Can Guildford & Swiss Cottage repeat their 2025 winning titles?
It’s a new venue this year for the finals weekend of the National arena League inter-club competition which will be held, for the first time, at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre – the venue for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 .
Twenty of the top clubs from England & Wales have fought their way through the regional rounds of this competition before Christmas. Just under 300 clubs from across England & Wales, with over 10,000 swimmers involved, competed in the three rounds from the 6 Regional Leagues . The 51 event programme is a team event for swimmers from 9yrs to open and is a real indication of the strength of club swimming . The programme covers 50m, 100m events for all age groups and an Open 200 IM as well as 4×50 relays and a mixed 8 x 50 FS relay . The top 20 clubs after all the regional rounds have been completed are invited to race at the Finals weekend with the clubs ranked 11-20 in the Plate Final on Saturday 7th March , and the top 10 clubs racing in the 56th Cup-Final on Sunday 8th March.
National Plate-Final, Saturday 7th March
Last years’ winners, London’s Camden Swiss Cottage, will be racing in the cup final this year and so there will be a different club lifting this title on Saturday. Another London club, Brompton SC, will be back in this final after a few years absence and will face stiff competition from previous winners, Basildon & Phoenix SC and regular finalists, Bromley SC. The plate final this year is expected to be a close tight fought competition with a number of these clubs varying for the title.
Plate Final Teams & Lane Draw
9-Wigan BEST
8-City of Norwich
7-RTW Monson
6-Woking
5-Brompton
4-Bromley
3-Basildon & Phoenix
2-City of Cambridge
1-Blythe Barracudas
0-City of Coventry
National Cup Final, Sunday 8th March
Ten of the very strongest swimming clubs from across England & Wales will challenge each other in the 56th National Cup Final . With three previous winning clubs competing and some very strong clubs making it into this final, there will be some exciting and tight racing .
Last year’s winners, Guildford City SC, will be looking to make it three wins in a row but will face stiff competition from Repton SC, Mount Kelly, Wycombe District and also Camden Swiss Cottage, who, after winning the plate final for the past two years have make the Cup Final for the first time and will be determined to put up a good fight .
Guildford’s lead coach, Ben Rowett, commented “It’s a privilege to be competing against some of the strongest club and school programmes in the country. We know the final will be fast paced with some exceptional swimming. We are really looking forward to putting our best foot forward and seeing where it takes us.
Using the Commonwealth Games pool will also inspire the swimmers over the course of the competition so we’re looking forward to lots of fast swimming! “
The quality of the competition will see a number of current GB senior and Junior internationals including Imogen Clark ( commonwealth & European medalist ), Harry Milne ( European junior medalist ) and Austyn Manley ( British Junior record holder & EYOF medalist ) – with the GB Team from last years European Junior championships especially well represented. The competition to be the 2026 Champion club will be hotly contested and a close points total will ensue.
Cup Final Teams & Lane Draw
9-Stockport Metro
8-Chelsea Westminster
7-Mount Kelly
6-Camden Swiss Cottage
5-Repton
4-Guildford City
3-Wycombe District
2-City of Cardiff
1-Millfield
0-City of Peterborough
This Finals weekend comes just over a month out from the British Championships in London and will provide one of the last chances to make a qualifying time for the championships which are also the GB Trials for the Commonwealth Games, European Championships and Junior International Meets.
