Coronavirus: support available for clubs
A range of support is available for rowing clubs at this difficult time and we’ve collated it all in one easy place for you to find and access it
We are aware that the enforced closure of rowing clubs, whilst important for public health, is likely to have an impact on your club’s operations and finances. Thank you to all the club volunteers around the country who are working tirelessly to make sure rowing and our clubs are in a strong position when we are able to safely return to the water.
Please do keep us up to date with how coronavirus is affecting your club by completing our form or contacting [email protected]
Please remember that our advice to clubs directly in relation to coronavirus is available at britishrowing.org/coronavirus
To help you find the advice you’re looking for, we have divided this page into two categories:
Financial Support
Your club may have felt the impact of the coronavirus outbreak through loss of revenue from membership, events or other sources. There are various channels that might be available to your club to access financial support:
British Rowing
At its last meeting, the Board of British Rowing agreed to release some reserves to help support rowing through this period, where necessary. We are working to confirm the mechanisms to enable this and will be updating this page in the near future with details.
Sport England
Sport England has launched a new £20 million Community Emergency Fund, which is open now for local club and community organisations to bid for grants between £300 and £10,000. The details, eligibility criteria and application process can be found here. This £20 million fund is designed to complement other sources of funding from the government, such as funds targeted at small businesses. Please ensure that you consider the funding support the Government has released for small businesses before applying to this fund.
Sport England has asked us to communicate that only clubs in IMMEDIATE critical need (ie now or in the next three months) should apply for this fund. Further funds are expected to be available at a later stage.
Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to discuss your application.
Government
The Government has announced a range of support measures for small businesses and the self-employed which may be relevant for some clubs and also coaches working for clubs on a self-employed basis.
The Sport and Recreation Alliance has a range of FAQs which may aid clubs in interpreting this support.
Advice on managing your club
The current situation is bringing out the innovative side in our rowing community and we will continue to publish some of the ideas that rowing clubs have come up with. We have also pulled together some FAQs below to help answer some of the queries we are receiving from clubs.
What safeguarding considerations are there in providing alternative rowing content?
To help clubs wishing to provide alternative rowing content particularly to young people or children, we have published a reminder of some of the key points of our social media policy.
How can we keep our club safe whilst it's closed?
With the help of our Regional Rowing Councils and a number of clubs, we’ve pulled together a checklist to help you make sure your club is safe whilst it’s closed:
- Is the club fully secure with windows closed, doors locked, entry codes changed, all alarms on and flood defences in place?
- Is the access gated locked?
- Have you considered regular checks from nearby club members when they are out for their permitted exercise?
- Have security lights and CCTV cameras been checked to ensure that they are working?
- Has the alarm key holder list been updated with your security provider and the local police?
- Have any fridges and/or water heaters been emptied and turned off?
- Have you turned off the gas?
- If you have a club bar, has the beer and gas been turned off and disconnected
- If you have a club bar, have spirits been removed from the club or locked away out of sight?
- Have all valuables and/or monies been removed?
- Have bar snacks been put in rodent-proof containers or removed from the club?
- Have you emptied all the internal rubbish bins?
- Do you need to put in place rat and mouse traps?
- If equipment is outside, is it secured to the racks properly to stop theft or damage from the weather?
- Is there equipment that is normally left outside, that could be put inside. eg launch engines?
- Are cox boxes, stroke coaches and batteries for lights unplugged, and in a secure place?
- Is the trailer locked up and a wheel clamp on?
- Are petrol tanks being stored in the proper place and vented correctly?
- Are any towing vehicles locked up and the keys in a secure place?
- Are boat hatches open to avoid any build-up of pressure and/or condensation?
Some local authorities have advised clubs to run all taps and showers for 5 minutes once a week to mitigate the risk of Legionnaires Disease.
