After cancellation of last year’s events due to Covid, the annual MANUP! men’s and women’s open air tournaments are all set to go again – and as many as 13 BWPL teams will be taking part.
 
The excitement begins at Liverpool’s Albert Dock (Gower Street) next Saturday, 31 July, followed by Media City, Salford Quays, on Saturday, 7 August (both noon starts – entry free for spectators). A junior competition takes place at Nantwich outdoor pool, 15 August.
 
In 2019, local clubs did their city proud at Albert Dock, with Bridgefield claiming the men’s title and City of Liverpool the women’s trophy. At Salford Quays, the winners were Castleford and City of Manchester. For more info, go to www.facebook.com/manupfestival.

Just SEVEN weeks to go before the new BWPL season kicks off! Never before has so much preparation been necessary behind the scenes.
 
We’re talking Covid-19, of course, and the huge impact it continues to have on our sport. You can be assured that the League has been very much on the ball in dealing with the situation – as far as is possible while the picture changes almost day by day.
 
Central to all current discussions is the League’s own Covid Group, headed up by Claire Walmsley, who is one of the clubs’ representatives on the main committee. The Group met again this week for further consideration of possible protocols and actions that might need to be in place – for all players, coaches and officials – should Covid become a problem as the season unfolds.
 
Inevitably, it’s very much a “what if?” debate. We cannot know the detail of what will happen. But, led by our Covid Group, the intention is that BWPL will be as prepared as it can be. The Group aims to take a fluid approach, relying at every step on advice/guidance from the Government and Swim England and, importantly, ensuring a speedy flow of information to all.
 
In the meantime, the League is in discussion with all pools regarding their specific protocols. Venues may differ. Again, it’s a matter of being prepared . . .
 

We’re really excited about the League’s project with the “We Play Sport” initiative, headed by ex-GB goal ace Adam Schofield, which aims to record and then stream all BWPL matches, starting this season.
 
The filming is done via mobile phones. And here’s where the League needs YOUR help.
 
To save investing in new phones, we are asking members of all clubs to hunt through desks and cupboards at home to find any unwanted mobile phones and then donate these to BWPL. The phones need to be either iPhone or Android, less than four years old and in working order – especially the camera video function. If you can assist, please email Mike Hesketh at mike.hesketh@bwpl.org.

Photo: Adam Schofield (white cap) in action during his days as a BWPL star. 

​BWPL is delighted to announce a super new sponsorship agreement with Water Polo Market. And, to celebrate, there’s a great deal on offer that no club will want to miss!

Water Polo Market is already a brilliant supporter of the League, of course, and has now agreed to expand the partnership over the next two years by continuing as our official ball supplier (the MEGA brand to be used exclusively in all our matches) as well as providing all poolside equipment, including officials’ shirts.

So what’s that special deal? Throughout this weekend only, 26/27 June, BWPL clubs will be able to order MEGA balls by taking advantage of a huge 20% discount. That’s an offer immaculately timed for all teams preparing for the new campaign.

To order, just go to www.waterpolo-market.com and use this code: bwplball20

As the season draws closer, watch out for further Water Polo Market deals when you order via the BWPL website. We’ll be circulating details of all exclusive specials. We can also reveal that Water Polo Market will be supporting another exciting BWPL initiative - details to be announced soon!

Eighteen Covid-ravaged months after it was due to happen, the men’s 2019/20 Championship 1 programme is finally set for completion – at Watford Woodside pool, 11/12 September.

Two games remain to be played that will decide which team claims the remaining 2021/22 promotion spot to Division 1 alongside champions Polytechnic and Cheltenham. On Saturday, 11 September, Sutton & Cheam face Welsh Wanderers. The next day it’s the turn of Wanderers to take on Watford.

For Sutton, the challenge is straightforward. Victory over Wanderers would guarantee progress to Division 1, irrespective of what happens in the Wanderers-Watford clash.

But the scenario is very different if Wanderers manage a win or a draw. It would mean that their clash with Watford the next day turns into a winner-takes-all battle for promotion.

Venue for the women’s qualification tournament on 11/12 September has been confirmed as Liverpool Aquatics Centre.

A spectacular event is guaranteed – seven teams playing a total of 21 quickfire matches, with the top three progressing to Division 3 at the start of the full season at the end of September.
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Taking part will be two teams that dropped out after phase one of the 2019/20 season (Liverpool Water Beatles and Manchester Comets); a previously well-established League member bidding for a return (Sunderland); and four new applicants (Durham Palatinates, Kirkintilloch & Kilsyth, St Andrew’s University and Solihull). A full schedule for the weekend is now published on the fixtures page. 

​Competition among women’s teams for places in the British League has hit record levels.

No fewer than SEVEN clubs will be battling for three places in Division 3 next season when the qualification tournament takes place on 11/12 September (venue to be announced). That’s even though English Roses decided to withdraw from the League, which meant that Watford, sixth-placed team in Division 3 during the 2019/20 season, regained automatic entry for the new campaign.

Taking part in the qualifier will be two teams that did not progress to the Championship last time out, Liverpool Water Beatles and Manchester Comets, plus Durham Palatinates, Kirkintilloch & Kilsyth, St Andrew’s University, Solihull and Sunderland.
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English Roses’ departure ended a successful spell of several years in the League in which their players happily demonstrated that water polo can be very much a sport for all ages!

Former BWPL official Frank Ohme has been confirmed as one of the referees for the delayed Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Frank (pictured), who refereed regularly in the BWPL during his time in Wales as a lecturer in astro-physics at Cardiff University, has become one of the world’s leading officials – a regular in the World League and Champions League as well as refereeing top games at the FINA World Championships in Budapest.

Now back in his narive Germany and based at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, he was also appointed to the Olympics panel for the event’s original date of 2020.

The British League will be welcoming a new name to the men’s competition next season – Sedgefield, whose outstanding record of junior development over the years has included winning nine national age group titles.

Sedgefield gain automatic entry to Division 5 now that a qualifying tournament is no longer required. Also involved will be Watford Saxons, who dropped out after the first phase of the 2019/20 season.

The Durham club was founded in 1997 by ex-international George Carpenter, who, in 1986, became the first player to score 100 goals in a season in the former men’s National League while representing Durham City (repeating the feat the following year, with 105).

Another two decades passed before another player registered a ton – George’s son Scott! Scott starred for Lancaster before emigrating to Australia, where he represented the national team and also captained Melbourne’s Victoria Tigers to the Australian National League title.
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Over the years, numerous international players have enjoyed their first water polo experience at Sedgefield. Matthew Bowden was the first from the club to play for GB men while Sedgefield provided two members of GB’s 2012 women’s Olympics team – Angela Winstanley-Smith, who later played professionally in France before coaching the New Zealand national women’s team, and Chloe Wilcox.

​After reviewing the latest Covid advice from Government and Swim England, the BWPL Committee agreed at its latest meeting to continue plans for a full 2021/22 season from September. Everyone will now have fingers firmly crossed that restrictions are greatly eased by then and that pools are well and truly open!

The deadline of 1 May for clubs to withdraw from the League – and for teams to confirm they wish to take part in qualification – remains.

It’s appreciated that this deadline is tight for clubs currently uncertain how they will be situated in four months’ time. The problem for the League management team is that there is much work that must be done in the immediate future on key areas such as pool bookings.

The schedule blueprint for the next two seasons is available to view under Forms and Documents on the Information page, helping teams assess their likely commitments.
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The qualification tournament for women’s teams is planned for 11/12 September. No qualification event will be needed for men.