It is with great sadness that BWPL announces the death of Gordon Dacre, the first President of the League from its launch in 2010 until 2013.

Gordon’s playing career was with Everton, a club which featured in the top division of the former men’s National League from 1972 to 1986 and twice finished runners-up to champions Polytechnic.

He then concentrated on coaching and helping develop many fine players – including his four daughters (Joanne, Alison, Helen and Kathryn) – for his beloved City of Liverpool Club.
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Liverpool’s triumph at the inaugural Champions Cup event in May will be seen as a lasting tribute to a man who gave so much to his club and to the sport in general.

​BWPL offers its condolences to Gordon’s wife Jean and family. 

​The League has received a terrific response from volunteers offering to help out as table officials at this season’s events.

So much so that already a grand total of 14 qualified people have been added to the new panel!

BWPL is now organising a welcome call for all newcomers via one of two Zoom sessions – a chance to introduce everyone to the League, its key personnel and explain any requirements relating to the key role of table official. Both those sessions are now fully booked!
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Volunteers who are not yet qualified have been invited to attend a table officials’ course during the season so that they qualify and gain practical experience of national level competition.

Fixtures for the first phase of the 2022/23 season are now published on this website.

City of Manchester launch their defence of the men’s title with a key clash against Cheltenham on the first weekend of matches - at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, 8 October.
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Manchester, the women’s champions, wait for their second weekend – at East Manchester, 15 October – before taking on Liverpool Lizards, their conquerors in the Champions Cup. 

​Clubs with any queries should contact Match Secretary, Chris Stephens, chris.stephens@bwpl.org.

Photo (Trevor Hyde): Manchester's Annie Clapperton, leading scorer in the women's Super 5s last season.

The death has occurred of former Aston and GB under-21 player Geoff Ward, a multi-talented sportsman who excelled at cricket and golf in addition to water polo.
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Former men's National League chairman Stephen Baker writes: "At 6‘3”, he was a strapping player who always looked a lot younger than he was. Geoff followed his father Ron into the Aston club and won many trophies in junior and local midland league competitions.

Aston saw their pre-eminence in the 1970s in the NWPL, twice finishing runners-up in the top division. Crowning glory was the 1975 ASA knock-out final, a 6-5 win against Polytechnic. 

The club played in the very shallow Aston pool, which must have been a challenge for what was the biggest team of the day, including such giants of the game as Nigel Horton, Norman Lines, Tony Whittington, Alan Widdowson, John Staniland, Ian Wallwork, John Barnes and Dickie Middleton, ably led by Chris Dickinson, a former GB captain.  

Aston dropped out of the National League by 1983 and Geoff moved to Warley, where he played for four years prior to retirement.

Geoff's business life was as an entrepreneur mainly in paint and automotives. He was a larger than life, cheerful and fun-loving man whose passing at 68 is tragically early and a great loss. He is survived by his mother Frances (99), sister Pat and daughter Jenna."

It was a day for friends and rivals of old to meet up again and enjoy a wonderful party!

This picture from the BWPL 35/60 celebration at Parliament Hill Fields Lido shows ex-GB goalkeeper John Towers (left) and his pal Colin Ball, who played when Otter defeated the Birmingham & District League in the country’s first-ever national league match in April 1963 – a few months after the founding meeting of the men’s competition.

There were others there from the 1960s and 1970s – including Dave Clegg, known to all as “Cleggie”, who played for Middlesbrough and York; Polytechnic’s Phil Brayford; and Sutton & Cheam international goalkeeper Stef Radwanski. Among the ladies were veterans of the inaugural season of the NWWPL 35 years ago, including Judi Clayton, Brenda Grace, Helen Hicks and Steph and Angie Clamp.
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A huge thank you to all who played such key roles in organising the event – especially BWPL Chairman Dave Andrews, ex-NWPL Chairman Stephen Baker and programme designer Callum Bailey. Thank you, also, to our sponsors – and of course to the excellent staff and lifeguards at the Lido.

Below - action from the GB men's and women's games at Parliament Hill Lido. Photos by Trevor Hyde.
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The BWPL’s eagerly awaited 35/60 celebration event takes place at Parliament Hill Lido, Hampstead Heath, on 9 July – and already we’ve sold almost 300 tickets!

Schedule for the day:

11.00 Doors open
11.30 Bar open
11.30 First of the day’s programme of 40+ matches
13.00 GB men’s game
14.15 GB women’s game
17.30 Hog roast begins

Teams taking part in the 40+ games are Coventry, English Roses, Liverpool and Otter (women) and Otter, Penguin, Polytechnic, Sutton & Cheam and Watford, plus a refs’ team (men).
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There’s still time to book a ticket – details on the 35/60 tab.

Solihull, men’s Super 5s champions as recently as the 2017/18 season, have withdrawn from the League with immediate effect.
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Caledonia, who finished fourth in Championship 1 last season, have agreed to fill the vacancy in Division 1 at the start of the 22/23 campaign.

Other adjustments:

Up to Division 2 - Otter

Up to Division 3 - British Army

Up to Division 4 - Coventry

The vacancy in Division 5 will be filled by newcomers Radcliffe, who were the next ranked club at the last qualification tournament.

The British League is to undergo major reorganisation over the next three years involving significant reduction in the number of divisions.

The Committee decision was announced at last Sunday's annual meeting in Sheffield, where chairman David Andrews said the move had been “reluctantly” agreed due to a shortage of officials. The League, he said, had been very vocal about the urgent need for more volunteer support, but requests had been largely ignored.

He added: “The current programme comprising 48 weekend events is unsustainable and was only maintained last season thanks to a small number of officials who went above and beyond in their commitment to the League. The aim is to guarantee BWPL’s future as the cornerstone of water polo in this country.”

Step by step, BWPL will reduce from 64 teams to 40 over the next three seasons, like this:

2022/23 First phase as normal – 5 men’s divs, 3 women’s.  Phase 2: Super 5s, men’s Champ 1 and 2, women's Champ 1. No men’s Champ 3 and 4 or women’s Champ 2.

2023/24 First phase, 4 men’s divs (no Div 5). 3 women’s divs. Phase 2: Men’s Super 5s, Champ 1 and 2; women’s Super 5s, Champ 1.

2024/25 First phase: 3 men’s divs (no Div 4), 2 women’s (no Div 3). Phase 2: Men’s Super 5s, Champ 1 and 2; women’s Super 5s, Champ 1.
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Promotion/relegation tournaments will take place – for example, bottom teams in a division challenged by top from the division below. This will give every team currently in the League an opportunity to retain playing membership in 2024/25.

Long-serving referee and delegate Geoff Kirkham (pictured) was presented with the Dave Warriner Memorial Trophy at the League’s AGM in Sheffield.
It’s awarded each year for outstanding service to the League and the sport in general.

Top goalscorer awards in the Super 5s went to Annie Clapperton (City of Manchester) and Cheltenham’s Joe Hubble.
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Ukraine Appeal: Thank you to everyone who contributed to the BWPL’s Ukraine Appeal. It raised £622, which has been forwarded to the Disasters Emergency Committee Charity. 

In the week that it very proudly became a city, Colchester has another reason for a big celebration – the water polo team will be competing in men’s Division 5 next season!

The opportunity arose when City of Cambridge, after 14 years’ unbroken membership of the League, decided recently to withdraw.

Colchester, who finished fourth in the qualifying tournament in April, were offered the opportunity to fill the gap and jumped at the chance.

​We welcome Colchester as the latest new BWPL playing member.