From April 1 it will be compulsory for athletes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be registered in order to compete

A new rule regarding compulsory athlete registration in competitions held under UK Athletics (UKA) rules is to come into effect from April 1.

The UKA rule book now requires competing athletes to be current members of their respective home country federation - either England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland - in order to compete, although there are exceptions such as those for road and trail running.

The previous rules stated that athletes "should" be registered, but from April 1 the rule changes mean athletes must be registered and aware of their registration details.

While road runners will still be able to compete unattached, athletes who wish to represent their club, and therefore also claim the registered athlete discount on entry fees, in road running events will need to be registered.

UKA rules apply from the under-13 age group upwards.

England Athletics have provided further details on the rule change here, while British Athletics highlighted key amendments in the 2016 rule book last month and further information can be found here.