Rowing in Brentford Teeters on the Abyss

No resolution likely in dispute within the sport locally

The Ferry Quays site will need a lot of work to make it suitable for children's activities after Team Keane's departure

January 16, 2026

At this stage there appears to be little prospect of a resolution to the dispute that has torn apart the local rowing community with the gulf between the two sides looking unbridgeable.

Brentford Boat Club continues to have no access to much of the equipment that was previously held at the Brentford Community Boat House. It says that it is being asked to pay £121,000 to purchase the equipment which includes 30 boats for which it pays the insurance, carries out maintenance and is required to pay racking fees of £4,000 a month. Brentford Boat Club says that, as well as being unable to access the boats they use, 90 other boats and canoes have been taken away, live vests have been removed and the power boats used by coaches to accompany the rowers have been disabled. The equipment that has been taken is being stored at the old GSK site, on Lots Ait, the island beside the boathouse and at Boston Manor Park.

The club, which is volunteer run, has little chance of independently raising the funds to purchase the equipment and even an arrangement in which it hires the boats seems out of the question as it is insisting on proof of ownership before entering into any agreement. It is claimed that much of the equipment actually belongs to Hounslow Community Rowing Trust, a dormant charity that was set up in 2013 by Paul Keane to give state school children an opportunity to row using donated boats.

Brentford Boat Club still has 90 member and is aiming for Henley this year

Mr Keane, the founder of Team Keane who is credited by many with sparking the renaissance of rowing in Brentford from Ferry Quays, is adamant that most of the boats and equipment belongs to Team Keane Ltd. Many of the members of Brentford Boat Club joined after attended free coaching sessions he ran at local state schools. He is also one of the two trustees of Brentford Community Boathouse and therefore has control of any assets belonging to that charity. Two of the trustees, Dr David Dearlove, and Patrick Bird recently resigned leaving just Mr Keane and one other trustee.

The boat club claims that the rent which it is being required to pay is twice that which would be charged at an equivalent facility and that there is little evidence that rent or the grant money that has been given to the boathouse has been spent on any upgrades or maintenance.

Around 90 boats are believed to have been taken from the Ferry Quays site. Picture: Guy Lambert

Brentford Boat Club, which is another charity set up two years ago to provide the opportunity to row to state school children who otherwise would not be able to take part in the sport, is currently having to rely on loans of equipment from other clubs in the area and volunteers are cleaning up the site to make it suitable for use by children.

Despite this they claim that Mr Keane has told them they need to pay £4,000 of racking fees upfront or he will stop paying the rent to the private landlord which owns the boathouse site.

The police have been approached by both sides and have said that it is a civil matter. British Rowing was supposed to have mediated, but this does not appear to have resulted in any progress and the Charity Commission seems unwilling to get involved.

The issue was raised at this week’s Brentford and Syon Area Forum with Cllr Guy Lambert urging the council to buy the Ferry Quays site to at least guarantee that it wouldn’t be built on. Cllr Katherine Dunne told those attending that there was little the council could do while the rowing organisations were involved in the dispute. She added that while there were issues with the use of the site for water sports activities there was no question of the site ever been sold for development.

Even before this rupture occurred, the Brentford Boat Club was battling against the odds with relatively poor-quality boats and facilities. Nevertheless, it still has 90 members between 13 and 18 years old, most pupils from nearby state schools. The performance squad trains six days a week and competes nationally. The aim continues to be to qualify for Henley and training continues both on the water an in the gym.

Miriam Morris, a trustee of Brentford Rowing Club said, “All of us parent-volunteers who run Brentford Boat Club are working really hard to replace the equipment taken and to make the Ferry Quays site safe for the young rowers.”

However, the long-term future of the club looks very uncertain. It can loan equipment and share facilities with other local clubs only for so long and the Ferry Quays site was convenient for many of its members to visit after school. Without resources and a permanent base, the club can only continue to rely on the support, both financial and in terms of time, provided by parents and other volunteers.

The message from Brentford Boat Club is ‘We will survive’ and as well as requesting emergency funding from British Rowing and Hounslow Council to make the Ferry Quays site fit for purpose, it is also accepting donations on its web site.

Paul and Miranda Keane blamed a 'colossal workload' for their departure from the Ferry Quays site. Picture: Brentford TV

Paul Keane has not yet responded for a request for comment.