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Solihull Swimming Club is a well-established swimming and water polo club, established in 1963 and based at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre in Solihull. The swimming club now boasts over 600 members and also trains at Solihull School and St. Martin's School.

History
A social swimming club existed in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull before World War II using an open air pool in Malvern Park. After the War, the club was restarted, but it was unfortunately dissolved around 1949.

However, using some assets left by this original social club, the present “Solihull Swimming Club” was formed at the first Annual General Meeting in March 1963 where over 150 prospective club members attended. The original objectives of the club were to teach the art of swimming, to teach lifesaving and diving and to promote the game of water polo. Later the same year, the club became affiliated to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA).

Within a year of its formation, the new club had over 300 members with both swimming teaching and water polo becoming well established. As the membership increased, the need for more water time was essential and, with the support of the Club, a new swimming pool was built on the edge of Tudor Grange Park.

The original Tudor Grange pool was officially opened on the 19th June 1964 and the club has swum at Tudor Grange on both Tuesdays and Fridays ever since with Sundays being added in 1998. In 1976, additional water time was secured at the Solihull School pool which was at that time an open air pool.

As the club grew in strength, the swimming section entered local competitive leagues and enjoyed many successes with individuals achieving both county and national recognition. The first Annual Club Championships were held in 1966 which have continued every year to date.

During the past twenty years or so, the club continued to enter various local swimming leagues including the National Swimming League, the Nuneaton and Leicester Junior Leagues, Worcester Winter League and the Mercian League. From about 1988, some of Solihull’s best swimmers in each age group began to train with the newly formed City of Birmingham Swimming Club, a relationship that continues today.

The club joined the Coventry and District Association of Swimming Clubs in 2011 which continues to provide opportunities for swimmers to compete against other local clubs and training opportunities for volunteers. More recently the Club has continued to add open galas to the annual fixture list, in particular the Sheffield Gala at the Ponds Forge pool, which continues to be very popular each year.

The water polo teams have also delivered many successes and trophies over the years. The Club has participated in various leagues at senior, junior, youth and academy levels. Testament to the high level of training, a significant number of our players have trained with GB squads over several years and two of our former proteges, Rosie Morris and Jake Vincent were members of the GB Water Polo teams at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Pool Locations
In 2000, St. Martin’s School pool was opened which gave the club, for the first time, three pools close to the town centre, namely Tudor Grange, Solihull School and St. Martin’s School, having previously used pools further afield in Sparkhill, Acock’s Green and Chelmsley Wood.

Early in 2001 the future of the original Tudor Grange pool became unclear and significant discussions were held with the Borough Council over the next few years. The club eventually moved into its new “spiritual home”, built next to the site of the original pool, in January 2008.

As the Amateur Swimming Association placed greater emphasis on the constitution of clubs, good administration and structured training, the Club has continued to develop the expertise of its volunteer workforce. The club achieved its Swim21 accreditation in 2004, being one of the first few clubs to achieve this in the West Midland Region. The Club also embraced the new electronic age launching its website in April 2004. Following the increasing trends amongst clubs around the country, the Club took the decision to appoint its first ever professional Head Swimming Coach in January 2008.

The Club reached its Jubilee year in excellent shape with both swimming and water polo sections performing extremely well and with a membership of over 600. Throughout its history, the Club has been fortunate to have a strong volunteer workforce of coaches, teachers, officials, helpers and administrators that ensures that all the Club’s activities take place in a safe secure environment. Over the past fifty years, the Club has benefited from a number of significant characters who have contributed greatly to the growth and success of the Club.