2007 saw the birth of Triathlon England as the new governing body of our sport in England. Bringing about the new structure and making it work in practice has been a huge task and I would like to give personal thanks to all those who have contributed to the process.

Due to their efforts we are now in an excellent position to continue the development of triathlon in England. The new structure is designed to enable members to have a real say through each Region's representation on the Council, which appoints and supervises the Triathlon England Board. This structure will only work properly if you, the members, feed in your views to the Regional Committees so please let us know what you think.

Over the next 12 months you will see Triathlon England emerging with its own website and distinct identity. It is intended that this will lead on to the introduction of English National Championships in 2009. We will continue to utilise the resources of the British Triathlon Federation (which we share with Welsh Triathlon) in order to deliver services to our members as efficiently as possible. This means that in practice our members will have continuity of service from the personnel in Loughborough.

There are ever increasing numbers coming into our sport and Triathlon England is committed to ensuring that there is a wide range of welcoming clubs and safe, well organised races for both existing and new members to participate in. This is key to making sure that triathlon is accessible to and supportive of all who wish to participate. This handbook is a great tool for accessing information on these races and clubs. I hope you all enjoy your racing in the year ahead and don't forget that there are other ways of enjoying the sport too, whether it be coaching, marshalling at a race or even organising a social event at your club.