Gents, I don't think we should read too much into this!
Over recent years, the popularity of the Junior Championship has increased significantly & I imagine this decision is purely down to cost. As Felljunior points out, 249 competitors qualified for an award this year & there is no charge to the athlete. As far as I'm aware, the FRA do not receive any income from any of the junior races, so is it that unreasonable that an award from the FRA should only be given to FRA members?
Presumably, we are all members of the FRA ourselves, so shouldn't we look to encourage the next generation to join as well?
I don't think it will have any effect on the numbers taking part in the races, but it'll be interesting to see if there is an increase in membership (family or otherwise).