• Sean Bowden was head coach of the multi-gold medal winning British lightweight squad from 1992 to 1994. He then coached the GB Heavyweight 8+ in 1995 and to the Olympic Games at Atlanta in 1996. As joint Head Coach of CUBC in the early 1990's, Sean was instrumental in setting up Cambridge University's successful run of that decade. After another medal winning season as Head Coach of the GB lightweight team in 1997, he was appointed Head Coach at Oxford in 1998. Following a run of seven straight Cambridge wins, Sean orchestrated the Oxford victory of 2000. Since then OUBC has won six of the last ten Boat Races.
• Andy Nelder has been coaching in Oxford since 1997, and was Head Coach of the Mens' Lightweight programme from 2001 to 2006. During this time the club enjoyed its most successful ever run of results, winning all five Lightweight Boat Races, four out of five Reserves races and breaking the course record twice in the process. He joined the OUBC coaching team at the start of September 2006, where his primary role is to help Sean prepare the Blue Boat Boat for the Boat Race, and also to be the lead coach for Isis, the reserve crew.
• Nick Howe is a two-time world champion lightweight oarsman (in the 4- in 1979 and the 8+ in 1980). He coached the British lightweight 4- at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and has been part of the OUBC coaching team since 1997.
• Dan Topolski was an Oxford Blue in 1967 and 1968, and has four wins at Henley as an oarsman to his name; his international career spanned ten years and culminated in a silver and then a gold at the 1977 and 1978 World Championships respectively. As Head Oxford Coach, Dan oversaw twelve Oxford victories in fifteen years between 1973 and 1987, and he also has extensive experience coaching at the World Championship and Olympic levels. Dan is still actively involved with OUBC, primarily when the club is down on the Tideway in London. He acts as steering coach to the coxes, and he adds a wealth of Boat Race experience to the coaching team. Dan is also well versed in the graduate application process, and is a useful contact for those at other universities thinking of applying to Oxford for some form of graduate study and wanting to compete in the Boat Race.
• Derek Clark joined OUBC in 1999 after a successful five year stint with the Swiss national sculling squad. A former Isis oarsman himself, he coached at the University of London before becoming part of the GB coaching team in the early nineties. Derek's updating of OUBC's physiological testing process was an integral part of the Oxford victory in 2000. Having been involved in the programme as a coach and a physiologist Derek now concentrates on the mental aspects of performance. 

• Steve Royle coached OUBC from the 1970's up until his retirement in 2008. However, he still maintains an interest providing a wealth of experience behind the scenes. Steve also oversaw the building of the club's new Boathouse complex at OUBC's Wallingford site.
  
  

In recent years OUBC has also been fortunate to have additional input from a number of international standard coaches including Mike McKay (Australian Awesome Foursome; Bronze Medallist in Athens, Silver Medalist in Sydney and Gold Medallist in Barcelona and Atlanta), Rene Mijnders (coach of the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal winning 8+), Mike Spracklen (coach of the two-times World Champion Canadian 8+ of 2002 and 2003 and 1992 Olympic Gold Medal winning 8+) and Mike Teti (coach of the three-times World Champion US 8+ and 2004 Olympic Gold Medal winning 8+).

Equipment

The boat fleet is extensive, and includes pairs, singles, fours and eights. The equipment management programme ensures that all boats are regularly refurbished or replaced.  OUBC has a fleet of four Empacher coxed fours and a Hudson 4-. Eight Fillipi single sculls and eight Hudson pairs complete the small boats rosta. The squad's Concept 2 oars are replaced every year.

In eights, OUBC maintains a fleet of four Empachers: two dedicated training boats for use throughout the season, along with two race boats for the Boat Race and the Isis-Goldie Race.

Facilities

The Iffley Road training centre comprises a weights gym, video and physiotherapy room and indoor rowing tank and is equipped with more than thirty Concept2 ergs and four Row-Perfect ergometers. Water training occurs at Wallingford, a short drive away, where OUBC has access to the longest lock-to-lock stretch of water on the upper Thames. The Club acquired a 1 1/2 acre plot of prime riverside land in the centre of Wallingford in 2001, and in 2007 moved there into a new state-of-the-art boat house. In addition, the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake on the River Thames in London (over which the Boat Race is rowed) is on the Oxford side of London; as such, it is only 90 minutes away. Eton Lake at Dorney - the site of the 2012 Olympics - is closer still, less than an hour's drive from Oxford, and is a world class stretch of water that OUBC makes use of at various points throughout the season.

The Redgrave-Pinsent Rowing Lake at Caversham is yet closer still, only a 35 minute minibus ride away. It has been constructed by Sport England on land either donated or previously owned by David Sherriff, a keen OUBC supporter and benefactor, who has made the project possible through a great act of philanthropy. The course is for the exclusive use of the British National rowing squad and Oxford University Boat Club and - David's personal wish - the 1st VIII's of University College, Oxford, and this state of affairs has been contractually covenanted for all time.

Physiology

OUBC aspires to offer the ideal training framework to those determined to achieve success. In addition to world class coaching, a state-of-the-art, in-house, physiological testing and monitoring programme was introduced in 2000. The underlying philosophy is that of individual tailorment: by establishing ideal training intensities on an individual basis and then monitoring them both on land and on water to measure improvement, the coaching team individualizes the training physiologically so as to ensure consistent progress. This renders over- and under-training a thing of the past, and means that each rower is most effectively pushed so as to be able to produce a peak performance come Boat Race race-day in the spring. Regular lactate and OmegaWave testing form the backbone of this monitoring process, and provide the coaching team with a wealth of information for each indivdual athlete.

Psychology

The goal of OUBC's training and coaching programme is to produce the complete Boat Race winner, and psychology is recognised as a crucial part of this. Psychological preparation must be done properly if an athlete is to produce his best performance on the day. The one-off, high-pressure nature of the event that is the Boat Race brings with it a number of significant challenges; the crew most prepared to deal with those challenges will place themselves in a position of control from which they can win or lose the race. Once this has been achieved, whether or not that race is won will be down to group commitment, strength of resolve, and a stark realisation of what it will take coupled with a fierce determination to see it through.

Such attributes cannot be magically produced on the day but must be trained for over the season beforehand. OUBC seeks to do this, starting with the pre-season training camp and continuing through to the Boat Race in the spring.

Medical

Medical back up is an essential part of the package. Dr John Sichel is the OUBC's medical officer and is in regular contact with the squad.  Squad members are required to register with his practice.  http://www.28beaumontstreet.co.uk/  Consistent progress, through avoidance of illness and injury, is central to our philosophy.

John Gibbons, registered osteopath and sports therapist, provides on-site support. http://www.peaksport.co.uk/  The team also receives specialist input from Shelley Brown and Fiona Varian.

Training Camps

The OUBC programme includes a number of training camps throughout most years in a variety of countries. These include: