Molesey Boat Club has agreed a deal with the University of Surrey to join the club and make Molesey it’s new home.
This move is part of a larger plan where the University of Surrey has invested in a new multi-million sports facility in Guildford and the intention is to focus on six key sports – one of which is rowing!
Mark Harborogh, Managing Director of Surrey Sports Park, has identified MBC as a centre of excellence for rowing, with the skills and coaching personnel able to take our student athletes to the very top in this demanding sport: “This partnership between the University Rowing Club and Molesey Boat Club provides an alliance that will nurture young talent through a proven training process that has delivered both Olympic and GB rowers.”
Andrew Triggs-Hodge MBE, Captain of Molesey Boat Club, said: "The University of Surrey will be a key part of Molesey's ambition to strengthen British rowing for London 2012 and beyond. We want to do all we can to encourage new talent into the sport of rowing and getting students involved who may become Olympic rowers of the future is a key part of that. If we can help make someone reach the top, that will mean another rower the country can rightly be proud of. Our club is very committed to the new relationship, and together we will do all we can to make it a success.”
Molesey Boat Club is also home to Vicki Hansford, Sports Performance Manager at the University of Surrey, who won a bronze medal at the Beijing Paralympics and Gold at the World Championships in 2009. Vicki is also an ambassador for the new Surrey Sports Park, a multi-million pound development which is owned by the University. As part of the joint commitment from both clubs the new Surrey Sports Park will be working with Molesey elite athletes by offering them free training facilities.
Nick Bright, the University Boat Club captain, said: “This is a really exciting time for our club. We are going to be training alongside international level athletes and have access to international standard coaches and facilities. Some of our students attended the Christmas 8s at Molesey and really got a sense of what this club is all about – it feels good!
The University of Surrey fits in extremely well with our existing training programmes where we develop talent, bring it on and present athletes that deliver when it counts at the very top of the sport.
