Chair’s Update

Hello. My name is Mark Evans and I am the Chair of Radcliffe Swimming and Water Polo Club. I have been involved with the Club since the late 1990’s when my children were members. This is my second time as Chair and I would like to keep you all as informed as possible about the Club and its activities. I am going to try and send out regular updates to members. Please let me know about things you would be interested to hear about.   

As we are now into our swimming gala season, I would like to take this opportunity to provide some information about the swimming leagues we swim in and why the teams chosen are not always the same.

This season the Club has entered a number of the BCM leagues. The BCM is the swimming Association which covers the Greater Manchester area and is responsible for organizing the local league galas. It is an amalgamation of the three former Associations – Bolton and District Swimming and Water Polo Association, Central Lancashire Swimming and Water Polo Association and Manchester and District Swimming and Water Polo Association. Hence BCM.

The leagues are all different. They have different age groups, different events, some involve team races, whereas some involve more individual races, some races are 50 metres, some races are 25 metres, and in some of the leagues there are restrictions on how many swims an individual swimmer can do. This makes team selection a complicated and complex process. 

Therefore, depending on which league we are swimming in teams will vary. Swimmers may be picked for certain galas but not others due to the make-up of the particular league that we are competing in. Sometimes one age group will have lots of swimmers able to swim, other age groups may be short of swimmers and in certain cases swimmers may be asked to swim in an older age group.   

There are also certain occasions when a swimmer may be called in at the last minute for various reasons. 

The BCM website has information about the leagues and the site contains results and league tables.

If you have any concerns or issues about team selection, please can you direct them to me, your club chair, through the club website or speak to me in person.  

There are also a number of external galas during the season that swimmers can take part in and details of these will be put on the notice boards and sent out in emails. If you would like more information about this please speak to your child’s teacher or coach.  

Our water polo players also play in a number of different leagues starting from under 12s to senior and please, if you get a chance, go along and support the teams.

The club is run entirely by volunteers and if you would like to help out in any way please speak to your child’s teacher, a member of the committee or send an email to the club website.

Thank you for you continued support and good luck to all our swimmers and water polo players in the forthcoming season.

Mark Evans

Radcliffe Swimming and Water Polo Club Chair.