2018 was a big year for British Canoe Polo:

It’s hard not to start with the strong performances of our international sides throughout the season culminating with the amazing achievements of our Senior Women claiming the Silver medal and the U21 Men re-claiming the World Championship out in Canada! 🥈🇬🇧🏆 Our referees were also recognized with Elan selected to referee the Men’s final.

Closer to home the National Leagues completed with Kingston Kayak Club and Friends of Allonby claiming the titles (Open and Women’s league respectively). Friends of Allonby, Meridian and Ulster Canoe Polo triumphed at the National Club Championships at the Home Venue (Open, Women’s and Youth leagues).

At a grassroots level, there have been major initiatives flourishing: The Development Academy continues to grow from strength to strength and was outlined as a clear pathway to future international selection. It’s impossible not to notice the impact these youth players are having returning to their club sides with new skills and a focused training mentality. The second tier of the Women’s league removed “Development” from the title to become Division 2 North and South with a record 15 entries! This would not have been possible without the dedication of league organisers over the years to generate stability, promote inclusion and make these leagues a full-time reality. Across the whole national league, a significant restructure was rolled out by League Organisers to help decrease travel, improve value and make the leagues sustainable. The regional leagues continue to grow with the Welsh League reforming and the South East league running with 3 divisions after only a few years.

Finally, the highlight of the year has to be the European Club Championships hosted in Nottingham. It has been a long time since a major international canoe polo event was held in the UK and took months of careful planning. All the volunteers, sponsors, supporters and of course athletes should be immensely proud of the event we held. The cherry on top was the success of both Friends of Allonby sides: the Men taking Silver and the Women taking the title! 🎉

In 2019 the focus will shift to a new 4-year cycle of growth for our international sides before the European Championships. The national and regional leagues are back with a bang in January with >25 tournaments being held. Over in Northern Ireland, the Junior International Championships returns, a fantastic initiative to drive Youth growth.

Thank you for your support this year! We are always looking for volunteers to help run and develop our sport, please get in touch.

Following the recent ACM the 18/19 British Canoeing Canoe Polo Committee is:
Chairperson & SW representative: Steve Watts
Vice Chairperson & National Leagues Organiser: Chris Arrowsmith
Treasurer & performance Chairperson: Derek Playford
Chief Referee: Elan Winter
Publicity Officer: David McBay
Secretary: Mark Dolan
Coaching & Welsh Chairperson: Zoe Anthony
Welfare & NE representative: Sara Potter
Scottish CPC Representative: Chris Carracher
South East Chairperson: Michael Burbeck
North West Chairperson: Matt Carter
North East Chairperson: AP Gair
Welsh Representative: Dave Siegel

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Richard Potter and Aziz Raoudi!

Committee Profiles: canoepolo.org.uk/committee
You can read Chris’ ACM update here (as acting Chairperson): https://www.dropbox.com/s/0xqvb716fvlu4et/Chairperson2018.docx?dl=0
Committee Structure: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xHGdCqGPYIAAoUfkmDIuL-j0hya7_xLipOv-MvKPies/edit?usp=sharing
ACM minutes: https://www.dropbox.com/s/b7d4qryh80m0f94/ACM%20minutes%2017th%20Nov%202018%20.docx?dl=0

British Canoeing are supporting polo by organizing a core coach training course and a polo coach training course. More details on the new Polo Coach Award can be found on the British Canoeing Awarding Body website: https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/courses/coach-award

The core coach training is on the 16th-17th February: https://britishcanoeing.azolve.com/Workbench.mvc/Show/6…

To those who have completed core training, the Polo specific course is on the 30th-31st March: https://britishcanoeing.azolve.com/Workbench.mvc/Show/6…

We have been made aware of a paddler in the East Midland’s region who was diagnosed with Weil’s disease (Leptospirosis) on Saturday 17th November. Our thoughts are with the paddler and their family, as they fight the condition. Please see the below link for safety advice on prevention and treatment for the disease 👇👇👇

As part of the GB Squads programme of development the first full Squads Weekend of the 2019 Season is to be held at Hatfield Water Park, Old Thorne Road, Doncaster, DN7 6EQ, on Saturday 3th & Sunday 4th November 2018, commencing promptly at 9.30am on Saturday and ending by 4pm on Sunday.

The weekend is open to all Polo players involved in the squads during 2018, as well as previous squad members who have been involved at any time during the last 5 years, who would like the opportunity of trying out to join one of the GB squads for the 2019 season.

Cost £70.00 per paddler.
Attendees will be reimbursed mileage costs but are expected to take all reasonable measures to minimise travel costs through car sharing.

Tea and coffee will be provided (please bring your own mug) as will an evening meal on Saturday. Please bring your own breakfast & lunch.
Paddlers will need to provide their own equipment, several changes of kit will be required.

To register your interest in attending, please complete this online form by 5th October 2018:

 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/126dI54-yQH6q6pFgo1AhwgmfEsPM9MMj8lABAvTuU6g

Steve, Elan and Chris will be at Nottingham to rebuild the pitches on Monday 24th September, but they can’t do it alone!

If anyone is free to come help with this final task from the ECC champs please click attending on this event.

The pitches need to be rebuilt as soon as possible to protect the structure and allow teams to resume training use.

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