Club Affiliation
Clubs are at the heart of rowing and British Rowing is committed to supporting all those involved in developing the sport
Clubs affiliated to British Rowing have demonstrated that they are well run, safe and follow good governance and procedures. Through affiliation, clubs are able to enjoy a range of benefits that allow them and all of their members to enjoy the sport and help achieve their aims and ambitions. This includes recognition with Sport England and other national bodies.
Affiliation Benefits
Affiliated clubs have access to a range of key benefits and services, have a say in the running of the sport at a national and regional level, voting rights, competition rights, staff and volunteer support, plus much more. This applies to all types of clubs including School, University, College and Alumni.
To learn about what you can receive through affiliation visit our benefits section here.
New Affiliations
If you are looking to start a new club, are interested in affiliating for the first time or want to re-affiliate to British Rowing, then please email clubs@britishrowing.org for more information about the affiliation process.
A Club whose principal location is in England may affiliate to British Rowing to develop, gain access to funding, compete or to be recognised as a British Rowing member. As part of the application process to become an Affiliated Member, and as per section 6 of the British Rowing Regulations, a Club must:
- Complete the application form made available by British Rowing from time to time.
- Pay the relevant subscription fee.
- Have a designated boating base, or permission from a host Club to use their facilities and/or equipment.
- Complete the British Rowing Safety Audit which must be approved by the relevant Regional Rowing Safety Advisor. More information regarding the Safety Audit process can be found here.
- Review all British Rowing welfare policies, and appoint a Club Welfare Officer.
- Provide a copy of its constitution, which must contain an equal opportunities clause and confirmation that the Club will abide by the Regulations and adhere to the safety requirements of the British Rowing RowSafe Guide. You can download a copy of the British Rowing model constitution here and find more information on the legal structure of clubs here.
- Be adequately insured and take responsibility for all of their equipment and liability for the actions for the Club. Visit our insurance page for information on insurance.
- Obtain approval from the relevant Regional Rowing Council for the application.
British Rowing encourages the establishment of new clubs in areas where rowing is not currently offered.
We would like to mention that a new club has to have been affiliated for a year and individuals need to be registered with their club before they are able to compete at Henley Royal Regatta; and Henley Women’s Regatta requires affiliation for at least six months prior to their closing date for entries.
Affiliation Form
Once you’re ready to start the affiliation process you’ll need to fill in an application form. This needs to be completed by your Club Chairman/Head of rowing and requires details of your club committee members, members and host club (if applicable).
The affiliation form can be found here.
Affiliation Renewal
Affiliation is the annual process in which rowing clubs and organisations formally associate to British Rowing.
To renew affiliation each year clubs must review their safety procedures, equipment and risk assessments via an online Safety Audit (Oct – Nov each year) and provide a membership declaration and confirmation of committee contacts (Feb – Mar each year). We will communicate all information to the club secretaries and school administrators with reminders throughout the year, so make sure you keep your key club contacts appointed, named and up-to-date on your club profile within ClubHub – British Rowing’s Club Management system. If you have any questions regarding this process please email clubs@britishrowing.org.
Fees
Affiliation requires an annual fee and from the 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
This is £97.00 for 10 members or less, plus £7.10 for each additional member. Fees for each year are confirmed in February.
Other Organisations
There are a number of organisations who are recognised by British Rowing, either as ‘Associated Organisations’, ‘Other Rowing Associations’ or ‘WatersportCentres’. These Organisations support the aims and objectives of British Rowing but sit outside the governance structure of British Rowing and are not Affiliated Members.
For a list of these organisations and their responsibilities, click here.
If you are a club under the umbrella of another Organisation and want to also become an Affiliated Member of British Rowing, then you need to affiliate in the same way as all other clubs.
Affiliation FAQs
Is insurance included as part of affiliation?
No. British Rowing affiliation does not provide any form of liability or other insurance to its clubs, who are required to take out liability cover appropriate for the club as an entity and its activities.
How do we get British Rowing approval for affiliation?
Please send the completed forms marked ‘Affiliations’ to the British Rowing at clubs@britishrowing.org. Please note that the application form is a PDF so it will need to be printed off and scanned to complete. Please check that you have required signatures and a copy of the Club’s Constitution. This will be presented to the Board for approval and the Club Chairman will be informed when the affiliation has been approved.
We would like to mention that a new club has to have been affiliated for a year before they are able to compete at Henley Royal Regatta; Henley Women’s Regatta require affiliation for at least six months prior to their closing date for entries.
Can our club enter British Rowing competitions if we are not affiliated?
No.
How do we complete the Safety Audit for Club affiliation?
Please contact clubs@britishrowing.org when you are ready to do this so we can set you up on the system. This needs to be approved by your Regional Rowing Safety Adviser before they will sign the application, please contact this person for advice or assistance with the audit.
How much does club affiliation cost?
See the Fees section above.
Our club is not based in England, can we affiliate with British Rowing?
No. British Rowing would not accept an application from any club under the jurisdiction of another governing body. British Rowing affiliated clubs are divided into Regions with their own Regional Rowing Council, clubs based outside of England would not fall into any region.
How do we get regional approval for venue affiliation?
Members of your Regional Rowing Council need to sign off your application form. Please see details for your Regional Chairman and your Regional Rowing Safety Adviser.
The completed club constitution must be sent with the application form to the Regional Chairman.
We do not have a boating base can we still affiliate?
All clubs must have a designated boating base. If you do not have your own boat house then you can request permission from a host club to use their facilities and/or equipment. You may want to consider the practicalities of such an arrangement with your host club, these could include agreements on: boat sharing, any host club membership fees, training times, policies, communication and insurance. The new club should be aware that they need to read, understand and adopt all of the safety procedures of their host club.
There is a section on the application form which must be completed first, for your host club to agree, complete and sign, if this applies.
What are the benefits of affiliating to British Rowing?
Benefits of affiliation include voting rights, competition rights, staff and volunteer support, plus much more. Find out more here.
What are the mandatory committee roles for Alumni clubs who wish to affiliate?
There are three mandatory committee roles for all clubs:
- CLUB CHAIRMAN – for contact about any key club affairs
- CLUB WELFARE OFFICER / HEAD OF PASTORAL CARE – for contact about key welfare, safeguarding updates or issues.
- CLUB SAFETY ADVISER – for contact about any key safety updates or issues.
What happens if we don’t renew our affiliation on time?
Clubs that haven’t paid their affiliation fee by the payment deadline will not be able to access key British Rowing benefits. This may mean that your club access to BROE2 (the British Rowing Online Entry system) and the ability to enter crews into or race in any affiliated competitions will be revoked. We will also list clubs that we haven’t heard from on our website.
When will we receive a response after completing our online affiliation?
The application is likely to take a minimum of four weeks to process and is dependent on the dates of the British Rowing Board meetings, who meet six times per year. Please allow sufficient time to complete your application and be aware of the Board meeting dates in relation to any competitions your club may want to enter.
If all affiliation criteria have been met your application will be presented to the Board for approval.
Where can I find guidance on club constitutions for club affiliation?
You can find out more here, where you can also download model constitutions.
Where can I find the checklist for affiliation?
- Club, School or University Affiliation form
- Club constitution
- Club structure
- Insurance
- Safety audit
- Proposed blade/kit colours for approval