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CLUB HISTORY |
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The Club was formed in 1982 when Carnegie Centre re-opened after a 3-year closure for refurbishment. A group of local enthusiasts, most of whom had been involved previously in the water polo sections of swimming clubs (mainly Carnegie SC), decided to found a club devoted to water polo. They were fortunate to be able to attract back to the town a number of local players who had travelled afield to keep up their sport and had gained high-level experience. They were joined by others interested in the aims of the Club. Local youngsters were also sought and encouraged since it was obvious that to succeed in the long run there must be a continuing supply of fresh talent. The local swimming clubs did not wish to cater for polo and so the club was able to make use of their swimmers as "second-claim" members while they continued to train and swim competitively for their "first-claim" clubs. This arrangement has been crucial to the Club.
From the outset the Club was able to convince the national association that it had a team capable of playing in the Premier League and we were invited in for our first competitive season. In the search for improvement we entered the (English) ASA Club Championship regularly and had some impressive results culminating in winning the trophy in 1992, the first Scottish team to do so for over 40 years. The championship was retained in 1993. Subsequently Scottish clubs were barred from entry for a few years! After our first Premier League title we challenged the National League champions, London Polytechnic, for the right to represent Britain in the European Cup. We succumbed only after several periods of extra time. This achievement was instrumental in the formation of a British Championship with the top 2 teams from the Scottish Premier League joining the top 6 in the National League each year. We were one of Scotland's representatives for many years being runners-up on two occasions.
In 1991 the Club made history as the first Scottish polo team to represent Britain in a European Championship when we competed in the European Cup-Winners Cup in Hungary. We qualified again in 1992 and played in Germany. These and other ventures are very costly and the Club worked very hard at fund-raising but was also fortunate to obtain help from Dunfermline District Council, Fife Regional Council, the East District of the SASA, and many commercial concerns and individuals. Murrayplant of Glasgow sponsored the Club for several years and was of immense help in allowing the Club to reach its potential.
The Club were also successful with a Grant application the The Carnegie Dunfermline Trust which led to the installation of the first Electronic timing system in Scotland and which continues to benefit our players to this day.
The Club’s Under-21 and Under-17 teams have gained district and national titles and in 1991 the Ladies won the Scottish Championship and we became the only club to have won all of the Scottish championships. In 1992 we made a clean sweep of the Scottish titles. Regrettably the Ladies were unchallenged and not required to defend their title. Some of the Ladies team played for an English club in their National League to compensate for the lack of competition in Scotland.
The club has provided a large number of players for Scottish national teams. Several members have gained Great Britain honours. The club supplied the bulk of the Scottish senior team which won the Home Nations and the Eight Nations several times during the late 80s and early 90s.
The Club has also played its part in the administration of water polo and swimming with several members experiencing district and national office. Members compete in Competitive and Masters Swimming events, either for the Club or their "first-claim" clubs.
After the mid-90s the club saw a decline in standard and numbers. The strong rivalry between Dunfermline and Portobello raised the standard of both clubs but drew them away from the other Scottish teams. This, amongst other factors, led to a deterioration in the Scottish competitions. The club has rebuilt and had national success at Under-15, Under-17 and Under-21 levels. The senior team is progressing. In 2003 they had their first Scottish Cup win for some time. After several years out the club took part in the British Championships in 2004 and will enter the ASA Championship for the first time since our second Championship win in 1993. The women's team won the Scottish Championship in 2004.
In 2005 the Club joined forces with the Menzieshill Whitehall club of Dundee to enter the National League in England as Caledonia. The team topped the 3rd Div at their first attempt and were promoted to the 2nd Div in 2006.
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Last updated 10 February 2007
