Region’s rowing clubs to host major event on the Tyne
21 February 2024
The three main Tyne-based rowing clubs have been chosen as the hosts for the 2024 BUCS Fours and Eights Head.
Newcastle University, Tyne United RC and Tyne Amateur RC will welcome university rowing clubs from across the UK on 24 and 25 February. There will be over 350 crews competing over the weekend, with more than 1,00 students and coaching staff expected to attend each day.
Fraser Kennedy, Sport Performance Manager, Newcastle University, said:
“We are excited that the BUCS Fours and Eights Head returns to the region and we look forward to welcoming rowers from across the UK. Co-hosting the event wouldn’t be possible without the collective efforts of everyone who made this possible, including colleagues, our students and our partner rowing clubs.
The BUCS Fours and Eights Head is a great opportunity to showcase the region’s passion for rowing, our world-class athletes and long-standing traditions in the sport. We are all very excited the Tyne will be the back drop to one of the largest events in the British universities calendar.”
Rory Mainland, President of Newcastle University Boat Club, added:
“We’re thrilled to be hosting BUCS Head once more along with Tyne ARC and Tyne United and we’re looking forward to welcoming students from across the country.
This event is one of the highlights of the calendar for us and we hope to showcase everything great about northern rowing. We take a lot of pride in racing on home water and we’re looking forward to getting stuck into some quality racing after a solid block of winter training. Good luck to all crews racing and we hope you enjoy everything that Newcastle has to offer this weekend.”
The competition format for this event includes races of varying distances. Beginner boats will cover a distance of 3,000m, while Intermediate and Championship crews will navigate a longer 5,000m course on a tidal river.
The event includes different boat categories, such as Beginner 4x, Beginner 4+, Beginner 8+, Intermediate 4x, Intermediate 4+, Intermediate 8+, Championship 4x, Championship 4-, Championship 4+, Championship 8+, Championship Lightweight 4-, and Intermediate Lightweight 4x, catering to both 'open' and women's divisions.
