‘Building Community, Providing Opportunity’ 2025-30 Strategic Plan Released by Row Ontario
A new strategic plan for Row Ontario was released on Thursday that will chart the course for the provincial sport organization for the next five years.
Titled ‘Building Community, Providing Opportunity’, the strategic plan will cover the remainder of the 2025-26 fiscal year and run until the end of the 2029-30 fiscal year in April 2030. The plan was approved by the Row Ontario Board of Directors in September, after a review of the current state of rowing in Ontario, a gap analysis, and a desired future state of rowing in the province was determined by the organization.
Included in the strategic plan are the mission, vision, values, and behaviours, that will guide Row Ontario throughout the next five years. Decisions the organization makes will be aligned with four core principles that are also included in the new plan.
Row Ontario Core Principles
- Quality Before Quantity – Having & doing more is a product of being better at what we do.
- Know Your Why – Identifying the reasons behind your choices.
- Pace Over Place – Your process is more important than your result.
- Accountability Over Ego – Considering the impact of actions on others and prioritizing collective well-being over individual gain.
“To say I’m excited about the potential this plan has to grow the sport of rowing in Ontario is an understatement,” said Andrew Backer, CEO of Row Ontario. “The unfortunate reality is growth in rowing has been flatlined for close to 30 years. We need to start to innovate and develop new initiatives to increase both the quality of rowing and the opportunities to row in Ontario. There’s so much potential for the sport to grow in new disciplines and communities while at the same time strengthening and supporting rowing communities across Ontario. There’s a lot of heavy lifting to do to execute the goals we’ve set out in this plan over the next five years and as an organization we’re excited to work with our Member Clubs to improve the quality of rowing and increase the number of people participating in our sport.”
As part of the strategic plan, Row Ontario has developed an action plan that outlines a comprehensive strategy designed to fill the gaps identified and achieve the desired future state of rowing in Ontario. Key to the plan are a set of strategic goals and improvement initiatives to increase the opportunities to row as well as the quality of rowing, with the goal of attracting more participants to the sport and improving retention among current participants.
“The Ontario rowing community has such a strong and passionate group of rowers, coaches, umpires and volunteers who contribute so much of their time and efforts to the sport,” said Backer. “As a community we need to find new ways to support their efforts and improve their experiences. We talk a lot about growth in the new plan, but equally important is improving the quality of everyone’s experience, from the first time they visit a rowing club or come to a regatta.”
To read the full 2025-30 Row Ontario Strategic Plan, visit the below link:
