About Us

Newton Abbot Swimming and Water Polo Club is dedicated to supporting all members of the club to reach their full potential. Every member of the club is valued and encouraged to work within the club community to achieve their goals, which may include regional or national level performance and/or supporting others to reach their goals.

As a competitive club our members are given the opportunity to take part in various types and levels of competition, ensuring that everyone has opportunities to compete. From ribbon galas, club championships and local competitions through to regional championships and national leagues. The club ethos embraces commitment, hard work, respect, team spirit and a sense of fun all combined to deliver outstanding individual and team results.

We run regular social events such as canoeing at Decoy Lake, Beefeater breakfasts, discos and award ceremonies which helps solidify our club community and often also raises money for the club.

The club supports the development of individual volunteer skills and offers a volunteering programme for young people aged from 14 years upwards. The volunteering opportunities include placements for young people undertaking Duke of Edinburgh Award; swimming time keeping and other officials; water polo referees/table officials; and committee members. The club also supports members to undertake training to become Swimming Teachers, offering access to Level 1 & Level 2 teaching qualifications.

We take the welfare of our members seriously; all our teachers and helpers are DBS checked and we adhere to Swim England’s Wavepower regulations. You can find out more about our safeguarding policies and who to contact if you have a concern on our Welfare page.

We are a registered charity and hence volunteers are an essential part of the club’s structure. All our teachers and committee members (except our Head Swim Coach) are volunteers who give up their free time to make sure our members have the best experience possible. We are always looking for more people to help out, whether that is looking after our young swimmers pool-side at a gala or helping behind the scenes with the administration of the club, there are many roles to suit all skill sets and we are always keen to hear from people willing to lend a hand. Please contact us to find out more.

Penn Inn Pool, Credit: Newton Abbot Museum

Club History

Newton abbot Swimming and water Polo club has been at the heart of our local community for over 100 years. The Club was founded in 1919 when it was originally called Newton Abbot Otter Swimming Club. Although we later dropped the ‘otter’ from our name, the sleek marine mammal is still visible at the bottom of our logo. In 1976 The Newton Abbot Ladies Swimming club joined with the men’s Newton Abbot Otter Swimming Club and the club was renamed to Newton Abbot Swimming Club.

When the Club was established, membership was available for the subscription of one shilling per annum (5p in today’s money). The first organised swimming ‘dip’ took place on the 31st May 1919 at 3.45 pm at Torquay Swimming Baths.

Penn Inn outdoor pool was opened in 1935 and was home to the club until it was demolished in 1987 (the site is now occupied by Newton Abbot Sainsburys). When the Lido closed, the club moved to training indoors at Newton Abbot Leisure centre (previously known as Dyrons), although, the club still played polo matches and held swimming galas in the open air during the summer months at Kingsteignton outdoor swimming pool (as we do today).

Club activities have varied over the years, though always with the core activity of coaching children in swimming. In the 70s and 80’s water polo, synchronised swimming and lifesaving were all popular and water polo is still a key part of the club’s identity today. In November 2019 the club changed its name to reflect this, becoming Newton Abbot Swimming & Water Polo Club.

In time the Club became affiliated to the Devon County Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and later a member of Swim England, British Swimming and Swim Mark accredited.

In 2023 we became a registered charity, recognising the work the club does to promote youth inclusion in sport, team events and volunteering in our community.

Today the club continues to thrive due to the enthusiasm of its 250 odd members and volunteers. We continue to compete locally and nationally in both swimming and water polo as well as hosting regular galas and social events.