Manchester Canoe Club

Manchester Canoe Club
Sport	Canoeing[1] Kayaking Canoe Slalom Canoe Polo[2]
Founded	1933[2]
Affiliation	British Canoe Union
Affiliation date	1936
Regional affiliation	North West England[2]
Affiliation date	1933
Chairman	Mark Davies[3]
Secretary	Glenn Roberts[3]
Coach	Dave Bradshaw[3]
Official website
www.manchestercanoeclub.org.uk

The Manchester Canoe Club (MCC) is based on the banks of the River Goyt at Marple, in Greater Manchester, England.^[4] Since its foundation in 1933, the club has been actively involved in the development of canoe sport, particularly in the competitive disciplines of Canoe Polo and Canoe Slalom.

History

Foundation

Manchester Canoe Club was formed at an inaugural meeting in May 1933 as part of the British Canoe Association,^[2][5] making it one of the oldest canoe clubs in the United Kingdom. MCC founded the British Canoe Union in 1936,^[6] along with Clyde Canoe Club, the Royal Canoe Club, and the Canoe section of the Camping Club.^[7] In the early years, Manchester Canoe Club was primarily focused on touring and canoe camping. When canoe slalom gained popularity in 1939, MCC became a pioneering club in the sport.

In the late 60s, the club began searching for a permanent club site, and found the current site at Dale Road, Marple. Initially, MCC could only lease the site for a year at a time, so plans for a permanent club headquarters had to be abandoned; instead, a caravan was brought onto the site and used. In 1974, as a long-term lease agreement looked more possible, the caravan was replaced with a World War II nissen hut. After years of searching, MCC negotiated a 7-year lease of the club site in 1988. In 1992, MCC was able to purchase the site permanently; to do this, the club received a grant from the Foundation for Sports and Arts. Plans for a new clubhouse were restarted, and funding from Sports England was approved in February 2002. Construction of the new clubhouse began shortly afterwards, and finished in August 2003.

Present

To avoid conflict between different disciplines of canoeing, MCC has club officers who are responsible for the training, promotion, and coordination of each area.^[8] In spite of this, MCC host several national slalom races for divisions 3 and 4 during the Canoe Slalom season.^[5] Training courses are also held at the local Hazel Grove baths during winter.^[5] MCC takes an active role in campaigns and political debates. In January 2008, Mark Davies (club chairman) appeared on the BBC Politics North West show,^[9] campaigning for river access. The club is also partnered with local canoeing retailer, Brookbank Canoes.^[10]

Canoe Polo

Manchester Canoe Club has a canoe polo team, which is a separate branch of the club.^[11] The polo team competes in National League divisions, as well as organising the North West local league.^[12] MCC also compete in the National Canoe Polo championships and the annual International tournaments.^[12]

River Goyt

The River Goyt runs from the Errwood, Fernilee, and Etherow reservoirs, which tends to stabilise the river level. The stretch of the River Goyt at the club site is fairly placid (grade 2).^[13] but can become grade 3 and higher in heavy rain.^[13] The stretch has rapids either side, and contains a number of pools and eddies; the water is also very clean, shown by the rise in fishing.^[13]

In Summer 2008, extensive work was carried out at the club site to alter the river flow, creating new river features and obstacles.^[14][15]

Notable members

National champions in canoe slalom^{[citation needed]}

Kathleen Toothill

Keith Waite

Julian Shaw

Jean Battersby

Leslie Calverley

Ken Langford

Ray Calverley

Julia Harling

Martyn Peters

Heather Corrie

Paul Ratcliffe

World champions in canoe slalom^{[citation needed]}

Martin Rohleder

Ray Calverley

Ken Langford

John MacLeod

Jim Dolan

Heather Corrie

Paul Ratcliffe

References

External links

• Official site
• Manchester University Canoe Club
• Manchester Metropolitan University Canoe Club