British Rowing Senior Championships to move to summer in 2019

The 2019 British Rowing Senior Championships will be held on the weekend of 15 and 16 June 2019, at the National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham

Following a meeting of the Board of British Rowing, the decision was made to approve the competition calendar for 2019/2020 and to ratify the formal recommendation of the Events Committee to hold the 2019 British Rowing Senior Championships on the weekend of 15 and 16 June 2019, at the National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham. This is on a trial basis and will be comprehensively reviewed after the event.

Mark Davies, Chair of British Rowing said: “This was not an easy decision. It was widely recognised that the British Rowing Senior Championships needed to move from October, but there was no perfect date to put it. The very limited availability of suitable multi-lane courses in the UK meant that we were limited to one weekend in what appeared, for a number of reasons, to be the most appropriate month. The recommendation by the senior volunteers in the sport who make up the Events Committee was to trial that weekend for one year.

“We were acutely aware of the concerns raised in a number of quarters in relation to that weekend, and we listened to and carefully considered the large number of points that were made from across the rowing community.

“After a lengthy discussion, the Board was satisfied that the Committee had considered every other option open to it under the current format of the Championships. Faced with the option of having no Senior Championships in 2019 (and guided by the Chair of the Sport Committee that this could have a knock-on effect into 2020), we agreed that the proposal before us was in the best interests of the sport.

“The Board fully recognises that hosting the British Rowing Senior Championships on this weekend in June 2019 will require a huge effort from the outstanding volunteer network that delivers our sport, and that this decision will dismay some members at the same time as it is welcomed by others. We plan to undertake a wider review of the entire competition calendar, as well as assess whether we have the right format for the Senior Championships, as part of a wide consultation ahead of 2020.”

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to share their views on the proposed change of date and would emphasise that we will seek to address the points that they have made either directly or as part of the future consultation.”

As part of British Rowing’s agreement with the Home Nations, the 2019 British Rowing Masters Championships will be held at Strathclyde Country Park also on the weekend of 15 and 16 June, for one year only. The running of both events on the same weekend in 2019 has been discussed by the Chairs of both Organising Committees who have agreed that both championships can run in parallel in 2019, as a one off.

Further information will be provided about the 2019 British Rowing Senior Championships programme and the events to be offered in the near future so that clubs can plan accordingly. The events offered will be in line with where clubs are in their crew formation and development at that stage of the season.