Hello,
as wallsendo has said it depends on where you live realy.there are quite a few clubs around.
If you are South of the Tyne then I know that South Shields Angling Club is a very well established club with regular comps and annual away trips to Scotland and such. They also run one of the oldest open comps in the country.
Seaham club is another one with the added advantage of access to the North pier at Seaham, they too run several comps for both adults and juniors.
North of the Tyne Tynemouth club are one of the oldest and also Meadowell club are worth considering. Both these clubs have regular comps and members are allowed to fish the pier.
There is information about these and several other clubs on the Nesa homepage.
Good Luck, Ian