🚣 Built for rowing
Rota management for
rowing head races
Coordinate launch crews, course monitors, raft marshals, and start and finish teams across every session — without the spreadsheet that breaks every October.
Sound familiar?
You have five launch crews, eleven course monitors, a boatyard team, a finish line crew, and four named reserves on standby — all tracked in a spreadsheet that was last properly updated in 2021. Three people have edit access and nobody's sure which version is current.
Every role, one rota
From the boatyard to the finish line, EventRota handles every position at your head race in a single organised place.
Launch drivers & assistants
Assign a driver and assistant to each launch across every session. Volunteers confirm they're available — you're not finding out they can't make it on race morning.
Course monitors
Create a position for every monitor point along the course — below the start, at the 1km mark, near the railway bridge, at the finish approach. Fill each one and see gaps instantly.
Raft & boatyard marshals
Raft Manager, Raft Marshals, Shoe Bag Runners — the boatyard team is often the largest group. Manage them alongside your on-water officials in the same rota.
Start & finish teams
Short course start, long course start, watch timer, scribe, bell — each needs its own named volunteer. The finish line team is just another set of positions.
Control commission
CC Head and commission members need session assignments and briefing documents. Keep them on the rota alongside race officials so nothing falls through the gaps.
Safety boats
Safety boat crews — often from a sailing club — need positions per session. Notes against their assignment make it clear when they're covering the short or long course.
How your head race comes together
Create your head race
Set up the event with your race date. Add sessions — typically site set-up (Friday), early morning set-up, and two or three racing sessions across the day.
Map the course as positions
Add a position for each point that needs covering: Raft Marshal 1–4, Short Course Start Umpire, Course Monitor 1–6, Launch 1 Driver, Launch 1 Assistant, Finish Watch Timer. Reuse a template from last year.
Invite your team
Email your umpires, club volunteers, and student helpers — or share a join link with your club's mailing list. Everyone marks their availability per session in advance.
Fill the course
Assign people to positions. Colour-coded availability shows who is free for each session. Volunteers who are also racing can be noted — you'll know which sessions to cover.
Brief and publish
Upload the marshal briefing, course map, and H&S plan. Publish the rota and notify the full team by email with one click — they see their assignments and download all documents from their personal event page.
Built for the way head races actually work
Multi-session scheduling
Friday site set-up, early morning briefing, Session 1, Session 2, Session 3 — each session is a separate slot. Volunteers mark which ones they can do. You assign from people who are actually available.
Racing conflict notes
When a volunteer is also racing, add a note to their assignment — “Racing L1” or “Out Session 2” — so the rota reflects what's really happening on the day.
Volunteer briefing documents
Upload your course monitor briefing, launch safety instructions, and H&S plan. Notify the full team with one click — every volunteer downloads their documents from their personal event page.
Reuse year on year
Save your full position set — all your launch roles, monitor points, boatyard team, and finish crew — as a template and apply it next year in seconds.
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Ready for this year's head?
Free for up to 10 people per event. Set up your head race, fill every course position, and brief your team — all in one place.
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