About Us
Who is Community Rowing Club?
Community Rowing Club Sydney is the newest community rowing club in the Sydney Metropolitan area. We are currently based in the John Lincoln Boatshed in Tambourine Bay (near Lane Cove), together with the Macquarie University Rowing Club. Community Rowing Club Sydney was an initiative of the founders of the Balmain Para-Rowing Program Inc – a support organisation that was founded to assist rowers with disabilities to get into the sport of rowing. We are now working to create a brand new, fully accessible, 100% inclusive community-based club that lowers the traditional barriers for entry into our wonderful sport, and integrates all aspects of the community as part of a new mult-use, multi-sport, inclusive community.
Balmain Para-Rowing Program
Balmain Para- Rowing Program Inc supported rowers with disabilities for over a decade and was the foremost program of its kind in Australia. It is now a part of Community Rowing Club, having transformed from a support program into a rowing club in its own right, and is currently operating from a boatshed at Tambourine Bay on the Lane Cove River in co-operation with Macquarie University.
Forming a New Community
During 2019/2020 the Inner West Council completed and approved a 10 year Plan of Management and Master Plan for Leichhardt Park. Identified in that plan is a site for the establishment of the Community Rowing Club community boatshed facility – our “forever home”.
Community Rowing Club Sydney has now lodged its Development Application for its boatshet on the foreshore of Leichhardt Park, in keeping with its commitment to the community and the intention of the Leichhardt Park Master Plan.
Why Leichhardt Park?
Our new home will be in Leichhardt Park on the shores of Iron Cove
The new community facility will enable open access to the water, improve the amenity for residents and users of Leichhardt Park and Iron Cove, and provide new opportunities for people including people with disabilities to access this unique waterway.
Leichhardt Park provides a unique gateway to Iron Cove for passive water-users, most significantly for rowers with the waters a designated rowing precinct, and the only 2000m rowing course on Sydney Harbour. The proposed boatshed includes public access to the water, including for visiting rowing clubs, schools, members of the rowing community and other passive water recreation users. The location will help to ease the congestion at other rowing clubs and boating areas during events on the Iron Cove, and will open up access to more people to Iron Cove, a designated rowing precinct.
Rowing is an extremely liberating sport for people of all walks of life, including people with disabilities.
The tasks now before the Program is to raise the funds to build the facility.
What do we stand for?
Community Rowing Club seeks to be a community based Rowing Club designed to cater to ALL members of the Community – regardless of ability or background.
No matter where you fit in (and you will), we’re sure you’d enjoy it – come along, we can’t wait to see you!
Although we seem ‘new’, we’ve actually been around for over 10 years, as we have searched for a location in Sydney to establish this new club. Our founders also boast a combined 55 years of experience as rowers, coaches, and administrators of the sport, at both club and state level.
Community Rowing Club Sydney’s goal is to provide an inclusive, open facility for the whole community – from people who have never tried rowing before (or any sport!) and just want to ‘give it a go,’ all the way through to rowers seeking to compete at the highest levels, including representing Australia at the Olympic and Paralympic games.
When our facility is complete, we aim to run:
- A Para-Rowing program;
- An indigenous-focused development squad;
- A Learn to Row program;
- A Youth program;
- A Community program – including Club, Masters’ and Recreational Rowers;
- An Indoor Rowing program;
We have received letters of support for our Community Rowing Club Project from:
- The Australian Olympic Committee
- Paralympics Australia
- Rowing Australia
- Rowing NSW
- Inner West Council
- Invictus Australia
- Vision Australia
- The Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council
- The Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Team
- The Hon. John Sharp AM
- The Hon. Robert Borsak MLC
- Balmain Rowing Club
- Leichhardt Rowing Club
Address
John Lincoln Boatshed
Tambourine Bay Rd
Riverview NSW 2066
AUSTRALIA
coaches@communityrowing.com.au
Phone No
+61 438 405 356
Business Hours
Weekdays – 6AM to 8AM
Saturdays – 7AM – 10AM
Sundays – OFF