Who Are We... Why Choose Us?
We are a swimming & Waterpolo club which aims to cater for all - whether you are highly competitive or a keep-fit swimmer! Looking for a new sport to try at Uni? UEA Swimming & Water Polo is the one for you! We pride ourselves on being a very welcoming, friendly, and inclusive club with lots of opportunities to match.
We are a friendly, inclusive, and hard-working team that is rapidly becoming one of the most popular sports clubs on campus. All our training takes place at the UEA SportsPark which has excellent facilities. The majority of our swimmers join us at the beginning of the year after visiting our stall at the UEA Sports Fayre but we regularly welcome new members all year round. Should you wish to join or have any queries about what we can offer you, please do get in touch by dropping us an email. We are always happy to help!
Socials:
Instagram: @uea_water_polo - @ueaswimmingclub
Facebook: UEA Swimming and Water Polo Club 2023/24
TikTok: ueaswimandwaterpolo
Waterpolo Regular Training Times:
- Swimming training 25m pool - Monday 19:30-21:00, SportsPark pool
- Land training - Thursday 18:00-19:00, SportsPark astroturf
- Water polo training - Saturday 18:30-21:30, SportsPark pool
Membership includes optional swimming sessions with our Rec/Dev squads as well.
Water Polo Coaches:
- Taylor Bernard
- Tee Goddard
- Ed Li
The Swim team is made up of three squads:
Please note we aren't able to offer swim teaching. All club members must be competent lane swimmers upon joining the club.
Reacreation Squad:
- Train up to twice a week; in the pool and on land
- Run by qualified volunteer student coaches
- Ideal for casual, 'keep fit' swimmers, no experience in competitive swimming required
- Provides an adaptable, relaxed, fun environment where you can meet new people, socialise, improve, and take a break from studying
- Oppourtunities to compete at local galas under new Swim England afiliation
Development Squad:
- Train up to four times a week; in the pool and on land
- Run by qualified volunteer student coaches
- Ideal for swimmers who have had some experience in competitive swimming/ do not wish to compete seriously at university
- Oppourtunities to compete at local galas under new Swim England afiliation
Competitive Squad:
- Train up to five times a week with training in the pool and land training
- Run by a professional, qualified, independent coach who is able to bring out the best in all our swimmers so that they can meet their potential and have fun while doing so.
- Train with the intention of competing at galas held locally and nationally, including BUCS.
- Is ideal for swimmers with competitive experience (even if they haven't raced in a while), for those that wish to take their training to the next level or are simply willing to commit to a slightly more demanding training schedule.
Training - 2023-24:
Recreation Squad -
Wednesday 1-2pm at Sportspark pool
Development Squad -
Tuesday 8-9:30pm at Sportspark pool
Wednesday 1-2pm at Sportspark pool
Friday 7:30-8:30pm at Sportspark pool
Competition Squad -
Tuesday 8-9:30pm at Sportspark pool
Wednesday 2-4pm at Sportspark pool
Friday 8:30-9:30pm at Sportspark pool
Sunday 8-9:30pm at Sportspark pool
Land training is available for members of all squads on a Thursday evening 8-9pm in Cong Hall 01.07 (2023/24)
Swimming Coaches:
- Alex Pinneger (Performance Coach)
- Leyton Berry (Head Coach)
We also have a number of student coaches, many of which have achieved relevant teaching/coaching qualifications. These are:
- Alice Older (Rec Squad Coach)
- Darcey Gardiner (Development Squad Coach)
- Paige Barella (Development Squad Coach)
Opportunities:
What we can offer you goes far beyond just swimming. Below are just some of the opportunities we encourage ALL our swimmers to get involved in throughout the academic year:
- British University College Sport (BUCS) galas at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre (Sheffield)
- Men's & Women's Waterpolo teams for British University College Sport (BUCS)
- British University Swimming League (BUSL) A series of galas for our development/competition squad to take part in.
- Annual Waterpolo tournament
- Derby day (UEA vs Essex)
- Club Championships
- Sports Nights
- LCR socials
- Water Sports Ball
- Volunteering, leadership, and personal development opportunities
- Sports Awards
- Regular socials (including trampolining, BBQs by the lake, bowling, team dinners, nights out, and dress-ups)
- Sports Tour
Your Committee 2023/24
A new committee is elected at the end of each academic year to run the swopo team and the many events we take part in. Most importantly, we are a team for students, run by students - with the support of UEA sport and the SU.
uea.swimmingandwaterpolo@uea.ac.uk
President: Catriona Lee & Taylor Bernard
Treasurer: James Webb
Secretary/ Union Council Rep: Alice Older
Publicity and Kit Officer: Emily Farrow & Lauren Griffen-Edmondson
Social Secretary: Patrick Shimmin & Aurinija Maliauskaite
Outreach & Fundraising Officer: Rosie Ray
Equality, Diversity, Wellbeing & Health & Safety Officer: Kirstie Stone (kirstie.e.stone@outlook.com)
Waterpolo Men's Captain: Edward Li
Waterpolo Women's Captain: Tee Goddard
Recreation Squad Captain: Felix Sumner
Development Squad Captain: Emily Warner
Competitive Squad Captain: Emily Tatam
Please get in touch, get to know us, and come join our incredible team.
Swopo Love x
Additional Cost of Sport Ranges
The additional cost of sport project, which was created by the Students’ Union, alongside uea+sport, is designed to give prospective members information on the range of costs they may face in joining their chosen sport.
This range should be taken as guidance. For compulsory costs, this price includes uea+sport membership which is £55, and you only need to pay once to join all of our clubs.
When considering additional costs, some clubs may have none and others may have further costs. This is often dependent on the level of competitiveness for the sport you get involved in, and so recreational or socially playing may be cheaper. You may also have equipment which can be used between multiple sports, for example shoes or gum shields.
For any questions, please ask the sport club for specific further information, or union.opportunities@uea.ac.uk for further information on the project.
Many thanks,
Luke Johnson
Your Activities & Opportunities Officer 23/24
