ANGLING TRUST APPOINT NEW MANAGER FOR ENGLAND DISABLED TEAM

The Angling Trust is delighted to confirm the appointment of Paul Etherington as manager of the England Anglers with Disabilities squad.

West Sussex-based Paul brings a wealth of experience in team management to the role, alongside decades of working with people and anglers with disabilities.

In recent years Paul has supported out-going manager John Weeden at World Championships, and John has also agreed to continue his amazing fundraising efforts in support of the new manager and squad members.

“I’d like to thank all the candidates for their applications and time, it was a strong field to select from which just goes to show the passion for delivering success for England in this discipline,” said Steve Fitzpatrick, Angling Trust Head of Competitions.

“The interview panel were impressed by Paul’s wider plans for developing grass roots opportunities for anglers with disabilities, expanding the assessment days, supporting the Disabled National Championships, and raising the profile of disability angling in England. He clearly showed not just passion and professionalism for the role but also a route for Team England’s future success.”

There’s no doubt that this is one of the most challenging volunteer roles in international fishing and Paul will need support from all anglers to enable him to continue the incredible, long-standing work John Weedon has done for more than a decade.

Paul said: “I would like to thank John Weedon for his dedication, his hard work and fundraising over many years has led many great achievements for the team and I hope to continue this success.

“After being part of the team for the last three years and gaining international experience I’m under no illusion that this job is going to be easy, but I can assure you that I will give everything I have in building a successful team.

“It’s an honour to represent my country in a sport that I love, and I’d like to thank the Angling Trust for this opportunity. The hard work starts now.”

The England Disabled team will fish the World Championships in Portugal in mid-2025 and Paul will be looking for talented anglers to get involved in assessment days which will be advertised in the next few months.

* The England Disabled squad are supported by kind donations each year but are seeking a longer-term sponsor. If you think you can help then please email steve.fitzpatrick@anglingtrust.net