Clubs in Depth - SOPAC SC

09 March 2021
SOPAC SC Backstroker

Today we're diving into - SOPAC SC

SOPAC Swim Club is based at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre in the Metro North West Area of Sydney, and is the home of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The club was established in 2004 with the goal to promote swimming as a sport by encouraging the pursuit of success and excellence. 

To find out a bit more about the club we spoke with Head Coach, Matthew Brown, President of the Committee, Jason Stubbs, and Senior Performance Squad swimmer, Felicity Chan.

SOPAC SC Team Photo

SOPAC SC in Depth

Run by Head Coach Matthew Brown, SOPAC Swim Club's aim is to build a successful swim club which produces strong-performing athletes across all age groups, from Learn to Swim programs right up to Olympic-level. Belonging to a club that has produced ten Olympians, and more recently, placed second on the leader board at both the 2020 NSW Senior State Age Championships and 2020 NSW Open Water Championships, is a great source of pride and motivation for all the club's members. All coaches regularly work together to coach swimmers to success. This unique approach means swimmers often get to experience different styles of coaching all while training at their own club.

Developing strong club culture is extremely important to the group, where both swimmers and parents place an emphasis on sportsmanship and respect. Everyone is willing to support each other both on and off pool deck. You can regularly find both swimmers and parents going to group gatherings outside of the pool, such as post-training refuelling sessions (breakfast), club presentation nights, and of course, the all-important parent ‘powerwalking club’.

SOPAC swimmers are dedicated to supporting their teammates, even if they're not competing at a meet themselves. Swimmers from all club squads have been known

SOPAC Team huddle
12-18 years girls 4x100m Medley relay team

to go along to multi-class meets and inject a bit of their SOPAC spirit into the atmosphere to cheer on other competing members of the club.

The same demonstration of support was shown for the 12-18 years girls 4x100m Medley relay at December’s Senior State Age Championships. It was a powerful moment for the club, where all present swimming members were on their feet, bringing the girls in to the wall in what was a very tight race. Upon completion of the race, swimmers were handing out high-fives, handshakes and cheering loudly after the girls managed to secure the gold medal.

What's next for SOPAC SC

The 202 member-strong club is busily preparing for the upcoming Olympic Trials, Australian Age Championships, Australian Club Championships, NSW State Open and NSW Junior State Age.

One of SOPAC's key goals for the upcoming series of state and national events is to improve on results from past years, and produce quality athletes across all age groups which will build consistency across the whole club.

Head Coach Matthew Brown’s favourite coaching tip

If you only work hard on the days you feel good, you never get much done.

Come and Try SOPAC SC

If you’re interested in joining SOPAC SC or seeing what they’re all about, they host 8-10 club nights a year which are open (and free!) to come and try for swimmers of all ages and abilities.

Squads offered at SOPAC SC

Squad Name Coach Age Group Number of Weekly Sessions Squad Size
Transition Competition James Traiforos 9-11 6 25-30
Junior Competition Daniel Benvenuti 11-12 7 25-30
State Competition Kaz Suzuki 14 & Under 8 max 30
National Age Performance Ryan Frost

14-17 Boys

13-16 Girls

8 + 2 dryland sessions 20-25
Senior Performance Matthew Brown

18+ Boys

17+ Girls

9 + 2 dryland sessions 16-20
High Performance* Adam Kable 18+ 9 + 3 dryland sessions 10

*Part of the Swimming NSW High Performance Hub Program

Find and Contact SOPAC SC

Club pool: Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, Sydney Olympic Park

Club website: https://sopac.swimming.org.au/

Follow SOPAC SC on Facebook and on Instagram @sopacswimteam

Want to be featured in the next Clubs in Depth?

  • Get in touch with us
  • Contact Olivia Kapocius (admin@nsw.swimming.org.au) to organise an interview.

  • Purpose of Clubs in Depth initiative
  • The purpose of Clubs in Depth is to promote NSW-based clubs to both the Swimming NSW and broader community in order to increase engagement and participation. The article is distributed via our website, social media channels, the Hot Off the Blocks Newsletter and Swimmer Magazine.

    Swimming NSW will also provide featured clubs with a modified copy of their article so it can be distributed to local media outlets as a new member and community engagement tool.

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