Scottish, Irish and other overseas (non-British Rowing) clubs wishing to race at British Rowing-affiliated competitions do not have to be affiliated to British Rowing, but must use the British Rowing Online Entry (BROE2) system to make their entries. To be able to do this, clubs and competitors must first complete the following steps:

TIP: Start making your entries several days before entries close, particularly if you have not used BROE recently or your club needs setting up on the system for the first time.

Step 1: If your club has not previously entered a competition using BROE2, contact our Competitions Administrator to have your club set up on BROE2.

Step 2: Once your club has been set up on BROE2, ask each individual competitor (rowers and coxes) to register with British Rowing and buy a Scottish and Overseas membership by following these steps:

1. Create a British Rowing account
2. Enter your (overseas) address details
3. Select your club from the list
4. Buy a ‘Scottish and Overseas’ membership.

Step 3: The person making the entries does NOT need to buy a membership unless they are racing in the crew but they do need to create a British Rowing  account. They then need to email [email protected] to confirm that they have permission from their club to make entries and request online entry admin (BROE 2) access.

When making entries, you will be asked to confirm that all competitors are a members of their own rowing federation, and have complete and adequate insurance cover in place when competing in the UK.

All crews boating on unfamiliar waters should ensure that they are aware of local conditions and understand the safety requirements.

Boat identification (ID) stickers

If you are bringing your own boat, you must display Boat ID Stickers on both sides of your boat.

All boats shall be identifiable by the three or four letter code issued to the Club by British Rowing (e.g. ZAB), together with a three digit fleet number (including zeros) as determined by the Club (e.g.008). The lettering shall be in capitals, in a regular sans serif font, with a minimum height of 6cm and clearly readable (in a contrasting colour) on both port and starboard saxboards, or vertical surface.

Clubs must keep an up-to-date list of their fleet number/boat reference, including that issued to any member with a privately owned boat.

If you don’t already have a British Rowing boat identification code specific to your club, request one by emailing [email protected]. Once British Rowing has issued you with the code, you can buy Boat ID stickers from http://www.nickosticko.me; other suppliers are also available.

Further requirements and guidance on boat identification

• The lettering must be fixed as high as possible on the boat (i.e., bow saxboards) to aid identification from a distance.
• Temporary lettering (e.g. made from tape) or displayed in an Empacher slot is not acceptable.
• The Port of London Authority(PLA) regulations require boats to be identified by a “name”.   The Thames Regional Rowing Safety Adviser has been assured that the identification system described above is acceptable to the PLA as a substitute for a name.

Environment Agency Boat Registrations

If you are planning to bring your own boat, ask the competition whether it takes place on waters managed by the Environment Agency (EA)*. If it does, you will need to buy an EA registration for that boat. You can either organise an annual registration for your boat through British Rowing** as a non-EA based club, or you can apply for a temporary registration from the EA itself.

*Henley is on a part of the Thames managed by the EA. The ‘Tideway’, where the Head of the River Race, Women’s Eights Head of the River Race, Vesta Masters Head, Fours Head, Veteran Fours Head and Pairs Head take place is not managed by the EA.

**Scottish and Overseas clubs will not have a Club Administrator, your BROE2 administrator will need to contact [email protected] to arrange access to the Boat Register, where you will need to add your boat(s) before buying EA registrations.

Find out more about EA Boat Registrations

Understanding the tidal Thames

Crews visiting to compete or tour on the tidal Thames (down river of Teddington Lock) are advised to look at the Port of London Authority guidance for useful information available in French, German and Italian.

How good and experienced is your crew?

Competitions may use the Personal Ranking Index (PRI) of competitors to place crews in the most appropriate event for their ability and experience.  PRI is based on performance at competitions affiliated to British Rowing. Competitors from Scottish and Overseas clubs are therefore unlikely to have PRI that reflects their ability. Such crews are therefore advised to provide the competition with details of their racing history with the understanding that their governing body may be contacted.

Composite crews from multiple National Governing bodies

If the event you are entering permits composite crews containing members of British Rowing and competitors from other National Governing bodies (including Scottish Rowing), individual rowers who are not members of the submitting club will need to give their British Rowing membership number to that club’s online entries administrator.

Crew substitutions

Substitutions of individual members of a crew must be made in BROE2 by a club administrator with have the correct online entries administrator. Check with the competition you are entering for the deadline for doing this.