On Friday, the Henley Stewards announced that youth men's eights from club teams will now be eligible to race for The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, an event that has been limited to "schoolboy" crews since it began in 1946. The change takes effect immediately for the 2023 Regatta, with age changes for the event taking effect in 2024.
The substantive change between the two events can be seen in the current language for the PE vs. the Fawley; the Fawley language will apply to the PE going forward:
The critical language shifts from 'club of a school' to 'club or school.'
The one exception for 2023 will be that the PE Cup will continue to operate under its original age rules for one more year, permitting athletes who may have turned 18 before September of 2022.
The other youth events are limited to athletes who turn 18 after September of the year preceding the Regatta, a rule the PE Cup will also follow starting in 2024.
The change brings the PE Cup's Qualification Rules into line with the other three Henley Royal Regatta events for youth crews: the Fawley for Youth Men's Quads, the Diamond Jubilee for Women's Quads, and the Prince Phillip for Youth Women's Eights, all of which have allowed crews for either a single club or a single school.
The Stewards opted to delay standardizing the age qualification so that "junior rowers who might have been caught out by the change of age limit and have already started training for the 2023 Regatta will not be adversely affected," according to a statement published by the Regatta.
You can see the 2022 rules here, and simply apply the rules of the Fawley to the PE.
Ever since the PE Cup event opened to overseas competitors in 1964, crews from US secondary schools have been regular visitors, but the event will no longer be restricted to school crews.
The change means that American club teams, like the recent clubs which have won the Youth Men's Eight at Nationals—Greenwich (2022), Row America Rye (2019), and Sarasota (2018)—and any other clubs interested in "heading to Henley," now have the chance to race youth eights at Henley Royal Regatta. Prior to this change, the only events "open" to youth club athletes on the men's side were the Fawley Cup for Youth Quads, or the Thames Cup, a Club event for Eights, in which those juniors would to race "up" against adult crews.
Sir Steve Redgrave, the Regatta Chairman, said in a statement that he was "delighted that we have equal opportunities across our junior events for all young rowers and scullers".
You can read the Regatta's release on the Rule Change here.