British League action will take place at venues as far apart as Edinburgh and Plymouth during the first half of next season. The full programme of 20 weekend events is published today, with detailed fixtures to follow soon.

The League returns to the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Edinburgh, for the third time on 22/23 October, when northern-based teams play matches in the men's and women's top divisions.

​That means, for example, that men from City of Manchester, Lancaster, City of Sheffield and Championship 1 winners Caledonia compete in Scotland while champions Cheltenham, Invicta, Bristol and newly-promoted Solihull go to the GL1 Pool, Gloucester.

​Plymouth Life Centre features for the first time with an eight-match programme in women's Division 2 on 5/6 November. For much-travelled Devonport Royal, a "home" event will be particularly welcome. Full programme:

​17/18 Sept  Ponds Forge, Sheffield - Men's 3, 4 and 5, Women's 2 and 3.
1/2 Oct       Gloucester - Women's 1.
​8/9 Oct       Ponds Forge, Sheffield - Men's 1, 2 and 5, Women's 2 and 3.
15/16 Oct   Marlborough College - Men's 4.
15/16 Oct   Grantham - Men's 3.
22/23 Oct   Edinburgh - Men's and Women's 1.
​22/23 Oct   Marlborough College - Men's 5.
​29/30 Oct   Gloucester - Men's 1 and 2.
​29/30 Oct   Watford - Men's 2, Women's 1.
5/6 Nov       Plymouth - Women's 2.
5/6 Nov       Walsall - Women's 3.
12/13 Nov   Gloucester - Men's 3.
12/13 Nov   Walsall - Men's 5.
19/20 Nov   Lancaster Salt Ayre - Men's 1.
19/20 Nov   Swansea - Men's 2.
26/27 Nov   Liverpool - Women's 1.
26/27 Nov   Northampton Boys' School - Women's 2.
​3/4 Dec       Grantham - Men's 4.

British League men's champions Cheltenham will face Lancaster in the semi-finals of British Championship at the GL1 Pool, Gloucester on 14/15 May.

​In the other semi-final, Manchester take on Bristol, while the women's semi-finals see Otter matched against Coventry and City of Liverpool up against Caledonia. Programme:

Saturday, 14 May:
​14.30 Women's semi-final, Otter v Coventry
16.00 Men's semi, Lancaster v Cheltenham
17.30 Men's semi, Manchester v Bristol
19.00 Women's semi, Liverpool v Caledonia

​Sunday, 15 May:
09.30 Women's third place match
11.00 Men's third place match
12.30 Women's final
​14.00 Men's final

The British League continues to embrace new technology . . .  thanks to James Reddick, of Polytechnic, creator of the much-acclaimed data management system, which helps manage player registrations, fixtures and results. Plans for the future include:

​Trial next season of electronic match sheets that will also provide a capability to broadcast every goal and incident in each game on social media.

Expansion of the system to automatically collect and manage player stats and provide online team stats for every player as well as tables for top scorers and exclusions.

​Automatic prompts to clubs for contact information.

Referee gradings submitted through the system for the first time.

Delegates at the 7th BWPL annual meeting in Birmingham today agreed to an immediate move next season to 25-metre pitches in men's Super 5s, Championship 1 and Divisions 1 and 2.

​This is in an anticipation of a FINA decision to reduce the maximum length of the men's pitch from 30m to 25m following next year's World Championships. See also: BWPL Debates 25-Metre Pitches (below).

The meeting elected President Pippa Jones, of City of Sheffield and English Roses, to a second three-year term in office.

​The Michelmore Shield for outstanding service to water polo and to the League went to Mike Beard, who was awarded the British Empire Medal earlier this year in recognition of his great contribution to the sport over many years. Mike, of the Solihull club, is a former ASA President and currently serves as the BWPL Independent Financial Examiner.

​The Columbus Direct 'most valuable player' trophies went to ex-internationals Bernice Cowton (City of Sheffield) and Chris Evans (Sutton & Cheam). Winners of the Super 5s top scorer awards were Liverpool Lizards' Kathryn Fowler and Tom Curwen, of Lancaster. Picture (by Trevor Hyde) shows Bernice Cowton in action.

The British League urgently needs more table officials - and is launching a major initiative to gather new recruits in time for next season!

​In liaison with the England Water Polo Management Group, a course will be run during the opening weekend of competition at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, on Saturday, 17 September. "Ideally, we would like to see every one of our 64 teams putting forward a candidate," said BWPL chairman David Andrews.

​"Supplying table officials for more than 40 weekends every season is a huge undertaking - and a costly one for our clubs due to the fact that on many occasions we have no option but to send people from our small and loyal band of regulars to events away from their home regions.

"The availability of more locally-based officials would bring significant savings across all divisions. And, of course, those who do take part in the course would be taking back vital new skills for use in their own clubs."

​Full details are available from BWPL Officials' Co-ordinator Mike Jukes, mike.jukes@bwpl.org.

​Meanwhile, the Wakefield & District League is running a table officials' course at Maltby Leisure Centre on 11 June. Applications to Nicki Merry, mezbladebabe@aol.com by 21 May.
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The British League's seventh annual meeting takes place in Birmingham on 24 April when delegates will be asked to approve a significant change in the staging of matches next season.

​This involves ending the use of full-size 30-metre pitches in men's Divisions 1 and 2 and in men's Super 5s and Championship 1 in anticipation of a FINA decision to reduce the maximum length of the men's pitch to 25-metres after the 2017 World Championships.

​BWPL carried out a detailed consultation with its senior men's clubs and there was support for an immediate change. If approved at the annual meting, matches in men's and women's Super 5s will still be played in 25-metre pitches, which means continuing to use some of the country's major 50-metre venues. Other games would be staged in 25-metre pools, where the actual pitch size is slightly less.

The death has occurred of Jim Tancock, former Great Britain international and captain of the Weston-super-Mare club when it became a founder member of the men's National League - now British League - in 1962. He was 78.

Jim played many times for Great Britain in the 1950s and early 1960s, including three European Championships and claimed probably the unique distinction of scoring in every one of more than 60 GB appearances. He also captained England.

​A service of thanksgiving for his life took place at St Mary's Church, East Brent, Somerset, on 20 April.