Shaping a culture where everyone can thrive: British Rowing’s latest research

Hear about the key takeaways from our summer research into the lived experiences from coaches and rowers on creating a thriving culture

By listening to your perspectives as coaches, we can build a culture where everyone in rowing has the chance to thrive. To help us do this, British Rowing asked Mustard Research to carry out independent feedback from coaches and members, capturing both the reality of lived experiences and the priorities for improvement. A randomly selected, statistically relevant sample, representative of the rowing population demographic, was surveyed.

Here’s what rowers told us about what they value most in the sport, and the vital role coaches play in making those experiences possible:

Growth and progress

Rowers told us they love the chance to keep learning, improving, and striving to be their best:

“I love the fact that in rowing you are always learning and improving and that this never stops being the case”

“I love the fact that you cannot think about anything else but the rowing stroke when you are rowing”

The value of competition

For many, racing is a way to test progress and celebrate teamwork:

“Racing shows me that what I am doing is working.”

“Racing showed me that the crew was working together.”

“My favourite part is when you are in a crew together and you have the same goal and then you go and achieve it.”

Trust in coaches

Rowers also spoke about the trust they place in their coaches and the support that keeps them going:

“As I was learning to row, I really relied on my coach as I was going through a really steep learning curve.”

“We trained hard, but had fun together.”

“As an athlete and coach, if you are presented with a problem, you can have a conversation together and adapt and move through it.”

With the support of Mustard Research, British Rowing carried out the Lived Experiences study in the summer of 2025. A big thank you to everyone who shared their stories and helped shape this important work.

We’ll continue to share more insights throughout the year, along with the steps we’ll be taking to improve and set clear priorities for the future.