Friends of Allonby (FOA) Liverpool Canoe Polo Men’s Team, based at Collingwood Dock, Liverpool Waters, topped their golden year by fulfilling a historic, career long dream of winning the European Club Championships in Bacoli, Italy last weekend.

Six of the eight-man team, including the four McCutcheon brothers, are Liverpool born and bred, beginning paddling from an early age at the Collingwood-Dock based Friends of Allonby Liverpool Canoe Club.  They have grown together from small beginnings, as local ordinary young people, to elite sports player, to form the passionate and fiercely loyal backbone of the team. With the addition of Andreas Iverson from Denmark and Jack Winder (Salford), the line-up has been challenging for the title for the past 6-years.

Across the 2024 season, they have pushed the boundaries of the modern game with their dynamic style, unique team ethic and quiet belief, resulting in a near faultless year of results. After winning the British League, Helmond International and Deutschland Cup (Essen), their eyes were on raising the prize at the pinnacle of club competition, the Champions League of Canoe Polo.

The final was a re-match of the 2023 final in Arcos de la Frontera, where FOA heartbreakingly lost to German side, MKV Duisburg. The focus and passion from FOA was visible right from the first whistle, with FOA taking a 3-0 lead, including the opener from Andreas Iverson and two spectacular long-shots from Jack Winder and Shivan McCutcheon. However, Duisburg fought back to 3-1 at half time and the tides changed in the second half with two German goals taking it to a tense 3-3 score line. This was not a game for the faint hearted, with FOA edging ahead and then Duisburg equalising again. It was the FOA engine house of James Mallon, Kartik McCutcheon and Jack Winder that kept the momentum in FOA’s favour, with an incredible intensity of work at both ends of the pitch creating the opportunity for Tana McCutcheon to take the lead again. The FOA team held their nerve, controlling the game and defending fiercely for the final minutes. With the crowd holding their breath as the Duisburg team had a desperate shot in the dying seconds, one final save on the final whistle gave FOA the emotional end to the game that they had dreamed of. Team captain Lewis McVey proudly led the celebrations, made more special by being the first British team to lift the European Club Championships trophy in the modern era (over 24 years).

Speaking to Kartik McCutcheon – “It’s a dream to win. It’s something we’ve been trying to do for 10+ years. We made our first final in 2018 and this year was our 3rd, so to finally get one over the line it’s a difficult feeling to put into words. We’ve had such good momentum this year with two wins at international tournaments in Helmond and Essen, but this competition is historically so difficult to win because the level of the teams is incredibly high. We felt really good going into the final and started really well but Duisburg are a top side and made it really difficult for us. In the end we are so happy we came out on top especially after years of falling just short. The support we had in Bacoli and back home was incredible and none of it would have been possible without the full support given to us by the club. As a team we all worked so hard for this and we are going to enjoy this title for as long we can.”

Deserved winners amongst a field of World Class players and a wonderful reflection of their dedication over so many years and their unique team bond.

Congratulations!

FOA Canoe Club Liverpool is, as our name implies, a friendly club that always welcomes new members young (from the age of 8) and old (and every age in between), including paddlers of all ability levels from absolute novices to undisputed world champions. Find out more here https://www.friendsofallonby.org.uk/