1. How do I join?
2. Do you take complete beginners?
3. Do you take juniors?
4. What time does training take place?
5. How much training is there?
6. I want to join with a friend and row in a crew with them. Is this possible?
7. I would like to try coxing. How do I start?
8. I have coxed before. How do I join as a cox?
9. What about social rowing?
10. How are crews selected?
11. When is selection carried out?
12. How many people are there in the club?
13. Is there a limit on numbers in the Club?
14. What equipment does the Club have?
15. How much does membership cost?
16. Do I have to join straightaway?
17. Are there any other costs?
18. How do I buy Thames kit?
19. Do you run training camps?
20. What does the High Performance Programme mean?
21. Who runs the club?
22. Can I book out the club for a function?
23. Does the club have charitable status?
24. What are the house opening hours?

If you are reading this in June to September, and are mainly interested in rowing only in a crew, then you are best off coming to the start of season meeting. This will normally be on a Saturday towards the end of September and will be advertised on this site.  If you are reading this in October to May, have a look at the contacts page, get in touch with the appropriate contact, and arrange a time to visit.

Yes. We prefer beginners to start in October, but sometimes can take on a group of beginners in early Summer.  Contact the novice contact on the contacts page to see if you can come down.

Yes.  Our Junior group is currently full, but we are keeping names on a waiting list.  At present we can only take on Juniors who have some previous sculling experience, but we hope to start taking on novice Juniors later in 2007.  We are affiliated to Go Row!, the National Junior Rowing Scheme. If you wish to have your name or that of your child put on the waiting list please email our Junior co-ordinator juniors@thamesrc.co.uk.

This varies from squad to squad. All groups will train on the water on Saturday and Sunday mornings - senior groups generally do two sessions on each of these days; novices a bit less. There are more training sessions on weekday evenings (7:30pm); sometimes crews will also go out early on weekday mornings, before going to work.  The Juniors currently train on Saturday afternoons.

How long is a piece of string? The commitment ranges from novices who might do 3-4 sessions per week, to the top senior crews who will be doing 8-10 sessions per week. No session is compulsory until you are in a fixed crew with pre-arranged outing times.

Maybe. Each Thames group trains as a squad through most of the season. Closer to races, the coaches select crews. Of course, there are exceptions, but this is the usual way of working.

7. I would like to try coxing. How do I start?    8. I have coxed before. How do I join as a cox?

Good for you! Thames, like all clubs, always needs more coxes. Have a look on the contacts page to find out who is the current contact for coxes. They should be able to give you more information and tell you which squads currently need coxes. Novice coxes are generally placed with novice crews, so that you can all learn together. Coxes pay House subscription.

9. What about social rowing?

People can and do row in social crews at Thames. There are also thriving veteran sections for both men and women.  But Thames is primarily a racing club.

By a combination of testing on the ergometer, on the water (seat-racing) and coaches' asssessment of commitment and effective crew combinations. Coxes are selected by a combination of crews' and coaches' assessment.

At several different times of the year: before the Fours' Head (November), the Head of the River and Women's Eights' Head (March) and before the summer season (May).

Currently there are well over 200 people training at the club regularly; there are roughly equal numbers of men and women. Overall the club has around 750 members (this total includes House, Country and Overseas Members).

Yes. Unfortunately, in spite of having a large boat fleet and extensive facilities, demand almost always exceeds supply and we cannot always guarantee to take new members.

The Club has a fleet of over 90 boats. As a result of considerable investment, many of these are high quality racing boats (i.e. Empacher and similar) only a few years old. See the boat fleet page for more details.  

In May 2005 we opened a new building which features an indoor rowing tank (not yet ready for use), a heavy weights room and two large gym spaces, as well as increased boat racking and a large workshop area.  We have 20 Concept 2 Model C ergometers (which will be replaced with Model Ds over the next few years) and eight RowPerfects, all with computer links.  See facilities page for more details.

We offer a range of membership options including Full, Student and Junior, or House for non-rowing members.  Membership fees can be paid in full or by quarterly standing order.  Please contact the Membership Secretary for full details of the current rates.  All new members are also required to pay a one-off joining fee.  This fee varies depending on the type of membership being taken out.

No. We will ask you to fill in a green membership form on arrival, for insurance purposes. You must be able to swim 100 metres in light clothing and will be required to state this by signing the form. You will have 7 days before we ask you for your one-off joining fee (for full members £100, but the amount does depend on the membership category). You then have a month to decide whether Thames and rowing is right for you, before we request payment of part or all of your annual subscription. It is worth looking at the rules for more details about membership. You must also read the safety guidelines which will be given to you with the membership form.

Membership includes use of club equipment and probably will involve some coaching. In order to race you will need to join the Amateur Rowing Association which costs approximately £40 per year. We would strongly advise you to take out ARA membership in any case, as it includes insurance. You will also need to pay for race entries: the Club currently charges a flat £13 for this (although this may need to rise).

A range of Thames RC branded rowing kit is available. All Thames RC kit is produced by reputable manufacturers and is discounted significantly from the standard resale price.  For details of our current approved supplier, see our Kit page in teh Members section.;

Yes. Every year, selected athletes (rowers, scullers and coxes) are invited to attend the Club training camp. In most years since 1999, this has been held in April at La Base de Plein Air de Le Temple sur Lot, in southern France. Athletes pay to attend. In recent years, smaller camps in the UK have also been organised for novices and intermediate rowers.

The High Performance Programme was set up by the Amateur Rowing Association, to provide a route to the British national squad for top-level club athletes and others showing promise. The programme is based at various centres around the country. Thames is an ARA High Performance Centre for women with funding from both the ARA and the programme's sponsor Siemens. We are currently recruiting a new Women's Head Coach to start in September 2007, and this coach will have special responsiblity for the HPP group.  Graduates of the programme include Elise Laverick (Bronze, Double Scull - 2004 Athens Olympics), Alison Knowles and Beth Rodford (Gold, Coxless Four - 2004 World Under-23 Regatta). The High Performance Programme is open to members and non-members of Thames alike. Anyone interested should contact the Captain in the first instance.

The club is run by a non-paid Committee. Officers concerned with the administration of the club are elected at the AGM in March.  Officers concerned with running the rowing are elected at the Captain's meeting, held in July after Henley.  Most classes of membership are eligible to vote.

Yes. Speak to the House Manager (Alex) on 020 8788 0798 or 07702 478 566 or email house@thamesrc.co.uk.

No, 'The Thames Rowing Club Charitable Trust' is specifically for younger members and has limited capacity to help. 'The Thames Trust' is the club's longterm fund and does not have charitable status.

24. What are the house opening hours?
Mon - Closed
Tues - 19.30 - 22.30
Wed - 19:30 - 22:30
Thurs - 19:30 - 22:30
Fri - Closed
Sat - noon - 14:30
Sun - noon - 14:30