British Rowing launches Inclusive Club Guide to celebrate inclusivity and diversity in rowing
Check out British Rowing’s new Inclusive Club Guide, launched to further improve diversity and inclusivity in the sport
British Rowing has launched an Inclusive Club Guide to further improve inclusivity and diversity in rowing. British Rowing’s Inclusive Club Guide has been written in partnership with Sporting Equals and in consultation with the rowing community across the country.
British Rowing and the wider rowing community recognises the positive contribution that a more inclusive and diverse community can have in the development and growth of a vibrant sport, alongside the benefits that rowing can have on the lives of those involved.
Currently, the make-up of the sport is not representative of today’s society, with significant under-representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (BAME), people with disabilities, as well as lower income groups. Currently, fewer than 5% of British Rowing members are from BAME backgrounds and 10% of British Rowing members have some form of a disability[1], compared to one in five people in the UK.
In response to this, British Rowing has developed an Inclusive Sport Plan, which is underpinned by the brand new Inclusive Club Guide, designed to provide best-practice guidance and offer practical advice to rowing clubs.
The aim of the guide is to support rowing clubs to become more inclusive by:
- highlighting the benefits of being inclusive;
- explaining inclusivity and its importance in creating a diverse sport that is open to all; and
- providing practical advice on developing or creating an inclusive club.
>>> Video: How clubs can push inclusivity and diversity
The Guide is supported by the English Federation of Disability Sport, Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation, Sport Allies, Sport England, Sport and Recreation Alliance, Women in Sport, Women’s Sport Trust and UK Sport.
Annamarie Phelps CBE, Chairman of British Rowing, said: “In my final month as Chairman, I am asking the rowing community to stand with me and British Rowing in support of our vision for the sport. We want rowing to be an inclusive sport, representative of the diverse society that we live in today. We want everyone to have an opportunity to experience the sport we all love. This will, in turn, support the continued growth of a healthy and vibrant sport.
“I am, therefore, urging all rowing clubs to help drive change across the sport. Together, we need to educate, encourage and empower everyone to acknowledge and actively address any barriers to inclusivity that may exist. We can make rowing a sport that is truly open to all.”
The Inclusive Club Guide is the first of British Rowing’s British Rowing ClubHub Guides, a new suite of resources that will provide clubs with the knowledge they need to run their clubs as small businesses. The guides will cover a range of topics and specialist areas including employment, tax, facilities management, tenure, health and safety, volunteer and community engagement, as well as marketing and PR.
[1] Data from the British Rowing Membership Diversity Survey, September 2016Download the Inclusive Club Guide here
