History
County Antrim Paddle Sports Club was founded in 2011 to meet the needs of the keen paddle sports community within the County Antrim Area. The clubs aim is to provide an opportunity for paddle sports enthusiasts to come together and enhance their experience by paddling with a group of like minded people in a safe fun environment, while providing opportunities to develop skills through shared knowledge and set programs in accordance with the Canoe Association Northern Ireland (CANI). Local paddle sites include, Six Mile Water, Lough Neagh, River Maine, Kells Water, and Lower Bann with surf development practiced on the County Antrim Coast.
Location
The club is located in Antrim town, and the club often meet along the bank of 6 mile water, near the Lough Shore Coffee House, located close to the Antrim Forum. The club is very accessible to the public as there is a train station located in the middle of Antrim town which only a 5 minute walk to the Antrim Forum allowing members easy access to the club.
Membership
County Antrim Paddle Sports membership is open to all members of society and does not have age restrictions on memberships. It is a relatively small club with only 27 active members and has a large proportion of female members making up 40% of their overall membership (11 members). The also club has a large proportion of youth membership with a third of its overall membership under the age of 15, five of which are girls. However, the majority of the membership is made up of adults aged between 31 and 50, as there are 16 members of this age, 10 of which are male members.
County Antrim Paddle Sport offers 3 different memberships;
- Adult £20 (+£10 for CANI cover if not already paid)
- Second Adult in the one family £10 (+£10 for CANI cover if not already paid)
- Youth membership £7 (to cover CANI cost)
Club Provision
As County Antrim Paddle Sport is a very small club, they do not have any equipment for members to use or rent and therefore members will have to buy their own boat, paddle and buoyancy aid prior to joining the club. The club however does cater for all sectors of the public, including members who may have disabilities, as the club has a disabled coach who is appropriately trained to deliver the Paddleability course.
Training sessions
Training sessions take place on a Wednesday evening and members meet at the Lough Shore Cafe at 18:30 from March until September. However, from October until February, the sessions change and move to the pool in the Antrim Forum from 21:00-22:00. When new members join the club, the club will often host several training sessions to facilitate them, however this is dependent on the number of people there is. If this does not occur then the new member who is usually brought along by a friend is under the authorization of the existing member on the Wednesday night session. Also, for junior members, it is asked for their parents to be present at training sessions until an age where an agreement can be made between the club and the parents where they no longer have to be present.
Additional information
County Antrim Paddle Sport is a recreational club which offers its members the opportunity to take part in a number of different disciplines such as flat water, whitewater, play boating and surf kayaking. The club will also plan a number of events throughout the year in order to attract more members to the club. The club host a “Come Try It” day at Newferry Water Ski Centre in August where new members have the opportunity to come long and take part in the sport and see if they enjoy it and may join the club. The club also host the ‘Big Bann Canoe Challenge’ in mid August as well as a Get Oudoors Weekend Canoeing which is in Portglenone.
If you require any more information about the club please contact the club via;
Contact number- 07937199043
Email address- antrimpaddlers@gmail.com
Facebook- Co. Antrim Paddle Sports Club
