This is going to really disappoint some people.
Every year I get asked about doing National Schools and every year there’s a voice in my head that says - it’ll be amazing, high profile clubs, great racing, a polished live-stream - all the ingredients of a great fantasy regatta.
But ultimately my reluctance boils down to the fact that I think school children have enough to be worrying about without hundreds of strangers piling on more pressure by speculating on their performance.
Having spent years on the towpath chatting to rowing coaches I know that many of them feel the amount of speculation and interest in school level rowing can be an unwelcome distraction for their young athletes.
I know it would be super popular, I know it would help Fantasy Rowing to grow by engaging a younger audience but I also know that if a parent cornered me and said “what the hell are you doing running a prediction market based on my child’s extracurricular sport?”, I don’t think I'd have a good answer.
And as a parent who is keen to encourage their kids to develop a healthy relationship with sport and physical activity, it’s the kind of question I think I would be asking.
I don’t want to make anyone feel bad for wanting it, because I get it…
There are circumstances where I would run Fantasy Rowing for National Schools or similar regattas, and that's if the organisers asked me to do it in partnership. This way I could have some comfort that safeguarding had been considered by those better suited to make a decision than I am.
Fundamentally I want Fantasy Rowing to be a positive force in rowing, helping people to engage with racing more meaningfully and doing my bit to cultivate a spectator experience that is currently lacking - and I think I can do that without needing to include junior regattas.
I'm open minded about it, but just because I could, doesn’t mean I should.
Iain
P.S. Get your entries in for World Cup I and represent your country in the SuperLeague!
