Plymouth Leander - South West Club of the Year 2018

Plymouth Leander has been named Club of the Year by Swim England South West.

The club has undergone big changes in the last 18 months since Head Coach Robin Armayan took over and a new board made up of parent volunteers was put in place.

Swim England SW says the result has been a "significant and positive" change in outlook at the club which, while striving to maintain its historical success, aims to be outstanding both in and out of water.

The #bluearmy became national champions of the Arena League earlier this year - a massive win with a points score not seen in more than a decade. The club has also continued to anchor the local aquatic network.

"The club has delivered five successful meets and taken on roles at national events to be able to cascade best practice down to events at club level," the citation says. "Alongside this they have developed a strong partnership with Plymouth College and Plymouth University, and developed two junior squads to bridge the gap between learn to swim and club swimming."

PL chairman David Ellis said the club is "humbled and flattered to receive the award".

"The changes wouldn't have been possible without the support of our key partners but crucially our athletes and their families," he added. " There is still a lot we can and are trying to do to improve how the club is run and how we communicate but this award suggests we are heading in the right direction!"

Head coach Robin Armayan said the award has come off the back of an "extremely successful 2017/18 season".

"This included three swimmers (not including Ben Proud) representing England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games; one swimmer at the 2018 European Championships; an 8th Victory in the Arena league national final as well as many medals at the British and English Summer Championships.

"Being awarded SW club of the year is a great recognition of the hard work of the athletes, the staff and all the volunteers," he added. "I’m extremely proud of everyone at the club - it’s a great team to be a part of."