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- Canoe Polo
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Canoe polo is a fun game - like football except in a boat.
The game is played competitively and for fun - and is great way to develop boat control skills.
Come along to a training session and give it a go - you might even be paddling alongside a world champion!
Canoe Polo
Approximately 25% of our Club members have a keen interest in Canoe Polo and in the current 2008/09 Season we have seven teams playing in the BCU National Leagues, and two teams playing in the Yorkshire Leagues.
Our senior Ladies Team are the current European Club Champions, BCU National League Div. 1 Champions and 2008 National Club Champions, and four of these ladies are current World Champions having been part of the Great Britain Team that won the Gold Medal at the 2008 World Canoe Polo Championships which were held in Edmonton, Canada.
In 2004 the BCU Canoe Polo Committee introduced a new annual award for the "Top Canoe Polo Club in the UK" which was presented to Friends of Allonby for winning the Open, Ladies and Youth categories at the National Championships for the second time in three years. Our Club received this prestigious award for a second time at the 2008 BCU Club Championships.
European Club Championship Honours
In 2008, at the European Club Championships (Bologna, Italy), our Ladies were crowned European Club Champions. This complemented third place in 2007, and again 1st place in Madrid in 2006.
At the 2005 Championships (Acigne, France), our Men came second and our Ladies third. As the only club to achieve podium places in both the Mens and Ladies competitions, this fantastic achievement arguably made Friends of Allonby the top canoe polo club in Europe at that time.
Picture: Friends of Allonby Ladies - European Club Champions 2008
British League Championship Finals
In 2005 the British Canoe Union asked the Club to host the BCU League Championships Finals which were held outdoors (for the first time ever) in Liverpool's Dukes Dock. This prestigious full weekend tournament featuring the top eight Open and Women's Teams in the UK was a great success. Subsequently, Friends of Allonby hosted the BCU League Championship Finals again in 2006 and 2008 at our permanent Polo Pitches in Queens Dock.
Universities Leagues
In 2005 Friends of Allonby approached all British Universities to gauge the level of interest there might be in the introduction of Canoe Polo Leagues specifically for University students. The response was very positive and resulted in the Club introducing separate Open and Ladies Universities Leagues for the 2005/06 Season which attracted teams from eight Universities. This thriving League is now in its fourth season with eighteen Teams from ten Universities taking part in the 2008/2009 Season.
