset for rankings.
6. How do athletes contribute to their club?
Athletes begin contributing once they have completed two races during the season. Their two best performances are then used as part of the club’s overall score at the end of the Triathlon season. This encourages consistent participation across the season while ensuring that athletes are not disadvantaged by a single performance.
7. Why is age-normalised scoring used?
Age-normalised scoring ensures that athletes across all age categories can contribute fairly to their club. Performances are adjusted using a consistent model so that results can be compared on a like-for-like basis across the full membership. This approach supports the league’s focus on inclusivity, ensuring that every athlete has a meaningful opportunity to contribute to their club’s overall success.
Age-normalised scoring is applied using a set of predefined weightings, which vary by age and gender to reflect how performance changes over time. The attached table outlines these weightings and provides an example of how a My Tri Ranking performance score (e.g. 700) is adjusted once the age-weighting is applied.
| Age Group | Open | Female | Open My Tri Ranking Performance Score Of 700 becomes: | Female My Tri Ranking Performance Score Of 700 becomes: |
| 16-19 | +3.8% | +3.5% | 726.60 | 724.50 |
| 20-24 | +2% | +1.5% | 714.00 | 710.50 |
| 25-29 | +0% | +0% | 700.00 | 700.00 |
| 30-34 | +1.1% | +1.5% | 707.70 | 710.50 |
| 35-39 | +2.7% | +3.5% | 718.90 | 724.50 |
| 40-44 | +4.8% | +5.7% | 733.60 | 739.90 |
| 45-49 | +7.7% | +9.2% | 753.90 | 764.40 |
| 50-54 | +11.6% | +13.4% | 781.20 | 793.80 |
| 55-59 | +14% | +15.8% | 798.00 | 810.60 |
| 60-64 | +17.5% | +19.6% | 822.50 | 837.20 |
| 65-69 | +21.8% | +24.8% | 852.60 | 873.60 |
| 70-74 | +27.3% | +31% | 891.10 | 917.00 |
| 75-79 | +34.1% | +38.4% | 938.70 | 968.80 |
| 80-84 | +42.6% | +47.1% | 998.20 | 1029.70 |
| 85-89 | +53.2% | +57.4% | 1072.40 | 1101.80 |
8. How are divisions structured?
The league is structured across four divisions:
- Division 1: 20 clubs
- Division 2: 20 clubs
- Division 3: 20 clubs
- Division 4: Open / unlimited
At the end of each season, clubs will move between divisions based on performance.
9. What data is currently showing on the league pages?
The current league tables reflect how the 2025 season would have finished if the Club Community League had been in place.
Within club pages:
- “Races Completed” reflects 2025 race data (even if labelled as 2026)
- Scores combine current live My Tri Ranking data with 2025 league modelling
This is to provide an example of how the system works ahead of the live 2026 season.
10. How are clubs placed into divisions for Year One?
For Year One, clubs are seeded into divisions based on the 2025 rankings. The rankings are based on results received by Triathlon Ireland from race organisers. This provides a clear, objective starting point for the league, ensuring that divisions are structured using existing performance data.
11. Is this fair for all clubs in Year One?
It is recognised that clubs did not have visibility of the league structure during the 2025 season, and therefore did not have the opportunity to influence their starting position. For this reason, Year One is positioned as a seeding year, allowing the system to establish itself before moving fully to a performance based model.
12. Will there be movement between divisions?
Yes. Standard promotion and relegation will apply at the end of the season (for example, 3 clubs promoted and 3 clubs relegated per division).
In addition, for Year One, there will be limited exceptional movement where there is clear evidence that a club is significantly above or below its current division. This will be based on defined performance thresholds rather than subjective decisions and only applicable for Year One.
13. How will decisions on movement be made?
A Triathlon Club Community League working group will be established, ensuring the integrity of the competition is maintained. The working group will:
- Apply league rules
- Review any exceptional cases
- Ensure consistency and transparency in decisions
The working group will consist of Triathlon Ireland representatives and club representatives.
14. What happens from Year Two onwards?
From Year Two onwards, the league structure will be fully driven by club results and participation within the system. Divisions will be determined by how clubs perform and engage across the season, with standard promotion and relegation applied each year. The league will continue to develop within this structure, with no full reset of divisions.
15. What is the aim of the league?
The Club Community League has been designed to:
- Increase participation across all sanctioned Triathlon events
- Reward club contribution, not just individual performance
- Improve member engagement and retention
- Create a stronger sense of club identity and community
- Provide meaningful competition opportunities for athletes of all levels, ensuring a fun and inclusive environment for all.
16. Is this replacing the Triathlon National Series?
No. The Triathlon National Series remains a standalone competition focused on individual and club performances. The Triathlon Club Community League is an additional competition designed to complement this by introducing a strong club based element across all events.
17. Do athletes have to race to be included?
Athletes must complete at least two races during the season to contribute to their club’s score. The league is designed to encourage participation and engagement, rather than create any obligation to race.
18. How do I take part and represent my club?
To contribute to your club in the league, athletes must:
- Hold a valid Triathlon Ireland full, swim plus, U23 or 16+ Junior membership in advance of participating in their event.
- Be registered to a Triathlon Ireland affiliated club
- Complete at least two Triathlon Ireland sanctioned triathlon races during the season (or eligible races within the system)
Once you meet these criteria, your performances will automatically be included in your club’s league score through the My Tri Ranking system. There is no separate entry required for the league, participation happens through racing as normal.
19. What do sanctioned events need to do to ensure athlete results are included in the league?
To ensure athlete results are included in the Triathlon Club Community League and My Tri Ranking system, all Triathlon Ireland sanctioned events must:
- Use the approved Triathlon Ireland results template
- Ensure Open and Female categories are correctly labelled in line with policy
- Submit a direct link to the official results page (hosted by the timing provider)
- Provide results to Triathlon Ireland by 9:00pm on the Tuesday following the event. Contact: events@triathlonireland.com
Please note:
If results are not submitted, are late, or are not provided in the correct format, they cannot be processed and will not be included in the Triathlon Club Community League or on My Tri Ranking.
Timely and accurate submission of results is essential to ensure athletes receive their ranking points and that their contributions count towards their club’s league position.
20. Who should I contact if I have a query about the Triathlon Club Community League or results?
If you have any queries regarding the Triathlon Club Community League, rankings, or race results, you can contact the Triathlon Ireland team at events@triathlonireland.com.
This applies to both athletes and clubs, and the team will be happy to assist with any questions or clarifications.
21. Why am I not appearing on my clubs list?
To appear on your club’s athlete list on My Tri Ranking, you must have an active 2026 Triathlon Ireland membership and be linked to your club for the current season.
If you were a member in 2025, your previous performances and points may still have contributed to your club’s score. However, to appear on the live club athlete list for 2026, your membership and club affiliation must be current for this year.
*This page was last updated on 11th May 2026