It's not elitist Emma- it's designed to make sure only people genuinely interested in the breed join. If membership was open to all regardless of their motives for joining, there would be nothing to stop puppy farmers, dubious dealers (home & overseas) etc from joining & using their membership as a way of giving their activities respectability. It is possible to join without 2 sponsors - the Club is well aware some pet owners would find this difficult and in fact Andrew explained to several people at Crufts that if they could not find 2 sponsors, then an application with a letter containing background info and detailing their interest in the breed would probably be considered favourably, provided there were no objections. Not all breed clubs require sponsorship but major parent Clubs often do eg The Golden Retriever Club, Weimaraner Club of GB, Labrador Retriever Club to name but three :wink: