Welcome to Lea Rowing Club.

Lea RC is open to people of all levels of experience. We offer rowing to people from the age of 11 upwards. We aim to deliver a broad range of services to our members, to provide them with resources to develop to the best of their ability, and to support their ambitions whether that be as a competitive or recreational rower. We are affiliated to British Rowing and have Club Mark accreditation.

Lea RC takes its name from its location on the River Lea, (a tributary of the River Thames) at the foot of Spring Hill in Upper Clapton, London E5 (please see the “Where Are We?” section of the site for directions). We row on a stretch of the Lea approximately 7km long, between Tottenham and Old Ford locks.

There have been a number of rowing clubs at the site since the early 19th Century. In 1980 the last five clubs on the Spring Hill site amalgamated. Stuart Ladies, Crowland, Gladstone Warwick, City Orient and Britannia formed Lea RC. Since then the club has produced successful male and female athletes from junior through to senior age groups in both heavyweight and lightweight categories. The club has won at Henley Royal Regatta on 6 occasions and won countless National Championship medals.

We run two regattas during the course of the season, and we compete as a club both at domestic and international regattas. In partnership with London Youth Rowing (LYR) and with the support of Youth Experience in Sport (YES), we run development and summer rowing programmes for local schools and young people. We have numerous British Rowing certified coaches with a history of producing top athletes. Lea RC welcomes new coaches and supports members in attaining coaching qualifications.

What the Lea Rowing Club has to Offer

Learn2Row courses: Because the river Lea is sheltered and located between two locks it provides perfect conditions for learning to row all year round. The water conditions combined with our excellent selection of beginner boats provide the perfect opportunity for a safe and fun introduction to rowing. Many beginners enjoy the pleasant rowing conditions as well as the sense of having found an inner city river with a country feel to it. For more information on our Learn2row courses please see the "Learn2row" section of the website.

Recreational Rowing: Recreational rowing is a new addition to the Lea RC portfolio. The Lea RC recreational group is among the first of its kind in the country to benefit from British Rowing funding. As a result of the partnership between British Rowing and Lea RC the recreational group has its own fleet of boats (including 4 coxed four lake boat, 2 coxed tub fours, 2 coxed pair/double scull lake boats and a learner scull) as well as its own dedicated coaching team. This is a relaxed way for people to enjoy the river, the club and rowing in general. Members of the recreational group are also welcome to use the gym facilities outside of main training hours.

Competitive rowing: Lea RC has a regular programme of competitions throughout the year. Competitive rowers get the opportunity to race against other clubs all around the UK in events that range from beginner level through to National Championships and Henley Royal Regatta. Our most experienced crews also compete overseas. Lea RC supports its men and women in achieving these goals by providing high level coaching and equipment to all squads. All novice and senior athletes are provided with a structured training programme in order to ensure they can achieve their potential. The system at Lea RC has a history of success and has produced a number of athletes who have gone on to represent Great Britain.

Junior Rowing: As mentioned above we have excellent water conditions for beginners which is especially important when providing a safe environment for juniors to learn to row. Furthermore our junior section is fully equipped to cater for juniors from the ages of 11 to 18 of any rowing ability. We have several dedicated junior coaches who are experienced in coaching young people of all abilities.

Lea RC has a long tradition of developing national champions from local youngsters and a number have gone on to row for Great Britain at Junior World Championships. Today we run our junior section in partnership with London Youth Rowing. Our junior coaches are very active in the community and with the support of London Youth Rowing and YES Lea RC runs programmes all year round so that local children can learn skills and experience a sport they might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in.

Veteran Rowing: Lea RC has very active men’s and women’s veteran rowing squads. Rowers generally start rowing as veterans in their late 30s and we have active rowers in their 80s. Our veteran squads compete all year round at a range of events from the beginner level through to the World Masters Championships. Veterans are welcome to join in the club Learn2Row course as well as the recreational rowing group.