New Cumbrian canoe polo venue set to open after successful fundraiser

New floating pontoons will allow youth canoe polo tournaments to be hosted at Greystoke Castle next year following a successful fundraiser.

Penrith Canoe Club has completed a Crowdfunder, match-funded by Sport England with National Lottery funding, to install the pontoons alongside its floating pitch on the castle’s lake.

The equipment will give referees and coaches a clear overview of play and help capsized kayakers get back into their boats.

Setting up the venue was also supported by a Westmorland and Furness Community grant, Ullswater Grassroots Trust and Paddle Cumbria, the regional development arm of national governing body Paddle UK.

Individuals, Penrith Rotary Club, Penrith Lions and local business Tyla Services also donated to the fundraiser.

The new facility means the club will no longer have to travel outside the county to host its own regional events.

Hilary Clarke, vice chair and coach, said: “We are really excited to have this facility available. We have so many youngsters who are highly motivated by this fast, exciting sport.

“Their enthusiasm rubs off on us all. It will be great to have more events like this, accessible to more local youngsters.”

The pontoons at Greystoke Castle will also allow young players who have passed their referee theory course and exam to practise and become fully qualified referees.

Each tournament team must provide a referee, and the club is building a youth structure to develop future Great Britain players following in the footsteps of Cam Fletcher, who recently returned from the world championships in France.

On Saturday, the club took 18 youth players and three coaches to a North West youth canoe polo tournament, hosted by the Penrith club but held in Manchester due to a lack of suitable local venues.

The event brought together 30 young players from four clubs, including five Penrith members attending their first tournament.

Players were mixed into teams with a strong focus on coaching alongside matches on a full-sized pitch.

New Cumbrian canoe polo venue set to open after successful fundraiser – cumbriacrack.com