Andrew McGinty, the 34-year-old coach of England and Great Britain water polo squads, was found dead in his hotel room at the Village Hotel in Bury on 18 December last year. Staff forced their way into the room after he failed to check out, discovering his body on a bed with the door chained from inside.
An inquest at Rochdale Coroner's Court concluded that Mr McGinty died by suicide, with the medical cause of death recorded as 'suffocation/asphyxiation'. Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley stated that the circumstances indicated he had deliberately ended his life.
Tributes poured in from various organisations. Swim England described him as a 'key figure' and a driving force behind national programme successes. England Water Polo called him 'much liked' and a 'huge influence' on hundreds of young players in the north west.
City of Manchester Water Polo Club said he was an 'integral member for many years', while Bolton School, where he was a long-standing coach, expressed great sorrow. The English Schools' Swimming Association noted his pivotal role in developing school water polo for over a decade.
Mr McGinty, from Higher Blackley, north Manchester, also served as head coach at the English Schools' Swimming Association. He was remembered as passionate and committed to his students, and will be greatly missed by the water polo community.
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