Club rowing at a junior level in the UK is struggling. The talent pool that was once widely and equitably spread seems to be consolidating rapidly into the cohorts of the largest and most successful schools. Clubs, who have always traditionally had issues generating funding, finding coaches and attracting talent, are now faced with the challenge of retaining that talent, even if they lay out a clear pathway to success.
Wallingford Rowing Club, under the leadership of former Olympian Katie Greves, are one club swimming resolutely against the tide. The club won medals at the Schools’ Head of the River, National Schools’ Regatta, British Rowing Club Championships and reached the semifinals of Henley Women’s Regatta in the Peabody Cup. Katie also supported three athletes in competing at the Coupe de la Jeunesse this summer and was the winner of JRN’s ‘UK Coach of the Year‘ award. All of this was achieved on a modest budget in comparison to the large school players and wealthier clubs in the area.
“Our philosophy at the club is slightly different from how it would be at one of the big schools,” explained Katie. “It’s not just about rowing to a high level. It’s about offering them something that will have a lasting impact on them. It’s about working hard, learning how to work hard, being brave, and trying something new, and it not working out is okay. I want our athletes to leave the club as better young adults as a result of their experiences here.”
A community-driven club, everything is shared at Wallingford. “When we go to the local schools, they often tell us how the kids have changed,” said Katie. “They load their own trailers, they get the launches ready for coaches, they sort their own boats, the older children help the younger children. All of this happens automatically; I no longer have to direct it.”
The results speak for themselves. The club has won numerous prizes at both regional and national levels and has produced athletes for the U19 set-up. For the second year in a row, the club also won the Victor Ludorum at the British Rowing Club Championships. After winning the junior and overall VLs at the inaugural Club Championships back in 2024, Katie, her coaching team and athletes repeated the feat. Speaking to British Rowing, Club Captain Geoff Brown was delighted with the whole club’s performances: “It’s brilliant. We’ve been building this junior programme for three or four years. It’s grown from about 40 kids across all age groups to about 130 now, so it means a hell of a lot.”
“We won something like 12 medals at the British Rowing Club Championships this summer,” said Katie. “We also went all in on the eights this summer, boating two boats eights at the National Schools’ Regatta – even though we do not actually own a boy’s eight – and then sent a crew to Henley Royal Regatta in The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup.”
So far, under Katie’s stewardship, Wallingford have not lost an athlete to a school programme. This retention of talent has meant that she can focus on developing excellence across a number of years of involvement, resulting in the J15s whom Katie met in her first year at the club evolving into the J18s who are now leaving the programme with national and international honours.
Filippi has been working with Wallingford for some time, and underpinning this success is a significant deal for the brand. “We have a good number of Filippis at the boathouse and an excellent relationship with Paul, who lives nearby,” explained Katie. “It means that if anything goes wrong or there are any issues, he’s on hand to help.”
The reliability, durability and speed of Filippi is something that Katie herself appreciates, having spent some time on the national team in our shells. “For our athletes, it’s super important that their boat is just as fast as everyone else on that start line,” she said. “I feel like the shells last, they’re easy to fix, and in a club environment, you need a hull that is going to be quick but also be ready for use across a range of different ages and abilities. Filippi fits that brief perfectly.”
“You just know you’re going to go fast in a Filippi. There have been so many World Best Times set in them. They’re the perfect shell for what we want to achieve.”
