Leeds’s only community rowing club is celebrating its most successful season yet after winning seven medals at the British Rowing Junior Championships and competing at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.
Leeds Rowing Club trains on the Aire and Calder Navigation from its boathouse in Stourton.
Following the impact of the Covid pandemic, the club had to rebuild its junior programme from scratch, today it has grown to over 100 junior members, with young athletes from schools and communities across Leeds training together several times a week.
That growth has been matched by remarkable success on the water. At the British Rowing Club Championships in Nottingham in July, the club’s crews secured seven medals, including a historic first gold medal for the J18 girls’ eight.
Earlier in the season, the clubs’ junior women made the final of the Junior Women’s Double Sculls event at Henley Women’s Regatta, and the junior boys qualified the eight in the Junior Eights event at Henley Royal Regatta, the world’s most prestigious rowing regatta.
The achievements are particularly significant for a community club competing against some of the country’s leading fee-paying schools, which often have access to considerably greater funding, facilities and equipment.
Rob MacKenzie, head coach at Leeds Junior Rowing Club, said:
“It’s fantastic to see these young athletes making such a mark on junior rowing this year. The effort and commitment they put into their training is incredible.
“We are a community club with limited funding, and many of our boats are much older than those used by our competitors, but these young people are showing that they can compete with some of the very best crews in the country.
“We’ve enjoyed success throughout the summer racing season, with seven medals at the British Championships and qualification for Henley Royal Regatta providing the icing on the cake. Everyone at the club is incredibly proud of what they have achieved.”
Jack Bailey, aged 16, who was part of the crew rowing in the Henley Royal Regatta Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, said:
“Competing at Henley and winning medals at the British Championships has been an amazing experience. We know some of the clubs and schools we race against have newer boats and more resources, so it makes us even prouder of what we’ve achieved together.”
Although junior rowing is often associated as an elitist sport in private schools, Leeds Rowing Club is helping to make the sport accessible to young people from a much wider range of backgrounds.
The club is now hoping to build on its success by attracting new rowers, volunteers and sponsors who can help it provide more young people with opportunities to take part.
Anyone interested in joining or supporting Leeds Rowing Club can make contact through the website at leedsrowing.org.uk
This post was written by Becky Bailey
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