📣NEW YOUTH IMPERIAL MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT📣
Explore our Youth Imperial Meeting Event Guide or visit our Youth Imperial Event Booking Page for more details!
Background
The National Rifle Association (NRA) are keen to see the sport of target shooting grow, with particular interest in enhancing the offering to Young Shooters – those under the age of 25. We are aware of growing boundaries that limit the participation such as equipment cost, range accessibility and training requirements, and our wider Youth Pathway initiatives aim to support young people in a variety of roles within the sport.
With the decommissioning of the L81A2 Cadet Target Rifle (CTR), effective 1 January 2026, and removal of fullbore shooting as a recognised cadet activity, two of the largest youth focused fullbore target shooting events – the Inter Services Cadet Rifle Meeting (ISCRM) and the Combined Cadet Forces (CCF) Schools’ Meeting can no longer operate.
The NRA is committed to facilitating a premier fullbore competition for young people in 2026 and are pleased to announce plans for a ‘Youth Imperial Meeting‘ which will take place from Saturday 11th to Thursday 16th July 2026.
The Meeting will offer opportunities for young shooters to participate in a variety of disciplines, in events that acknowledge the history of the CCF Schools Meeting, but also give opportunities to a wider audience. We aim to support all facets of the sport, including team and range management, shooting and coaching.
Eligibility
The Youth Imperial Meeting will be open to any Under 25 (aged 14 to 24 years old), individuals and groups (i.e. scouts, schools, clubs, universities etc.) who meet the following criteria:
– 14-24 (Under 25 as of 11th July 2026)
– Member of the NRA (Junior or Under 21) or a Home Office Approved Club
If you are unsure regarding your eligibility for any element of the Meeting, please reach out to youth@nra.org.uk
Accommodation and Catering
We are excited to announce that we will be offering FREE tent pitches on Sergeant’s Mess Field to all competitors attending the Youth Imperial Meeting. Please reach out if you wish to book a pitch for the event: youth@nra.org.uk
Alongside this, we have many suitable establishments on camp that can offer accommodation and/or catering. We will be publishing a facilities guide to help competitors navigate what is available on camp.
The accommodation link below allows you to explore the facilities available through the NSC.
Programme
Saturday 11th July 2026 – Sunday 12th July 2026 (Part One)
The weekend programme is aimed at young shooters who wish to progress beyond their training but have limited or no competition experience. The Saturday programme will offer multiple disciplines (Clay Target, Gallery Rifle, Sporter Air Rifle, Target Rifle) in a beginner-friendly environment. Attendees must be proficient in one of the four disciplines listed, giving them safe handling knowledge and range awareness to safely experience all four disciplines with expert support guiding them. Sunday will host competitions for the same 4 disciplines, allowing competitors to use personal or NRA loaned equipment. We envisage these shooters will progress into standard NRA competitions having gained confidence in a supporting and youth-friendly environment.
Monday 13th July 2026 – Thursday 16th July 2026 (Part Two and Three)
Our weekday programme will feature predominantly Target Rifle with many elements mirroring the original CCF School’s Meeting programme, however the Meeting will operate as an ‘Open’ event. Competitors are welcome to compete with any Target Rifle (within standard NRA rules) and personal equipment. To support individuals and organisations without access to Fullbore Target Rifle equipment, we will be working with CCRS and BYSA to loan out firearms and equipment for the duration of the Meeting to those in need.
Monday will act as a training day for competitors, allowing them to book onto a 300x morning session and/or a 600x afternoon session. They will be issued ammunition and can shoot in a manner that best fits their training needs. Tuesday and Wednesday will offer individual competitions, with the course of fire lengthening on the Wednesday as competitors settle into the event. Thursday will be the team day, with competitors having the ability to take part in the historic Ashburton if they are under 19, or the newly formed Youth Eight if they are under 25. Alongside the teams of eight, there will opportunities to enter the teams of four, pairs or reserve. The Meeting will conclude with The Duke’s Prize, a brand-new event that offers a King’s Prize style final for the top competitors in the Youth Grand Aggregate.
Alongside our Target Rifle events, the Tuesday and Wednesday will host a mixture of competition and experience sessions in other disciplines. This allows attendees the opportunity to explore new elements of target shooting in a supported environment. We hope these experiences will encourage attendees to progress into the ‘Senior’ competitions of disciplines they wish to pursue.
Schools Veterans: We will continue to host this match in the afternoon of the First Thursday, following the youth team events. We look forward to welcoming the Schools teams back to Bisley!
Awards
The NRA hold a large collection of awards and trophies associated with the CCF Schools Meeting, as well as several donated for broader youth shooting events. The reallocation of these awards has been undertaken with the spirit of the award and its original purpose kept in mind. To ensure equal opportunities for all, competitions/awards have been most commonly organised for the following classes: Under 25, Under 19 and Under 16. For an overview of the award structure, please explore our Youth Imperial Meeting Event Guide, or our Youth Imperial Event Booking Page.
The Meeting will host two prizegiving’s, one after the conclusion of the weekend events, and another at the end of shooting on Thursday 16th July 2026.
Downloads
Youth Imperial Event Poster – CLICK HERE
Youth Imperial Press Release (03.10.25) – CLICK HERE
Youth Imperial Press Release (08.12.25) – CLICK HERE
Youth Imperial Meeting Event Guide (30.01.26) – CLICK HERE