APPLY TO BE AN AFFILIATE


Becoming a registered Affiliate requires an essay and an application form. At this time, there is no fee to submit an application.  Don’t let the essay intimidate you; speak with passion and truth.  You are required to be accepted as a registered affiliate before you can open your doors and use the name, brand, or logo.  If you are not approved by Headquarters, you should put everything else on hold.  Average wait times can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to hear from Headquarters for approval.  

That time frame can change based on the number of current applicants. Once you receive approval from Headquarters, make sure you read through the contract that you receive via email. It contains important information and rules about what you can and cannot do with the name and brand.

Possible Reasons for a Potential Affiliate Owner to be Denied

1. Opening your box for the wrong reasons.  If you are opening a box because you heard of this “new, cool thing”, and you think there’s tons of money to be made from it, but you have no concern for the community or the well-being of your members, then you’re probably in it for the wrong reason.
2. If you have absolutely no clue what fitness is, it’s roots, and the solid community that is built around it, then your box will likely not be successful.

How To Apply To Be A Affiliate

http://community.crossfit.com/how-to-affiliate

Affiliate Application Form

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-contact/form_affiliates.shtml

Affiliation Fee

Once you get the green light from Headquarters, you will be expected to pay your affiliation fee.  The annual affiliate fee paid to Headquarters by all new Affiliates as of January 1st, 2011 is $3,000.

Requirements For Affiliation

1. The applicant must be at least a Level 1 Certificate Holder before applying for affiliation. Level 1 Certificate Courses are offered almost every weekend of the year in various locations around the world.
2. Upon acceptance and approval of your affiliate application, you will be required to have a live website for your affiliate. HQ will then put a link to your site on the mainsite. You will be expected to maintain a well-kept site. You may not register your domain name until HQ accepts your application for affiliation.  It is illegal to use the licensed trademark without permission.
3. Every affiliate website is required to display a link to the Journal on the front page of their site.

Benefits Of Affiliation

1. Upon acceptance and approval of your affiliate application, HQ will place a link to your site on the Main Page and the Affiliate Page. This is valuable to you as it puts your affiliate name out there for everyone to find, and it adds a valuable backlink to your website, which helps increase your rankings in online search results.
2. Registered affiliates also have unlimited access to the Affiliate Forum section, a private message board where affiliate owners share advice, best practices, and other useful information for you to operate and grow your affiliate.
3. Every year, HQ hosts an annual Affiliate Conference where all affiliate owners are invited to interact, exchange ideas, learn, and share knowledge with one another to help grow the Community. These conferences are typically held in Big Sky, Montana.
4. Your affiliate is eligible to submit pictures, articles, videos, and other content for inclusion on the Community site or the Main Page. The content that usually gets posted is creative, interesting, educational, and informative. You know what the community wants to see!
5. Be sure to check out their FAQ at http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html#Affiliates0.
6. For any additional questions, you can contact the Affiliate Support Team at  affiliates@crossfit.com.

What If I Open A Box Withouth Being an Affiliate?

There will always be people trying to steal, change or rip off the name and Headquarters has formed a strong legal team to pursue any individuals who are using the name without permission, or claiming to do similar style workouts without being affiliated or certified.   You can still be at fault even if you are not using the name; if you call your gym “XFit” and advertise similar style workouts, you are legally in the wrong and will likely receive a cease-and-desist letter from Headquarters.   Do not be that guy who gets sued for not playing by the rules.