​Swim England say they are “absolutely committed” to getting water polo back in action as soon as possible following the Government publishing the Return to Recreational Team Sport Framework. Together with the SE Water Polo Leadership Group, detailed guidance is being drawn up on how the sport can be played safely.

George Wood, Swim England Sport Development Director, says he understands the frustrations of water polo players but the guidance had to be carefully developed to ensure everyone’s safety. “The past few months have been a whirlwind and it is difficult to believe that lockdown started when we were looking forward to the climax of the British Water Polo League season.”

Since then, a Swim England Review Group – including Mr Wood and Toby King, Swim England WP Leadership Group chair – have drawn up guidance for pools in consultation with Public Health England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and campaigned for facilities to open.

Mr Wood added: “We know there are issues with some pools remaining closed for financial reasons, meaning some clubs are not able to get back into the water just yet. However, we are doing everything we can to try and get those facilities the necessary support so all of our clubs and members can once again enjoy the sports they love.

“In the meantime, we are looking at the conditions by which ‘competitive recreational activity’ can take place – in particular, competitive training and match play where social distancing may need to be breached . . . As water polo is an indoor, contact sport, we will need to identify the mitigations that minimise Covid-19 transmission risk pre, during and post-game.”
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The British League were recently in contact with George Wood, offering our support in future negotiations and expressing member clubs’ concerns that “water polo at all levels could soon be left isolated without strong and knowledgeable dialogue on its behalf.”

The BWPL Committee met on 26 July and, as will have been expected, finally abandoned any hope of staging a reduced season starting in late October.

The target now is to begin in January, with an eight-division programme – five men’s, three women’s – and each team playing only seven matches.

However, the survey of clubs and League officials carried out by BWPL, revealed a high level of uncertainty regarding the reopening of pools – let alone, when clubs will be in a position to resume full training and matches. A significant number of teams are uncertain whether they will be ready to return in January.

Therefore, it was agreed that a further survey would be carried out in September, when the position for many should be clearer.
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Then, the Committee will meet again on 27 September to decide the next step. Should a January start prove impractical, another option would be to stage a stand-alone competition – not affecting promotion etc established after the 2019/20 season – for those able to take part. 

Many thanks to those of you who have already responded to the BWPL survey of clubs, which has been produced to gather information on how teams are situated in the light of the coronavirus pandemic regarding pool availabilities, training – as well as readiness for a delayed start to the 2020/21 season. Deadline for returns is next Friday, 24 July, at noon.

If your club has not received a link to the survey, please contact BWPL clubs’ rep Joanne Mountfield, joanne.mountfield@bwpl.org.

The British League committee have delayed until 26 July a decision on when potentially the 2020/21 season can go ahead.

A reduced programme has already been agreed, with teams playing only seven games each organised in eight divisions (five men’s, three women’s). That is due to start in late October. 

“We recognise that, for all sorts of reasons, this may not happen and that we may need to target a January start,” explained chairman David Andrews. “For the time being, however, the committee decided to retain October as our start date – to give it every chance to happen, should significant changes occur over the next few weeks.
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“The situation regarding issues such as the availability of pools should be clearer within a few weeks. The committee will be meeting again on 26 July and will make a definite decision then on where we go from here.”

The BWPL committee will be meeting on 21 June when it is hoped a firm decision can be made about the resumption of the League programme.

Already, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the season has been cut from two phases to one, leaving eight divisions (five men’s, three women’s) in which teams play each other once – seven games. Target date for launch is 24 October. If that isn’t possible, the truncated programme will start in the New Year.

The League will be relying on guidance from Swim England, who have already cancelled all national events for the rest of 2020, including the National Age Group water polo finals, due at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, in November.
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On 15 June, Swim England, following consultation with Sport England and Public Health England, plan to issue guidance to help the aquatics sector prepare for the reopening of pools (which we already know cannot happen before 4 July). This will include water polo-specific advice.
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Major changes will take place in the British League schedule next season after the BWPL Committee conceded that there was no option during the current coronavirus pandemic but to cut the programme in half.

Instead of the usual two phases, starting in September, the 2020/21 programme has been reduced to eight divisions (five men’s, three women’s) in which the teams play each other once – seven games.
The new launch date is 24/25 October, although even that is not guaranteed. If necessary, the reduced programme would be put back to the start of 2021.

League chairman David Andrews has written to clubs explaining the rationale behind the decision. He says: “I appreciate that all this is a huge step for the League – and no doubt a great disappointment to many people. But there are numerous factors that bring us to this point.”

The most obvious, of course, is that no one knows yet when pools will be open, let alone when Swim England, in consultation with the Government, will sanction a resumption of water polo, very much a contact sport.

Other concerns for the League include the need to cancel existing bookings to avoid paying for non-use; the financial impact of the pandemic on club finances; and the likelihood of increased travel/accommodation costs both for clubs and the League’s officials once the season does get under way.

Mr Andrews writes:  “As ever, the main priority throughout our discussions has been to act in the best interests of you, the League members, as well as the many officials who make possible the whole operation of our competition and also to ensure the ability of the League to function fully when normality returns.”

The BWPL’s prestigious Dave Warriner Memorial Trophy, which recognises outstanding service to the League and to water polo in general, has been awarded this year to table official Duncan Holmes, of Lancaster.
 
As might be imagined, there’s a great deal more to 'big Dunc' in a sporting context than someone who these days is a familiar and highly respected face at many different tournaments throughout the country.
 
Duncan (Photo: Trevor Hyde) joined the Lancaster club in 1968 and was part of the first Lancaster team to win a national title, the under-18s, in 1978. He represented Lancashire and Northern Counties at junior level, claiming national titles with both; then, as a senior, he moved to goalkeeper, playing for Lancaster throughout the club’s rise through the divisions of the former men’s National League.
 
A bizarre water polo injury in 1995 brought a premature end to his playing career. It led to his becoming team manager – and the glue behind the scenes – as Lancaster embarked on a period of domination that earned a total of 12 National League titles and 10 British Championship victories between 1996 and 2011.
 
At that time, Duncan began assisting on the table, his expertise and skill eventually leading to the well-deserved honour of appointment as a 30-second official at the 2012 Olympics.
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A veteran former international and a current Super 5s goalkeeper are to receive this year’s BWPL Columbus Direct most valuable player awards. The women’s accolade goes to Sheffield’s Linzi Gaywood, who, after an astonishing 36 years in top flight polo, still plays in the Super 5s. Our men’s winner is Ben Alcorn, of Invicta, but very much a product of the Worthing club.
 
“Most valuable”, it should be stressed, doesn’t necessarily mean the best player. The awards acknowledge a high level of commitment, loyalty and dedication of players to the club scene and the sport as a whole.
 
Linzi, now 58, made a spectacular sporting debut as a 13-year-old swimmer, representing Wales and Great Britain in sprint freestyle events. She competed in the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton in 1978, but, once women’s polo became established in the early 1980s, transition to the sport was inevitable – father Ted Motley and brother Chris were both GB internationals.
 
Linzi played for Loughborough University, Nottingham Northern and City of Coventry and, by 1985, became a key member of the Great Britain team that competed in the first women’s European Championships, then the first World Championships in 1986.
 
Back in Sheffield, she created the Sheffield Sharks team in 1987. The many players she has coached include her children Alex and Eleanor. Last season was probably the first time a mother and son have represented the same club in the Super 5s!
 
Ben Alcorn has been a fixture in Invicta’s goal for a number of seasons, a player whose consistency was recognised when he joined the GB squad preparing for the 2012 Olympics.
 
His introduction to the sport was hardly promising. He’d experienced a version of water polo in a hotel pool while on holiday and wanted to try a more serious version at the Worthing club. “His first deep water session was a bit of an eye-opener,” recalls Worthing’s Alastair Roberts. “I commented to other coaches that he would never make a player because he couldn’t swim! How wrong could I be!”
 
Ben knuckled down, improved his swimming and worked on his polo skills. His career really blossomed after changing from outfield to goalie, helping Invicta win a national age group title. Nowadays, he is lead coach of the South-East region boys’ squad as well as a member of Worthing’s coaching team and balances busy training, playing and coaching schedules alongside a career as a primary school teacher.

Photos: Trevor Hyde

The League received a fantastic response to the launch of our virtual table officials' course, run by BWPL official Mike Hesketh.
 
All ten places on offer were instantly snapped up. So we will now be running a second course next Wednesday, 13 May, offering it, in the first place, to the next ten people who registered previously. Taking the lead will be the League's table officials' co-ordinator Michele Padbury. If you are still interested in taking part, or would like to be involved in the future, please register by going to  https://mailchi.mp/cf25e6118d8e/ezavym1gq9.
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A reminder that tomorrow (10 May) is the notional date of the League’s AGM – and the start of a consultation period (lasting until lunchtime on Sunday, 17 May) in which club reps can ask questions and raise issues, as would happen at a “normal” annual meeting.
 
The Committee will hold a virtual meeting on 17 May. We’ll then collate all questions and comments – plus our responses – and circulate to clubs.
 
The big question now is whether the pandemic will allow a prompt start to the 2020/21 campaign in September. League Chairman David Andrews says: “In these tough times, your Committee has been working towards running next season 'as usual'. But it is becoming increasingly likely that this will not be possible.
 
“We will be putting together our plans with key dates identified should a standard season not be feasible and will publish these thoughts and circulate with the AGM Q&A papers.”
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