Organising Competitions
Advice and information to help you run affiliated regattas and head races, including private matches
On this page
- Competition Organisers’ Manual
- Let us know your competition’s details and contacts
- How to affiliate your competition to British Rowing
- Competition affiliation fee
- Competition dates
- Insurance
- Safety
- Injury reports and equipment checks
- Recording your results on BROE2
- Is your competition on Environment Agency (EA) waters?
- Engagement of health care professionals
- Adaptive rowing events
- Private matches
1. Competition Organisers’ Manual
The Competition Organisers’ Manual provides an outline guide to running a successful regatta or head race – from forming an efficient Organising Committee to notifying the authorities whose permission will be necessary.
We’ve also provided information about how to effectively publicise your competition, as well as a number of real-life examples to illustrate best practice in setting up, running and wrapping up the event.
Supporting documents
The following downloadable documents and templates will help you organise your competition:
Clean Sport Toolkit for Competition Organisers
Competition Organisation Schematic – this shows key roles and responsibilities for any competition
Example Competition Planning Checklist
Example Competition Risk Assessment
Example Competition Risk Management Plan
Example Control Commission Checklist
Example Welfare Statement and Policy (see Appendix 4 of Safeguarding Handbook 3 – Clubs, Training and Competition guidance)
Example Information for competitors
Example Instructions for Officials
Example Marshalls’ Instructions
Example Information for parents and spectators
Guidelines for Responding to Major Incidents and Competitions and Managing their Aftermath
2. Let us know your competition’s details and contact information
Your competition’s details in the British Rowing Almanack
Please complete this form to send us the information about your competition that will be printed in Almanack. This will also be included in your competition’s profile in BROE2.
Submit competition information
Update the contact details we hold for your competition
Let British Rowing know how to contact your competition’s Secretary, Entries Secretary and Treasurer:
3. How to affiliate your competition to British Rowing
Competitions affiliated to British Rowing must be run under the British Rowing Rules of Racing. These include the requirement that all entries are submitted via our online entries system BROE2. Clubs entering affiliated competitions need to be affiliated to British Rowing themselves, and all competitors must be registered with British Rowing and hold an appropriate membership type.
To affiliate a competition to British Rowing, please download and complete the application form below and email to [email protected].
Download Affiliation Application Form
4. Competition affiliation fee
An annual fee is payable to British Rowing by affiliated competitions whether or not the competition is held. From 1 April 2024, this is £205 (VAT exempt) per racing day. We currently offer a discount to competitions that don’t run, bringing the charge down to £84. If you accept online entry fee payments via BROE2, the affiliation charge can be deducted from these monies before they are passed on to you.
5. Competition dates
The Competition Calendar runs from April to March and is published on the British Rowing website. The calendar is approved, at the latest, by the previous November board meeting having previously been agreed in turn by the National Competition Committee and the Sport Committee. The process continues on a rolling basis and once one year’s calendar is approved work begins on the subsequent years.
The Regional Councils are responsible for the competitions in their region and the National Competition Committee for the whole calendar. In order to administer this process each region has a Competition Coordinator and one of the members of the National Competitions Committee acts as National Coordinator.
For the full details of how the calendar is compiled see: Guidelines for Application or Change of Date for Competitions.
To apply to change the date of a competition or to reschedule a competition following cancellation please complete the following form:
Apply to change competition date
6. Insurance
Affiliated competitions are covered by British Rowing’s combined liability insurance. You can download a copy of the summary of cover here.
7. Safety
Your Competition Safety Adviser is responsible for and should prepare and supply the following documentation to the Regional Rowing Safety in the region in which the competition is to take place a minimum of four weeks before the proposed competition date:
- Safety Plan
- Welfare Plan
- Risk Assessment.
Visit our Safety page for a risk assessment template and example.
Boats and equipment that do not pass inspection along with Medical Returns should now be reported via British Rowing’s online reporting system.
The Medical Advisory Panel and Safety Committee collate information from competitions so that they can check for trends, learning points, etc. Competitions are advised to report a safety incident or concern, whether or not damage, injury, or a health issue has occurred.
9. Recording your results on BROE2
Competitions receive a 76% discount for use of BROE2 if the results are finalised online within five days of the Competition, as required by the Rules of Racing. Contact [email protected] if you need assistance.
Other reasons why it is vital to submit results on time and accurately are:
- The knock-on effect for other competition entries and results if crew members don’t have the correct points.
- The data from the online results is recorded for posterity in the British Rowing Almanack.
10. Is your competition on Environment Agency (EA) waters?
Remember to remind visiting clubs that all boats taking part need a valid EA registration if your competition is on EA waters. Clubs can purchase annual registrations through British Rowing’s block booking scheme or buy temporary registrations from the EA directly.
Alternatively, competitions on some EA waters may purchase visitor registrations en bloc from the EA for visiting crews attending their competition, for information on this please contact the EA on: boatreg@environment-agency.gov.uk or 03708 506 506. If you opt to do this please ensure that this is publicised to crews attending your competition.
11. Engagement of health care professionals
In order to provide appropriate levels of protection to competitors and others, British Rowing recommends that Head and Regatta Committees request evidence of current health care professional registration from any health care professional they engage for medical cover at their competition.
The General Medical Council can be readily consulted for the cross-referencing of such registration evidence for doctors.
Information for other Healthcare Professionals can be checked as follows:
These are free, easily accessible websites and anyone can check; all you need is the individual’s name.
12. Adaptive rowing events
If you are a Competition Organiser for British Rowing Para-Rowing or adaptive events, then please see this important document highlighting adaptive rowing safety advice.
Adaptive Rowing Safety Guidance
13. Private matches
A private match gives clubs the chance to run a smaller-scale competition. Any affiliated club can organise a private match without asking permission from British Rowing as long as it adheres the following:
- The competition is arranged solely between the clubs or competitors concerned.
- There is no advertising for entries.
- No more than four clubs shall compete unless specific permission has been granted by the National Competition Committee.
- Section 5-2 of the Rules of Racing still apply, including:
– RowSafe
– Appointment of a Safety Advisor
– Submitting safety plans to the regional safety advisor. - Appropriate insurance cover is arranged.
If you want to include more than four clubs, organise something unusual or try something that you feel falls below or outside the usual remit of an affiliated competition please apply using the form below:
