Loughborough Boat Club - Zouch | UK Rowing Clubs | Row HQ

Loughborough Boat Club is a British Rowing-affiliated members' club at County Bridge in Zouch, outside Loughborough. It rows on a 3.5-kilometre stretch of the River Soar and is open to people aged 12 and over.

Loughborough and District Boating Club formed on 18 March 1881 and bought two four-oared boats for £12. Membership reached 40 by 1886 and was capped at 60 in 1892, the same year the club adopted the borough arms as its badge.

Activities were suspended during the First World War as members joined the forces. A post-war crew won at Burton-on-Trent in 1922, and the club rented part of the Old Mill at Zouch as a summer base during the 1930s. After the Second World War, members and two German naval prisoners repaired boats so rowing could restart.

The present Zouch clubhouse opened in 1964. Members added another building in the early 1990s, and the club says this now contains its gym, changing rooms and toilets. Indoor provision includes rowing machines, free weights and winter circuits for junior, senior and masters squads.

Members can scull or sweep in singles and crew boats for two, four or eight rowers. The club offers learn-to-row entry for juniors, welcomes returning rowers, and supports recreational rowing, fitness training and competition. Its membership categories also include students, coxes, coaches, social members and gym users.

Loughborough competes in summer regattas, winter head races and occasional international masters events. A 2024 club report recorded 35 Loughborough boats racing across a single weekend at Stourport and Peterborough, covering the breadth of its membership.

The club first hosted the Soar Head in 1999, and the race remains on its calendar. It also runs short internal fun races and social activities including a weekly supper club, annual and Christmas meals and trips to summer regattas.