Southampton University Boat Club - Southampton | UK Rowing Clubs | Row HQ

Southampton University Boat Club is the student rowing club of the University of Southampton. It rows from the University Watersports Centre at Mead Crescent on the River Itchen and is affiliated to British Rowing.

The club traces its representation of Southampton students to 1904 and describes itself as the university's oldest club. University archive holdings contain boat-club photographs from 1946 onwards and race records, programmes, correspondence and crew lists covering much of the period from the late 1940s to 2005.

SUBC supports roughly 100 members in seven squads. Experienced rowers join senior men's or women's squads, beginners enter novice squads, development squads bridge the move into senior rowing, and coxes work across the whole club. Novices normally progress after one year.

Water sessions run several times a week when the tide permits. The Watersports Centre provides the river base, while land training uses the club's rowing-machine room at Glen Eyre and weights facilities at Wide Lane. An Easter residential camp precedes the summer regatta season.

The annual race programme moves from autumn and winter heads to summer regattas. Principal events include the women's and men's Head of the River races, BUCS Regatta, Henley Women's Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta.

International rower Michael Beresford began coaching at Southampton in the early 1970s and marked 50 years with the club in 2021. The university records his European silver and Commonwealth gold medals and fifth place in the coxless four at the 1960 Rome Olympics.