Friends of Alabama Crew is raising funds to support the Alabama Crew Club as the team's Varsity 8+ travels to Boston to compete at the 2026 Head of the Charles Regatta. Competing at Head of the Charles gives Alabama rowers the opportunity to test themselves against programs from across the country and around the world at the world?s largest three-day rowing event.

But the impact of this opportunity extends far beyond one race. Every opportunity Alabama Crew has to compete on a national stage strengthens rowing programming in Tuscaloosa. These competitions raise the visibility of rowing, inspire new athletes to try the sport, strengthen recruitment, and give current rowers experiences they can bring back to the Black Warrior River. When you purchase a shirt, you are helping Alabama Crew get to Boston and helping grow rowing in Tuscaloosa.

For four decades, Alabama Crew has introduced students, and recently the Tuscaloosa community, to a sport many had never experienced before arriving in Tuscaloosa.

The program gives students and youth in the community the opportunity to learn to row, compete as athletes, develop as leaders, and become part of a lifelong rowing community. This October, Alabama Crew has the opportunity to represent Tuscaloosa at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, an event that brings together more than 12,000 athletes from around the world.

Experiences like Head of the Charles matter because strong rowing programs grow the sport. Our athletes return to Tuscaloosa with greater experience, higher expectations, and a deeper connection to the broader rowing community. Their success creates visibility for Alabama Crew, gives prospective rowers something to aspire to, and helps us introduce more people to rowing on the Black Warrior River.

Friends of Alabama Crew exists to help create those opportunities. Friends of Alabama Crew (EIN: 83-1086794) is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity. Proceeds from this shirt fundraiser will support Alabama Crew and help make experiences like Head of the Charles possible while strengthening the long-term future of rowing in Tuscaloosa.