Rowing for All

Background Rowing for All (R4A) is a grassroots sports project which aims to promote social inclusion of marginalised communities – people who experience disadvantage – within the sport of rowing across Europe. The project raises awareness of equality and inclusion issues and promotes equal opportunities for participation, development and mobility in rowing whilst opening rowing up to participants who face a wide range of barriers including age, physical and learning disability, sex and LGBTIQ+ status. Objectives The project aims to empower people who have experienced disadvantage to participate in rowing opening new physical activity pathways for previously inactive people, and improving the health and wellbeing of project participants and local communities. The project has created a European network of inclusive rowing clubs, increasing their capacity, enabling them to exchange good practice and inspire and show role models to others through raising awareness of equality groups in rowing. Implementation Participating clubs created local recruitment campaigns to reach more diverse people and held a series of activation days where they opened their clubs up to new participants to come and try the sport. The project also targeted a group of new and improving rowers who developed in the sport over the life of the project and who supported the activations. Some of these contributed to sharing their stories as part of a campaign to show rowing as a sport for all and to encourage others to take it up. Achievements Participating clubs had an increase in participants from local communities, and a more diverse profile of rowers amongst those new recruits. One completely new club has been established. There was an overall increase in diverse physical activity options for marginalised communities, who are healthier and happier as a result of their participation. Previously inactive people have become involved in rowing whilst attitudes from within the rowing clubs towards more diverse groups has improved.