2. That the object of the Association be to associate members of existing amateur rowing clubs for the purpose of forming representative British crews to compete against Foreign and Colonial representative crews, in the event of such entering at any regattas in the United Kingdom, or challenging this country.
3. That the government and management of the Association be vested in a committee of fifteen members (of whom five shall be a quorum), with power to add to their number, who, except the ex-officio members, shall retire annually, and be eligible for re-election.
4. That the Presidents of the Oxford University Boat Club and Cambridge University Boat Club, the Captains of the Dublin University Boat Club, Dublin University Rowing Club, Leander Boat Club, London Rowing Club, Kingston Rowing Club, and Thames Rowing Club, for the time being be ex-officio members of the committee.
5. That no one be eligible as a member of the Association unless he be a member of a recognised Amateur Rowing Club.
6. That candidates for election must be proposed and seconded by two members of the committee, and unanimously elected by the committee.
7. That, when members of different clubs are selected to form a crew, they must, for the time being, place themselves exclusively at the disposal of the Association.
8. That general meetings of the members be summoned by the Honorary Secretary at such times as not less than five of the committee think fit, and that committee meetings be held once, at least, in every three months, and as much oftener as a quorum shall, from time to time, decide.
This Amateur Rowing Association began modestly, and without any assumption, to dictate to the rowing world. It was content to take the patriotic part of guarding national amateur prestige in aquatics. But all leading clubs so fully recognised the value of the new association, that pressure was often put upon it to make a coup d’état, and to take the sceptre of amateur rowing and the control of amateur regattas, a position analogous to that held respectively by the ‘Jockey Club’ on the turf, the ‘Grand National Hunt Committee’ in steeple-chasing, and the ‘Amateur Athletic Association’ on the running path. To some extent the Association have followed the course urged upon them, and last season (1886) they propounded a code of regatta rules, which will doubtless be adopted by all regattas that desire to entice first-class amateur competitions on their waters. These rules read thus:—
Amateur Rowing Association.
Established 1879.