The Sudu Dragon Boat Club picked up a trophy at its first race regatta at Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith.

The third-place finish in the 200m race on August 14 came just three weeks after the club officially formed.

Sudu Dragon Boat Club president John Gullick and head coach Norman Heine were ecstatic with their paddlers’ showing at the Dragon Boats NSW Sprint Series regatta.

“I think the other teams were a little bit worried about how quick off the mark we were,’’ Heine said.

“I think being a new club we are still developing our fitness. We did win a trophy with a combined team from Nowra [Nowra Waterdragons]...so that was a great accomplishment for us.

“First race meet and one trophy is a great start.’’

Gullick added it was a “proud’’ moment for the club which paddles out of Lake Illawarra PCYC.

“To start any club is a huge effort on those who have the enthusiasm to create those clubs,’’ he said.

“There was a fantastic reward in the last month to firstly get a home at the Police Citizens Youth Club in Lake Illawarra and then to get our boats out in the water.

“To then be able to train and go out and compete on Sunday and to be immediately at least competitive, was fantastic feedback to us that all the effort was worth it.’’

Heine said establishing the new club was essential to grow the sport in the Illawarra region.

“Dragon boat racing is a growing sport, catering for all ages, genders and physical abilities; and brings together a sense of community and camaraderie,’’ he said.

It was after Heine and his wife Candice won six gold medals at the 2016 Australian Dragon Boat Championships in Adelaide earlier this year that he became convinced more coaching and facilities were needed to tap into the growing Illawarra dragon boat fraternity.

“We were absolutely amazed by how many young, amazing teams there were throughout Adelaide,’’ Heine said.

“We realised that the Illawarra region is so massive and we needed to tap into that.

‘’I think also there has been a bit of a misconception about dragon boating that it is only for people who have retired, or for people who have suffered from some sort of illness. Also, that it's not a highly competitive sport.

‘’We wanted to change that perception. The case is it's super competitive and it's also very community based.

‘’It is also a feel good sport. Everybody is on their own individual journey but together as a team you accomplish something together and you feel good after doing it.’’

Prospective new members are welcome to attend social paddles on Sundays. Training sessions are held four nights a week.

Email sududragons@gmail.com or call 0421 827 006 for more details.