The adoption of a schedule for regattas for the coming year and discussion on a draft of a new strategic plan should provide much of the discussion at today's a.g.m. of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union in Killarney.

The umpires and events committee of the union has submitted three proposed calendars: one with all the national championships scheduled on a single weekend in Farran Wood, Cork, as happened this year; a second splitting the junior championships off and holding them in Portora; and a third which would hold some of the championships at the Metro, Athlone or Galway regattas.

The first proposal would effectively maintain the status quo and may win approval, but while it has the advantage of allowing juniors to row over a 2,000-metre course (which Portora does not have) it demands a three-day period of reasonably good weather if the kind of disruption which happened this year is to be avoided.

The union's strategic plan is still in the development stage and an e.g.m. will still be needed, with the final plan likely to go to next year's a.g.m. However, union president Tom Fennessey stressed yesterday that discussion is essential if the clubs are to gain "ownership" of the process. The a.g.m. will hear from honorary secretary Jimmy Bermingham that the union now has its biggest ever membership of 70 clubs. The annual accounts also show that both in cash at bank and capital accounts are back in the black this year.

Fennessey, Bermingham and honorary treasurer John McGeehan will all be re-elected unopposed.