Croydon Amphibians head coach Patryk Folinski believes being more than just a coach helps his swimmers gain results in the pool.
With 20 years of experience, his aim is to inspire those under his guidance.
“I need to not only be a coach to my swimmers but also a person that they can talk to about anything, so that I can give them support, especially when competition season comes around,” he said.
Season complete 👏
A final congratulations to our nine national swimmers and a huge thank you to their amazing coach Pat. The time, effort and commitment given to support these swimmers in Sheffield is nothing but incredible.
And every swimmer did CASC proud. 😊 pic.twitter.com/FclxeM4eVr— Croydon Amphibians (@CAmphibians) August 4, 2025
Folinski has been involved in the sport since he was young whilst studying at the Academy of Sport in his native Poland.
He gained knowledge from the Polish National team who, at the time, were preparing for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
His coaching journey started in 2005 where he began working in Chelmno, with Orka Swimming Club as a county lead coach, before moving to the UK to develop his skills.
“I started off just teaching swimming in a Leisure Centre when I moved to the UK. I then gained a role as a County swimming coach with Leander Swimming Club before moving here to Croydon Amphibians who I’ve been with ever since.”
In 2016, Croydon Amphibians head coach, Jamie Stewart tragically passed away after being diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Folinski was then appointed to as head coach of the club.
Since, he has honoured Stewart by making the club one of the most successful in the South achieving results across County, Regional and National level.
Currently, Folinski is preparing his swimmers for one of the most competitive competitions within the swimming industry- the Arena League.
The competition is spilt up into six areas within the UK each with multiple divisions within each of them.
“For me, we have the potential to compete with the best clubs all over the UK.
“My main intention is to prove the progress that the club has made within this last year, and to show my swimmers that they can go up against the best in the country.”
The club is currently in competing within Division One of the competition yet their aim is to be promoted to the Premier Division of the league.
“I genuinely believe my swimmers are at the top level and the best the club has seen in years- the results from recent competitions and their efforts in training prove this.
“At this time of year when we have a competition this big every other week, as well as everything else the swimmers may have going on in their personal lives; it is imperative that I am there for them as someone they can talk to about absolutely anything.
“Most of my swimmers I have watched grow up throughout the squads since they were young, so I have built a relationship with everyone as head coach of the club before they come to me to actually coach them myself.
“Everything depends on their mentality and what they want to achieve. Mindset is the key to success and good results are great motivation for them, especially at competitions like Arena League where they can lean on each other as a team.”
Croydon Amphibians competed in the first round of the Arena League on Saturday where they placed top of the table with 243 points and are now ranked to win their division.
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What a night. Arena League Round 1. Completed – with a huge win of 243 points. Go CASC 🏊♂️ 💪 Bring on round 2. Well done everyone and a big thank you to all teams for an excellent night of racing!! pic.twitter.com/MMM2bTHaNz
— Croydon Amphibians (@CAmphibians) October 11, 2025
