Getting more people into paddlesports and Canoe Polo

The Pitch

Problem statement

Canoe Polo is a fast growing paddlesport. Teams of 5 players compete to score goals in raised nets above the water. The National Waterports centre in Nottingham hosts one of the best canoe polo facilities in the world and is the home of the GB teams for the sport Unfortunately, there is no pathway for people living in the city to get involved with this sport, despite the fantastic facility on their doorstep. The closest canoe polo club is an hour away from Nottingham. In 2021 Marco Canoe Club was founded at the centre, and has a core of dedicated and experienced players, however we are lacking in the equipment needed to run sessions to introduce new people to the sport.

Solution

We have managed to get together most of the equipment to enable us to run sessions to introduce new people to the sport. We have obtained kayaks and paddles from other canoe polo clubs, however, Canoe Polo requires some specific safety equipment that is hard to obtain 2nd hand. We are looking for grant funding to purchase this equipment. The grant would enable us to purchase canoe polo-specific buoyancy aids, helmets, and faceguards and enable us to run sessions for beginners and get more people into the sport. The equipment would also allow us to enter beginner teams into regional leagues and competitions, alongside our more experienced teams, creating a pathway for players to follow.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

Marco Canoe club is lucky to have a core of experienced canoe polo players at its heart. We have collectively been playing the sport for over 200 years! We have qualified kayak coaches, and have committee members with experience in running and developing successful canoe clubs. We are also very lucky to be based at the British Canoe Polo home venue, which is a fantastic resource that is sadly underused outside of elite sport. This project would allow us to expand out member base, making the sport more sustainable in Nottingham and make better use of this fantastic site.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

32 people

Expected impact

This will enable us to run a weekly beginners session, introducing at least 8 new people to the sport with each session. We would be aiming to run 4x 2 week taster sessions over the summer period when the water is warm, in addition to our normal training sessions. Canoe Polo is a fantastic sport, as it includes teamwork but also opens up the wider world of paddlesports, which allows for a deep connection with water. As it is a smaller sport, the opportunities are there for talented individuals to compete at a high level, in national or international tournaments. The sport, as with all paddlesports, also has an extremely strong and supportive community which new players would be welcomed into. It would set Marco Canoe club on a sustainable growth path, and we would look to start running sessions for juniors, providing a complete pathway in the sport for people living in Nottingham that has been missing despite having the national home venue for the sport.

Track record

Last summer we worked with British Canoeing to introduce some of their shepaddles ambassadors to the sport, which was a huge success. As it was a one off event, we were able to accommodate this by borrowing equipment, however we were later having to turn interested people away as we were unable to accommodate them due to a lack of equipment.

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