GB squads
Great Britain runs squads in:
We are also in the process of laying the foundations for a GB Para Dragon Team.
Each squad enters some or all of Open, Mixed and Ladies categories, in either small (10 person) boats or standard (20 person) boats.
If you are interested in paddling, drumming or helming at the next European or World Championship, please contact your preferred squad directly for more information.
Dates and venues of BNTS sessions for each squad, along with links to sign up for them, are published on this page when they are available.
If you are new to GB or want to understand more about the selection and training process, you may also find it helpful to read the GB programme page.
Junior A & Junior B (U18 & U24)
The Junior A team are the Great Britain Under 18s dragon boat squad and Junior B are the Under 24s squad.
To be eligible for a Junior squad, in the year of competition paddlers and drummers must be at least 12 years of age and no older than 18 or 24 respectively.
There is no upper age limit for helms in the Junior categories.
The 2026/27 Junior squad management team is:
- Paul Freemantle – Joint Head Coach
- Corey Slater – Joint Head Coach
- Michelle McCluskey – Admin Manager
- Lorna Jeff – Safeguarding Lead
This page will be updated with details of BNTS and trials dates and venues when they are available. Please email the team if you would like to be kept up to date with information about Junior BNTS sessions.
Contact: Email gb.u18@thebda.org.uk or follow the GB Juniors on Facebook.
Premier
The premier squad has no age restrictions and is open to everyone.
In the 2024 European Championships, the Premier squad entered small boat mixed, standard boat mixed, small boat ladies, and standard boat open crews, and returned with 2 silver and 7 bronze medals. In the 2025 World Championships the squad entered small boat mixed and standard boat open crews and reached the grand final of all race distances.
The 2026/27 Premier squad management team is:
- Que Page – Head Coach
- Tash Page – Admin Manager
- Ali Marsland
- Caz Madden
- James McCarville
- Nick Shaw
BNTS
- Saturday 15 August. Venue tbc
- Saturday 12 September at Silver Wing Lake, Staines Road, Wraysbury TW19 5BY
TRIALS
- Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October at Galleon Wharf, Milton Keynes (you only need to attend one of the days).
Links to sign-up forms for BNTS sessions and trials will be added to this page as soon as they are available.
Please email the team if you would like to be kept up to date with information about Premier BNTS sessions and trials.
Contact: Email gb.premier@thebda.org.uk or follow the GB Premier squad on Facebook.
Senior A
Paddlers and helms whose 40th or later birthday falls in the year of competition are eligible for the Senior A team.
Drummers for Senior A can be younger but must be at least 12 years of age in the year of competition.
The 2026/27 Senior A squad management team is:
- Chris Hesling – Head Coach
- Emily Neville-Taylor – Admin Manager
BNTS
- Saturday 22 August 2026 at Liverpool Watersports Centre, Queens Dock, 110 Mariners Wharf, Liverpool L3 4DG
- Saturday 26 September 2026 at Silver Wing Lake, Staines Road, Wraysbury TW19 5BY
- Saturday 24 October 2026 at Frisby Lakes, Hoby Road, Melton Mowbray, LE14 3TL (venue tbc)
- Saturday 21 November 2026 at Silver Wing Lake, Staines Road, Wraysbury TW19 5BY
- Saturday 9 January 2027 at Liverpool Watersports Centre, Queens Dock, 110 Mariners Wharf, Liverpool L3 4DG
- Saturday 13 February 2027 at Silver Wing Lake, Staines Road, Wraysbury TW19 5BY
TRIALS
- Saturday 13 March (gym trials) and Sunday 14 March (water trials) at Liverpool Watersports Centre, Queens Dock, 110 Mariners Wharf, Liverpool L3 4DG
To register to attend any BNTS session or trials, please join the Senior A group on the Band app.
This page will be updated with more details when they are available. Please email the team if you'd like to be kept up to date with information about Senior A BNTS sessions.
Contact: Email gb.senior-a@thebda.org.uk or follow the GB Senior A squad on Facebook.
Senior B/C
The Senior Bs and Senior Cs are fondly known as the ‘Grand Dragons’ and are made up of paddlers and helms whose 50th or 60th (or above) birthdays respectively fall in the year of competition.
Drummers for Senior B/C can be younger but must be at least 12 years of age in the year of competition.
At the World Championships in 2025, the Grand Dragons collected 2 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals, while at Euros in 2024 they brought home 4 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze.
The 2026/27 Senior B/C squad management team is:
- Vaughn Collings and Nick Evans – Head Coaches
- Paul Cutmore – Senior B Open Assistant Coach
- Julia Griffin – Senior C Women Assistant Coach
- Liz Hearne – Admin Manager
Contact: gb.senior-b@thebda.org.uk.
BCP
All competitors (paddlers, helms and drummers) in the BCP category must be at least 12 years of age in the year of competition and must be BCP. There is no upper age limit.
The 2026/27 BCP squad management team is:
- Tim William Smith – Head Coach
- Wendy Grose – Assistant Coach
- Karen Kelly – Admin Manager
BNTS
- Dates and venues tbc
Please email gb.bcp@thebda.org.uk to register your interest for any session. Once registered, you will be sent a link to join the Spond app, through which you can indicate whether or not you will attend each event.
Contact: Email gb.bcp@thebda.org.uk or follow the GB BCP squad on Facebook.
