Over 50 coaches and professionals attend British Rowing High Performance Seminar

Reading University BC’s Chris Bartley was presented with the Dan Topolski Development Coach of the Year Trophy

British Rowing recently hosted its first High Performance Seminar since 2016, bringing together over 50 coaches and professionals from clubs, universities and academies across the UK. Attendees travelled from as far as St Andrews to the informative sessions held at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre. The day focused on knowledge sharing and collaboration as the second year of the LA 2028 cycle approaches.

Presentations were delivered by coaches and staff from across the British Rowing performance system. These included Director of Performance Louise Kingsley Olympic Pathway Head Coach Pete Sheppard, Director of Development,Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell, and Senior Performance Development Coach Dan Harris.

Coaching insights were also shared from GB Rowing Team’s Olympic Men’s Head Coach Paul Stannard Olympic Women’s Head Coach and High Performance Coach Andrew Randell and Dan Moore,  Olympic Beach Sprints Head Coach Tom Pattichis, and Paralympic Head Coach Nicola Benavente. Will Fletcher, former international medallist, Olympic athlete, and current Head Coach at Durham University BC also presented to the group.

Several coaches were also recognised for their successes at the U19, U23 and senior World Championships in 2025. This included Chris Bartley Performance Coach from Reading University BC, who was presented with the Dan Topolski Development Coach of the Year trophy. Not only recognised for his work at Reading, Chris was commended for his work with the U23 Women’s quadruple sculls of Olivia Cheesmur, Poppy Baker, Finn Stratton and Ellie Cooke who won U23 World Championship gold by clear water, almost 3 seconds ahead of crews from Germany and Poland.

Chris said: “I was so surprised to be presented with the award, but very grateful our programme has been recognised in this way. RUBC is a special place to coach, and it’s the club’s support and flexibility that has allowed me to work with amazing athletes in the development pathway, an area of the sport that I really enjoy. Also helping Liv, Poppy, Finn and Ellie achieve something I know they’d all dreamed about was really special, and I’m excited to see what they all do next!’”

The day culminated with break-out groups where attendees could discuss key questions and share ideas on how to keep developing the performance pathway.

Louise Kingsley, British Rowing Director of Performance said: “This has been a fantastic day of insight, knowledge sharing and thought provoking conversations. Thank you to everyone who gave up their time to attend and to those who spoke at the seminar. It was wonderful to have so many leading coaches from across the UK together in one place and we felt a strong collective desire to share knowledge and continue the progression of our performance community. We look forward to continuing this collaboration as we balance delivering in LA 2028 whilst also looking ahead to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.”

Interested in getting involved in more learning opportunities? The British Rowing Club Leader Conference highlights the practical tools and inspiration needed to shape the purpose and legacy of your club. The conference will take place on 1 February 2026, book your tickets now