Marsaili Heatley: Ensuring everyone has the ability to row
She was nervous to apply, but Marsaili now encourages others to follow in her footsteps after getting stuck into British Rowing’s Assistant Coach Training
Marsaili Heatley has fully immersed herself in the world of coaching. After she went down to Ross RC to watch her husband participate in a Learn to Row course, she was convinced to give the sport a go, and she hasn’t looked back since.
Now working with Hereford RC, Marsaili, who does a lot for Love Rowing, absorbs as much information from those around her. Whether it’s Guy Williams at the club, seminars at the British Rowing Coaching Conference, or modules from the Assistant Coach Training, Marsaili is passionate about using this knowledge to help everyone have the ability to row.
Back in January, British Rowing held a two-day coaching conference. The second day of talks featured a presentation titled ‘The Cost of Caring’ by Colum Cronin, Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching and Physical Education at Liverpool John Moores University.
“He was talking about the need to have other coaches and assistant coaches around you in order to support you and your own mental health,” explained Marsaili.
“Everybody has their own experiences, and everybody needs support. It’s fine to have these one-off coaches, these one-off people who are fighting the good fight, but it isn’t right that they should be doing it alone; there should be support.”
“The other thing about the coaching conference was the energy and enthusiasm towards accessibility to all was palpable. You felt the movement rippling through, and you knew it had made people think, question, and wonder if they could be doing anything different. It was immense.”
This was part of what has driven Marsaili to develop as a coach. To help and support those around her, ensuring everyone who wants to get onto the water is able to do so.
“At heart, what I want to see is everybody having the choice to row. I think a highlight of mine was going to Hereford RC. They started a Row the Rhythm programme there in April. I actually originally went with Love Rowing, just to see how things were going. I loved it, and I asked if I would be able to come along and help out. I had just done the Assistant Coach Course, and on the back of that, I was really keen to try and get some experience.
“It was wonderful watching them get on the water. From the nerves, the worrying about the steps that you had to get down, are you going to be ok on the water, all those feelings coming into it, but actually, once they got on the water, it was great.
“There was a young lad, it really clicked for him, and suddenly he was zooming up the river. I was on the towpath in my powerchair, and it had no chance of keeping up with him! Fortunately, I had Leo there running the emergency line, so that was amazing. To see it on his face, he knew it had clicked and that was wonderful; it was a wonderful moment.”
The Assistant Coach training has been a combination of online learning as well as a practical day at Dorney Lake. For Marsaili, something that has resonated above all else is that coaching isn’t always about telling people what to do. Often, it’s about asking the right questions the right questions so that rowers are thinking and learning for themselves.
The more that you start asking the questions of rowers, the more they engage themselves in the technique and where they are trying to get. That was a point that really stuck out for Marsaili.
“I was nervous to apply because I thought I didn’t have the experience behind me that I thought I should have had. At the same time, I thought that if you don’t put yourself forward, then there’s no chance of progression. You might think that you are not in the right position to do it, but actually, you’ve learned too much in a limited amount of time. Absolutely go for it. I’ve found the online learning very good for me, and I find it very accessible.
“We had a technique course that was absolutely fantastic. As someone who has not had the opportunity, for reasons beyond my own control, to get on the water this year and continue my learning as a rower as much as I would have liked, I found that the technical workshop was really helpful.
“I was worried that it might get into detail where I would get a little lost, but the way it was delivered was brilliant. I’ve taken a lot from it, but resonating was the statement at the end, that it’s not always about what you know, but it’s very much getting what you need out of the people who are in front of you, and also knowing what their aim is. At projects such as MARS and Row The Rhythm, people’s aims are not always the same. They’re not necessarily aiming for performance; it doesn’t mean that they are not, but there’s a lot more than that to community rowing.”
Marsaili now works closely with Guy Williams at Hereford RC. Guy has worked with able-bodied rowers as well as adaptive athletes, and in Marsaili’s words, she’s extremely lucky and grateful to be able to see him in action and learn from him.
After travelling to Dorney Lake for the Assistant Coach practical session, Marsaili returned to Hereford RC with a greater belief in her coaching ability. This helped her work more closely with some of the projects running out of the club.
“It gave me the confidence to approach Guy and ask if he would be willing for me to volunteer with my newly achieved British Rowing Assistant Coach certificate at Row the Rhythm there. Learning from tutors was excellent, but there was so much to learn from my peers doing the course too.
“As a coach, he [Guy] is inspiring in many ways. He is calm, patient, succinct, on point, a good listener, someone who wants you to do better, and most of all, he inspires true confidence from us all.”
Following the British Rowing Coaching Conference in January, British Rowing will be building on the theme of ‘Inspirational Coaching’, delivering new live sessions, sharing new initiatives and resources, and celebrating coaches across the sport.
Monday, 27 October 2025
Following his session at the Coaching Conference join Sport Psychologist William Winstone as he explains how to unlock the secret to peak performance – William has been the Team Psychologist with GB Para Rowing since 2010, and Essex Cricket since 2015. The webinar will be run online from 6.30-8pm.
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
As our Coach Development Opportunities move into their third season, we will bring you stories of what it has meant for coaches who have been part of the initiative so far, along with how you can apply for the 2026 season.
We will be holding a sense making Zoom workshop from 18:30-19:30 Monday, 3 November 2025 where we will provide an overview of the opportunities and answer any questions you may have.
Thursday, 30 October 2025
Following his session at the Coaching Conference, you can join Strength and Conditioning expert Alex Wolf to understand how to ensure rowers are physically capable to execute the movements required in rowing to the best of their ability – Alex is the former Head of Strength and Conditioning for the English Institute of Sport, resident author at Science of Rowing, and author of Training the Complete Rower.
