Skip to main content

Welcome to EERC Juniors & Windsor Girls' School Boat Club

WHO WE ARE

We’re a friendly and passionate group of junior rowers aged 13-19 (School Years 9-13), welcoming both boys and girls from a variety of local schools. Our juniors program also proudly includes Windsor Girls’ School Boat Club (which was formed in 2022).

EERC Juniors and WGSBC bring together young athletes who share a love for rowing!  We act as one squad: we train, race, fundraise, and of course, have fun together!

Our Head Junior Coach is Double GB Olympian, John Collins.

WHY WE ROW

We believe in creating a fun, supportive, and welcoming environment where juniors can challenge themselves, grow in confidence, and strive for excellence—all while making great friends along the way! Whether they’re racing or just enjoying time on the water, our rowers develop team spirit, resilience, and a true passion for the sport.

WHAT WE DO

Our squad members have a blast developing their sculling skills in singles, doubles, and quads, while soaking up the excitement of local regattas and club events. As they grow in confidence and ability, our older rowers set their sights even higher, competing at local, national, and even international regattas.

New rowers can jump into the action by joining our junior squad from September of Year 9. They’ll get to explore every part of the sport—from mastering sculling techniques to building fitness, stamina, and strength, all while learning teamwork, resilience, and making great friendships along the way.

Rowing with us isn’t just about racing—it’s about pushing limits, growing together, and having an amazing time on the water!

WHERE AND WHEN

The Juniors use the facilities of Eton Excelsior Rowing Club.  Our boathouse is located in Windsor on a beautiful stretch of the River Thames. We are also fortunate to be close to the rowing lake at Dorney, where we occasionally have training sessions.

We have a fully equipped gym, with weights and ergos.

The Juniors train in the gym throughout the week and on the water on Saturday and Sunday (conditions permitting).  Our program is designed to be progressive and structured, gradually increasing in volume and intensity as rowers gain experience. Training sessions are held both during the week and on weekends.  See our training schedule.

EVENTS AND RACES

The Junior squad runs a full calendar of local races throughout the winter and into the summer.

For those who demonstrate commitment and talent, there are exciting opportunities to compete at national and international levels. Juniors at Eton Excelsior have proudly participated in prestigious events like the National Schools Regatta, Henley Women’s Regatta, and Henley Royal Regatta. We’ve also had rowers represent England and Great Britain in international competitions.

MEET THE JUNIOR TEAM

Head Junior Coach

John Collins

We are incredibly lucky to have John Collins as our Head Junior Coach.

John has an outstanding rowing career.  He represented Great Britain in the double skulls at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games.  He won silver medal at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota Florida as part of the quadruple skulls.  And won a European bronze medal in the double skulls in Varese, Italy.  He has no fewer than 7 wins at Henley Royal Regatta and is a former Club Captain at Leander. John knows how to make a boat go fast!

John is brilliant with the Juniors – creating an exciting and positive environment, encouraging everyone to do their best whatever their ability.

John's Junior Coaching team

Tim Walker is a Level 2 coach.

Richard Littlewood

Richard is a BR qualified coach with 25+ years of rowing experience, 20 of which have been at EERC. Richard trained and raced sweep but at EERC has primarily focussed on sculling and was part of a crew that won Gold in the 4x National Masters.  As a coach, Richard has worked with individuals and crews across all age ranges, from novices to preparing crews for regatta racing.

Ollie Wright

Ollie was a junior last year and this year, he join’s John’s coaching team!

Juniors Committee

New Junior Members

Feel free to reach out to our Junior Membership Secretary to discuss enrolling your child—whether they’re complete beginners or seasoned rowers, we’d love to chat and answer any questions you may have!

Club Welfare

Clubmark and Child Welfare

We are proud of the safe and quality environment which we provide for our Juniors. The club is Sport England Clubmark accredited. EERC ensures its members’ welfare and encourages enjoyment and lifelong rowing involvement.

We take child welfare seriously at EERC and expect all adult helpers and coaches to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check; formerly called a CRB check.

We have a Welfare Officer to ensure that the club complies with Child Protection requirements and to act as a focal point for related concerns.

The Club Welfare Officer is Caroline Hague.

Welfare Officer on Site

The Club Welfare Officer is Caroline Hague

Fully DBS Checked

All adult helpers and coaches to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

Clubmark Accredited

Gallery

See our club in action!