Do I need an ASA licence to run cross country?

For races on the ASA national or provincial fixtures list you need either a permanent licence (bought through a registered club, valid 1 January to 31 December) or a temporary licence bought for that race (ASA Rules 24.3 and 26).

• Championships: only permanent licence holders may run in ASA national and inter-provincial championships. ASA says this applies at any age: even a child entering a young age category at the ASA Cross Country Championships must have a permanent licence before being entered.
• Wearing it: permanent licence holders wear two licence numbers, front and back; not wearing both leads to disqualification.
• Temporary licence holders can win individual prizes (and age prizes if they wear age tags and can prove their age) but never count for teams.
• School events: inter-school events where runners wear school kit are treated as development events, and no licence is needed up to municipal district level (Rule 26.4.5).

A permanent licence also includes ASA medical cover, subject to the policy terms.